Amid the Ongoing OWGR Snub, Meet the LIV Golfers Ready for the DP World Tour Return

The DP World Tour heads to the Italian Open after Guido Migliozzi emerged victorious in the final event of the tour: the KLM Open. The 2024 Italian Open will be hosted at the Adriatic Golf Club in Ravenna. It is the first time that the location has received this honor. During the tournament, participants will compete for a purse of $3.25 million. Some LIV golfers will also be part of the championship.

Unfortunately, LIV golfers do not receive OWGR points while playing in the breakaway circuit. The only way to get OWGR points is to perform well in the Majors, DP World Tour Championships and Asian Tour events, if they qualify for those events. This week’s Italian Open and next week’s BMW International Open are some examples of blessings in disguise for the breakaway pros.

What are the prominent names that will be participating in the upcoming DP World Tour events?

The 81st edition of the Italian Open will start on June 27 and the International BMW Open will take place next week. Let’s discuss some of the prominent LIV golfers who will be part of the event.

1. Patrick Reed: There is no doubt that Reed is one of the greatest golfers in the world. Before joining the Saudi-funded competition in 2022, he had a total of nine PGA Tour victories, including one major (the 2018 Masters). There was a time (in 2020) when Patrick Reed was number six in the world and now he is at 102, because LIV events were not eligible for the OWGR rankings. Reed has not been active on the European circuit since his scandal with Rory McIlroy at the 2023 Dubai Desert Classic, in which he teed the four-time champion.

Later, McIlroy won the event, beating Reed by a single shot. Although McIlroy will not compete in the Italian Open following his heartbreaking loss at the US Open, Reed will return to the European tour in hopes of collecting as many OWGR points as possible. The last event Reed competed in was the LIV Golf Nashville in which he was unable to perform well as he finished T32 with a score of 4-under 209. Hopefully he will do better in the upcoming tournament on the European circuit.

2. Martin Kaymer: At the BMW International Open, taking place in Munich, Germany, Reed will meet two of his LIV Golf comrades. One of them is the German golfer Martin Kaymer. Speaking of PGA Tour wins, the German golfer has – 3 PGA Tour titles. You know what’s even more amazing?

Two of these wins are major victories (the 2010 PGA Championship and the 2014 US Open). He is also a former world number one, but has not won an event in the last ten years. Although his OWGR ranking is currently in four figures, the 39-year-old will aim to perform well at the BMW International Open to pick up some points.

3. Thomas Pieters: Another breakaway league golfer joining Reed at the BMW International Open is Thomas Pieters. Pieters, the youngest of the three, is also the most recent to join LIV Golf. He joined a Saudi Arabia-backed league in 2023. It’s quite a shame that Pieters’ time on the PGA Tour hasn’t been the best as he’s never won a singles on the US circuit and now things seem much more difficult as he’s ineligible. to participate in the PGA Tour events.

Well, if we discuss his performance on the European circuit, it is the exact opposite of that of the PGA Tour, as the Belgian pro has 6 DPA World Tour victories to his name. Another impressive fact about Pieters is that his best rank in the OWGR is 23, but he currently stands at 349. Hopefully he doesn’t miss this opportunity to collect some OWGR points at the DP World Tour event.

What do you think of Patrick Reed’s comeback on the DP World Tour? Will this comeback be iconic? or will his fans have to wait for his magic to happen until the BMW International Open? Let us know in the comments.