PGA Tour’s Justin Thomas and LIV Golf’s Bubba Watson have been at loggerheads in a heated discussion that took place on Twitter regarding points issued by the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR).
The debate arrived on the back of a tweet by @flushingitgolf, who questioned the fairness of the new system issued by the OWGR, that will see the current player in last place at the Hero World Challenge pick up 2.0886 points, the equivalent of a third-place finish in the Indonesian Masters.
Thomas replied to the tweet saying: “An event with 15ish (sorry not sure the exact number) of the top 20 in the world? It’s all about the quality of the field. The new system is hurting events like this more than it does that. Like anything in golf, play well enough in big events and you’ll be rewarded.”
Spieth’s last again at the Hero and will get 2.0886 OWGR points for his effort.Players need to come 3rd in the Indonesian Masters this week to get that many.The new system is going to crush the chances of “international” players getting into majors and it’s completely unfair.December 1, 2022
An event with 15ish (sorry not sure the exact number) of the top 20 in the world? It’s all about the quality of the field. The new system is hurting events like this more than it does that. Like anything in golf, play well enough in big events and you’ll be rewardedDecember 2, 2022
JT’s reply obviously rubbed Watson the wrong way and the former Masters champion responded by questioning Thomas’ knowledge on the matter and insisted LIV shouldn’t have to wait as others before them didn’t.
In the tweet, Watson stated: "It’s easy to repeat stuff others say without knowing the facts. Not all Tours are forced to wait for OWGR status. PGA Tour China was confirmed for points before playing its first event in 2014. OWGR has a long history of awarding points to 54-hole events too. #GoogleItItHappened"
Watson then added to his original tweet with a link to the OWGR website, with the 44-year-old tweeting: “The history page on OWGRs website shows some of the tours approved for 54 hole events that get OWGR points #LoveYouAlwaysJT."
It’s easy to repeat stuff others say without knowing the facts. Not all Tours are forced to wait for OWGR status. PGA Tour China was confirmed for points before playing its first event in 2014. OWGR has a long history of awarding points to 54-hole events too. #GoogleItItHappenedDecember 4, 2022
The history page on OWGRs website shows some of the tours approved for 54 hole events that get OWGR points. https://t.co/9xUNgUyAyZ #JustSaying #LoveYouAlwaysJTDecember 4, 2022
It is worth noting that Thomas had replied to the previous tweet on Saturday, with the two-time Major winner explaining to Flushing It Golf that: "You’ve earned your right if you’re in this field (Hero World Challenge), that’s just a fact. Anybody is open to going to q school to qualify for Korn ferry and try and get their cards just as I and others did. Tom (Kim) made the most of his exemptions, so I agree to disagree there."
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