PGA Tour chief urges LIV Golf boss to launch | Golf News

PGA of America CEO Derek Sprague has prolonged an olive department to new LIV Golf CEO Scott O’Neil, advising him to “submit an application” to the Official World Golf Rankings.

Having taken the helm at the controversially established breakaway league from Greg Norman, who still touts a “sleeping giant” strategy, O’Neil has hit the ground working.

Significant developments swiftly adopted Norman’s exit, with LIV securing a main settlement nearly immediately afterRory McIlroy shared his candid ideas on Norman’s departure.

Despite Brooks Koepka’s disparaging remarks, O’Neil stays outspoken about LIV Golf’s prospects and is paving the best way for what he sees as the game’s future following the division LIV brought on upon its 2022 inception.

A key battle for LIV has been gaining legitimacy through recognition by the Official World Golf Rankings, which might imply awarding OWGR factors for LIV occasions despite their unconventional format.

During a PGA Championship information convention that also shed mild on why 16 LIV gamers are attending, Sprague—also an Official World Golf Rankings board member—disclosed his initial engagement with O’Neil.

Drawing on his current Augusta encounter, Sprague particulars how the assembly served primarily for introductions and echoed journalists’ impressions of O’Neil before encouraging him to press on for rank recognition.

“Those were just more of an introduction to meet him,” recounted Sprague concerning his exchange with O’Neil. “I had heard and read about him from many of you folks in this room. So I met with him for the first time at Augusta just to introduce myself.”

The director seated on the Official World Golf Rankings board indicated, “Certainly he’s still looking, it’s been reported lately, in Official World Golf Rankings. I sit on that board. He’s encouraged to submit an application for the board to review. Other than that, I have nothing else to report.”

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When O’Neil spoke with Global Golf Post back in April, he remarked, “[I’m] like 90 days in so I can still claim being the new guy for a little while longer. We’ve had a couple conversations.”

“I think the good news is we all want the same thing, right? We all want to see the best players in the world playing on the biggest stage.

There isn’t a person on the planet that cares a lick about golf that wants anything more than that and we do too and so do the folks at the OWGR. Over time we have to figure out what the solution is.”