LIV Golf forms strategic alliance with MENA Tour in hopes of securing rankings points for players
The MENA Tour, a feeder circuit that has staged tournaments in the Middle East and North Africa, had been shuttered for more than two years during the COVID-19 pandemic before staging a tournament in May. Founded by the Dubai-based Shaikh Maktoum Golf Foundation in 2011, the MENA Tour was recognized by the OWGR governing board in May 2016.
In a news release on Wednesday, the MENA Tour said the "alliance will boost the MENA Tour's development programs and immediately qualify LIV Golf for OWGR points, starting with the LIV Golf Thailand event at Stonehill this week."
"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."
Through the partnership, all LIV golfers also become members of the MENA Tour, according to Spencer. MENA events have purses of $75,000.
"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."
https://www.espn.com/golf/story/_/id/34732120/liv-golf-forms-strategic-alliance-mena-tour-hopes-securing-owgr-points-players?platform=amp
OWGR statement:
So LIV just co-branded their next two tournaments as MENA tournaments and expected that would be sufficient to get them owgr points for those two events.