The PGA of America has announced that LIV Golf players will be able to play in the Ryder Cup and PGA Championship, marking a significant thaw in the current division of golf. The PGA of America is a separate organization from the PGA Tour, which is in discussions about the future of golf with the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia, the financial backer of LIV Golf.
Brooks Koepka played on last year’s Ryder Cup team as a member of LIV, largely as a result of his victory at the 2023 PGA Championship. LIV players have competed in the PGA Championship in recent seasons, primarily due to their existing eligibility thanks to victories they accumulated prior to joining LIV Golf.
In making the announcement, the PGA of America said that “all LIV golfers are eligible for the PGA Championship and any American player who qualifies for the Ryder Cup on points or is added to Team USA as a captain’s pick is eligible to compete.”
This formalizes what had been, until now, a Actually Opportunity system for LIV players. Koepka, for example, played well enough at the PGA Championship to make the Ryder Cup team on points. Notably, the PGA did not specify what “eligible” means, which presents a problem given that the easiest way to be “eligible” is to be ranked in the top 70 in the Official World Golf Ranking. However, the OWGR does not currently recognize LIV golf tournaments as valid for qualifying purposes, so LIV players have to play their way in through other means, or wait for special PGA invitations, as Joaquin Niemann did earlier this year to get into the PGA Championship.
The PGA Tour and PIF remain locked in discussions over how to mend the divide in professional golf, more than a year after announcing that a “framework” agreement had been established. Sticking points appear to be whether to “punish” LIV players for defecting and how to reintegrate LIV players into more events that would give them ranking points and thus access to the four majors.
