FIRST LOOK: LIV GOLF PROMOTIONS AT ABU DHABI GOLF CLUB
Dec 4, 2023 - 5:23 PMWritten by: Mike McAllister
An early glance at LIV Golf Promotions, the inaugural event providing a pathway to the LIV Golf League.
ABOUT THE TOURNAMENT
When: December 8-10, 2023
Where: Abu Dhabi Golf Club, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Competition: 72 holes, stroke play, field and scores reset after first two rounds. Click here for details on format.
Field: 73 players (60 in Rd. 1: 13 exempt into Rd. 2)
Purse: $1.5 million
Top Individual Prizes: 1st place - $200,000; 2nd place - $150,000; 3rd place - $100,000
Local tee time: Rd. 1 - 8 a.m.; Rd. 2 - 9 a.m.; Rd. 3 - 7:15 a.m. shotgun start; Rd. 4 - Noon (estimate)
WHAT’S AT STAKE
Top 3 finishers earn promotion to the 2024 LIV Golf League and will be drafted into one of the LIV Golf teams next season.
Players finishing 4th through 10th will receive full exemption for all 2024 events on The International Series, a set of elevated tournaments supported by LIV Golf on the Asian Tour.
QUOTEBOARD
Greg Norman, LIV Golf Commissioner and CEO:
LIV Golf Promotions establishes an integrated pathway for the best players and up-and-coming talent from all over the globe to join a league that is changing the game. Open competition and meritocracy have always been a part of the fabric of LIV Golf, and following the success of our first full, 14-event season, we’re excited to be able to launch LIV Golf Promotions and offer players from around the world the chance to qualify for 2024.
Rahul Singh, Head of The International Series
This is what our season has been driving towards and is a great showcase of the open player opportunities that LIV Golf is committed to. The innovative format of LIV Golf Promotions will offer drama and excitement and I have no doubt that we will crown some very deserving recipients of their rights in the LIV Golf League 2024.
FIELD BREAKDOWN
The LIV Golf Promotions field consists of:
- 1 Major champion
- 6 PGA Tour winners
- 10 DP World Tour winners
- 25+ Asian Tour winners
- 6 Olympians
- 2 Ryder Cup players
- 3 NCAA Division 1 champions
- 1 U.S. Amateur champion
- 4 Current Amateurs
11 players in the field have won at least 10 professional events
| Player | Professional wins |
|---|---|
| Gaganjeet Bhullar | 23 |
| Brendan Jones | 19 |
| Scott Hend | 16 |
| Jaco Ahlers | 12 |
| Gunn Charoenkul | 12 |
| Kalle Samooja | 12 |
| Jazz Janewattananond | 11 |
| Grégory Bourdy | 10 |
| Phachara Khongwatmai | 10 |
| Bio Kim | 10 |
- American Jason Dufner has the most wins on the PGA Tour with 5, including the 2013 PGA Championship
- Two Spanish veterans, Alvaro Quiros and Gonzalo Fernández-Castaño, have the most wins on the DP World Tour with 7 each
- India’s Gaganjeet Bhullar has the most Asian Tour career wins with 11
12 Promotions entrants have played at least one career round in LIV Golf:
- Laurie Canter
- Sadom Kaewkanjana
- Phachara Khongwatmai
- Sihwan Kim
- Jinichiro Kozuma
- Jediah Morgan
- Wade Ormsby
- Turk Pettit
- James Piot
- Travis Smyth
- Kieran Vincent
- Kevin Yuan
6 players have represented their countries in the Olympics
| Player | Country | Olympic year |
|---|---|---|
| Grégory Bourdy | France | 2016 |
| Gunn Charoenkul | Thailand | 2021 |
| Scott Hend | Australia | 2016 |
| Jazz Janewattananond | Thailand | 2021 |
| Kalle Samooja | Finland | 2021 |
| Miguel Tabuena | Philippines | 2016 |
ABOUT THE COURSE
ABU DHABI GOLF CLUB National Course Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Par 72 7,632 yards
- Site of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship for 16 consecutive years from 2006-21
- Among the tournament winners are current LIV Golf League members Martin Kaymer (winner in 2008, 2010, 2011), Paul Casey (winner in 2007, 2009) and Lee Westwood (winner in 2020). Westwood’s victory gave him professional wins in four different decades
- Many other LIV Golf League members have competed at Abu Dhabi, including major winners Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka and Sergio Garcia
- Hosted the 2023 Eisenhower Trophy, the biennial World Amateur Team Championship organized by the International Golf Federation
- Hosted the inaugural Hero Cup in 2023, with a team of Great Britain and Ireland professional golfers competing against a team representing Continental Europe
- Other tournaments hosted in recent years include the UAE Presidents Cup, GCC Golf Championship and PIF Saudi International qualifier
- Course was designed in 1998 by Peter Harradine, former president of the European Institute of Golf Course Architects and European Society of Golf Course Architects
- Course is set against a stunning desert landscape, with a unique layout with risk/reward opportunities, and features a variety of challenges, from water hazards to bunkers to doglegs and tricky greens
- Clubhouse is built in the shape of a falcon with its wings outstretched.
- "This golf course is an incredible layout. It's a very good test of golf. The fairways are tight, and the greens are pure." – LIV Golf's Bryson DeChambeau, Captain of Crushers GC
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TUGR RANKINGS
The Universal Golf Rankings (TUGR) were used as part of the eligibility criteria. Here are the nine players in the field ranked inside the TURG’s top 300.
- 191 – Laurie Canter, England
- 197 – Miguel Tabuena, Philippines
- 209 – Zach Bauchou, USA
- 211 – Richard T. Lee, Canada
- 213 – Kyungnam Kang, Korea
- 215 – Phachara Khongwatmai, Thailand
- 226 – Jeongwoo Ham, Korea
- 245 – Junghwan Lee, Korea
- 254 – Travis Smyth, Australia
Ratings as of Dec. 4. Click here for all TUGR rankings
WEATHER
Forecast from weather.com
| Friday | Saturday | Sunday | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Temps | Hi: 81 Lo: 69 | Hi: 81 Lo: 69 | Hi: 80 Lo: 71 |
| Outlook | Sunny | Mostly Sunny | Sunny |
| Chance of precipitation | 3% | 4% | 3% |
| Wind | 8 mph, WSW | 8 mph, WSW | 9 mph, WSW |
HOW TO WATCH
Announcers: Jerry Foltz, Dom Boulet, Su-Ann Heng, Anthony Kang
The tournament will be available globally live and on-demand on LIV Golf Plus, the LIV Golf YouTube Channel and broadcast partners around the world.
• Friday & Saturday: Live coverage from 12 p.m.-4 p.m. local (3 a.m.-7 a.m. ET)
• Sunday: Live coverage from 12:30 p.m.- 5 p.m. local (3:30 a.m.-8 a.m. ET)
Broadcast in over 180 international territories live and on-demand, free of charge, via LIV Golf Plus. Available for download on iOS, Android, FireTV, and on LIVGolfPlus.com. Also airing on more than a dozen international broadcast partners and counting.