PGA of America chief Seth Waugh says there has been “healthy back-and-forth” between OWGR and LIV Golf over the latter’s application to be awarded world ranking points – watch all four rounds of the PGA Championship live this week on Sky Sports Golf
Last updated: 16/05/23 22:24
Seth Waugh, PGA of America CEO, says OWGR has been “responsive” to LIV’s request for world ranking points
PGA of America CEO Seth Waugh insists the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) is not “fighting” LIV Golf over its application for World Ranking points.
Waugh is one of the seven members of the OWGR board evaluating the request from the Saudi-backed league.
Waugh said ahead of the PGA Championship, which is live on Sky Sports Golf from Thursday: “There has been a healthy back and forth. It has not been ugly. We have reacted, they have reacted.
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“This is not us vs them. I think the whole point of the OWGR, if you take a step back, is to level the playing field, a yardstick to measure the game.
“Our job is to measure tours. Not players, but tours and how they perform on those tours to come up with that benchmark. That’s what we’re all trying to try to do.
“We’ve been, I think, very responsive to them in terms of their requests, and they’ve been responsive to us. It’s not a battle.”
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Is LIV Golf ‘sustainable’?
Waugh said he welcomed LIV players such as Phil Mickelson and Brooks Koepka to the PGA Championship and wants the atmosphere to be as cordial as it was at The Masters in April.
However, he remains unsure whether the LIV model will prove “sustainable” in the future.
Waugh added: “I’m proud of The Masters because they returned civility to the game. That’s how they handled it. That’s how we want to handle it. Everyone is our invited guest. It’s consistent.
“I’ll certainly greet the players when I see them. They’re all invited to our dinner tonight, former champions. We’ll treat them the way we’d treat anyone else. That’s number one.
“When asked about the viability of [LIV] I will be honest in the same way I was three years ago.
“I’m not sure it’s a superior product, and I’m not sure it’s a sustainable business model. Nothing has changed my mind about any of those things.”
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