PGA Announces LIV Players Will Be Able to Play in PGA Championship and Ryder Cup

The PGA of America announced that LIV Golf players will be allowed to play in the Ryder Cup and PGA Championship, a significant thaw in golf’s ongoing division. The PGA of America is a separate organization from the PGA Tour that is engaged in ongoing discussions about golf’s future with the Saudi Public Investment Fund, LIV Golf’s financial backer.

Brooks Koepka played on last year’s Ryder Cup team as a member of LIV, largely as a result of his victory in the 2023 PGA Championship. LIV players have competed in the PGA Championship over the past few seasons, largely due to their existing eligibility from winnings they accrued prior to joining LIV Golf.

In the announcement, the PGA of America indicated that “all LIV Golf players are eligible to compete in 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 selection is eligible to compete.”

This formalizes what has been done so far. in fact a chance system for LIV players. Koepka, for example, played well enough at the PGA Championship to make the Ryder Cup team on points. Interestingly, the PGA hasn’t defined what “qualifying” means, which is a problem considering the easiest way to become “qualifying” is to finish in the top 70 in the Official World Golf Rankings. However, the OWGR doesn’t currently recognize LIV Golf events as valid for ranking purposes, so LIV players must play through other means or rely on special invitations from the PGA, as Joaquin Niemann did earlier this year to gain entry to the PGA Championship.

The PGA Tour and PIF are still in discussions about how to mend the rift in professional golf, more than a year after announcing a “framework” agreement existed. The sticking points appear to be “punishing” LIV players for defecting and how to reintroduce LIV players to more events that would give those players ranking points and thus access to all four majors.