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Joaquin Niemann is amongst LIV’s prime gamers who might miss out on future occasions.
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When Bryson DeChambeau won the U.S. Open two weeks in the past he took dwelling just a few priceless prizes along with the trophy. He claimed a first-place verify of $4.3 million. He earned sufficient world rating factors to climb again into the highest 10. And he tacked on one other 5 years to his main championship eligibility.
When Tyrrell Hatton gained LIV’s Nashville occasion by six strokes the next week he, too, earned a first-place verify of $4 million. However he didn’t earn any rating factors, remaining at No. 22 on the planet. And by the point subsequent yr’s majors come round, his eligibility for 3 of the 4 shall be up within the air.
None of that is breaking information; the OWGR query has hung round LIV since its inception. And though some gamers who joined the Saudi-backed startup circuit were assured that they’d get factors, that hasn’t occurred — and earlier this yr LIV abandoned its quest altogether. As a result of the majors have lengthy used the OWGR to construct out their fields, this implies bother for LIV execs seeking to compete in golf’s most prestigious occasions.
In his post-tournament press convention on the U.S. Open DeChambeau struck a conciliatory tone, suggesting the world of males’s professional golf ought to come again collectively. That’s a chorus that’s been echoed by sure voices on each side of the LIV-PGA Tour divide, together with Rory McIlroy and Lee Westwood in current weeks. Which will properly occur; talks between the Tour and LIV’s funding supply, the Saudi PIF, stay ongoing, and there’s a future that might embrace world rating factors for all. But when nothing occurs, the divergent tales of DeChambeau and Hatton inform a unique story: Whereas LIV’s most well-known gamers stay major-eligible, the remainder of its berths are dwindling away.
LIV’s excellent news
LIV’s lessened presence at majors has been partially glossed over as a result of a lot of its largest names have retained their main eligibility. Profitable a serious will get you entry into each different main for the 5 years that observe, which implies Dustin Johnson (2020 Masters), Phil Mickelson (2021 PGA) and Cam Smith (2022 Open Championship) have been in no hazard of lacking majors whereas Brooks Koepka (2023 PGA) and DeChambeau (2024 U.S. Open) have gained since becoming a member of.
LIV can also be assured to have an ongoing presence on the Masters as a result of the Masters offers its winners lifetime invites and LIV has snapped up a bunch of green-jacket winners; that group is headlined by Jon Rahm (2023) and contains Sergio Garcia (2017), Reed (2018), Charl Schwartzel (2011) and Bubba Watson (2012, 2014) — in addition to the aforementioned Johnson and Mickelson.
LIV gamers personal just a few different excellent match exemptions. Martin Kaymer has an exemption on the PGA Championship till age 60 (because of his win in 2011), whereas Louis Oosthuizen (2010) and Henrik Stenson (2016) can play the Open till they’re 60 as previous champs, too. Richard Bland’s current Senior PGA title will get him into subsequent yr’s PGA Championship. And Hatton earned his manner into subsequent yr’s Masters by means of a T9 end this season, whereas Dean Burmester will make it again to the PGA because of a T12.
This yr they proved there are different methods in, too. Sergio Garcia was amongst these to make it via qualifying for the U.S. Open, whereas different prime worldwide finishes netted Open Championship berths to Burmester, Joaquin Niemann and David Puig.
So one factor is for positive: There shall be proficient, high-profile LIV golfers on the 2025 main championships.
LIV’s unhealthy information
The opposite certainty is that, if nothing modifications, there shall be fewer of them annually that follows. Resulting from diminishing world rating factors, prime LIV execs have already performed fewer majors the final two years than they’d have had they remained on the PGA Tour. Abraham Ancer hasn’t performed a serious in 2024. Neither has Paul Casey. Nor have Marc Leishman, Mito Pereira, Thomas Pieters, Ian Poulter, Brendan Steele, Harold Varner III and Matthew Wolff. Others have seen lowered begins: Talor Gooch, Joaquin Niemann and Patrick Reed have been among the many notable names to overlook this newest U.S. Open.
Let’s try a chart through refined stathead Robopz, who has been laser-focused on exemptions and posted this on Twitter (he’s value a observe for the golf nerds amongst you, here). Check out these numbers highlighted in yellow: Of the gamers on LIV’s present roster, 25 performed the Masters in 2022 however simply 13 performed this yr and 11 are assured invitations in 2025. The numbers are even bleaker for the opposite three majors: 42 now-LIV-players performed the PGA in 2022, 16 performed this season and 9 are at present promised for subsequent yr. On the U.S. Open these numbers go to 30 (in 2022), 13 (this yr) and 6 (for 2025), whereas issues look comparable on the Open Championship: 31 (in 2022), 14 (thus far this yr) and eight (up to now for subsequent yr).
Even these invitees aren’t essentially LIV’s greatest. Take the Masters subject, for example: Schwartzel and Reed are No. 19 and 20 on LIV’s order of advantage, Mickelson ranks No. 43 and Watson ranks No. 50. In the meantime Nos. 1 (Niemann) 4 (Oosthuizen) and 5 (Burmester) on that record aren’t but exempt. Others with long-term exemptions embrace Stenson (No. 36) and Kaymer (No. 38) whereas Carlos Ortiz (No. 9) and Abraham Ancer (No. 10) don’t have anything promised going ahead.
That is hardly closing; extra LIV execs will find yourself in these fields. The Masters invited Niemann this yr based mostly on his worldwide play. The PGA invited Puig, Burmester and Gooch. And USGA head Mike Whan teased the thought of a future LIV exemption class. There shall be different methods in via DP World Tour occasions, Asian Tour occasions or particular invites. However these invitations are nonetheless prone to be restricted and LIV execs are nonetheless unlikely to earn important world rating factors except, sarcastically, they play in all of the majors.
LIV’s path again
Considering huge image there are two real looking paths again to majors for LIV execs with out present main exemptions. The one they’d possible desire can be if the majors all of the sudden determined to have an intensive LIV-exempt record like, say, the highest 12 gamers within the league stepping into every main. The opposite route would contain some form of unification with the PGA Tour, the possibility to play in additional world-ranking-point occasions and subsequently enjoying properly sufficient to work their manner again up the eligibility classes.
However there’s been little to counsel professional golf will take both of these paths by, say, subsequent season.
Within the meantime LIV gamers will proceed to reap the monetary rewards of their choice to leap to their new circuit. However in a posh professional golf panorama, these are the results: fewer probabilities to earn world rating factors, fewer probabilities win the sport’s largest occasions. Time will inform how these largest occasions reply.
