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LIV Golf has formed an alliance with the MENA Tour in an attempt for its golfers to receive Official World Golf Ranking points.
The MENA Tour was recognized by the OWGR board in May 2016, but it has been mostly inactive in recent years due to the COVID-19 pandemic — the tournament did not hold any events in 2021, and just five in 2020.
Team Captain Dustin Johnson of 4 Aces GC and teammates Pat Perez, Patrick Reed, and Talor Gooch pose with Greg Norman, CEO and commissioner of LIV Golf, after winning the team title during Day Three of the LIV Golf Invitational - Chicago at Rich Harvest Farms on Sept. 18, 2022 in Sugar Grove, Illinois. (Joe Scarnici/LIV Golf via Getty Images)
The tour was founded in 2011 by the Dubai-based Shaikh Maktoum Golf Foundation with its tournaments held in North Africa and the Middle East.
"This is a very exciting day for the MENA Tour and our players," MENA Tour commissioner David Spencer said in a statement. "Through this alliance, our players will now have enhanced playing opportunities and stronger pathways. This is great news for the future of many young players on our Tour."
Spencer added that the "alliance will boost the MENA Tour's development programs."
Last month, 50 golfers signed a letter to the chairman of the OWGR requesting their results be included in the rankings.
Team Captain Cameron Smith of Punch GC poses with Greg Norman, CEO and commissioner of LIV Golf, after winning the individual title during Day Three of the LIV Golf Invitational - Chicago at Rich Harvest Farms on Sept. 18, 2022 in Sugar Grove, Illinois. (Alex Goodlett/LIV Golf via Getty Images)
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"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 ranking, or leaving Belgium, Argentina and England out of the FIFA rankings," the letter said.
The players claimed that they should receive points as their competition is at least equal to the PGA Tour's, and they feel that this partnership is a step in the direction they desire.
"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," LIV Golf president and COO Atul Khosla said in a statement. "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."
LIV CEO and commissioner Greg Norman watches play on the third hole during the final round of the LIV Golf Invitational Series Chicago at Rich Harvest Farms in Sugar Grove, Illinois. (Brian Spurlock/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
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The partnership, according to MENA, will "immediately qualify LIV Golf for OWGR points, starting with the LIV Golf Thailand event at Stonehill this week."
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