EXCLUSIVE! We saw the vision: Ian Poulter explains his decision to join LIV Golf, stirs world ranking debate

Veteran English golfer Ian Poulter said it was the brand and the vision of the LIV Golf Series which played a significant role in driving his decision to join the rival league. The lucrative series is funded by Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund and has been subjected to intense criticism from all corners ever since its inception.

LIV Golf has left the golf world divided with the PGA Tour currently locked in a court battle with the rival tour. The PGA Tour had recently countersued LIV, alleging that the rival golf circuit is competing using unfair practices by luring players with millions of dollars.

However, LIV Golf despite having shaken up the traditional structure in the sport remains unfazed as it prepares for its sixth tournament in Asia this week. LIV Gol has managed to assemble a star-studded expensive line-up consistingof the likes ofDustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka and Phil Mickelson among others and some of the big names will be in action during the event in Bangkok.

Poulter, who is among the stars to have signed up with LIV Golf, is currently in Bangkok where he opened up on a range of topics right from his decision to join the rebel league to his journey so far in an exclusive interaction with WION.

"Don't know if it (LIV Golf) has brought us together but we understood the ability of what this would give us. It gives us a platform to play golf, the same way the European tour has a platform, same way the Asian Tour and the same way the PGA tour. And players like myself have played these tours and tournaments all over the globe for 24 years.

"This is another outlet for us to be able to go and play golf. This is why we took the choice to join LIV, we saw the vision, we saw the brand and how it would add to the team format situation and I am proud to be in a position where we have our team set," Poulter said explaining his decision to join the rebel circuit.

Poulter agreed they can be the pioneers of the rebel circuit which has shaken up the sport with its arrival. Expressing his optimism, the 46-year-old, who won 17 tournaments across multiple tours around the world, said LIV Golf's rapid growth is proof why it has big potential in the future.

"Yes, it has definitely shaken up the sport, there is no question about that. Calling us pioneers? It's a new entity, it's a start-up business, it's a business which has got traction extremely quickly. The viewership is growing extremely quickly. It is also kind of getting into the team format just like we have understood and that's the reason why we have got so many strong players playing in this series," Poulter explained.

While the PGA handed immediate bans to the players who signed up with LIV Golf, the DP World Tour refrained from banning rebel players but imposed fines on those joining the rebel circuit. A court hearing will take place in February to decide the fate of LIV Golf players, who want to continue in the DP World Tour.

Poulter, who was among the prominent names to stand up against sanctions and bans on LIV Golf players, said players have played multiple tours in the past and can continue doing so now.

"There has been a lot of talk, I have been part of the case against my position in Europe, I objected against the suspension and obviously the fine situation and we will see how that plays out but there has been an awful lot said. I am not going to elaborate, I don't think I need to, I feel it's out there. There is the ability to play multiple tours as we have done in the past and this shouldn't be any different," he told WION.

LIV golfers have so far been deprived of any golf ranking points for competing in the rebel circuit. Many top players who have signed up for the breakaway circuit have suffered in the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR) due to not being awarded points.

Stirring up the debate over world ranking points, Poulter called the current ranking system 'dated' and questioned whether it should be considered a valid entity as it stands. However, the English golfer insisted it will be best for all parties if the governing bodies can find a way to give LIV golfers ranking points within the current system without tweaking much.

"We are definitely out there to entertain the fans like we have done for the last 24 years. The way the governing bodies are looking at it, is something to be questioned. They need to sit together and work out a solution and whether the official world rankings are a valid entity as it stands today.

It's looking more and more dated the way it stands and however, the majors themselves would actually see whether there is a possibility of a LIV qualification criteria into their event. We are not sure, it changes daily. Greg and the whole team that are active out there, and are trying to take a stand for all the players so we will have to wait and see," said Poulter.

"There is criteria in place that you will have to tick a number of boxes to be able to get world rankings and we are fully aware of that. If there are tweaks here and there, if there is a way to make it work within the actual system itself then it will be better for the overall golf fam.

It's a little bit of a broken system at the minute. The hope for every player that's out here paying is that there is level of senibility, the best players can compete against the best players in the world in the tournaments fans love to watch. We can only be hopeful that has some level of coming together."