Exclusive: Graeme McDowell disagrees with fellow LIV Golf player's claim
Graeme McDowell has confirmed OWGR points were never promised to LIV players, which directly contradicts remarks made by Carlos Ortiz.
Graeme McDowell revealed to GolfMagic world ranking points were never promised to LIV Golf players, contradicting claims made by fellow Tour member Carlos Ortiz earlier this year.
Speaking exclusively to GolfMagic earlier this week, McDowell waded into the OWGR debate and revealed that while the refusal to award points to the breakaway Tour was disappointing, it was hardly surprising or shocking.
The lack of world ranking points has been a point of contention for the breakaway Tour since its inception in 2022, with a number of high-profile players claiming that the system is now obsolete and not fit for purpose.
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Both Dustin Johnson (266) and Bryson DeChambeau (182) have seen their rankings drop to career lows.
While hope remained that a resolution could be reached, it was revealed earlier this week that LIV had given up in its attempts to gain points.
Greg Norman informed players that "a resolution which protects the accuracy, credibility and integrity of the OWGR rankings no longer exists."
The decision came as no shock to McDowell.
He told GolfMagic:
Interestingly, McDowell's comments directly contradict remarks made by Torque GC member Ortiz.
Ortiz made an appearance on the SubPar podcast earlier this year and said the following regarding the issue:
The contrasting remarks really do beg the question, what were players promised when they joined LIV?
The lack of OWGR points available at LIV events has forced a number of players to take alternative routes to qualifying for the four majors of the year.
Most notably, Joaquin Niemann has played on various alternate Tours in an attempt to improve his ranking.
Niemann's hard work was rewarded when he received an invitation to The Masters earlier this month.
He has also played his way into The Open Championship due to his victory at the Australian Open in December of 2023.
The Chilean also revealed that he will be teeing it up at the PGA Championship later this year.
Following in Niemann's footsteps, 21 LIV Golfers, including Patrick Reed and Sergio Garcia, will compete at next week's International Series Macau on the Asian Tour in an attempt to play their way into the season majors.
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