When Rory McIlroy plays in a tournament, he obviously grabs eyeballs, after all, he is the world #3. The same was the case in this year’s Irish Open where he was one of the strongest contenders of the field. After the first round, he finished T3, shooting 3-under 68, and this included a late burst of three consecutive birdies. Along with that grabbing everyone’s attention, it was Laurie Canter’s T2 finish that had everyone talking after the second day’s game. But why is that?

What will happen if Laurie Canter wins at the Irish Open?

Laurie Canter has shown tremendous form in the 2024 Irish Open. He made 5 birdies on the first day, three of which were on the last three holes to card 69. On the second day, as well, he started strong with two birdies on Hole 1 and Hole 2. Three more birdies, and two bogeys later, his score on Friday was 68. He now sits in the second spot on the leaderboard. If he continues this majestic performance and ends up winning the tournament, he will become the first-ever former LIV player to get a PGA Tour card.

We all know that ten PGA Tour cards are available to the highest-ranked players in the final Race to Dubai standings who don’t already hold Tour status. A win in the Irish Open will help Canter earn 5000 Race to Dubai points which will take his tally to 6239.93, and place him in the top 10 and contention for a PGA Tour card.

The DPWT Pro is currently on the number 16 in the Race to Dubai rankings. In July this year, even the thought of playing regularly on the PGA Tour made him elated, “That would be awesome, wouldn’t it? To play on the PGA Tour is something I would love to do at some point,” he said. This will obviously allow Canter to play in regular PGA Tour events, and be eligible for OWGR, which his former league-mates surely are not accredited for.

This news comes when the $3 billion merger, that was expected to bring together the golf world hangs in balance. There have been no positive updates about it, and all that the world knows as of now is that the ‘talks’ are going on. However, it has been this way since the amalgamation was first announced on June 6, 2023. While the golf world eagerly awaits to see how things will turn out at the Irish Open, and if Canter will create history, let us rewind to see how his stint at LIV Golf was.

Laurie Canter’s time at LIV Golf, his stats, and more

Canter was an early recruit for LIV Golf, featuring in their tournaments throughout three seasons; he played in all eight events in 2022. He did not earn the card for 2023, but he was handed a reprieve after he filled in for Sam Horsfield as an injury replacement with the Majesticks. He became the first LIV golfer to play all three LIV seasons and move on elsewhere. For 2024 too, he was invited back as a two-event wildcard in Mexico and Las Vegas since he finished as the next-best qualifier at LIV Golf Promotions last December.

Although he never won an event, he gave a good account of himself with some impressive performances. He made £4.3 million while playing on LIV. With the future of the PGA Tour certainly at stake, it will be interesting to see if Canter can significantly swing the debate. What are your thoughts on Laurie Canter potentially getting a PGA Tour card?