The next skirmish to anticipate in the schism between the established men’s professional tours and upstart the LIV Golf Invitational Series is related to CEO Greg Norman’s desire to have LIV events included in the Official World Golf Ranking.
Established in 1986, the OWGR plays an outsized role in the men’s professional game. They provide exempt access into the four men’s majors, serve as the main criterion for selection for the International team in the Presidents Cup and count toward qualifying for the European Ryder Cup team. The OWGR also helps determine the value of sponsorship agreements between players and equipment companies.
At LIV Golf’s debut event near London last week, Norman made it clear that the Saudi-financed tour intends to apply to have the world ranking include LIV events. “We have talked to the technical committee,” Norman said. “Our strength of field is stronger than many tours in the world. The technical committee will review it, and hopefully we have checked all the boxes. Then it goes to the board for approval. There are more players coming, and that strength will get better, so it’s hard to see how you can deny it.”
Should Norman eventually succeed in his effort, his 54-hole events will receive reduced points compared with traditional 72-hole tournaments.
Norman faces several hurdles in his quest. First among them is the composition of the OWGR’s Governing Board. The eight-member board includes chairman Peter Dawson, who is a non-voting independent member and former head of the R&A. Also on the board: PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan and CEOs Keith Pelley of the DP World Tour, Mike Whan of the USGA, Martin Slumbers of the R&A and Seth Waugh of the PGA of America. The Masters is represented by Will Jones, the executive director of Augusta National Golf Club, and the international tours are represented by Keith Waters, the CEO of the DP World Tour. There are conflicts of interest here, but this would not be considered a friendly board for Norman to advance his cause.
Issues about the acceptance criteria also loom. Typically, OWGR guidelines require a tour to demonstrate viability over a 12-month period before even receiving consideration. It also requires minimum field sizes of 75 players, 27 more than the LIV model of 48 players. And, should Norman eventually succeed in his effort, his 54-hole events will receive reduced points compared with traditional 72-hole tournaments.
If the waiting period were to be enforced, LIV players are likely to see their ranking decline, and quickly. Bryson DeChambeau – who signed on with LIV last week – ended the 2021 calendar year ranked No. 5 in the world, but he has fallen to No. 28 in the first 5½ months of the year because of injury and poor play in his limited starts. Now that he has abandoned the PGA Tour, his decline will continue, as it will for the rest of the PGA Tour and DP World Tour players who have joined LIV Golf.
Jim Nugent