Mike Lorenzo-Vera didn’t perform well at the Barracuda Championship on Thursday, but the more interesting story revolves around why he didn’t play in last week’s ISCO Championship in Kentucky, or more precisely, the Genesis Scottish Open.
The affable Frenchman explained that he “couldn't get into the registration system,” which prevented him from entering Kentucky. “Basically, I got ripped off.”
In November 2020, the PGA Tour and DP World Tour announced a strategic alliance, and the Scottish Open will be jointly sanctioned by the two tours for the third consecutive year, with about 75 players from each participating. The Isco Championship offers 50 places for players on the DP World Tour, but part of the confusion is due to different registration deadlines. The DP World Tour requires players to register by noon on the Thursday two weeks before the event, while the PGA Tour registration deadline is 5 p.m. (ET) on the Friday before the event. In fact, Tom King required an invitation from one of three sponsors to play in the Scottish Open last week because his agent missed the DP World Tour's two-week registration deadline.
Lorenzo Vera's situation was slightly different, as he made it to the Scottish Open on time but was unable to play in the ISCO Championship, where he had hoped to play. To his dismay, his number was not picked for the tournament, which has a $9 million purse and 500 FedEx Cup points for the winner. Even when Sebastian Soderberg withdrew due to a rib injury, allowing Alejandro Del Rey to play in the Scottish Open, Lorenzo Vera finished in eighth place.
What is not clear is whether the exemption for Kim, a South Korean rider sponsored by Genesis, was specifically for Lorenzo-Vera and whether this was related to his failure to sign up for the opposite field race in the United States, which he would have been able to participate without him.
“There was a problem with the system and they haven't been able to fix it, I think it was a technical issue. I was registered but it showed as not playing. I said, what can we do? I fought so hard for the last four years for the tour and I asked for an invite to the Scottish Open. But this time I was in a very difficult situation and they didn't help,” Lorenzo Vera said when asked why he didn't play the opposing event in Kentucky last week. The event has a purse of $4 million and 300 FedEx Cup points for the winner. “I know Tom (King, who is exempt) is very important for the tournament, but before it was a PGA Tour (event), it was a DP World Tour event and I thought I was a DP World Tour player and when something happened over there and I couldn't play, I had a chance to play, huh?”
Asked if he had gotten an explanation, he said: “Not yet. But I will never get an explanation.”
A DP World Tour media official explained that many members of the team competed in both the Scottish Open and the ISCO Championship because “if you compete in one, you can withdraw from the other without penalty. It appears that (Lorenzo Vera's) agent thought he would compete in the Scottish Open and did not register him in time for the ISCO Championship.”
Lorenzo Vera, 39, who turned professional in 2005, is ranked 123rd on the DP World Tour and 341st in the world this week. He was a supporter of former DP World Tour CEO Keith Pelley, who stepped down in April and was replaced by his deputy Guy Kinnings.
“He's like a decent guy, a decent man. No, no, bullshit,” Lorenzo Vera said of Pelley. “I think he was caught in a very tough situation between the PGA and the PIF. He tried his best. He did what he thought was right. … I really miss Keith.”
Lorenzo Vera said he expressed his experience directly to Kinnings but was disappointed with the response he received.
“Very political. He's the kind of guy you can't really talk to,” he said of Kinnings. “Those guys just don't care.”
Asked if he believed Kinnings could lead the tour, Vera said, “After what happened (Kentucky and the Scottish Open)? Absolutely no confidence.”
But Lorenzo Vera admitted that was his personal opinion and that the Tour's leadership had done a good job under difficult circumstances.
“I think when Keith left, the band was in a very good place considering the coronavirus,” the Frenchman said. “I think they were working hard. That’s for sure. That’s something I’ll never take away from them. They were trying their best… I know they were trying very hard to make the tour as global as possible and to try to make money.”
What changes would he like to see? “More transparency with the players,” he said. “We (European Tour players) always talk about this. It feels like it's never going to happen. So it's a lost battle.”
Lorenzo Vera may have wanted to vent his anxiety in this particular situation on the manager, as he had not arranged a rest week, as he could have registered for both tournaments and the delayed withdrawal fee for the Isco Championship would have been waived if he had played in the Scottish Championship. However, Lorenzo Vera said that eliminating the registration problem and having jointly recognized tournaments as part of a strategic alliance is a good thing.
“I think it’s a better opportunity to play on the PGA Tour,” he said, “because you have two chances to get an exemption.”
Nick Lozito provided original reporting for this article in Truckee, California.
