ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates — Rory McIlroy referred to as LIV Golf’s determination to broaden the occasion to 72 holes “weird.”
The Saudi-funded breakaway circuit will develop into extra aligned with golf’s conventional excursions subsequent yr by altering the variety of rounds from three to 4.
The change in format may assist LIV achieve recognition within the Official World Golf Rating. This is essential as a result of the 4 majors use that listing to determine on fields.
OWGR rejected LIV’s request for world rating factors firstly of the league, primarily as a result of issues that the league is a closed store consisting of the identical 54 gamers all year long, excluding replacements for injured gamers, and that group competitions had been based mostly on the identical rating, which may have an effect on the integrity of particular person competitions.
McIlroy has been outspoken about LIV’s destruction of the golf world and was requested for his ideas on the change to 72 holes at a press convention on Wednesday forward of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship.
“I believe it is a unusual transfer as a result of I believe they may have gotten rating factors with three rounds. I do not assume the third versus fourth spherical held them again,” McIlroy stated.
“It is actually extra of a standard golf event than something we have finished prior to now,” he added. “It made them much less of a disruptor within the true sense of the phrase and extra according to what everybody else was doing. But when that is what they felt they needed to do to get rating factors, I believe that is what they needed to do.”
McIlroy questioned what number of rating factors might be supplied at LIV Golf occasions.
“The power of their discipline might be very weak as a result of they have not had rating factors for a very long time and quite a lot of gamers have already fallen down the rankings. I do not know if rating factors will actually assist them,” McIlroy stated. “Properly, it’s going to be fascinating to see how that performs out.”
This might be McIlroy’s twelfth look on the Abu Dhabi event. He has completed within the prime three 9 occasions, however has by no means gained.
The Northern Irishman is on the prime of this season’s Race to Dubai rankings with two matches in hand and a win this week will transfer him nearer to a seventh Order of Advantage title – one shy of Colin Montgomerie’s file.
