Two-time Masters champion Bubba Watson believes a new qualification system should be implemented into golf to provide the opportunity to LIV Golfers to feature in the major championships.
Earlier this month the Official World Golf Ranking denied LIV Golf’s request to be granted world ranking points in their events which now makes it harder for the 48-player contingent to qualify for golf’s big four events.
At present, there are only two LIV Golfers inside the top-50 in the OWGR and just four inside the top-100 ahead of next year’s Masters in Augusta – with that number likely to dwindle before then.
Bubba has an exemption to Augusta National after winning green jackets in 2012 and 2014 but feels LIV should be targeting major championship exemptions rather than world ranking points.
“I’ve been saying since the beginning of LIV that we shouldn’t go after world ranking points,” Watson said ahead of LIV’s season-ending Team Championship. “We should go after top 10, top 15 on the money list – our points list on LIV should get into majors.
“It makes it easy. These guys are so good. The top 10 this year could play against anybody. You could make a US Team, you could make a European Team, they could play with anybody, our top 10. That’s how you should get into majors.”
Chilean star, Joaquin Niemann has already resigned to playing other tours to try and earn the necessary ranking points for next year’s major championships.
“It has been kind of hard not having the option of being in the majors right now,” Niemann said. “The majors are all about having the best players in the world competing against each other. It’s been a little bit frustrating the last couple months knowing that I’m going to be outside the top 50 and not going to be able to get into the majors.
“I’m going to have to try to go play different tours to try to win world ranking points but I still think it won’t be enough to make it because all the world rankings now are on the PGA Tour. Hopefully they find a way to have the best players in the world in majors.
“I’m going to try to do everything I can to do to get into the majors. I’m not just going to sit down and wait for an invite. I think I’ve got to get closer to that goal, and yeah, I think whatever it takes to get into the majors, I will try to.”
Leave a comment