Bubba: Forget The World Rankings, Just Give Us 15 Major Spots
Last week we had Bryson DeChambeau suggesting that the top 12 on the LIV money list should be eligible for the Majors, now Bubba Watson has taken things on by suggesting that 15 could get the nod for the big four.
This follows the news that LIV's application for world-ranking points had been unsuccessful due to the 54-hole format, not having a cut, fields of 48 players and the limited access for players to join and be relegated from the League.
Watson, captain of the RangeGoats, was speaking in Miami during this week's Team Championship and he was happily pushing the new LIV rhetoric.
"I've been saying since the beginning of LIV is that we shouldn't go after world ranking points. We should go after top 10, top 15 on the Money List, our points list on LIV should get into Majors. Makes it easy. These guys are so good. The top 10 this year could play against anybody. You could make a US team, you could make a European team, they could play with anybody, our top 10.
"So that's how you should get into Majors and I've been saying that forever. Forget points. Just go straight off the money list, try to get 10 people, or 15 get in; trying to get more people, so 15."
While it can hardly be ignored that the top table of LIV Golf should certainly be playing in the Majors, Brooks Koepka of course won the PGA this year, it's hard to go along with the viewpoint that the top 15 are worthy of playing in any Major, let alone all four of them.
This year Sebastian Munoz, Peter Uihlein, Anirban Lahiri, Dean Burmester and Carlos Ortiz filled the 11-15 spots on the LIV money list.
Joaquin Niemann played in all of the 2023 Majors, he was 16th at Augusta, but is now outside the world's top 50 in 68th spot. The Chilean will now have to work his way around the other tours to boost his ranking.
"I don't have the world ranking right now but I know I have the game to be competing on the Majors and be winning Majors. I'm trying to figure out what I could do to get into the Majors knowing that I don't know what's going to happen next year, if they are going to give spots to LIV players.
"Like Bubba said, they are ready to compete in those tournaments and try to win them. For me, I'm on that second page. I'm working hard every day to get better. I want to win Majors and I want to have my chance to be playing on those. Hopefully there is some way that we can get into those events."
Watson also alluded to the fact that there had been plenty of interest in his team franchise.
"Anywhere from 10 to 20 people have asked to buy the RangeGoats. There was three in Singapore, and then after Singapore the floodgates opened, there was even more. There's been talk this week. I met with people this week. Yeah, there's quite a few."
This follows the news that LIV's application for world-ranking points had been unsuccessful due to the 54-hole format, not having a cut, fields of 48 players and the limited access for players to join and be relegated from the League.
Watson, captain of the RangeGoats, was speaking in Miami during this week's Team Championship and he was happily pushing the new LIV rhetoric.
"I've been saying since the beginning of LIV is that we shouldn't go after world ranking points. We should go after top 10, top 15 on the Money List, our points list on LIV should get into Majors. Makes it easy. These guys are so good. The top 10 this year could play against anybody. You could make a US team, you could make a European team, they could play with anybody, our top 10.
"So that's how you should get into Majors and I've been saying that forever. Forget points. Just go straight off the money list, try to get 10 people, or 15 get in; trying to get more people, so 15."
While it can hardly be ignored that the top table of LIV Golf should certainly be playing in the Majors, Brooks Koepka of course won the PGA this year, it's hard to go along with the viewpoint that the top 15 are worthy of playing in any Major, let alone all four of them.
This year Sebastian Munoz, Peter Uihlein, Anirban Lahiri, Dean Burmester and Carlos Ortiz filled the 11-15 spots on the LIV money list.
Joaquin Niemann played in all of the 2023 Majors, he was 16th at Augusta, but is now outside the world's top 50 in 68th spot. The Chilean will now have to work his way around the other tours to boost his ranking.
"I don't have the world ranking right now but I know I have the game to be competing on the Majors and be winning Majors. I'm trying to figure out what I could do to get into the Majors knowing that I don't know what's going to happen next year, if they are going to give spots to LIV players.
"Like Bubba said, they are ready to compete in those tournaments and try to win them. For me, I'm on that second page. I'm working hard every day to get better. I want to win Majors and I want to have my chance to be playing on those. Hopefully there is some way that we can get into those events."
Watson also alluded to the fact that there had been plenty of interest in his team franchise.
"Anywhere from 10 to 20 people have asked to buy the RangeGoats. There was three in Singapore, and then after Singapore the floodgates opened, there was even more. There's been talk this week. I met with people this week. Yeah, there's quite a few."