Saudi activist Lina Alhathloul wrote an open letter to the LPGA’s commissioner, board of directors and players to urge them not to partner with LIV Golf.

LPGA commissioner Mollie Marcoux Samaan said in July she would “engage in a conversation” with LIV Golf chief executive Greg Norman about a potential collaboration with the Saudi-funded breakaway.

Now, as some of the LPGA’s top players compete in the Saudi-backed Aramco Team Series in New York, Lina Alhathloul has urged them to think twice after describing her sister Loujain’s imprisonment by the Saudi authorities for campaigning for women’s rights.

“The general situation for women in Saudi Arabia has not improved, as the Saudi narrative suggests,” Alhathloul wrote on social media.

“In reality, the male guardianship system is far from dismantled. Over the past few years, the Saudi authorities have lifted some of the restrictions women face under the country’s male guardianship system.

“Still, the legal framework that treats adult women as minors continues to affect all aspects of women’s lives negatively and severely restricts their fundamental liberties.

“‘Disobedience’ by a woman towards her male guardian (father, husband, brother, or even son) also remains a crime, effectively rendering her new freedoms null and void if her male guardian objects.

“I understand that you might believe that your involvement with such a country could positively impact their fate but, given the present context, your participation in events hosted by the Crown Prince will only help rehabilitate him and cover up all the violations.

“In fact, I am sounding the alarm on the consequences of such actions. I urge you to consider the human rights aspect of your potential involvement with LIV Golf and use your influence to positively raise the situation of women in the country and to publicly distance yourself from the Saudi regime.”

LAHORE: A team of four, including a reserve, has been picked after four-day trials conducted by the Pakistan Golf Federation (PGF) at Rumanza Golf Course in Multan for participation in the Nomura Cup.

Four seniors were also selected after similar trials for Asia Pacific Senior Amateur Golf Championship. The final national team includes Saad Habib, Syed Saim Shazli, Damil Ataullah and Qasim Ali Khan (reserve) whereas Raja Asif Mehdi, Tariq Mehmood, Omar Javed Zia and Maj Shoaibuddin are the four senior champions who will now represent Pakistan in Asia Pacific Senior Amateur Golf Championship.

On the final day, Saad Habib with gross score of 292 returned as the leader followed by Syed Saim Shazli with gross score of 293. Raja Asif topped from among the seniors’ amateur category on Monday.

The fourth day, however, culminated in favour of 16-year-old school boy Saad Habib Malik of Rumanza Club. All through the final 18 holes, Saad Habib put on display high calibre golf as he had regulation pars on the concluding five holes (from 13th to 17th hole) and on the finishing 18th hole he hit a marvelous bunker shot to score an exquisite par.

In the final standings, Syed Saim Shazli of Karachi slipped to second position with four rounds scores of 69, 77, 73 and 74 and an aggregate of 293 and he lost the top position to Saad Habib by a margin of one stroke. The double bogie on the concluding 18th hole pushed him to second place.

Five aspirants ended up at a score of 301 who were Qasim Ali Khan, Hussain Hamid, Osama Nadeem Salman Jehangir and Rao Hassan. Out of these five Qasim Ali Khan gets selected as the reserve player as he had better scores in the last two rounds.

Kim, 20, wins Shriners Children’s Open in Las Vegas
Jason Day ties for eighth while Lucas Herbert ties 20th

South Korea’s Tom Kim has become the first player to win twice on the PGA Tour before the age of 21 since Tiger Woods in 1996.

A star of the recent Presidents Cup, 20-year-old Kim shot a closing five-under 66, out-duelling world No 4 Patrick Cantlay to win the Shriners Children’s Open in Las Vegas by three shots.

Without a single bogey all tournament, Kim finished at 24-under on the TPC Summerlin course to win for the second time in his last four tour starts, having also triumphed at the Wyndham Championship in August to earn a full-time tour card.

Cantlay (69) and Kim went to the 18th hole tied for the lead but the American hit a terrible tee shot and needed to take an unplayable lie after his second from a bush went nowhere.

He ended up holing a long putt for triple bogey to tie for second with Matthew NeSmith (66).

