Amid Ongoing OWGR Snub, Meet the LIV Golfers Set for DP World Tour Return

The DP World Tour is headed to the Italian Open after Guido Migliozzi emerged victorious in the last event of the tour – the KLM Open. The 2024 Italian Open will be organized at Adriatic Golf Club in Ravenna. This is the first time when the venue will get this honor. The tournament will witness the participants battling for a purse of $3.25 million. Some LIV golfers will also be a part of the championship.

Unfortunately, LIV golfers do not get OWGR points while playing in the breakaway circuit. The only way to get OWGR points is by performing well in the majors, DP World Tour championships, and Asian Tour events, if they qualify for those events. This week, the Italian Open, and next week the BMW International Open are some examples of blessing in disguise for the breakaway circuit’s pros.

What are the prominent names who are going to compete in the upcoming DP World Tour events?

The 81st edition of the Italian Open is scheduled to commence on June 27 and next week, the International BMW Open will take place. Let’s discuss some of the prominent LIV golfers who will be a part of the event.

1. Patrick Reed: There is no doubt that Reed is one of the great golfers in the world. Before joining the Saudi-funded league in 2022, he had a total of 9 PGA Tour wins, including one major (the Masters 2018). There was a time (in 2020) when Patrick Reed was world number six and now he is at 102, due to LIV events not being considered for the OWGR ranking. Reed hasn’t been active on the European circuit since his scandal with Rory McIlroy at the 2023 Dubai Desert Classic, during which he flicked a tee on the four-time major champ.

Later, McIlroy won the event, beating Reed by a single shot. Although McIlroy won’t be joining the Italian Open as a result of his heartbreaking loss at the US Open, Reed will return to the European tour in the hopes of garnering as many OWGR points as possible. The last event that Reed competed in was the LIV Golf Nashville in which he was not able to perform well as he finished at T32 with a score of 4 under 209. Hopefully, he will do better in the European circuit’s upcoming tournament.

2. Martin Kaymer: In the BMW International Open, which will take place in Munich, Germany, Reed will meet two of his LIV Golf comrades. One of whom is the German golfer, Martin Kaymer. Talking about the PGA Tour wins the German golfer has – 3 PGA Tour titles. Do you know what’s more amazing?

Two of these wins are major wins (the 2010 PGA Championship and the 2014 US Open). He is also a former world number one but hasn’t won a single event in the last ten years. Although currently, his OWGR ranking is a four-digit number, the 39-year-old will look to perform well in the BMW International Open to collect some points.

3. Thomas Pieters: Another breakaway league golfer to join Reed at the BMW International Open is Thomas Pieters. The youngest of the three, Pieters is also the most recent of them to join LIV Golf. He associated with a Saudi-backed league in 2023. It’s quite unfortunate that Pieters’ time on the PGA Tour was not the greatest as he never won even a single on the American circuit and now, it seems much more difficult as he is not eligible to compete in the PGA Tour events.

Well, if we discuss his achievements on the European circuit, then it’s quite the opposite of that of the PGA Tour, as the Belgian pro has 6 DPA World Tour wins in his name. Another impressive fact about Pieters is that his best rank in the OWGR is 23, but currently, he is at 349. Hopefully, he won’t let this chance to gather some OWGR points at the DP World Tour event slip away.

What are your thoughts on Patrick Reed’s comeback to the DP World Tour? Will this comeback be an iconic one? or will his fans have to wait for his magic to happen until the BMW International Open? Let us know in the comments.