The OWGR has taken a revolutionary decision to include the 54-hole Clutch Pro Tour in its universe. However, this decision has raised questions regarding an earlier dissimilar treatment of the world ranking system with the breakaway LIV Golf League. Even after fighting since its inception, the Saudi-backed league could not earn a place in the rule-heavy OWGR system. So, is the Clutch Pro Tour given special treatment?

The short answer to this is no. While similar at the surface, the two golf tours are vastly different at their core. The UK-based Tour, which offers events from the grassroots to the elite level, has worked for 17 months to find a middle ground with the OWGR and make necessary changes. It is “conducted over 54 holes with a 36-hole cut, via its 2024 qualifying series held in the UAE and, for its 2025 season, an annual open qualifying school.“ The LIV Golf League, on the other hand, does not have a cut system.

While LIV Golf’s issues like 54-hole format, 54-player field size, and no cut could be dealt with via a mathematical formula, according to Peter Dawson, the critical point of distinction between the two leagues is the aspect of promotion and relegation. The Clutch Pro Tour’s new two-tiered system favors the OWGR’s necessary competitive conditions of promotion and relegation.

The plan for the same states that after event 4 of the Tier 1 schedule, the 3 top players from each Tier 2 event will be granted an invitation to compete in the next scheduled Tier 1 tournament. In case, any of the top three players from the Tier 2 event decide not to take up their invitation, the entries will then return to the category list.

A similar plan remains absent from the Greg Norman-led league despite efforts conducted to introduce a promotions event a couple of months ago. The problem remained in the lack of turnover rate, with the promotions event solely awarding a 10% turnover rate against the widely accepted 20–25% rate followed by other accepted Tours, including the CPT.

Addressing the same, the OWGR Chairman once said, “They’re just not playing in a format where they can be ranked equitably with the other 24 tours and thousands of players trying to compete on them.” 

Additionally, one more problem remains in the team element of LIV Golf, another dissimilarity from the recently accepted Clutch Pro Tour. A few months ago, it was notified that LIV Golf had officially withdrawn its application to be considered for compliance by the OWGR. But has OWGR shown sympathy to any other Tour concerning the team-play aspect?

OWGR’s staunch stance against team events

The OWGR has remained firm in its decision not to award points to team events. In fact, in 2017, when the PGA Tour converted the Zurich Classic in New Orleans to a two-man team event, the OWGR stopped awarding it with world-ranking points.

Keeping that in view, the four-member teams of LIV Golf would make it extremely difficult to measure individual performances for the OWGR. Therefore, it seems that the world ranking system remains firm in its focus on individual play events. While many players, in the past, have voiced the need for up-gradation, including Patrick Cantlay, a resolution remains a dream for this sect as the impending PGA Tour-PIF merger continues to delay.

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