OWGR board chairman Peter Dawson and PIF governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan on the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship at Carnoustie Golf Links, simply days earlier than the OWGR introduced it had rejected LIV Golf’s software.
Ross Parker / Getty Images
Ah, 2023. The yr every part modified … once more. For the second straight yr, we left 2023 with a drastically totally different perspective {of professional} golf than we entered. Now, as we glance again on the yr that was — with LIV main championships, Ryder Cup controversies and oh so many different tales — we’re remembering the 15 greatest moments that outlined the yr in golf. Let’s get digging.
In case you missed our earlier high tales on this sequence, verify ’em out right here:
Biggest Golf Moments of 2023 … No. 15: Viktor Hovland’s arrival | No. 14: Fowler, Day again within the winner’s circle | No. 13: Brian Harman’s Open rout | No. 12: The Michael Block Party | No. 11: Wyndham Clark’s breakout | No. 10: Lilia Vu’s rise
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Biggest Golf Moments of 2023, No. 9: LIV denied OWGR factors
On Oct. 10, 2023, some 16 months after its first occasion, LIV Golf suffered a big defeat by the hands of a few of golf’s most necessary decision-makers: the OWGR board. It was a procedural choice however one with important penalties for the worldwide panorama {of professional} golf — and that’s why it cracks our high 10 tales of the yr.
The Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) is key to the construction of males’s skilled golf as a result of it compares gamers from throughout excursions in an effort to find out the very best gamers in addition to these most deserving of berths in its greatest competitions.
This summer season and early fall, LIV Golf was nonetheless hopeful about its possibilities. For the fledgling league, acceptance from the OWGR would mark an enormous step ahead in two areas. The first can be concrete: If LIV golfers had been in a position to obtain OWGR factors, they’d be capable to qualify for the 4 main championships by way of LIV, thus eradicating one barrier that had professionals hesitant to affix and strengthening LIV’s place in negotiations with the PGA Tour. The second can be one thing no much less necessary however tougher to quantify: legitimacy.
Instead, the October choice deemed LIV’s format too dissimilar to established leagues to permit its inclusion within the rating. LIV’s occasions are 54 holes, in comparison with 72 on most excursions. They don’t have a 36-hole minimize. There is a parallel workforce factor which may sometimes result in conflicting motives, like when Sebastian Munoz said he’d lagged a putt to guard his workforce’s rating regardless of what it could imply for him individually. And they’ve closed fields of 48 gamers, most of whom had been signed to contracts relatively than any form of qualifying system.
LIV Golf formally denied World Ranking factors. Here’s what which means
Sean Zak
The OWGR made public its letter to LIV CEO Greg Norman and appearing COO Gary Davidson. OWGR chairman Peter Dawson spoke to the Associated Press in an effort to depoliticize the announcement, making the case that the format was inconceivable to rank equitably.
“We are not at war with them,” Dawson advised the AP. “This decision not to make them eligible is not political. It is entirely technical. LIV players are self-evidently good enough to be ranked. They’re just not playing in a format where they can be ranked equitably with the other 24 tours and thousands of players trying to compete on them.”
Dawson made it clear that essentially the most important obstacle to qualifying for factors was an absence of turnover. This “closed shop” factor of LIV meant assured survival to these gamers on contract, no matter efficiency. It additionally meant an absence of turnover and an absence of entry to the league for outsiders. While LIV solely assured its high 24 gamers would hold their seats for the 2024 season, professionals like Phil Mickelson (thirty ninth of LIV’s 50 gamers to earn factors), Lee Westwood (forty fifth) and Martin Kaymer (forty ninth) had been beneath contract and thus prevented relegation.
“Dustin Johnson, Sergio Garcia, of course they should be in the ranking,” Dawson added, signaling a future alternative for LIV’s inclusion. “We need to find a way to get that done. I hope that LIV can find a solution — not so much their format; that can be dealt with through a mathematical formula — but the qualification and relegation.”
The OWGR had taken different steps to keep away from conflicts of curiosity. Three board members — PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan, DP World Tour CEO Keith Pelley and Keith Waters of the International Federation of PGA Tours — recused themselves from the choice. But that didn’t imply that LIV would settle for its choice with out rebuttal.
“OWGR’s sole objective is to rank the best players across the globe. Today’s communication makes clear that it can no longer deliver on that objective,” LIV responded as a part of an announcement, taking a direct shot on the OWGR’s legitimacy.
“Professional golf is now without a true or global scoring and ranking system,” the assertion added. “There is no benefit for fans or players from the lack of trust or clarity as long as the best player performances are not recognized.”
The ripple results proceed to be felt as 2023 involves an in depth.
The PGA Tour, DP World Tour and PIF are in ongoing negotiations little doubt affected by LIV’s lack of OWGR factors and main championship entry. LIV, which held its first “Promotions” occasion in December, continues to contemplate different codecs that will be extra interesting to gamers, followers and OWGR board members. Its gamers proceed to slip down the rankings within the meantime; behind current signee Jon Rahm (World No. 3) there are current main champs Brooks Koepka (No. 17) and Cameron Smith (No. 23) with no different LIV golfers inside the highest 60. While six LIV gamers (Rahm, Smith, Koepka, Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau and Phil Mickelson) are exempt into all 4 of subsequent yr’s majors primarily based on current wins, when this yr’s majors come round they could not embody names like Joaquin Niemann or Talor Gooch.
In different phrases, you may anticipate this discourse to proceed into the brand new yr.
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