LIV pros are dominating Asian Tour event in pursuit of world ranking points

LIV Golf is off this week, with the next scheduled event beginning March 1 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. But LIV’s players aren’t. Many of them are playing the Asian Tour’s International Series event in Oman, and you don’t have to look hard on the leaderboard to find them.

Through two rounds at Al Mouj Golf in Muscat, LIV players are dominating the tournament. Tied for first place at 12 under is major champion and early LIV convert Louis Oosthuizen, along with fellow LIVer Carlos Ortiz.

But it doesn’t stop there. Tied for third you’ll find American LIV pro Peter Uihlein, just in front of LIV’s Lucas Herbert and Kieran Vincent, who are at 10 under through the first 36 holes.

The two players tied for 10th also cash LIV paychecks: Joaquin Niemann, who earlier this week received a surprise invite to the 2024 Masters, and Matthew Wolff, Brooks Koepka’s much-maligned former LIV teammate.

Of the 21 LIV players in the field, seven of them are within the top 10 at the halfway point.

Why are all these players, who are earning significant amounts on the LIV platform, participating in Oman this week and putting in a lot of effort to secure a victory?

The main reason is to accumulate world ranking points. The Official World Golf Ranking is the main method for players to qualify for the four major championships in men’s golf: the Masters, PGA Championship, U.S. Open, and the Open Championship.

However, LIV tournaments have never provided points for world rankings, and following the OWGR’s ruling in October, they will not be doing so in the near future.

As a result, players on the LIV tour, whose rankings have decreased considerably since joining the new tour, must compete in other tournaments to accumulate ranking points.

They have limited opportunities to compete, with one being the Asian Tour, particularly in the PIF-funded International Series events such as the Oman tournament happening this week.

It is difficult to determine the number of world ranking points available in Oman. However, considering the lack of strong players in the field according to the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR), even the champion is unlikely to receive a substantial number of points.

“But Oosthuizen serves as a prime illustration of how quickly players can improve their rankings. In the previous year, Oosthuizen dropped to the 441st position in the OWGR.

However, following two victories in South African tournaments approved by the DP World Tour towards the end of last year, he has risen to the 133rd spot. If he secures a third win this week, his ranking is likely to rise further.”