Today's Edition
KUUMAR SHYAM (ABU DHABI)
All eyes from the golfing world in recent days are glued to the screens for updates coming around the LIV Golf league, but a corner of those will be reserved to news coming out of Abu Dhabi this weekend.
The National Course at the Abu Dhabi Golf Club will play host to a qualifying event for the pathway to the league with promoters from Saudi Arabia, called LIV Golf Promotions (LGP). At stake is not just an entry to the lucrative league through just three slots available in the team format, but there is a prize pool of $1.5 million (Dh5.5m).
Former PGA major champion Jason Dufner is among the biggest names in the 73-player field which will go through four rounds of churn over the three days in the UAE. After the first round on Friday, the top players will be joined by eight names in the second round. The final day on Sunday will see a 36-hole shootout to get to the three names.
Two illustrious players with a lot of pedigree were also due to be in the capital to earn their card, but they withdrew for different reasons, even as rumours were growing that Jon Rahm might make a move to join LIV Golf.
Two-time DP World Tour winner and a regular on the courses in the UAE, Victor Dubuisson, decided to retire from the sport altogether at an age of 32, citing mental health. Joining the former Team Europe Ryder Cup member was Chase Koepka, the younger brother of Brooks Koepka, captain of one of the teams in the LGL, Smash.
Along with the pair, the world No. 440 Lee Chieh-po also will not be teeing it up. The trio have been replaced by Grégory Bourdy, Kazuki Higa, and David Horsey – all of whom have plied their trade on the DP World Tour in recent seasons – as LIV introduces promotion and relegation for the first time in its short history.
“LIV Golf Promotions creates an open pathway for players to compete in the LIV Golf League, and the interest shown in the event’s inaugural year reinforces the significance of these new opportunities for the sport,” said LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman.
Koepka endured a difficult 2023 on the lively circuit but managed to bag a memorable ace on the “Watering Hole” at LIV Adelaide before slipping into the bottom four after the LIV Team Championships.
Also included in the star-studded field are former top-ranked NCAA champions, and winners on the PGA Tour, DP World Tour, Asian Tour and Japan Golf Tour.
Marquee players will include 2013 PGA Championship winner Jason Dufner, former Ryder Cup star Jeff Overton of the United States, and former PGA Tour, DP World Tour and Asian Tour winners such as Chris Stroud, Gonzalo Fernández-Castaño, and Alvaro Quiroz.
Nearly 60 players will tee off in round one on Friday, and those who finish in the top 20 and ties advance to Saturday’s second round, where scores will reset, and the field will be joined by a category of players who automatically qualified for day two of competition.
The top 20 players (after tie-breakers) following round two will advance to the final day of compe- tition, where scores will reset once more for a 36-hole shootout.
At Sunday’s conclusion, the top three finishers will receive highly coveted spots in the LIV Golf League for 2024, where they will compete in each of the league’s 14 stops on the 2024 global schedule. The relegated four players – Chase Koepka, Sihwan Kim, Jed Morgan, and James Piot – will try to reclaim their status. Andy Ogletree has got automatic qualification as the International Series Order of Merit champion.
In addition, players finishing fourth to 10th place will earn full exemption for all 2024 events on The International Series sanctioned by the Asian Tour.
