With OWGR Wounds Still Fresh and Deep, LIV Golf Gets Delivered Another Devastating Blow by Jay Monahan

Of late, the golf world has seen such turbulent times as never before. And the inception of the new league was the reason of all. From the beginning, LIV Golf has been a center of attraction for many reasons. From initially poaching top golfers to its circuit to months ago taking the world by storm with the news of its merger with the PGA Tour and the DP World Tour, the Saudi league has seen lots of good times.

And now, just before LIV Golf’s second-last event of this year’s season, it is once again in the spotlight. But this time, the Saudi-backed league faced a huge setback in regards to the OWGR. The wounds are still fresh, and the PGA Tour delivers them another crushing blow.

LIV Golf witnesses not-so-great news for the possible merger

In June, the PGA Tour commissioner, Jay Monahan, announced that soon the PGA Tour and DP World Tour would merge into one umbrella. In it, the leagues would establish brand-new for-profit corporations where the commercial operations of the PIF, LIV, PGA Tour, and DP World Tour would all come together. The $3 billion move is very important for LIV Golf because it gives more substantiality to the Saudi League.

But it seems like the latest news is not so great for the Greg Norman-led LIV circuit. On Wednesday, the PGA Tour sent a memo to players saying that they were in agreement with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund and the DP World Tour. But along with that, they are also looking for different investors.

In a memo, PGA Tour executive vice president Jason Gore stated, “We remain focused on reaching a definitive agreement with PIF and the DP World Tour, but not surprisingly, these negotiations have resulted in unsolicited outreach and proposals from a number of other interested investors. All of this activity reinforces the tour’s strong position and our potential for growth.”

Because PIF authorities want more control over the new for-profit company, the merger is being delayed. This may be a very plausible explanation for why the PGA Tour is looking for other investors. However, as of right now, LIV golfers are only concerned with the OWGR’s recent refusal.

Read More: Who Is Talor Gooch’s Caddie? From His Dream to Become a Pro to His Personal Life, All You Need to Know About the LIV Golfer’s Bagman

LIV stars open up about the unfortunate OWGR verdict

Being a lucrative league, LIV Golf just lacks one thing: the absence of a ranking awarded by OWGR. Even though the league filed a petition to come under the world ranking, OWGR has now decided not to rank them on various grounds.

This will hugely impact golfers’ rankings and their chances to play in major championships. Many LIV golfers, including Bryson DeChambeau, Dustin Johnson, and Cam Smith, expressed their opinions on the OWGR verdict.

As per DJ, in fact, there is no point in world rankings if they exclude the best players from their grounds. For Smith, seeing the best players not get a chance in major championships was less than ideal. He believed that the OWGR should have at least come up with another method of including participants in those competitions that aren’t ranked. Similar to these players, DeChambeau also advocated for an alternate system to integrate the best players into major tournaments.

Well, the celebratory moments of ending LIV Golf’s successful season are filled with sour moments as well. How will LIV Golf react to the PGA Tour’s recent announcement? Will LIV golfers get a chance to play in the major championship despite having no OWGR rankings? This will all depend on time. But one thing is sure: a lot of changes are coming in the golf world.

Watch This Story: ‘OWGR Has Failed’: Golf Fans Left Divided After Bryson DeChambeau Suffers a Major Setback Despite His Win