LIV Golf's attempt to exploit a loophole to earn Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) points has been dismissed.
On Wednesday, The Telegraph reported that LIV Golf would partner with the mothballed MENA Golf Tour in expectation that this would trigger automatic world ranking points from OWGR.
This was later confirmed by MENA in a statement released on its website, though there was no comment from any LIV Golf official.
On Thursday, OWGR declared that a review would need to take place before any points could be granted, meaning that LIV Golf players will continue to play without them both this week and next.
Their statement read: "Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) received a communication from the MENA Tour on October 5th, 2022, at 13:05 BST. The communication detailed significant changes to the MENA Tour’s membership structure along with an outline of the initial series of tournaments in the 2022/23 MENA Tour season.
"OWGR notes that the first two tournaments in this series appeared to be the same as the LIV Golf Invitational Series tournaments in Bangkok and Jeddah. The communication from the MENA Tour included a starting field data file for the Bangkok tournament, confirming that to be the case.
"A review of the changes to the MENA Tour is now underway by the OWGR.
"Notice of these changes given by the MENA Tour is insufficient to allow OWGR to conduct the customary necessary review ahead of the LIV Golf Invitational Bangkok (7-9 October) and LIV Golf Invitational Jeddah (14-16 October).
"Only after the review is complete will a decision be made on awarding points to the MENA Tour’s new “Limited Field Tournaments”, defined by the MENA Tour in its Regulations as “any MENA Tour-approved tournament, which comprises of a player field of less than 80 players”.
"Regular official MENA Tour events conducted over 54 or 72 holes with a cut after 36 holes, and its Tour Championship, typically conducted over 54 holes with no cut, remain eligible for inclusion in the OWGR."
The latest LIV Golf event begins in Thailand on Friday.