Former Owgr Chairman Doesn’t See Liv As ‘a Success By Any Measure’

LIV Golf has been trying to person Official World Golf Ranking points since its inception successful 2022. 

The question, however, has ever been: Does nan startup circuit merit them? 

Peter Dawson, nan erstwhile OWGR chairman, says no. 

Speaking to nan Global Golf Post, nan 77-year-old explained why he didn’t consciousness LIV met nan criteria for its tournaments to grant world ranking points to players. 

“I was very disappointed that we could not do truthful pinch LIV,” Dawson said. “It is self-evident that players connected nan LIV circuit are bully capable to beryllium classed because they were before. But OWGR has a work to guarantee that each of nan thousands of players successful nan strategy are classed equitably. Some aspects of nan LIV format made that impossible. In my opinion, OWGR made nan only determination it could astatine nan time.”

The main culprits were that LIV events are only 54 holes, location was a deficiency of due relegation and promotion and section sizes are constricted to 54 players. Therefore, nan OWGR committee denied nan Saudi-backed circuit’s petition for ranking points successful 2023. And LIV withdrew its application successful 2024.

Dawson, however, near his position arsenic president successful April and was replaced by Trevor Immelman, a erstwhile Masters champion and existent CBS play analyst. LIV, pinch a fewer tweaks to its format, peculiarly a relegation system, then resubmitted an exertion to nan OWGR, which is still nether review. 

But nan aforesaid issues that plagued LIV while Dawson was astatine nan helm remain. 

“LIV has now reapplied to beryllium included successful nan OWGR system,” he said. “I want each play initiatives to do good and I can’t spot that LIV has been a occurrence by immoderate measure. Yes, it has fixed awesome wealthiness to a very fewer people, but successful position of engagement, its format of squad play isn’t resonating anyplace adjacent capable pinch nan instrumentality base.”

LIV’s world limb has reported $1.1. cardinal successful losses successful its first 3 seasons, and nan tour’s television assemblage successful nan U.S. has been lackluster, contempt a woody pinch Fox Sports that began successful ‘25.

Yet, LIV CEO Scott O’Neil, who took complete nan position astatine nan commencement of this year, is bullish astir nan tour’s future. 

“I deliberation that LIV Golf will person a ascendant position successful world play [and] will beryllium nan spot you spell for world golf,” he said successful July.

Dawson, though, doesn’t needfully echo that aforesaid sentiment. 

“I really don’t understand why nan PIF [Public Investment Fund] and Saudi Arabia are persisting pinch it,” Dawson said. “They are doing awesome things for nan women’s crippled pinch nan PIF Global Series and they person terrific plans wrong Saudi for expanding play for their ain group and for tourism. These initiatives merit our applause, but LIV seems to beryllium nan overseas man out.”