A tour that hosts 54-hole events has been awarded Official World Golf Ranking status, but it isn’t LIV Golf.
The OWGR released a statement on Thursday to announce the Clutch Pro Tour will be included in the ranking system from the end of this week, week 17 in the OWGR schedule.
The developmental tour, founded in 2019, conducts tournaments over 54 holes with a 36 hole cut and it provides access to its events via a qualifying series in the UAE and an open Q-school for its 2025 schedule.
There are chances for local and regional players to play on the tour and there is also a no-cut season-ending championship.
After a 17-month application process, the Clutch Pro Tour has been deemed to meet the “long-standing OWGR Eligbility and Format Criteria.”
“This is a significant milestone for golf, and OWGR is deeply encouraged by the achievement and the continued efforts in developing the sport of golf in the United Kingdom,” OWGR chairman Peter Dawson said.
“We look forward to watching the progress of the Clutch Pro Tour as it continues to play a key role in the development of players from the region.”
The OWGR also complimented the tour’s role in providing opportunities in the UK since the closure of the EuroPro Tour. The Clutch Pro Tour has also provided pathways for players to the Challenge Tour and the DP World Tour.
Clutch Pro Tour: OWGR give the green light, but what about LIV Golf?
Comparisons will likely be drawn between the Clutch Pro Tour’s acceptance into the OWGR system and the Saudi-funded LIV Golf League’s rejection from the system at the end of last year.
The league, the brainchild of commissioner Greg Norman, features 54 holes, no 36-hole cuts, shotgun starts and a host of major champions including Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau, Jon Rahm and Brooks Koepka.
It was born in 2022 and has attracted several of the game’s biggest names from the PGA Tour and the DP World Tour with big-money offers, but it is yet to be awarded world ranking status.
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The league’s application was rejected in October because the format was not one that “can be ranked equitably” with other tours. This was largely down to the team format’s influence on performances in the indiviual format of the circuit, and its “mostly-closed style fashion.”
Figures such as Norman and DeChambeau have been vocal in their bemusement at the OWGR’s decision and the league has since withdrawn its application to world ranking points.
This means that the players on its roster will continue to tumble down the rankings with many of them resorting to major championships and Asian Tour events to pick up ranking points.
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