“I got very lucky on the 18th, I’m not going to lie,” Kim told the Golf Channel. “Patrick played awesome and it was an honour to battle with him, and to come out on top, I feel very fortunate.

“I think I’ve got to give big credit to Joe, my caddie,” Kim said of Joe Skovron, who formerly caddied for Rickie Fowler. “He really kept me in it and we had a really good game plan coming into the week, and it paid off. I’m having fun playing on the PGA Tour. It’s awesome.”

Cantlay said his defeat at the 18th wasn’t a matter of luck.

“I made a bad [driver] swing, and it went where it went,” Cantlay said. “After it was kind of in the bush there, I figured the only chance I had to stay in the tournament was to try to get it back in the fairway. Obviously I couldn’t get it back in the fairway.”

Australia’s former world No 1 Jason Day birdied eight of his last 10 holes to close with a 63 and tie for eighth at 18 under. Compatriot Lucas Herbert tied 20th after a 68 while Cam Davis shot 71 to share 37th.

Players featuring in the LIV Golf Invitational Bangkok (7-9 October) and LIV Golf Invitational Jeddah (14-16 October) will continue to not receive Official Golf World Ranking (OWGR) points; LIV Golf announced alliance with the MENA Tour on Wednesday to try and secure world ranking status

The MENA Tour – a Dubai-based golf tour that has offered world ranking points since 2016 – announced on Wednesday a “strategic alliance” with LIV Golf that would see all its events added to their schedule and all members of the Saudi-backed circuit joining their tour.

LIV Golf believed the move may make their events eligible to receive official world ranking points, potentially as soon as the Thailand tournament beginning on Friday, although the OWGR said it had been given insufficient notice of the development and that a decision would only be made following a review.

On Friday, MENA tour commissioner David Spencer responded by insisting this week’s Bangkok event should receive world ranking points and not be “treated any differently to any MENA Tour event, every one of which has received OWGR since we were accepted into the OWGR framework in 2016.”

He also added: “Not including our event in this week’s OWGR render the results and subsequent player movements inaccurate.”

In a statement earlier this week, the OWGR said: “Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) received a communication from the MENA Tour on October 5th, 2022, at 13:05 BST. The communication detailed significant changes to the MENA Tour’s membership structure along with an outline of the initial series of tournaments in the 2022/23 MENA Tour season.

“OWGR notes that the first two tournaments in this series appeared to be the same as the LIV Golf Invitational Series tournaments in Bangkok and Jeddah. The communication from the MENA Tour included a starting field data file for the Bangkok tournament, confirming that to be the case.

“A review of the changes to the MENA Tour is now underway by the OWGR. 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 (7-9 October) and LIV Golf Invitational Jeddah (14-16 October).

“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.”

All 48 players who competed at LIV Golf’s event outside Chicago last month sent a joint letter to OWGR chairman Peter Dawson, urging him to award ranking points to competitors, although the application for their own world ranking status remains under review.

The LIV Golf League will officially launch in 2023 with 48 players and 12 established team franchises competing in a 14-tournament schedule. Venues are yet to be confirmed and world ranking status for those tournaments remains unclear, although events are expected in North and Latin Americas, Asia, Australia, the Middle East and Europe.

“I think we deserve them [world ranking points],” Dustin Johnson said. “I think obviously with the quality of players we have out here, the events we’re having, we should have them. I think it’s fair. I think it’s very smart and strategic the way they’re going about it, but hopefully they make the right decision and give us World Ranking points.”

The first five events of the inaugural season were played without world ranking points on offer, with Charl Schwartzel winning the opener in London, Branden Grace prevailing in Portland and Henrik Stenson triumphing in Bedminster, before Johnson and Cameron Smith claimed the next two victories.

“Obviously none of us are playing events where you get points, so we kind of keep slowly moving down,” Johnson added. “I don’t see that happening [points being reinstated for earlier events], though, which is okay.

“At least going forward, hopefully we’ll have them, because like I said, it’s supposed to be a fair and non-biased organisation that is for golf, which is exactly what we’re doing. Hopefully they’ll make the right decision and give us World Ranking points.”

Royal Greens Golf Club – the site of the Saudi International in recent years – hosts the seventh event from October 14-16, with the season-ending Team Championship at Trump National Doral Miami from October 27-30.

