🏌️ LIV Golf Attacks OWGR

Good Morning. The LIV Golf vs OWGR debate is heating up - star players are mounting pressure. And, the PGA Tour is making sure that there are no more player defections.

We bring you the latest scoop in today’s edition of Golf Reporter.

FACT: Chris Kirk will enter the 2024 Cognizant Classic as the defending champion. If he manages to win the tournament, he will become only the second player after Jack Nicklaus (1978) to successfully defend this title.

⛳ This day in history: On this date in 1971, Jack Nicklaus won the PGA Championship by two shots over Billy Casper, despite shooting a 73 in the final round. The victory made Nicklaus the first golfer to win the Grand Slam twice.

19TH HOLE
Clubhouse Conversations

Rory McIlroy is set to play at the PGA National for the first time since 2018.

Will it be a victorious return?

ALBATROSS
LIV Golf Unleashes All-Out Attack On OWGR

LIV Golfers aren't leaving any opportunity to hit out at the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR) as they continue to be stripped of ranking points.

Earlier this week, league CEO Greg Norman said the OWGR is "laughable" and now it's the players' turn to mount pressure on the concerned authorities.

🚫 Talor Gooch: Gooch is No. 449 in the Official World Golf Rankings with no real path to get into the Masters and he has taken a dig in a unique fashion.

🚫 Bryson DeChambeau: DeChambeau insists LIV Golf has "fulfilled every single criteria" to get Official World Golf Ranking points, and can't understand why they are still having to do without.

🚫 Lee Westwood: Westwood has become the latest LIV Golf star to hit out at the OWGR - calling it 'outdated' after his ranking plummeted due to his move to the Saudi-backed league.

🚫 Joaquin Niemann: Niemann has got a special invite to the Masters but didn't refrain from calling out the controversial ranking system, referring to it as "unfair" and "frustrating".

🚫 Louis Oosthuizen: Oosthuizen stated that there is a change required, either in the OWGR or in the system, to give LIV-associated golfers a spot in the Majors. He is set to miss the Masters for the first time in 16 years.

TWEET
Worth Mentioning

EAGLE
PGA's Bold Masterplan Against LIV Leaks

The PGA Tour will distribute $930 million among 193 players across four groups following its $1.5 billion deal with the Strategic Sports Group (SSG).

💰 Group 1 will have $750 million in equity granted to 36 players based on career performance, last five-year performance, and Player Impact Program results.

💰 Group 2 will consist of $75 million granted to 64 players based on performance of last three years.

💰 Group 3 will be an additional $30 million granted to 57 players who have earned certain fully-exempt PGA Tour status.

💰 Group 4 will be focused on legacy players, like Jack Nicklaus, and grant $75 million to 36 players who were instrumental to building the modern PGA Tour, based on career performance.

Another $600 million will be distributed through recurring grants in the amounts of $100 million each year starting with the 2025 PGA Tour season and continuing through 2030.

What Are The Long-Term Implications?

✅ Equity can be another lever in the recruitment of new players - something the PGA Tour never had to do before LIV.

✅ Previously, the PGA Tour's only enticement for a college star-in-waiting like Ludvig Aberg was to offer a quicker path to exempt status through college performance.

Now, the new entity could offer share units as a sign-on bonus.

✅ The shares could have restrictions that prevent an active player from selling them, or even be linked to a player's retirement account and available only after an age threshold.

LOCKER ROOM
What else is making news

Cognizant Classic Qualifiers: Former US Ryder Cup member Jeff Overton has qualified for this week's Cognizant Classic alongside former PGA Tour winner Robert Garrigus, three-time US Open participant Chris Crawford and Canadian Michael Gligic.

LIV Golf: The LIV Golf League has announced a new broadcast deal with streaming platform, Caffeine to show its live Friday action.

PGA Tour: The PGA Tour has joined the Coalition for Responsible Sports Betting Advertising while also renewing its position within the Leadership Circle of the National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG).

500th Start: Ryan Palmer will make his 500th PGA Tour start at the Cognizant Classic. He made his first appearance at the 1998 US Open as an amateur.

BIRDIE
These Golfers Are In PGA Tour's $10 Million Club Without Winning An Event

There are 17 golfers who have earned $10 million or more in their PGA Tour careers without ever winning a tour event.

🏌️ Tommy Fleetwood ($21 million): Fleetwood has had 33 top-10 finishes in his PGA Tour career till date but hasn't won any event. He's a seven-time winner on the DP World Tour.

🏌️Cameron Tringale ($17 million): Tringale was the all-time money leader without a PGA Tour win from May 2021 until June 2023. He had a career-best earnings campaign in his final season on tour, 2021-22, bringing in $3.05 million, the third time he topped $2 million in earnings in a single season.

🏌️ Byeong Hun An ($15 million): An, the youngest US Amateur in history, posted a T-4 finish at the 2021 Fortinet Championship that pushed him past the $10 million mark.

🏌️Denny McCarthy ($14 million): McCarthy had been able to collect six six-figure checks before cashing in more than $2 million—and blowing through the $10 million career money milestone—with a runner-up finish at the 2023 Memorial.

🏌️Brian Davis ($13 million): From 2006 through 2015, Davis averaged 30 starts, including an impressive 34 in 2008. He earned five seconds, all coming from 2007 through 2010 but he never made $2 million in any single season.

Check out the complete list.

DRIVING RANGE
Drills For Lower Body Stability

In this video, we bring to you lower body stability drills which will improve your backswing.

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