Give us 10 spots! Bubba Watson maps out LIV Golf route to majors
LIV Golf possess a strong group of major champions, but Bubba Watson has a plan to award more spots to players on the Saudi-backed circuit…
A handful of LIV Golfers are eligible to play in the majors.
Bubba Watson, the owner of two Green Jackets, would like a new exemption category to allow more LIV players into golf’s biggest tournaments.
The 45-year-old can return to the Masters at Augusta National for as long as he likes, but many of his colleagues don’t have that privilege.
LIV’s lack of Official World Golf Rankings points has caused their talent to tumble down the standings, making it tougher to earn a spot in the four showpiece events.
“It should be realistic,” Watson said, explaining his strategy to the NCG Golf Podcast.
“When you think about the tours, you have the Australian Tour, you have the Asian Tour, now the DP World Tour and you have the PGA Tour.
“If you want to say the PGA Tour is the biggest tour, then give them the most spots off their money list. Then next would be the DP World Tour.
“So just because of the money and the world rankings, because guys want to live in the US and don’t want to travel to Europe, that shouldn’t hinder – just give them less spots in the majors.
“With us only having 48 players, then give us like 10 spots.”
Which LIV Golf players should play in the majors?
The majors allow players to compete if they are eligible under their respective criteria.
A player often used as LIV’s benchmark is Watson’s ex-RangeGoats teammate Talor Gooch who finished top of LIV’s season-long standings in 2023.
The American, who has won three times on the Saudi-backed circuit in the last 12 months, played in three of the four majors last season but he might not feature in any in 2024.
Harold Varner III, Mito Pereira, Branden Grace and Charles Howell III were the other non-major winners in LIV’s top 10 last year but they could also face major exile.
Awarding Greg Norman’s roster 10 golden tickets makes sense to Watson, but with so much riding on the PGA Tour’s negotiations with the Public Investment Fund, are things that straightforward?
“The top 10 is not easy to do on our tour,” he added. “So if you can do that, then it gets the best players in our league and the best players on every tour into every event, and then you get the battle four times.
“It makes a lot of sense in my head right now, to actually make it work and to get everyone to agree, that’s a whole different ball game.”
NOW READ: Bubba Watson: LIV Golf is ‘the bigger dog on campus’
NOW LISTEN: Bubba Watson: Majors, PGA Tour and LIV Golf talk on the NCG Golf Podcast!
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Matt Chivers
Now on the wrong side of 25, Matt has been playing golf since the age of 13 and was largely inspired to take up the game by countless family members who played golf during his childhood.
Matt is a member at Royal Cinque Ports in Deal playing off a 5 handicap, just a pitching wedge away from his hometown of Dover where he went to school and grew up. He has previously been a member at Etchinghill and Walmer and Kingsdown in Kent.
Having studied history at the University of Liverpool, Matt went on to pass his NCTJ Exams in Manchester a year later to fulfil his lifelong ambition of becoming a journalist. He picked up work experience along the way at places such as the Racing Post, the Independent, Sportsbeat and the Lancashire Evening Post.
Matt joined NCG in February 2023 and is the website’s main source of tour news, features and opinion. He has reported live from events such as The Open, the Ryder Cup and The Players Championship, having also interviewed and spent time with some of the biggest names in the sport.
Consuming tour golf on what is a 24/7 basis, you can come to Matt for informed views on the game and the latest updates on the PGA Tour, DP World Tour, LPGA Tour, Ladies European Tour and LIV Golf.
What’s in Matt’s bag: Cobra LTDx LS driver, Cobra LTDx 3-wood, TaylorMade P7MC irons, Ping Glide 4.0 wedges, Odyssey putter.
