The Official World Golf Ranking rejected LIV Golf League's application to earn world ranking points at their events; Bubba Watson spoke about how LIV Golf players should be offered a pathway into majors ahead of season-ending Team Championship
Thursday 19 October 2023 18:31, UK
Former Masters champion Bubba Watson has called on a new qualification system to be implemented to ensure a pathway for LIV golfers to feature in the majors.
The Official World Golf Ranking denied the LIV Golf League's application to play for world ranking points, making it harder going forward for members of the 48-player outfit to qualify for the majors.
There are currently only four members of the Saudi-backed circuit inside the world's top 100, a number likely to decrease further before The Masters takes place next April, with world rankings one of the main criteria used when granting exemptions into the majors.
"I've been saying since the beginning of LIV that we shouldn't go after world ranking points," Watson said ahead of LIV's season-ending Team Championship. "We should go after top 10, top 15 on the money list - our points list on LIV should get into majors.
"It makes it easy. These guys are so good. The top 10 this year could play against anybody. You could make a US Team, you could make a European Team, they could play with anybody, our top 10. That's how you should get into majors."
Talor Gooch - a three-time winner this season - is among the players not currently not holding any exemptions, while Joaquin Niemann also wants other ways to get LIV Golf League players in majors.
"It has been kind of hard not having the option of being in the majors right now," Niemann said. "The majors are all about having the best players in the world competing against each other. It's been a little bit frustrating the last couple months knowing that I'm going to be outside the top 50 and not going to be able to get into the majors.
"I'm going to have to try to go play different tours to try to win world ranking points but I still think it won't be enough to make it because all the world rankings now are on the PGA Tour. Hopefully they find a way to have the best players in the world in majors.
"I'm going to try to do everything I can to do to get into the majors. I'm not just going to sit down and wait for an invite. I think I've got to get closer to that goal, and yeah, I think whatever it takes to get into the majors, I will try to."
The framework agreement provisionally agreed in June between the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund - who bankroll LIV Golf - has yet to be finalised, leading to speculation that more players could make the switch ahead of the 2024 season.
"Do I think that? No. I know that's going to happen," Phil Mickelson said. "When players look at LIV, they are wanting to be a part of it.
"Everybody here is happy and enjoying what we are doing and enjoying the team aspect of it and enjoying each other and the camaraderie and enjoying playing golf globally and all the benefits that come with playing this tour."
A promotion and relegation system was implemented at the end of the 2023 season, while Mickelson suggested that interest is high for players to join the team tour ahead of next year's campaign.
"The reality is I've been fielding calls, as we all have, from players that are free agents to PGA Tour players to DP World Tour players that want to come over," Mickelson explained.
Watson added: "There's open spots. There's interest. There's people calling, texting, even me, and I don't have any pull. So they are asking for help to try to get in the league."
