LIV Golf receives major OWGR boost that could shift PGA Tour civil war
LIV Golf’s Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) hopes may well have been given a boost on Thursday, after the ranking system awarded OWGR-sanctioning to a fellow 54-hole circuit in the Clutch Pro Tour.
The Clutch Pro Tour – known as the Mizuno Next Gen Series is a development tour offering a pathway for professional golfers in England, feeding into the Challenge Tour, one level below the DP World Tour. And despite its 54-hole format, the circuit’s 36-hole cut and routes to other tours has seen it receive the green light from OWGR.
“After a 17-month-long application process, in which the Tour worked continuously toward the standards required to become an OWGR Eligible Golf Tour,” the ranking system said in a statement.
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“The Clutch Pro Tour will become an OWGR Eligible Golf Tour from Week 17, week ending 28th April 2024, and its official Tier 1 tournaments, in accordance with OWGR regulations, will be eligible for inclusion in the ranking. The Clutch Pro Tour provides access to its official tournaments, conducted over 54 holes with a 36-hole cut, via its 2024 qualifying series held in the UAE and, for its 2025 season, an annual open qualifying school.
“It also provides local and regional players opportunities, culminating with a no-cut, season-ending Championship. As such, the Clutch Pro Tour is in keeping with long-standing OWGR Eligibility and Format Criteria. The Clutch Pro Tour has played a pivotal role in the United Kingdom – particularly since the closure of the EuroPro Tour. Its organization has provided the continuation of playing opportunities and pathways for players to progress to the European Challenge Tour and the DP World Tour.”
For those in charge of the LIV setup, OWGR’s decision shows their 54-hole format will not prove a hurdle if they were to re-launch a bid for ranking status. Their problem does however seem to lie with LIV events including no cut line, as well as their promotion and relegation process, with the league’s roster often coined a ‘closed shop’.
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