There won’t be much LIV Golf presence at the major championships this year as the breakaway league is still awaiting ranking points from the Official World Golf Ranking.
With three spots at the Open Championship and world ranking points up for grabs at the Malaysian Open, two LIV Golf stars have shifted their focus to the Asian Tour this week.
This year’s LIV field at the four major golf tournaments will be small because the Saudi-backed league has not yet been accepted by the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR). Since LIV events have not yet been awarded world ranking points, the rest of the membership appears destined to be left out, while some of the league’s biggest names have exemptions due to their prior major victories.
Englishman Sam Horsfield and Spanish player David Puig have chosen to travel to Malaysia this week in an attempt to secure a spot at the year’s last major. Their goal is to pave the path to this year’s Open at Royal Troon.
Horsfield and Puig will have the opportunity to earn some uncommon ranking points, but they will also be vying for a top-three finish, which will secure their places in the Open in July. Additionally, both players have made strong starts at The Mines Resort & Golf Club. At the end of the first round, they are tied for 13th place at five under par.
Although LIV members enjoy some ranking relief due to their connections to the Asian Tour, the situation is still far from ideal for breakaway league players. Since its founding in June 2022, LIV has advanced significantly in the professional game, but one major chink in the armor is that it is not recognized by OWGR.
Their most recent proposal was turned down in October of last year, with OWGR executives citing the promotion and relegation system and the league’s 54-hole, no-cut format as the main grounds for the rejection. The decision was met with disapproval by the Saudi-backed league’s officials, who severely questioned the validity of the rankings.
“OWGR’s sole objective is to rank the world’s best players. “Today’s communication makes clear that it can no longer deliver on that objective,” an LIV statement at the time said. For professional golf, there isn’t a true global system of scoring and ranking in place yet. As long as the greatest player performances remain unacknowledged, neither players nor fans gain from a lack of clarity or trust.
“LIV will continue to strive to level set the market so fans, broadcasters, and sponsors have the assurance of an independent and objective ranking system and the pure enjoyment of watching the best golf in the world.” One proposal that has been suggested is those in charge of golf’s four majors offering some sort of exemption pathway for those competing on the breakaway league.
Bryson DeChambeau proposed the idea in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, in October of last year. He stated, “We would love to find another way to be integrated into the major championship system since I think we have some of the best players in the world, but right now they’re not allowing it.”
“I think it would be obvious for the major championships to host the best players in the world at those four events each year if they were in the top 12 on the list, the money list, or the points list at the end of the year.” As of right now, though, the authorities have not yet given the LIV setup a qualifying category.
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