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Golf Channel’s Eamon Lynch has taken aim at LIV Golf’s departing CEO Greg Norman, who ‘lied’ to players about receiving world ranking points.

Norman, 69, is set to depart the Saudi-backed circuit after launching it in 2022, with its future still hanging in the balance.

In the league’s short history, world ranking points – or the lack of – have been a sticking point, which has been brought to light by its own players.

Spaniard Eugenio Chacarra was the latest to sound off on the issue, and Lynch said he will ‘pay the consequences’ of his decision to jump ship.

“He echoed what Carlos Ortiz said on the Subpar podcast in February of last year that he too was promised Official World Golf Ranking Points for joining LIV,” Lynch said.

“They lied to these guys; it’s an outright lie because it wasn’t within their gift to give world ranking points.

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“Perhaps Greg Norman thought he could bully the world rankings system into giving them points or that he’d have a critical mass of players who would allow them to strongarm the system.

“So, they’ve marooned these guys out on an island and that’s why Eugenio Chacarra finds himself playing an Asian Tour event in India coming up, because that’s the only place he has status left.”

LIV ended its bid for world rankings accreditation in March last year, as Norman insisted it would not comply with the body’s ranking criteria.

Now, like others to have been cut from LIV’s plans, Chacarra has been left with a mountain to climb in order to achieve his dream of playing – and winning – on the PGA Tour.

But Lynch claims his comments – from a chat with X account Flushing It – about being envious of Ludvig Aberg are ‘ironic’.

“Chacarra making that jump to LIV out of college forced the PGA Tour to get serious about pipelines and elite talent,” he added. “That’s where Ludvig came from, the PGA Tour University.

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“Now, he’s the sixth ranked player in the world, a PGA Tour winner, a runner-up in the Masters and a stud in the Ryder Cup – all the things Chacarra said he wants, his goals.

“He’s now put himself behind the eight-ball in getting to those goals because, sure, he has a great bank balance, but he doesn’t really have any status and has an uphill climb ahead.”

Meanwhile, the rankings debacle has affected current LIV golfers, too.

Joaquin Niemann, who finished second in the league’s individual standings last year, required a special invite to compete in this year’s Masters.

The world No. 72 was awarded a place in the field for the second consecutive year.


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John Turnbull A graduate of the University of Stirling, John joined the bunkered team in 2023 as a Content Producer, with a responsibility for covering all breaking news, tour news, grassroots content and much more besides. A keen golfer, he plays the majority of his golf at Falkirk Golf Club. Top of his 'bucket list' is a round of Pebble Beach... ideally in the company of Gareth Bale.

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