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LIV Golf told it can’t expect world ranking points after ‘jeopardising fabric of the sport’ as OWGR push back at breakaway league’s claim
talkSPORT host Simon Jordan insists LIV Golf must do more to conform with the sport's established format before it can expect Official World Golf Ranking points.
The Saudi-backed breakaway league has seen its momentum shunted by an ongoing pursuit to secure OWGR points, without which many of its players will struggle to qualify for Major Championships.
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On Wednesday, LIV announced a strategic alliance with the Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) Tour, which is eligible for OWGR points.
The breakaway league claimed this 'would immediately qualify LIV for OWGR points' ahead of upcoming events in Bangkok and Jeddah over the next two weeks.
However, OWGR has since denied this, insisting insufficient notice was given and points will not be awarded until a review has taken place.
A statement read: "Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) received a communication from the MENA Tour on October 5th, 2022, at 13:05 BST.
"The communication detailed significant changes to the MENA Tour's membership structure along with an outline of the initial series of tournaments in the 2022/23 MENA Tour season.
"OWGR notes that the first two tournaments in this series appeared to be the same as the LIV Golf Invitational Series tournaments in Bangkok and Jeddah. The communication from the MENA Tour included a starting field data file for the Bangkok tournament, confirming that to be the case.
![LIV CEO Greg Norman [left] has attracted some of golf's biggest names to his project, including Phil Mickelson [right]](http://marvelbet369.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2022/06/593a9220-5262-4bae-aab4-6e7596f5b0e6.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
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"A review of the changes to the MENA Tour is now under way by the OWGR.
"Notice of these changes given by the MENA Tour is insufficient to allow OWGR to conduct the customary necessary review ahead of the LIV Golf Invitational Bangkok (7-9 October) and LIV Golf Invitational Jeddah (14-16 October).
"Only after the review is complete will a decision be made on awarding points to the MENA Tour's new 'Limited Field Tournaments', defined by the MENA Tour in its Regulations as 'any MENA Tour-approved tournament, which comprises of a player field of less than 80 players'.
"Regular official MENA Tour events conducted over 54 or 72 holes with a cut after 36 holes, and its Tour Championship, typically conducted over 54 holes with no cut, remain eligible for inclusion in the OWGR."
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The MENA Tour, founded in Dubai, has been recognised by OWGR since 2016 despite having some 54-hole events.
It is understood much of the scrutiny surrounding LIV's application for OWGR points surrounds its format.
The breakaway project has 54-hole events and 48-man fields, among a host of revolutionary ideas, which appear at odds with OWGR's traditional criteria.
Many consider the league to be a Saudi sportswashing project, lacking integrity and centred around the inordinate sums of money for those involved.
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LIV, meanwhile, insists it is trying to 'grow the game'.
All LIV members wrote to OWGR appealing for points in September, as superstars such as Cameron Smith and Dustin Johnson continue to fall down the rankings.
Rory McIlroy - a fierce advocate for the PGA Tour, which has banned LIV players - insisted that while world rankings should reflect the quality of all golfers, they can't make up their own rules and expect to be judged with the same metric.
And ex-Crystal Palace owner Jordan suggests LIV should not expect favours from the established golf world after 'jeopardising the fabric of the sport'.
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"They're not going to stop," Jordan told talkSPORT. "They're going to keep pushing and pulling every lever that they can.
"They have inordinate amounts of money and, I suspect, initiative.
"There is going to have to be an understanding and a meeting of the minds at some point. Neither side will go away.
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"But when you start changing the format of tournaments to make them 54-hole, shotgun starts - aren't you in danger of jeopardising the fabric of what is a well-established sport?
"It does always need to evolve. But you're asking somebody to give you things when you're not even conforming to the basic format of the established regime."
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