After OWGR raises concern, Munoz clarifies past comments

In his letter to LIV Golf leadership two days ago, OWGR chairman Peter Dawson expressed two main concerns that influenced the OWGR’s decision to not award world-ranking points to the Saudi-backed league:

Firstly, he raised concerns about player turnover, pathways to access, and relegation.

The second concern involved the impact of the team competition.

“The board committee continues to worry about the implications of conducting individual and team competitions simultaneously,” wrote Dawson. “This concern was amplified by the decision that players from the same team can be grouped together and by the actions and comments attributed to Sebastian Munoz…”

The situation involving Munoz took place during LIV’s Orlando tournament in early April. Munoz, who was grouped with leader Brooks Koepka, was one shot behind him on their final hole, where both players had 40-foot birdie putts. According to a report by The Associated Press, Koepka putted first and left his try just over 4 feet away. If Munoz made his attempt, it would force a playoff, but if he three-putted for bogey, it would cost his team, Torque, the team title.

Per the AP, Munoz left his birdie attempt just inside Koepka’s ball before making the par save, finishing second individually and securing the lucrative team victory for Torque.

“It’s strange because I knew we were one stroke ahead as a team, so I couldn’t take any risks. I knew I couldn’t be too aggressive,” Munoz said afterwards. “He got the individual win, we got the team win. I call it a tie.”

However, Munoz’s comments evidently did not sit well with the OWGR.

In response to the OWGR’s decision and their explicit mention of Munoz, he issued a statement through a LIV Golf release on Wednesday:

“I remember that putt. I was one shot behind Brooks. He putted first and left it short. I left mine short as well. It wasn’t an easy putt, and anything past the hole would’ve rolled off the green. I did try to make it, but I wanted to putt it with good speed, and unfortunately, it didn’t reach the hole.”

Munoz added: “Brooks had a 5-footer. It would’ve been foolish for me to putt it 9 feet past, jeopardizing my chances if he made a mistake. I would’ve taken the same putt regardless.”