LIV Golf: No ranking points available at Bangkok and Jeddah, says OWGR

Open champion Cameron Smith won his first LIV Golf title in Chicago in September

LIV Golf players will not be able to earn world ranking points at upcoming events in Bangkok and Jeddah, Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) has said.

LIV Golf said on Wednesday that it had agreed a "strategic alliance" with the Middle East and Africa (Mena) Tour to allow its players to earn points.

But OWGR says it received insufficient notice to conduct a review before the series' upcoming October events.

A review of the changes to the Mena Tour is now under way, OWGR confirmed.

The Saudi-backed LIV Golf will hold Invitational events in Bangkok from 7-9 October and Jeddah from 14-16 October.

An OWGR statement said the communication from the Mena Tour "detailed significant changes" to its membership structure, as well as an outline of the initial series of tournaments in the 2022-23 season.

It added: "Notice of these changes given by the Mena Tour is insufficient to allow OWGR to conduct the customary necessary review ahead of the LIV Golf Invitational Bangkok and LIV Golf Invitational Jeddah.

"Only after the review is complete will a decision be made on awarding points to the Mena Tour's new "Limited Field Tournaments", defined by the Mena Tour in its Regulations as 'any Mena Tour-approved tournament, which comprises of a player field of less than 80 players'.

"Regular official Mena Tour events conducted over 54 or 72 holes with a cut after 36 holes, and its Tour Championship, typically conducted over 54 holes with no cut, remain eligible for inclusion in the OWGR."

LIV Golf is not currently recognised by OWGR, meaning players risk falling down the rankings and missing out on entry to the majors.

All LIV Golf players have joined the Mena Tour, which has been inactive since the start of the global pandemic, as part of the agreement.

Mena Tour commissioner David Spencer said the LIV Golf alliance marked "a very exciting day" for the Tour and its players.

The 48 players who featured in LIV's event in Chicago last month, including Open champion Cameron Smith and six-time major winner Phil Mickelson, wrote to OWGR chairman Peter Dawson last month requesting ranking points to be attributed to past and future events.

LIV Golf, which offers a $25m purse at its events and is fronted by two-time major winner and former world number one Greg Norman, was launched in June and has caused deep divisions in the sport.

Major winners Brooks Koepka and former world number one Dustin Johnson are among other players who have left the PGA Tour to join LIV.