LIV Bangkok Event To Remain Without World Ranking Points Due To 'Insufficient Notice'

LIV Golf will not receive world ranking points for this week's Bangkok event, or the upcoming Jeddah tournament either, with the OWGR set to conduct a review

A general view of the 18th green the LIV Golf logo and Club 54 during the 3rd round of the LIV Golf Invitational Series Bedminster
(Image credit: Getty Images)

LIV Golf will not feature world ranking points this week as it hoped, following the strategic alliance with the MENA Tour.

The MENA Tour said LIV would "immediately qualify" for Official World Golf Ranking points as part of the deal, which saw its season start in Bangkok with this week's LIV Golf tournament.

However, the OWGR has said "insufficient notice" was given, saying that "only after the review is complete will a decision be made on awarding points to the MENA Tour's new "Limited Field Tournaments" [the LIV Golf Invitational Series]."

OWGR STATEMENT:

Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) received a communication from the MENA Tour on October 5th, 2022, at 13.05 BST. The communication detailed significant changes to the MENA Tour's membership structure along with an outline of the initial series of tournaments in the 2022/23 MENA Tour season.

OWGR notes that the first two tournaments in this series appeared to be the same as the LIV Golf Invitational Series tournaments in Bangkok and Jeddah. The communication from the MENA Tour included a starting field data file for the Bangkok tournament, confirming that to be the case.

A review of the changes to the MENA Tour is now underway by the OWGR.

Notice of these changes given by the MENA Tour is insufficient to allow OWGR to conduct the customary necessary review ahead of the LIV Golf Invitational Bangkok (7-9 October) and LIV Golf Invitational Jeddah (14-16 October).

Only after the review is complete will a decision be made on awarding points to the MENA Tour's new "Limited Field Tournaments", defined by the MENA Tour in its Regulations as "any MENA Tour-approved tournament, which comprises of a player field of less than 80 players".

Regular official MENA Tour events conducted over 54 or 72 holes with a cut after 36 holes, and its Tour Championship, typically conducted over 54 holes with no cut, remain eligible for inclusion in the OWGR.

Elliott Heath
News Editor

Elliott Heath is our News Editor and has been with Golf Monthly since early 2016 after graduating with a degree in Sports Journalism. He manages the Golf Monthly news team as well as our large Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages. He covered the 2022 Masters from Augusta National as well as five Open Championships on-site including the 150th at St Andrews. His first Open was in 2017 at Royal Birkdale, when he walked inside the ropes with Jordan Spieth during the Texan's memorable Claret Jug triumph. He has played 35 of our Top 100 golf courses, with his favourites being both Sunningdales, Woodhall Spa, Western Gailes, Old Head and Turnberry. He has been obsessed with the sport since the age of 8 and currently plays off of a six handicap. His golfing highlights are making albatross on the 9th hole on the Hotchkin Course at Woodhall Spa, shooting an under-par round, playing in the Aramco Team Series on the Ladies European Tour and making his one and only hole-in-one at the age of 15 - a long time ago now!


Elliott is currently playing:


Driver: Titleist TSR4

3 wood: Titleist TSi2

Hybrids: Titleist 816 H1

Irons: Mizuno MP5 5-PW

Wedges: Cleveland RTX ZipCore 50, 54, 58

Putter: Odyssey White Hot OG #5

Ball: Srixon Z Star XV