In a letter despatched to LIV golfers on Wednesday, CEO and commissioner Greg Norman stated the brand new circuit “by any honest, goal and neutral evaluate” needs to be awarded Official World Golf Rating factors for its occasions within the very close to future.
Within the letter, a replica of which was obtained by ESPN, Norman wrote that LIV Golf’s inclusion on the earth rating factors system is “obligatory for the integrity, accuracy and equity” of the rankings.
LIV Golf officers submitted their software to the OWGR in mid-July and it was mentioned by the OWGR Technical Committee through the a hundred and fiftieth Open Championship at St. Andrews, in response to Norman.
“With out LIV’s inclusion, the integrity and accuracy of the rankings themselves are severely compromised,” Norman wrote. “We belief the members of the Governing Board of OWGR will perceive and admire this key consideration, and that they may deal with this growth with the respect it deserves and in step with their duties as administrators of the Official World Golf Rankings and the duties that attend these directorships.”
LIV Golf gamers didn’t obtain OWGR world rating factors for the brand new circuit’s first three occasions in London; Portland, Oregon; and Bedminster, New Jersey.
PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan, who has suspended gamers for competing in LIV Golf tournaments with no conflicting-event launch, is without doubt one of the eight members of the OWGR board of governors. Different members embody DP World Tour CEO Keith Pelley, USGA CEO Mike Whan, R&A chief govt Martin Slumbers, PGA of America govt director Seth Waugh, Augusta Nationwide Golf Membership govt director Will Jones, and Keith Waters, who represents the Worldwide Federation of PGA Excursions.
Within the letter, Norman famous that primarily based on the OWGR system in place on the time, the primary three LIV occasions would have had higher strengths of area than two competing tournaments on the DP World Tour and the PGA Tour’s John Deere Traditional.
A number of previous main champions, together with Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, Patrick Reed, Bryson DeChambeau and Phil Mickelson, have left the PGA Tour for LIV Golf, which is being financed by Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund.
“The proportion of main gamers on the earth competing on the LIV Sequence implies that, regardless of smaller fields than some current tour occasions and people who occurred reverse the LIV Invitational occasions, the [strength of field] stays extremely aggressive and among the many prime few within the {industry},” Norman wrote.
In keeping with LIV Golf’s knowledge, the winners of its first three occasions would have climbed on the earth rankings significantly had they been awarded OWGR factors. As an example, South Africa’s Charl Schwartzel, the inaugural winner in London, would have climbed from a hundred and twenty fifth to eighty fifth. Branden Grace, who was first in Portland, would have risen from 128th to 78th, and Henrik Stenson, winner in Bedminster, would have moved from 173rd to eightieth.
Schwartzel is presently ranked 121st within the OWGR, Grace is 139th and Stenson is 176th.
World rating factors are used to find out exemptions and fields for the majors: the Masters, PGA Championship, U.S. Open and The Open.
“These strikes (along with others that may have occurred) are important not solely due to their impact on gamers’ private endorsements and taking part in alternatives (i.e., Main exemptions), but additionally for the accuracy and credibility of the OWGR itself,” Norman wrote.
“With out together with participant performances in opposition to these industry-leading [LIV] fields, the OWGR at the moment are inaccurate. Ought to this proceed for much longer, the rankings will change into much more inaccurate and marginalized, with lots of the LIV Golf gamers having decrease rankings than they’re rightfully entitled to, in addition to non-LIV Golf gamers having fun with falsely enhanced rankings. Merely put, it is going to be unattainable to think about the OWGR rankings correct and even related if OWGR persists in omitting 48 of one of the best golfers on the earth.”
Johnson, a former world No. 1 golfer, has fallen from thirteenth to twenty first, his worst place since 2015, since becoming a member of LIV Golf. Koepka has dropped from nineteenth to twenty fifth, and Reed has gone from thirty eighth to forty ninth. Mickelson, a six-time main winner, began the yr ranked thirty fourth on the earth however is now 104th.
There are 14 standards for reaching eligibility for OWGR recognition, and Norman famous that LIV Golf did not instantly meet all of them. One of many standards contains not having a reduce after 36 holes; LIV Golf tournaments are 54 holes with no cuts.
However different tournaments, together with the BMW Championship, Tour Championship, Hero World Problem and World Golf Championships, haven’t got cuts and are nonetheless awarded OWGR factors.
“By any measure, it will be incorrect to disclaim factors to LIV gamers in mild of the OWGR granting different tour gamers factors in comparable, if not much less aggressive, circumstances,” Norman wrote.
Different standards that LIV Golf did not instantly fulfill included tournaments having a mean area of a minimum of 75 gamers (LIV has 48 gamers on 12 four-man groups); a tour holding an annual open qualifying college earlier than the beginning of every season; a structured alternative for a minimum of 5 gamers to progress to the total member tour that’s proposing its software (in LIV’s case, the Asian Tour); and a tour demonstrating that it has complied with OWGR tips for a interval of 1 yr.
Norman wrote that between the LIV Golf Invitational Sequence and Worldwide Sequence, which shall be co-sanctioned by the Asian Tour in 2023, LIV occasions may have a mean area of 88 gamers. LIV Golf plans to host a LIV promotions occasion, through which gamers may have a “probability to earn their taking part in place,” and its main 5 gamers on the finish of every season shall be awarded a full Asian Tour card.
“Though LIV Golf has operated for over a yr, the LIV Golf Invitational Sequence remains to be in its preliminary yr,” Norman wrote. “In mild of the implications for OWGR and its credibility of not affording LIV Golf gamers acceptable factors, and in view of LIV Golf’s unprecedented power of area for a tour in its infancy, we’ve got urged that OWGR acquire consolation with LIV Golf’s standing, as a result of it’s plainly in one of the best pursuits of the OWGR, gamers, and the sport to take action.”
Additionally Wednesday, The Wall Street Journal reviewed a draft contract for LIV gamers, and it contains clauses that require them to be accessible to recruit others to the league and to get permission earlier than granting unique interviews.
The draft contract reviewed by the Journal didn’t embody any signing bonuses, although the newspaper stated one element was a $1 million bonus for successful a serious championship.
Amongst different provisions within the draft contract was approval for many of the logos they put on and branded merchandise they use at occasions.
The Journal reported that attire necessities had been famous “a number of occasions” within the draft contract it reviewed and that gamers are to solely put on acceptable “Staff Attire” throughout any LIV exercise or “some other coated golf exercise.”
“The Participant agrees to put on LIV Golf branding (or different branding provided by the League Operator) at every Event and one another golf event you take part in anyplace on the earth,” it states.
The Journal cited an individual accustomed to LIV pondering as saying that clause was geared towards subsequent yr when the 12 groups shall be set for the yr.
It cited one other provision that required gamers to conform to chorus from “offering unique interviews or commentaries” in relation to any occasion or league exercise with out approval. The draft contract additionally stated gamers conform to “the place requested, help the League Operator in in search of to steer gamers to enter into multiyear participant participation agreements with the League Operator.”
The newspaper stated the draft contract signifies gamers broadly signal away their media rights from LIV occasions, much like PGA Tour laws.
It additionally says LIV golfers can play anyplace on the earth supplied it is not the identical week as a LIV Golf occasion. Graeme McDowell of Northern Eire missed the Irish Open this yr as a result of it was the identical week as LIV Golf Invitational-Portland.
Data from The Related Press was used on this report.
