(Reuters) - The Clutch Pro Tour will be included in the world ranking system, Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) said on Thursday.
The Tour was created in 2019 for lower level professionals, especially in the United Kingdom, and now acts as a feeder to the Challenge and DP World Tours. Its tournaments are played over 54 holes with a 36-hole cut.
The announcement followed a 17-month long application process, and the Clutch Pro Tour Tier One tournaments will become an OWGR Eligible Golf Tour from this week.
"This is a significant milestone for golf, and OWGR is deeply encouraged by the achievement and the continued efforts in developing the sport of golf in the United Kingdom," OWGR Chairman Peter Dawson said in a statement.
The opening event in the Clutch Pro Tour season begins on April 30 at Heythrop Park in Oxfordshire.
LIV Golf, the Saudi-backed circuit that launched in 2022 and has divided the sport, had its application to be included in the world ranking system unanimously rejected by the OWGR in October.
LIV sent a letter to its members in March informing them that the organisation had formally withdrawn its application to be included in the rankings system.
(Reporting by Trevor Stynes; Editing by Ed Osmond)
