ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Rory McIlroy talks about the decision LIV Golf will expand the number of tournaments to 72 holes.
The Saudi-funded course will follow the format of traditional golf tournaments and will consist of three to four rounds starting next year.
The format change could help ensure LIV's entry is recognized by the Official World Golf Ranking, a necessary step since the four major golf clubs use their rankings to determine their members.
The OWGR rejected LIV Golf's request for world ranking points to be counted at the start of the league. The main concern is the closed format of the tournament with the same 54 players throughout the year, excluding substitutes who replace injured players. Additionally, the team competition could affect the fairness of the individual competition since it was based on equal scores.
McIlroy has been outspoken about LIV's arrival in the golf world, so his opinion on the move to 72 holes was asked when he spoke at a press conference ahead of the HSBC Championship in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday.
“I think it's an unusual move because I think they could get ranking points in three rounds. I don't think three rounds to four is what held them back,” McIlroy said.
“It’s certainly more in line with traditional golf tournaments,” he added. “They stop being real disruptors and kind of join in more with what everyone else is doing. But if that's what they think is needed to get ranking points, I think that's what they should have done.”
McIlroy questioned how many ranking points would be available at LIV golf tournaments.
“Because the quality of the entrants is going to be so low, with a lot of players already falling in the rankings due to not getting ranking points for so long, I don't know if ranking points will really benefit them,” McIlroy said.
“Yes, it will be interesting to see how things develop,” he added.
McIlroy is participating in the Abu Dhabi tournament for the twelfth time. He finished in the top three nine times but never won a tournament.
The Northern Irishman has led the Race to Dubai standings all season with two rounds remaining and victory this week would take him closer to a seventh Order of Merit title, one shy of Colin Montgomerie's record.
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