4 LIV Golf stars show their class to take huge step towards world ranking boost
LIV Golf representatives Mito Pereira, Pat Perez, David Puig, and Patrick Reed all sit inside the top-five after the first round of the Asian Tour International Series Macau.
They are among 21 LIV Golf players taking part in the event in a bid to gain points in the Official World Golf Rankings, which still does not recognise the Saudi-funded tour. While not everyone enjoyed a strong first round, the top of the leaderboard was dominated by LIV Golf players with the aforementioned quartet all performing strongly.
Pereira secured seven birdies with just one bogey in his fourth consecutive event, resulting in a tie for second place at -6. Despite admitting fatigue, he emphasized the sharpness of his game, demonstrating his enduring skill and resilience in an interview after leaving the course.
"To be honest, I am really tired," said Pereira. "I am ready to go home but it's the last push. I am trying to give it my best. Pretty solid today, tee to green," he continued. "Made some good putts, some clutch putts, to keep the momentum going. Really happy with how I played overall."
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Perez mirrored Pereira's performance, notching seven birdies and only one bogey, resulting in a second-place tie. Five of his birdies were secured during a bogey-free back nine.
The 48-year-old attributed his success to dedicated practice and loving his surroundings. "I have been playing good all week, the course kind of fits my eye," he said. "I was excited to play. You need to keep your driver in play here. It's cool being here, it's mini-Vegas, and I love Vegas."
Despite their strong performances in the International Series events, Pereira, Perez, Puig, and Reed find themselves ranked outside the top 100 of the Official World Golf Rankings [OWGR]. This is primarily because they cannot earn ranking points from LIV Golf events.
After extensive contemplation, the OWGR declined LIV Golf's request for world ranking points in October last year. The rankings entity cited concerns regarding LIV Golf's format, shotgun start rules, and team elements."We are not at war with them," Peter Dawson, chairman of the OWGR board, said. This decision not to make them eligible is not political. It is entirely technical."
"LIV players are self-evidently good enough to be ranked," he continued. They're just not playing in a format where they can be ranked equitably with the other 24 tours and thousands of players trying to compete on them."
Pat Perez was also among LIV's standouts in AsiaConsequently, LIV officially withdrew its application, initially submitted in July 2022. Commissioner Greg Norman expressed dissatisfaction in a letter, stating that the OWGR had little inclination to engage in productive collaboration with the Saudi-backed league.
Although the league revoked their request, 21 of LIV's top players, including Reed and Perez, are competing in the International Series tournament in Macau to earn ranking points to be allowed to compete in major tournaments. The PGA Tour's tournament requires several pre-requisite OWGR placements for qualification, including:
Official World Golf Rankings PGA major requirements
The Masters Tournament
- Top 50 from the Official World Golf Rankings published at the end of the previous calendar year and the week before the competition.
PGA Championship
- The top 100 of the OWGR before the competition
U.S. Open
- Top 60 from the OWGR two weeks before the competition
The Open Championship [British Open]
- Top 50 from the OWGR published at the end of the previous calendar year and the week before the tournament.
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