The format changes in the Team Championship, which is a seeded four-day, four-round, match play knockout tournament. The top four seeds automatically receive a bye through the first round, with the remaining eight teams playing against each other to see who reaches the quarter-finals.

Officials with LIV Golf, frustrated that the Board of Directors with the Official World Golf Ranking has not expedited a review of the Saudi-backed circuit’s application for accreditation, are trying another avenue in order to have players earn OWGR points.

On Wednesday, the MENA Tour (short for Middle East and North Africa) announced a partnership with LIV Golf. LIV officials believe the partnership with MENA, which already has OWGR accreditation, will allow LIV events to begin receiving points immediately, starting with this week’s LIV Golf Invitational Bangkok.

“We are taking this mutually beneficial action to support the game at the developmental level and because of the importance and fairness of LIV golfers qualifying for OWGR points,” said Atul Khosla, president and COO of LIV Golf. “We’re pleased to create pathways that give more opportunities for young players, while also giving fans rankings that include all the world’s best golfers.”

The MENA Tour was founded in 2011 and has mostly served as a developmental tour for players looking to eventually play in Europe, Asia and South Africa. In 2016, the Dubai-based tour, which ran roughly 10-15 events a year for purses of approximately $75,000 (LIV purses are $20 million), was awarded OWGR accreditation. The tour was canceled in 2018, and though it returned the following season, it has not staged any tournaments in more than two years. But as part of the announcement of the partnership with LIV (first reported by The Telegraph), the MENA Tour revealed it will return with a 2022-23 season that kicks off with this week’s LIV Golf Invitational Bangkok and includes LIV’s last two 2022 invitational events in Saudi Arabia and Miami as well as its 2023 lineup of 14 tournaments. All LIV golfers will automatically become members of the MENA Tour.

LIV—aside from Khosla’s remarks via the MENA Tour announcement—has yet to issue a statement, although one is expected to come Thursday. A press release from MENA stated, “The final field for LIV Golf Thailand, the opening event of the 2022/23 MENA Tour season, will be submitted to OWGR by the MENA Tour ahead of play commencing on Friday when the final field rating and winners’ points are expected to be confirmed.”

However, whether the OWGR will award points for this week’s LIV event or any other LIV events in the near future is far from certain. Messages to the OWGR on the matter had not been returned as of this writing.

A source familiar with the workings of the OWGR technical committee, which is reviewing LIV’s initial application, told Golf Digest it’s unlikely the OWGR would award points for this week’s LIV event, saying that an alliance with another tour doesn’t initiate automatic inclusion of LIV Golf in the World Ranking. Furthermore, MENA risks becoming decertified because it appears MENA might be changing its competition format to align with LIV.

On July 6, LIV sent an application for accreditation to the OWGR board, submitted via sponsorship from the Asian Tour, which also has a partnership with LIV Golf. Peter Dawson, OWGR chairman, acknowledged receiving the application after the OWGR board met during the Open Championship at St. Andrews, stating “an examination of the application will commence.” The process historically takes anywhere from one to two years to complete, and seemingly might take even longer given that the structure of the LIV Golf tour and its events failed to meet a number of prerequisites for OWGR accreditation.

Despite this documented protocol, LIV CEO Greg Norman has been seeking to have LIV’s application greenlit immediately. In September, 50 LIV members lobbied Dawson for OWGR inclusion, signing a letter seeking points not only for upcoming events but retroactively for events played since the tour’s launch in June.

“To maintain trust, we urge you—as one of the true statesmen of sports—to act appropriately to include, on a retroactive basis, the results of LIV Golf events in OWGR’s ranking calculations,” the players wrote. “An OWGR without LIV would be incomplete and inaccurate, the equivalent of leaving the Big 10 or the SEC out of the U.S. college football rankings, or leaving Belgium, Argentina and England out of the FIFA rankings.”

Considering that LIV already has a partnership with a OWGR accredited tour in the Asian Tour raises the question of why the upstart circuit would need to reach out to MENA. A source told Golf Digest that LIV’s stalled launch in 2022 was part of the reasoning, and its lack of avenues for Asian Tour players to compete in LIV events—an issue LIV has addressed—was hindering that route.

