IRISH DUO MAX Kennedy and Ryan Griffin are among the field at LIV golf’s inaugural qualifying event in Abu Dhabi.
The Saudi-backed tour has offered players the chance to earn a place on their circuit for the first time, via a three-day, four-round competition from 8-10 December. There are three spots on the LIV Tour for 2024 up for grabs.
Also signed up are 2013 PGA Championship winner Jason Dufner and former European Ryder Cup player Victor Dubuisson.
The field also features the LIV players who suffered relegation at the end of the 2023 season, who must earn back their places. They include Sihwan Kim, Chase Koepka, Jed Morgan, and James Piot, as well as reserve Laurie Canter.
Both Kennedy and Griffin are amateurs, with Kennedy playing at the University of Louisville and Griffin at Maynooth University. Both were exempt having played in this year’s Palmer Cup. Walker Cup players were also invited to compete, but Irish quartet Mark Power, Alex Maguire, Liam Nolan and Matthew McClean opted not to take up the invite.
A field of almost 60 players will tee off in the first round in an 18-hole stroke play format, with the top 20 and ties advancing to the second round, at which point scores are reset and a select band of automatic qualifiers join the competition, which will include the aforementioned relegated LIV players along with Dufner.
The top 20 after tiebreakers from this round progress to round three, where scores are again reset and qualification is determined by a 36-hole shootout. At the end of this, the top three will earn a spot at all LIV golf events in 2024.
The entire purse for the event is a reported $1.5 million, with the winner getting a cheque for $200,000.
“LIV Golf Promotions creates an open pathway for players to compete in the LIV Golf League, and the interest shown in the event’s inaugural year reinforces the significance of these new opportunities for the sport,” said LIV CEO Greg Norman.
“There is exceptional talent from all corners of the globe and LIV Golf is establishing a platform for these current and rising stars of the game to build their careers in new, exciting ways. LIV Golf’s future is bright, and our anticipation grows to see which competitors will be part of this game-changing league in 2024.”
The full field is available here.
