The Official World Golf Ranking has announced that it is to begin awarding ranking points to the Clutch Pro Tour, whose events comprise just 54 holes.
The Clutch Pro Tour, which is an official feeder tour to the Challenge Tour and DP World Tour, has been included into the OWGR system after a 17-month application process and will be able to start awarding points from April 28 onwards.
Each Clutch Pro Tour event comprises three 18-hole rounds, with a 36-hole cut. Its 2024 qualifying series was staged in the United Arab Emirates and, for its 2025 season, there will be a new open qualifying school. Its events are largely held in the south and southeast of England, although there was one tournament staged in Northern Ireland and one in Wales last year.
Explaining its decision, OWGR chairman Peter Dawson said: “The Clutch Pro Tour has played a pivotal role in the United Kingdom – particularly since the closure of the EuroPro Tour. Its organisation has provided the continuation of playing opportunities and pathways for players to progress to the European Challenge Tour and the DP World Tour. It also provides local and regional players opportunities, culminating with a season-ending Championship. As such, the Clutch Pro Tour is in keeping with long-standing OWGR Eligibility and Format Criteria.”
“This is a significant milestone for golf”
Dawson added: “This is a significant milestone for golf, and we look forward to watching the progress of the Clutch Pro Tour as it continues to play a key role in the development of players from the region.”
Since its launch in 2019, the Clutch Pro Tour has established itself as the leading golf event provider in the UK, filling the void created by the closure of the EuroPro Tour at the end of the 2022 season. It changed its name to the Mizuno Next Gen Series for the 2023 season following a sponsorship deal with the Japanese equipment brand, a partnership that remains in place for 2024.
It was announced in December 2022 that the Clutch Pro Tour and the Tartan Pro Tour – Paul Lawrie’s Scottish-based circuit – would become official feeder tours to the Challenge Tour, initially with the top two players on the Clutch Order of Merit graduating to the second tier of European golf. That has been extended to the top three players for the 2024 season.
LIV Golf’s application for its players to be awarded OWGR points for its 14-tournament series of 54-hole events was turned down earlier this year on the basis that entry to the league was mainly by invitation, with only three players earning places in this year’s series after taking part in a new qualification event held in Dubai, and that LIV Golf League events do not feature a cut.