Over a third of current LIV Golf League members are set to tee it up at the International Series Oman on the Asian Tour later this week.
All International Series events are supported by the same group that backs LIV - the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund - and there are 21 players who belong to a LIV team - or are competing as a wildcard this season - in the International Series Oman field, with two complete sides also using the week as a kind of team-building exercise.
Both Torque GC - made up of South American stars Joaquin Niemann, Sebastian Munoz, Mito Pereira and Carlos Ortiz - and Stinger GC - which consists of South African quartet Louis Oosthuizen, Charl Schwartzel, Branden Grace and Dean Burmester - are part of the second Asian Tour tournament this year, which takes place a week before LIV Golf Jeddah at Royal Greens Golf & Country Club.
But there is another huge reason why so many LIV players are heading to Oman before hopping across the Arabian peninsula, and it is not due to the fact that some players reportedly have it written into their contracts that they must play a handful of Asian Tour events per season.
The competition at Al Mouj Golf in Muscat is the first of 10 elevated events on the Asian Tour calendar which not only offers an increased prize purse - in this case, $2 million - but also the much sought after world-ranking points that can help LIV players reach the Majors. Victory in Oman should see the winner land around 15 OWGR points.
The LIV Golf League is still without world-ranking points and has seen some of its most in-form players slide down the OWGR list despite winning non-LIV tournaments. Burmester and Oosthuizen have both won twice on the DP World Tour already this campaign, while Niemann has a victory on both LIV and the European Tour.
Burmester finished 2023 in 72nd place on the OWGR but is now clinging on to a top-100 spot in 95th, Oosthuizen was 129th on December 31 but is currently 137th, while Niemann ended 2023 in 65th on the OWGR but has slipped down to 81st. Lucas Herbert (80th) is the top-ranked LIV player in the International Series Oman field and only the third LIV golfer teeing it up in Muscat inside the world's top-100.
In a bid to recover a top-50 spot, which would book their place at all four Major championships - if they are not already exempt - almost 40% of LIV's current players are expanding their schedule, starting with this week.
Playing extra tournaments is likely to be frustrating for some LIV players, as thinning down their playing time was a reason many cited as one of the key factors behind their departure from the PGA Tour in the first place.
Following his victory at LIV Golf Mayakoba recently, Niemann's instant reaction to questions on his success was to point out that he is not in all of the Majors - although he has qualified for The Open Championship. Meanwhile, LIV analyst Jerry Foltz argued that the biggest competitions are dangerously close to being "asterisk Majors" if they don't involve the best players.
The Masters and Open Championship require entrants to be inside the world's top-50 if they are not already exempt otherwise, while the US Open's OWGR condition relates to the top-60. The PGA Championship does not have an explicit category based on the world ranking system, and invites are often afforded to top-100 players who did not otherwise qualify.
But for those LIV golfers playing in Oman who are not already securely fastened into the Majors of their choosing, this week will represent a huge chance to make their dreams a reality.
