The Open Joins U.S. Open, Creates Direct LIV Golf Pathway

Posted by author February 12, 2025 Golf

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LIV Golf players will have their own exemption category for the Open Championship starting with the 2025 edition. This was announced by the R&A, the governing body that organizes the current fourth major of the season, one of the most important tournaments in the world golf calendar.

According to the note published on the official website of LIV Golf, the decision of the R&A establishes that the leading player in the top 5 of the league’s internal ranking after the competition of LIV Golf Dallas on Jun. 29, not otherwise exempt, will receive a place in the field of The 153rd Open Championship. This decision came days after the United States Golf Association (USGA) made a similar choice for the U.S. Open, the third major of the season.

Announcing the decision, R&A CEO Mark Darbon said the organization recognized that LIV Golf players should have a chance to earn a direct path to The Open Championship, just as players on other tours do.

The Open is a global championship for the best men’s golfers and each year we review our exemptions to ensure that we offer pathways into the Championship based on results achieved on the leading professional tours.”

We acknowledge that players competing in LIV Golf should also have the opportunity to secure places in The Open through its individual season standings as well as existing pathways.”

We are proud to offer a wide range of opportunities to qualify globally and look forward to seeing which golfers will emerge to take their place at Royal Portrush in July.”

The Claret Jug, official Open Championship trophy.

Andrew Redington/Getty Images

LIV Golf CEO Scott O’Neil applauded the R&A’s decision, saying it recognized the strength of the league’s field:

The Open Championship is one of the most prestigious events in all of sports. The acknowledgement that competitors from the LIV Golf League and The International Series will have the opportunity to play in golf’s original major is a true testament to the strength of fields and the R&A’s commitment to golf fans around the world.”

A few days earlier, the USGA announced that it had also created an exemption category for LIV Golf players towards the U.S. Open. In the case of the American governing body, the exemption will go to the leading player in the top 3 of the LIV Golf internal rankings, not otherwise exempt.

Like the other major championships, The Open established a number of exemption categories for players based on their performance in previous editions of the event and the other majors, their results on the top world tours, or their position in the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR).

The Open also established an open qualification process through qualifying tournaments held at various locations around the world. Any professional player ranked between 1,000 and 2,000 in the world, or any amateur player with a handicap of 0.4 or better, may participate in the qualifying tournaments. Players who have finished in the top 5 in the most recent edition of any women’s major are also eligible.

The 2025 LIV Golf season has only completed one tournament on the schedule (Riyadh). At that point, Adrian Meronk would earn his spot in The Open Championship as the leader of the circuit’s internal rankings.

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