This player set to become first former LIV Golf member to qualify for The Players
Despite losing in a playoff Sunday afternoon at the DP World Tour's Investec South African Open, Laurie Canter will move inside the top 50 in the Official World Golf Ranking.
It's a notable jump for a couple reasons.
Canter, who entered this week ranked No. 53 in the world, was tied for the 54-hole lead before the final round was canceled at 9:10 a.m. local time because of flooding at Durban Country Club. The 35-year-old Englishman and South Africa's Dylan Naidoo then faced off in a sudden-death playoff a few hours later, and Naidoo captured his maiden DPWT title with birdie.
A win by Canter would've marked his second of the year following a victory in Bahrain last month and pushed him as high as No. 32 in the OWGR. He is currently third in the Race to Dubai. The runner-up still, though, still allowed him to climb into position to qualify for next week's Players Championship, which annually exempts all top-50 players as of the Monday before tournament week.
If he plays, Canter would become the first former LIV player to tee it up in a non-major, non-co-sanctioned PGA Tour event. (Canter played last year's Genesis Scottish Open.)
And if he stays inside the top 50 by March 30, he'll receive an invitation into his first Masters. Canter has played four career majors, three of them Open Championships; he's yet to miss a cut. He's already into this summer's Open at Royal Portrush.
Canter was a founding member of LIV Golf, competing for Cleeks GC in 2022. He then served as a reserve in 2023 before making two early starts last year. His last LIV appearance, though, came just over a year ago in Las Vegas. Typically, the PGA Tour has suspended players for one calendar year from the end of their last LIV start.
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