A 54 Hole Tour Has Been Granted OWGR Points (Hint: It’s Not LIV)

Things have been quiet on the LIV Golf/Official World Golf Ranking front over the holidays, but with 2023 upon us, a move by the OWGR will likely fan the flames of the debate once again.

After a 16-month approval process, the OWGR approved the Gira de Golf Professional de Mexicana, a Mexican developmental league, to be eligible for world ranking points.

The Governing Board of Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) today announces the inclusion of the Gira de Golf Professional de Mexicana @giragolfmx, into the OWGR System.

Read more – https://t.co/AuAdzfPzFV#OWGR#OfficialWorldGolfRanking pic.twitter.com/LObCy5mLvQ

— OWGR (@OWGRltd) December 28, 2022

The tour is a developmental league for PGA Tour Latinoamerica and has been an entry point into the Korn Ferry Tour.

How this news relates to LIV Golf is the fact that Gira’s events are just 54 holes. The fact that LIV events are 54 holes has been used as a reason as to why the rival league to the PGA Tour shouldn’t receive ranking points.

But while Gira’s events are three rounds, they do satisfy other requirements for OWGR inclusion that LIV does not, including:

• Events having a 36-hole cut
• Regional players can gain entry into events through a qualifying-school process
• Season ends in a no-cut championship.

LIV Golf has been trying to acquire OWGR points since its inception because those points will allow its golfers to qualify for major tournaments.

While he remains eligible for majors due to his 2020 Masters win, Dustin Johnson dropped from 13th in the OWGR after the PGA Championship to 41^st currently despite winning the 2022 LIV individual and team championships, taking home $36 million in prize money.

It formed an alliance with the MENA Tour, which hadn’t contested a tournament in over two years, to try to gain inclusion, but the OWGR said it will have to carefully review LIV’s model before it allows it to be eligible for ranking points.

Cover Photo via Twitter