US Open becomes first major to award LIV Golf exemption

The United States Golf Association (USGA) has announced that the U.S. Open will be the first major championship to offer exemptions to LIV Golf League players based on their rankings. This move aims to ensure that the world's top golfers have the opportunity to participate in this important event, enhancing the competition level and entertainment value of the tournament.

According to the USGA's statement, the highest-ranked player in the LIV Golf League, who is not otherwise exempt, will receive a direct exemption into the U.S. Open. Furthermore, as of April 7th, the top 10 players on the LIV Golf points list will be exempt from regional qualifying and advance directly to the final 36-hole qualifying stage.

LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman stated, "Golf fans around the world want to see the best players in the world competing on golf’s biggest stages. LIV Golf is committed to working collaboratively with golf’s governing bodies to help advance the game around the world.” USGA Chief Championships Officer John Bodenhamer added, "Consistent with our practice, we continuously review our exemption categories for the U.S. Open and have evolved them over time. This has prompted us to add a new category for this year."

Notably, until now, other major championships have not offered exemptions directly tied to the LIV Golf points system. The Masters Tournament and PGA Championship previously extended special exemptions to LIV golfer Joaquin Niemann, and Sergio Garcia also received an invitation to the PGA Championship. Niemann and Garcia are currently ranked second and third, respectively, on the 2024 LIV Golf individual points list, behind only Jon Rahm.

Jon Rahm has already qualified for all of this year's major championships due to his victories at the 2021 U.S. Open and the 2023 Masters Tournament. In addition, LIV golfer Bryson DeChambeau won the 2024 U.S. Open and therefore earned qualification, and Brooks Koepka, Cameron Smith, Dustin Johnson, and Phil Mickelson have also qualified based on past championship titles. The 2025 U.S. Open will be held from June 12th to 15th at Oakmont Country Club in Pennsylvania.

Meanwhile, the PGA Tour has been engaged in protracted negotiations with LIV's backer, the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF), in an attempt to bridge the divide in the world of golf. The ultimate outcome of these negotiations and the evolution of the future golf landscape remain to be seen.