Additionally, while LIV Golf officials are confident they will be included under MENA’s point umbrella, an OWGR denial could be part of LIV Golf’s antitrust lawsuit against the PGA Tour as well as a separate filing against the OWGR.

MILAN: Luke Donald said Tuesday that next year’s Ryder Cup will “unify” golf despite the sport descending into civil war over the mega-rich breakaway LIV tour.

Golf was plunged into crisis when the Saudi-funded LIV was announced earlier this year, offering players who switched from the traditional PGA and European tours huge sums of money but sparking a bitter split that threatens to tear the sport apart.

Four-time major champion Rory McIlroy said last month that he does not want any LIV players in Europe’s Ryder Cup team, while in June USA captain Zach Johnson suggested they would not be eligible for a place in Italy next September.

Europe team captain Donald, who took the position after his predecessor Henrik Stenson was sacked for joining LIV, told reporters in Rome that the Ryder Cup will help put that bitterness to one side.

“The history of the Ryder Cup is vital really, I think. What’s so great about the Ryder Cup is that it does garner an interest in a new generation of players and fans to this game. I think it’s always an inspiration to the fans, to anyone,” Donald told reporters at an event marking one year before the tournament.

“The Ryder Cup is bigger than any individual player and it’s a great way to unify everyone. I think it will continue to do that.”

Johnson revealed that Tiger Woods would play some role in the Americans’ bid to win in Europe for the first time in three decades, even if he isn’t one of the 12 players out on the Marco Simone course just outside the Italian capital.

“I can tell you right now, I don’t know whether he’ll be here next year, but he will be part of this team in some capacity. He already is frankly,” said Johnson.

“I can’t put this mildly; he loves the Ryder Cup… he wants to be a part of it as best he can… He and I will be in constant communication.”

Last month the USA brushed aside a non-European Internationals squad decimated by LIV defections 17.5-12.5 at the Presidents Cup.

They inflicted the heaviest ever defeat on Europe last year, winning 19-9 at Whistling Straits, but last won away from home at The Belfry in 1993.

“It’s just difficult. Just the mere fact that when you come to a hostile, foreign environment it’s hard,” added Johnson.

“Coupling that you have these passionate fans over here who I adore, cheering and rooting really hard for their team, as they should. So I don’t know why we haven’t (won for so long)… what I do know is 2023 will be an opportunity of a lifetime.”

Jeppe Kristian Andersen secured his third victory of the season at the Sydbank Road to Europe Final – by Mon Golfresort and secure European Challenge Tour playing privileges for 2023.

The Dane’s other two victories arrived at the PGA Catalunya Resort Championship and Göteborg Open presented by Enkla Elbolaget as he finished third on the Order of Merit behind countryman John Axelsen and Sweden’s Simon Forsström, who both secured their DP World Tour cards for 2023 after brilliant performances at DP World Tour Qualifying School in November.

Andersen will be joined on the Challenge Tour in 2023 by fellow Nordic Golf League graduates and countrymen Frederik Birkelund, Sebastian Friedrichsen, Hamish William Brown and Nicolai Tinning.

Birkelund won twice in 2022 at the Bravo Tours Open by Enjoy Resorts and Great Northern Challenge to finish fourth on the Order of Merit, while Friedrichsen triumphed at the ECCO Tour Spanish Masters – by DAT as he finished fifth.

Brown and Tinning both enjoyed impressive 2022 campaigns and were able to secure the final two Challenge Tour graduation places after finishing sixth and seventh on the Order of Merit due to Axelsen and Firestorm earning DP World Tour playing rights.

MIAMI – The Saudi-backed LIV Golf series has announced three new venues for their 14 event tour for 2023 with tournaments in Mexico, Singapore and Spain.

The circuit, which completed its first season last month, will play at Mayakoba s El Camaleon Golf Course in February, Sentosa Golf Club in Singapore in April and Real Club Valderrama in Spain in June.

LIV Golf, bankrolled by oil-rich Saudi s giant Public Investment Fund (PIF) had already announced that it would hold an event in Adelaide, Australia in April.

