Kennedy joins Griffin at LIV Golf Promotions event

Max Kennedy following his collegiate win in the US this year

Royal Dublin amateur Max Kennedy has joined fellow Palmer Cup player Ryan Griffin from Donegal and entered next week’s $1.5 million LIV Golf Promotions event in Abi Dhabi and battle for the chance to play for millions next year.

University of Louisville star Kennedy (21) joins Maynooth University's Griffin (23) and the likes of former PGA Championship winner Jason Dufner and former Ryder Cup stars Victor Dubuisson of France and Jeff Overton of the US in a low-key field.

PGA Tour, DP World Tour, and Asian Tour winners such as Chris Stroud, Gonzalo Fernández-Castaño, and Alvaro Quiros have also entered.

But it was telling that LIV Golf released the underwhelming entry list as Tiger Woods was making his comeback from surgery in the Hero World Challenge.

Only the top three finishers after 72 holes will earn their place on one of the LIV Golf League teams for next season, which kicks off with LIV Golf Mayakoba in Mexico in February.

But Kennedy and Griffin must first make the top 20 after the first round before joining 14 exempt players in the second round.

They paid their $25 entry fee for the chance to win a $200,000 payday and a lucrative LIV spot next year.

A field of 59 will tee it up in the first round and those who finish in the top 20 and ties advance to Saturday’s second round.

Scores will then be reset, and the field will be joined by 14 players who automatically qualified for day two.

The top 20 players (after tiebreakers) following round two will advance to the final day, where scores will reset once more for a 36-hole shootout.

Members of the Palmer Cup and Walker Cup teams were exempt into the event but only Kennedy and Griffin took the plunge as Ireland’s Walker Cup players Liam Nolan, Alex Maguire, Mark Power and Matt McClean opted not to play.

McClean said he might have considered the event had he been playing competitive golf recently, but Nolan has exams, while Power is hoping to win aek’s Alfred Dunhill Championship spot in next we with a top-five finish in this week’s Australian Open.

Former DP World Tour winner Paul Dunne, who is facing Challenge Tour golf again next year, also opted not to enter.

"LIV Golf Promotions creates an open pathway for players to compete in the LIV Golf League, and the interest shown in the event’s inaugural year reinforces the significance of these new opportunities for the sport,” said LIV Golf Commissioner and CEO Greg Norman.

“There is exceptional talent from all corners of the globe and LIV Golf is establishing a platform for these current and rising stars of the game to build their careers in new, exciting ways.

"LIV Golf’s future is bright, and our anticipation grows to see which competitors will be part of this game-changing league in 2024.”