Phil Mickelson's plan to solve OWGR problem shut down by fellow LIV Golf rebel

LIV Golf’s Talor Gooch wants the Saudi-backed league to stick by its 54-hole format – despite the likes of Phil Mickelson and Jon Rahm suggesting otherwise.

LIV has split the world of golf since its launch in 2022 by attracting some of the biggest names in the sport – such as Mickelson, Rahm, Dustin Johnson, Cam Smith, Sergio Garcia, Tyrrell Hatton and Bryson DeChambeau – to leave the PGA Tour.

Those golfers have been paid handsomely for joining the breakaway league, which is funded by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF). The PGA Tour and the PIF are locked in talks over a merger to reunite the sport, but a deal is yet to be agreed.

Many of LIV’s initial critics, such as Rory McIlroy, have since softened their stance on the controversial circuit and it seems its here to stay. Yet LIV’s CEO Greg Norman has spent much of the last two years trying to secure recognition from the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR).

OWGR points are needed for golfers to climb up the rankings and automatically qualify for the majors. Several big-name superstars will miss out on competing in some of the game’s biggest tournaments this year after plummeting down the rankings.

Garcia, for example, played at last week’s Masters as a former champion but is not expected to be involved at the Open Championship, the PGA Championship and the US Open due to his low place in the rankings. The likes of Ian Poulter and Lee Westwood, meanwhile, are set to miss out on all four majors this year.

Many fans would like to see LIV move from 54 to 72 holes to help resolve its OWGR issue, moving from three-day to four-day events. Mickelson said at the Masters: “We’ve got mini-tours playing 54, Champions Tour playing 54. I wouldn’t be surprised if some or all of LIV events went to 72. I don’t know, but it doesn’t matter. I enjoy the competition.”

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Talor Gooch wants LIV Golf to keep its current format

While Rahm admitted when asked: “I don’t know if I’m alone in this, but I definitely wouldn’t mind going back to 72 holes.”

Yet Gooch has now tried to quash talk of LIV moving to a 72-hole format. Speaking ahead of LIV’s event in Singapore next month, Gooch said as per Bunkered: “It’s just funny to me, this arbitrary number of 72. Why is it not 90? Why is it not 108? We just decided to make that number the number, for what reason?

“Everyone’s talked about world ranking points and all this stuff, but no one’s talked about what do the fans enjoy more? People want something that’s going to be more exciting. And I personally think that the 54 holes is more exciting for the fans.”

LIV’s most recent attempt to secure ranking points was last October. “We are not at war with them,” Peter Dawson, chairman of the OWGR board, told the Associated Press. “This decision not to make them eligible is not political. It is entirely technical.

“LIV players are self-evidently good enough to be ranked. They’re just not playing in a format where they can be ranked equitably with the other 24 tours and thousands of players trying to compete on them.”