Golf bosses offer LIV Golf stars hope of major pathway after USPGA decision opens door
United States Golf Association CEO Mike Whan floated the possibility of a direct pathway that would allow LIV Golf players access to the U.S. Open and other major championships
United States Golf Association CEO Mike Whan isn’t ruling out the formation of a direct pathway that would provide LIV Golf players access to the U.S. Open. But he doesn’t necessarily see the need for it, either.
Golfers currently playing on the Saudi-backed league are still unable to attain Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) points, meaning they’re only able to play in the four major championships via a special exemption from the event organisers. As talks between the PGA Tour and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund - the backers of LIV Golf - continue to drag on with no end in sight, Whan conceded that a a LIV track to the U.S. Open could emerge should the two series remain divided.
“If you asked me a year ago, ‘What’s it going to be like in three months?’ I would have confidently given you an answer. I would have been confidently wrong,” he told Golfweek. “If LIV stays as a separate entity and keeps the quality of players that it’s got, can I envision a pathway to the U.S. Open through LIV? I can, but I’d like to see what the final product is, and we’re just not exactly sure we know that yet.”
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As of Wednesday afternoon, 36 players from LIV had entered the U.S. Open qualifying stages, with eight already extended exemptions into the PGA Championship field: Bryson DeChambeau, Dustin Johnson, Tyrrell Hatton, Brooks Koepka, Martin Kaymer, Phil Mickelson, Cameron Smith and Jon Rahm.
Talor Gooch, meanwhile, was one of seven LIV golfers to receive an invite to the third men’s major of 2024. The series’ 2023 individual champion hasn’t competed on other OWGR-acknowledged tours since June 2022, marking the first time the PGA of America has recognized a player’s accomplishments on LIV.
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When asked if the USGA felt any need to form new pathways for players that defected from the PGA Tour instead of simply encouraging them to qualify for championships, Whan said: “Well, it’s a little bit of both.
"I would say that, a lot of people forget the first LIV event happened the weekend before the U.S. Open in 2022 and a lot of players were suspended and that's kind of where the frustrations and challenges came in professional men's golf,” he continued. "And everybody was wondering what's the USGA, what is the U.S. Open going to do?
"And we said, quite simply, if you've qualified for the U.S. Open you are going to play in the U.S. Open and [we] sent a pretty clear message early on. Last year, in 2023, we had [and I'm] not sure if I have my numbers exactly right but we had 15 LIV players played at LACC. Of the 50 players that we are calling LIV players, that's 30 percent of their tour teed it up at LACC.
If players on LIV want to play in the U.S. Open, Whan insisted the opportunity is there for the taking. "I think this year between the seven or eight players that have qualified through major wins there's another 29 or 30 players that are already exempt into the final stage of qualifying,” he concluded. “If they want to qualify, that's up to them. But nothing is stopping you from playing the U.S. Open and nothing ever has and nothing ever will.”
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