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MELBOURNE: LIV Golf chief Greg Norman Wednesday warned the world rankings danger changing into a “laughing inventory” in the event that they refuse to award factors to gamers from the Saudi-backed breakaway circuit. The problem of LIV Golf’s occasions being acknowledged by the Official World Golf Rating (OWGR) system could possibly be pivotal to its future.
If gamers can earn rankings factors from LIV occasions, it turns into simpler to qualify for the game’s 4 majors. “It makes OWGR look out of date in the event that they don’t (settle for LIV),” Norman advised The Age newspaper in Melbourne. “In the event that they get up on the finish of the yr and Dustin Johnson is 102 on the planet, is that not a laughing inventory to the OWGR?
“There’s two methods they’ll go: they’ll both fold, or they embrace LIV into OWGR. We’ll transfer on. Everybody’s comfortable after that.” The emergence of LIV Golf this yr has plunged the game into turmoil, with a bunch of prime gamers from the PGA Tour opting to modify to a collection that gives a number of the richest purses in historical past. The brand new circuit has been accused of “sportswashing” Saudi Arabia’s human rights file, backed by the virtually limitless assets of the dominion’s sovereign wealth Public Funding Fund.
The PGA Tour has adopted a zero-tolerance stance in the direction of the collection – which performs no-cut tournaments over three days and features a workforce competitors – with these defecting being suspended. Norman urged the custodians of the key tournaments to let LIV gamers participate, regardless of the PGA Tour’s stance. “They (PGA Tour) don’t have any proper to inform every of these majors what to do. They’re unbiased organizations. Sure, sure members sit on their board. I get it and I perceive that,” he stated.
“(However) for those who had been a broadcaster you’d be questioning the worth of your funding for tv for those who don’t have the strongest subject in every one among them. I hope they keep (impartial like) Switzerland.” The very best profile golfer to make the swap to this point was Norman’s fellow Australian Cameron Smith, the British Open champion, who was world quantity two when he made the transfer this month. He’ll be a part of different main winners akin to Johnson, Phil Mickelson, Bryson DeChambeau and Sergio Garcia in main one of many 12 Liv Golf four-player groups in 2023. – AFP
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