The Official World Golf Ranking has announced that it will begin awarding ranking points to the Clutch Pro Tour, whose events consist of only 54 holes.
The Clutch Pro Tour, the official feeder tour to the Challenge Tour and DP World Tour, has been added to the OWGR program after a 17-month application process and will be able to start awarding points from April 28 onwards.
Each Clutch Pro Tour event consists of three rounds of 18 holes, with a cutoff of 36 holes. Its 2024 qualifying series was played in the United Arab Emirates and, for its 2025 season, there will be a new academy open for qualification. Its events are mainly held in the south and south-east of England, although there was one tournament in Northern Ireland and one in Wales last year.
Explaining its decision, OWGR chairman Peter Dawson said: “The Clutch Pro Tour has played an important role in the United Kingdom – especially since the closure of the EuroPro Tour. Its organization has provided continued playing opportunities and avenues for players to advance to the European Challenge Tour and DP World Tour. It also offers opportunities for local and regional players, culminating in a season-ending tournament. As such, the Clutch Pro Tour matches the OWGR eligibility and long-standing format criteria. “
“This is the epitome of golf”
Dawson added: “This is a milestone for golf, and we look forward to watching the Clutch Pro Tour progress as it continues to play an important role in the development of the region's players.”
Since launching in 2019, the Clutch Pro Tour has established itself as the UK's leading golf event provider, filling the void created by the closure of the EuroPro Tour at the end of the 2022 season. It changed its name to Mizuno Next Gen Series in the 2023 season following a sponsorship deal with the Japanese company, the partnership lasting through 2024.
It was announced in December 2022 that the Clutch Pro Tour and the Tartan Pro Tour – Paul Lawrie's circuit in Scotland – would become official feeder tours to the Challenge Tour, initially with the top two players in the Clutch Order of Merit finishing second. European golf class. That added to the top three players in the 2024 season.
LIV Golf's request to have its players awarded OWGR points for its 14-tournament series of 54-hole events was denied earlier this year on the basis that entry into the league was by invitation only, with only three players receiving slots this year. series after participating in the new qualification event held in Dubai, and that the events of the LIV Golf League have no reduction.
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