PGA Commissioner and DP CEO Resign from Board
"Decision Made Following Legal Counsel's Suggestion"
LIV Golf has gained a possibility of receiving world ranking points, which had been considered an obstacle to its popularity. This comes after news that Jay Monahan, the PGA Tour Commissioner who was negative about awarding points, will be absent from the evaluation.
According to the British daily newspaper The Daily Telegraph on the 24th (local time), Jay Monahan, PGA Tour Commissioner, and Keith Pelley, CEO of the DP World Tour, have decided to step aside from the upcoming world ranking board meeting regarding whether LIV Golf will be awarded points.
Until now, the ranking points evaluation has been conducted by representatives from the PGA Tour, DP World Tour, and the four major championships. However, Greg Norman (Australia), the head of LIV Golf, had requested that Jay Monahan and other members who were negative toward LIV Golf refrain from participating in the evaluation.
Pelley said, "The world ranking committee meeting held last December was the last board meeting for me, Monahan, and Keith Waters, the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the DP World Tour," adding, "We decided to step down voluntarily based on the advice of our legal counsel." He continued, "A separate committee composed of representatives from the R&A (The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews), the PGA of America, the USGA (United States Golf Association), and Augusta National Golf Club?the four major championships?will handle LIV's application."
The LIV Golf Series, launched last year, attracted many top PGA Tour players with its massive financial resources. However, since it could not award world ranking points on its own, the world rankings of players who moved to LIV Golf dropped significantly. As a result, the label of choosing 'money' over 'honor' followed them.
Additionally, LIV Golf partnered with the MENA (Middle East and North Africa) Tour, a golf tour in the Middle East and North America, as a backup plan to receive world ranking points, but this plan also ended in failure.
With Commissioner Monahan and CEO Pelley stepping aside from this evaluation, the possibility of the LIV Series receiving world ranking points is expected to increase.
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