The International Series Oman got underway in Muscat on Thursday with a field including the likes of former major champions Louis Oosthuizen and Charl Schwartzel.
It is the first event of the third season of a concept which has the backing of, and the incentive to join, LIV Golf.
What is it?
In many ways, it is to the Asian Tour what the Rolex Series is to the DP World Tour. It is a series of 10 events marked as more prestigious because of elevated prize funds.
Each of the tournaments has a minimum purse of $2 million, an investment backed by LIV.
How does it work?
It also has vague similarities to the Race to Dubai, with the order of merit being decided after a season-ending finale.
On the European version, that climax this season is via tournaments on back-to-back weeks in Abu Dhabi and Dubai.
On the International Series, a restricted field of leading players will compete in the PIF Saudi International, which is expected to have a prize fund in the region of $5 million.
What is the prize?
The player who tops the International Series money list gets direct entry to the LIV Golf tour next season. Scott Vincent won the first season of the series, then retained his place with LIV last season.
The next group of 30 players on the list are also entered into a tournament played in Abu Dhabi by which they also play for qualification for LIV.
Three players were promoted from that last season, with the number of qualifying berths for this season as yet unspecified.
Who is playing?
The 144-player field for the opening event in Oman includes 21 LIV Golf players. Most notable among them are the former Open winner Oosthuizen, Masters winner Schwartzel, and Chilean star Joaquin Niemann.
Niemann received a fillip this week when he was one of three players - Ryo Hisatsune and Thorbjorn Olesen were the others - granted a special invitation to play in the Masters in April.
It is a rare opportunity for a LIV player. Entry to the majors is tricky for them seeing as LIV Golf tournaments do not receive world ranking points.
Who benefits?
The Muscat tournament includes players from Saudi and Oman, as well as Joshua Grenville-Wood, an English-born golfer who now represents the UAE.
“Let’s not rule out how important the region is to us,” said Rahul Singh, the head of the International Series.
“It is going to be interesting to see how the young local players do. The International Series is an open, merit-based player pathway into LIV.
“We would love to see one of them do well coming through the series, make some money, get a couple more starts, and just get an opportunity.”
Where does it go?
Seven tournaments are in the diary for the series so far for this season, with three more yet to be announced.
It starts and ends in the Middle East, with Oman and Saudi providing the book ends. It heads to Macau next, with tournaments also confirmed in Morocco, Indonesia, Qatar and Hong Kong.
Organisers are planning an expansion in future seasons, with possible destinations in North America and Latin America.
Where is Greg?
Coincidentally, the stunning Al Mouj course in Muscat was designed by Greg Norman, the former major champion from Australia who has been a controversial figurehead for LIV.
But don’t read too much into that. The Earth Course at Jumeirah Golf Estates, which has hosted the finale to the DP World Tour for years, is another of his layouts.
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Common OCD symptoms and how they manifest
Checking: the obsession or thoughts focus on some harm coming from things not being as they should, which usually centre around the theme of safety. For example, the obsession is “the building will burn down”, therefore the compulsion is checking that the oven is switched off.
Contamination: the obsession is focused on the presence of germs, dirt or harmful bacteria and how this will impact the person and/or their loved ones. For example, the obsession is “the floor is dirty; me and my family will get sick and die”, the compulsion is repetitive cleaning.
Orderliness: the obsession is a fear of sitting with uncomfortable feelings, or to prevent harm coming to oneself or others. Objectively there appears to be no logical link between the obsession and compulsion. For example,” I won’t feel right if the jars aren’t lined up” or “harm will come to my family if I don’t line up all the jars”, so the compulsion is therefore lining up the jars.
Intrusive thoughts: the intrusive thought is usually highly distressing and repetitive. Common examples may include thoughts of perpetrating violence towards others, harming others, or questions over one’s character or deeds, usually in conflict with the person’s true values. An example would be: “I think I might hurt my family”, which in turn leads to the compulsion of avoiding social gatherings.
Hoarding: the intrusive thought is the overvaluing of objects or possessions, while the compulsion is stashing or hoarding these items and refusing to let them go. For example, “this newspaper may come in useful one day”, therefore, the compulsion is hoarding newspapers instead of discarding them the next day.
Source: Dr Robert Chandler, clinical psychologist at Lighthouse Arabia
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