“These venues have played host to signature moments in golf, and we re excited to build new traditions for the sport while delivering a first-class fan experience at some of the world s best courses,” LIV Golf CEO and Commissioner Greg Norman said in a statement.

Golf has been bitterly divided after LIV lured major winners including Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson, Brooks Koepka and Cameron Smith to sign lucrative deals with the heavily financed tour.

The circuit features 54-hole no-cut tournaments with fields of 48 strokeplay competitors, who can also earn prize money as part of teams.

The US PGA Tour has banned more than 30 players who have teed off in LIV tournaments, a move that prompted 11 players to file an anti-trust lawsuit against the PGA Tour in August.

In September, the PGA Tour filed a countersuit against LIV Golf, accusing it of interfering with its contracts with players and several other lawsuits under way.

Justin Thomas and Jon Rahm are the first players to commit to TGL—the upcoming Monday night team golf series backed by TMRW Sports—in addition to founders Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy.

“Justin and Jon are tremendous additions to join Tiger and Rory as the next PGA TOUR players announced as part of TGL. Both are major champions who have spent time as the number one player in the world and have represented their home countries in golf’s biggest team match-play events,” said Mike McCarley, the founder and CEO of TMRW Sports and a former Golf Channel executive.

“They are well-respected among their peers as among the best players in the world and for the way they conduct themselves as professionals. World-class golfers, like Justin and Jon, are the cornerstones of TGL as we blend elements of the traditional game with a new, short-form format designed specifically for modern media consumption.”

In August, the golf entertainment and media company announced TGL as a new tech-infused league that will operate in partnership with the PGA Tour. The series is set to debut in January 2024, with six teams of three PGA Tour players expected to sign on.

There will be 15 regular season matches, in addition to semifinals and finals matches, that will take place within a 2-hour window on primetime TV. The coolest detail—and perhaps the one fans are most excited to hear more about—is the plan for the league’s venue.

TGL will be played in a “data-rich, virtual course complete with a tech-infused short game complex,” according to a TMRW Sports press release. The league will also incorporate a “high-energy, greenside fan experience with every shot live.”

Rahm and Thomas are ranked No. 5 and No. 8 in the world, respectively. With their additions to the list of committed players, TGL’s talent now boasts 22 major championships, 127 PGA Tour wins, and 843 Weeks at World No. 1, combined.

Last month, TMRW Sports announced a stacked roster of big-name investors, including former and current greats from across all sports. Tennis legends Serena Williams and Andy Murray, F1 drivers Lewis Hamilton and Alex Albon, and NBA stars Stephen Curry and Chris Paul are just some of the world renowned individuals on the list.

“We’ve been intentional about diversity of expertise, thought and background and we mobilized this strategic group,” McCarley said. “Plus, many share a passion for golf that only adds more fuel to TGL, our first project in partnership with the PGA Tour.”

TMRW Sports has established itself as a forward-thinking company with an established group of investors, but the addition of Thomas and Rahm as confirmed competitors gives fans a true glimpse at what TGL will look like.

Open champion Cameron Smith starred in his home town of Brisbane to win the Fortinet Australian PGA Championship by three strokes.

Smith, 29, held a three-shot overnight lead and finished with a three-under round of 68 to finish on 14 under and secure the title for a third time.

The world number three had four birdies and one bogey in his final round.

It was enough to see off the challenge of Japan’s Ryo Hisatsune and fellow Australian Jason Scrivener.

Hisatsune shot a final-round 65 to rise from 11th overnight while England’s John Parry matched the Japanese player’s six-under-par final round to climb from joint 20th to finish tied in fourth with Australia’s Min Woo Lee.

“It’s awesome. I really didn’t think I had it in me at the start of the week,” said Smith, who won the tournament in 2017 and 2018 and was playing in his home country for the first time in three years.

“I was a bit scratchy and the game has got better and better as the week went on, other than the front nine today.”

He also paid tribute to his grandmother, who walked all 72 holes at the Royal Queensland course with him as a spectator despite having recently undergone chemotherapy.

“I can’t believe she did it,” he said. “Everyone at the start of the week was telling her to pace herself. It’s pretty amazing and definitely inspiring.”

Smith announced in August that he has joined the Saudi Arabian-funded LIV Golf series.