There's a New Tour in the Official World Golf Ranking But It's Not LIV Golf

As the professional golf world awaits a decision from the Official World Golf Ranking on LIV Golf’s eligibility, the organization announced the inclusion of a different tour into the system: the Gira de Golf Profesional de Mexicana. 

The Mexico developmental tour conducts tournaments over 54 holes with a 36-hole cut. It hosts a qualifying school, giving local and regional players a shot to earn membership each year. Throughout the pandemic, the tour hosted events in collaboration with the PGA Tour Latinoamérica, a tour which provides direct access to the PGA Tour. 

The approval process took 16 months, according to the OWGR’s statement. 

“Since its inception in 2017, the Tour, along with support from the Mexican Golf Federation, has continually worked toward the standards required to become an OWGR Eligible Golf Tour,” the organization wrote in a statement on Wednesday. 

Inclusion into the OWGR system is vital for upstart golf leagues, as it allows players to rise in the ranks of professional golf and potentially gain access to major championships through their ranking.  

Although unrelated, the OWGR’s announcement seems to subtly make reference to the Saudi-backed LIV Golf’s current bid for world ranking points. With a 54-hole shotgun-start format and 48-player fields with limited qualifying access, LIV Golf does not currently comply with the OWGR’s standards. 

In their statement, the OWGR emphasizes the Gira de Golf Profesional de Mexicana’s effort to comply with their criteria—and the extended period of time that it took them to do so. 

Although LIV Golf members are not currently earning world ranking points when they compete in the breakaway league, many remain ranked within the top 50 in the world. Those players—along with past Masters champions—will be permitted to play in the 2023 Masters Tournament, as announced by Augusta National earlier this month.