LIV Alliance Could Pave Way to Earn World Golf Ranking Points

LIV Golf may have found a way to offer its golfers one of the main things they lost by leaving the PGA Tour.

Through an alliance with the obscure MENA Tour, LIV believes its golfers will be able to earn world rankings points, allowing them to qualify for the majors without other exemptions. 

• The MENA Tour, which begins on Friday in Thailand, has been a member of the Official World Golf Rankings since 2016. 
• The tour submitted the 48-person field from the LIV Golf Invitational-Bangkok to the OWGR, noting that all of them have joined the MENA Tour.
• LIV has sought confirmation from the OWGR regarding whether its players will earn points on its rankings, where they have steadily slid since being banned from the PGA Tour.

LIV golfers will also be able to compete in the roughly 15 events of the MENA Tour, which offer prize purses of around $75,000 — a far cry from the $25 million up for grabs at LIV’s Bangkok tournament.

Making the Cut

The move accelerates the timeline by which the OWGR will have to determine LIV’s status. LIV has submitted an application to the OWGR in July, but faces certain challenges to inclusion based on its format.

The OWGR typically only includes tournaments with a 36-holecut and an average 75-person field, neither of which LIV has. The OWGR also requires tours to follow its guidelines for a year before being included.