The PGA Tour and LIV Golf on-season rivalry might have seen the night, but the off-season jabs are still functioning at best. The merger recently made it to the top of the headlines because the PGA Tour showed its back to LIV, and since then, speculations about Greg Norman’s league’s professional standing have been making the rounds in the golf world.

Weeks after the news about the merger being in limbo, as LIV Golf continues to tussle the OWGR points gap, a rebel has thrown a subtle shade at the PGA Tour’s confined silo. The LIV golfer thinks the larger fields that the Tour flaunts restrain the players from making connections.

LIV Golfer dissects the advantages of smaller fields in the league

In a recent series of events, LIV Golf player Richard Bland sat down for a talk session on the Flushing It Golf podcast and discussed the benefits of playing in smaller fields compared to larger ones. The golfer emphasized how facing top-tier players like “Brooks and DJ and Cam and Bryce” on the courses at LIV has improved his game. “My chances of playing with [them] at an LIV event are probably a little bit more likely because, obviously, there’s less players, that if you do happen to shoot the same scores on that day, there’s a very good chance you’ll play with them the next day,” the player remarked.

The 50-year-old then talked about how, in larger fields, encountering these elite players isn’t so frequent, often limited to only some major events like the US Open or, as a matter of fact, the PGA Tour. “They’ve played in the morning, you’ve played in the afternoon, so there’s not much chance [of meeting the players].” In contrast, smaller fields, as per the golfer, such as those in LIV events, increase the likelihood of competing directly with them.

Bland also highlights his need to be around top players. He credits this more frequent exposure to top players at LIV Golf for elevating his performance, emphasizing the constant need to bring his best game when playing against such competition.

While Bland thinks the smaller fields enable players to interact, they also come with a big disadvantage—something that LIV Golf players have been fighting for for a while now—OWGR points.

LIV Golf League’s quest for OWGR recognition

One of the biggest criticisms of the golf circuit for the LIV Golf League has been its smaller field and the 54-hole format. Both bits keep the league from establishing itself as a formidable professional league that has credentials in terms of pro golfing in the form of points that add to a player’s OWGR.

Read More: Amid Wild LIV Golf Ripoff Allegations, How is TGL Countering the Hostile Rumors Surrounding It?

Players from within the LIV League have often talked about the disadvantage because it keeps them from participating in other big golf world events like the Ryder Cup, for example. The changes seem unlikely, but the League has kept its momentum and is trying to approach the OWGR board for approval. Once things get formalized for LIV Golf, there are chances for the professional golf landscape to change.

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