Phil Mickelson says the agile and fluid nature LIV golf means they would consider moving to a traditional 72-hole format if it would help with safety World Ranking Points.
The six-time major champion is something of an ambassador for the new LIV Golf League brand and has a direct line to the tournament’s sponsors based in Saudi Arabia.
The left-hander says the Tour is ahead of schedule due to last year’s flying start but they are always looking for ways to improve the mark.
Mickelson described LIV’s progress over the past year as “more than amazing” and said that as an agile new tour they would always consider changes – even expanding to 72 holes if it would help meet the official World Golf criteria Ranking (OWGR) to be met for scoring.
“If we see something that could be better, we have the flexibility to make the change and make it better,” Mickelson said.
“I mean there’s a lot of detail that we could look at and say, geez, do we have to go to 72 holes to get world ranking points or what do we have to do to be the best product, but it really comes on it We offer fans and sponsors the best product.
“These are things we can talk about and again we have the flexibility to make changes if it’s in the best interests of the players or the league, the fans or the sponsors. But I don’t think that’s urgently necessary, otherwise it would have been changed.
“But again, the great thing about this league is their flexibility and their ability to adapt and make changes and do things quickly to make things better.”
Mickelson added that LIV Golf chiefs are considering filling the void left by the Golf WGC Matchplay when it lasts this month – with Greg Norman’s squad possibly trying to use their end-of-season event to step in and fill the matchplay slot.
“It’s a perfect format and a perfect opportunity to fill the matchplay gap because the downside of matchplay is that the most exciting days are earlier in the week and the fans and sponsors only have to catch a game or two at the weekend. and the team aspect could make the match play much more exciting,” added Mickelson.
“Because you would always have three games in the final, even if only two teams were playing, you could have six games if the third and fourth teams were playing for third place.
“And even if you have a blowout match, you would still have to win two matches out of three and those other two matches would hit the spot and create a lot of excitement. So there’s a possibility with the team dynamics that LIV Golf could have a matchplay scenario.
“It’s certainly something we’re discussing as a possibility for the end-of-season event. But we also want to make sure we have enough golfers on the course, which kickstarted the match play.”
Source : sports.yahoo.com