MUSCAT, OMAN | Incredulity, abhorrence, and resignation. The inability of the Official World Golf Ranking to incorporate LIV Golf continues to elicit a wide gamut of reactions.
In the absence of points, the ranking of LIV stars continues to plummet. Aussie Cam Smith has dropped to No. 44, Bryson DeChambeau to No. 169 and Dustin Johnson to No. 238. They were Nos. 2, 24 and 12, respectively when they joined the Saudi Arabia-backed tour.
While LIV Golf continues with its plea to be recognized by the OWGR, the International Series on the Asian Tour has become exceedingly important for many of its members.
The series comprises 10 premier tournaments on the Asian Tour, played across the globe with prize purses of at least $2 million. It also has become the feeder tour for LIV Golf. The winner of the IS Order of Merit (separate from the Asian Tour Order of Merit) gets a full exemption for the next season, and 25 players in the top-40 get into the first or second stage of its promotions (qualifying school) event.
These tournaments fill the void of OWGR points for the LIV players and provide them game time when they are not involved with the 14-event LIV Golf schedule.
No wonder then that 21 LIV Golf members flew here on the southeast corner of the Arabian Peninsula last week for the International Series Oman, where OWGR points became the talk once again when Chile’s Joaquín Niemann (No. 81) received a special invitation to this year’s Masters.
It was also fuelled by the recent performances of LIV players – back-to-back wins for Louis Oosthuizen and Dean Burmester in tournaments co-sanctioned by the DP World Tour and Sunshine Tour, Niemann at the ISPS Handa Australian Open and David Puig at the IRS Prima Malaysian Open – as well as a recent Subpar podcast, in which Carlos Ortiz’s comments were construed as a complaint that LIV failed to deliver OWGR points that were “promised.”
“I wasn’t complaining, for sure,” said Ortiz, who posted a four-stroke victory in the International Series Oman on Sunday. It was his first Asian Tour victory and his first title on a major professional tour since he won the 2020 Houston Open on the PGA Tour. “I was just saying that we were told we were going to get some, and we haven’t gotten it. I know the LIV guys are working hard and trying to answer every question that is being raised by the OWGR and I also knew the process would take some time.”
“I honestly think it’s stupid not to give world-ranking points to a tour that is as big as LIV,” said Ortiz, a 32-year-old Mexican and member of LIV’s Torque GC. “I mean, why? Why would an organization that wants to rank the best golfers in the world not rank a tour that is trying to be different and has world-class players? That doesn’t make any sense at all. It’s only going to hurt the OWGR because if they want an accurate system, they must rank everybody. It’s supposed to be ‘world’ ranking.”
“It’s my opinion, but I believe we’ve been treated unfairly. In the end, we all want the best players in the best tournaments ...”
Carlos Ortiz
Ortiz was delighted for his good friend Niemann getting an invite to the Masters, and like most other LIV players, considers it a positive change for the tour.
“I think it is awesome that the Masters have invited Joaquin. I am super happy for him. I feel like finally there’s some justice coming along,” said Ortiz, who was ranked 44th in 2021, and is now down to 1,286.
“It’s my opinion, but I believe we’ve been treated unfairly. In the end, we all want the best players in the best tournaments, and I think that’s slowly starting to happen now.
“I know one thing for sure: Just because I work at a different place, I am not evil. I think people are slowly realising that it’s just golf, and we’re still good golfers. I don’t understand the mentality that if you take a decision that some people don’t agree with, you should be punished.”
Oosthuizen, captain of the all-South African Stingers team, said he has made peace with his decision and has stopped dreaming of adding another major title to his 2010 Open Championship at St Andrews.
“I have accepted the fact that I might not be able to play any major championship again, and I am fine with that,” said the 41-year-old, whose passion for farming and tractors is well known.
“I am old now. I love spending time with my family. I would ideally play 18-20 weeks in a year, so a schedule of 14 LIV and a few International Series and Sunshine Tour events suit me fine.
“But I do feel for the younger players like Niemann and find it incredibly hard to believe that someone like him is unable to get into the major championships and has to depend on invites.”
Spain’s 22-year-old David Puig, who has put together some terrific performances outside LIV Golf, including his latest win at the Malaysian Open which got him an entry into the 152nd Open Championship at Royal Troon, could not fathom how he was a better player than Johnson and DeChambeau as per the OWGR.
“Even though I’m still moving pretty fast up the world ranking, because I just kind of turned professional, seeing players like Phil Mickelson (No. 142), DJ and Bryson being lower than I am is pretty crazy and doesn’t make sense. Hopefully, they can find a solution soon,” said Puig, who is ranked No. 141.
In all this, the International Series has assumed added importance for the LIV players, and also for the Asian Tour stars, all of whom seem to have made qualifying for LIV Golf their biggest goal for the season.
“For me, as a young player, I just try to take advantage of all the opportunities that the Asian Tour and LIV presents,” Puig said. “I had the chance to play in Malaysia for that Open spot, and I got it. I will play wherever possible just to try to get my world rankings better and see if I can maybe get into any other major. The Asian Tour and the International Series are doing a very good job, putting up very good quality tournaments.”
“We have tried to schedule our tournaments in such a manner that it becomes very convenient for the LIV Golf player to attend.”
Rahul Singh
Rahul Singh, head of International Series, said it was a great opportunity for LIV players, and for members of the Asian Tour, who get to play on quality golf courses in various parts of the globe against high-quality fields.
“We have tried to schedule our tournaments in such a manner that it becomes very convenient for the LIV Golf player to attend,” Singh said. “So, if you see this year, Oman is the week before LIV Golf Jeddah, and the International Series Macau, presented by Wynn, is the week after LIV Golf Hong Kong.
“But the greater lure for them is the fact that they want to play more competitive tournaments where they have a chance to gain OWGR points. We have 14 LIV events, and that leaves a lot of space for at least six to eight tournaments for the players. And several young players would love to play nearly 30 weeks, which is why we are seeing many of them play the regular Asian Tour events as well.”
The International Series, funded by LIV Golf, also has started getting attention from sponsors. The next tournament, March 14-17 at Macau Golf and Country Club on the southeast coast of China, has a title sponsor in U.S.-based Wynn Resorts.
“To make the events sustainable on their own is our big goal,” Singh said. “Given our global outlook, we have now started getting unsolicited inquiries from golf courses and associations from all over the world. And Macau will surely be a very important chapter in our journey.”
E-MAIL JOY
Top: Sebástian Muñoz (from left), Joaquín Niemann, Carlos Perez and Mito Pereira of the Torque GC team are among LIV players craving OWGR points.
PAUL LAKATOS, ASIAN TOUR