Worries from American LIV Golfers over their eligibility for next year’s Ryder Cup have been soothed, with the PGA of America giving players from the Saudi-backed circuit a green light to compete.
The PGA of America, which operates the Ryder Cup for the United States, announced on Thursday that LIV Golf players will be eligible for both the US Ryder Cup team and the PGA Championship.
“To ensure the PGA Championship will continue to deliver the strongest field in golf and that the US Ryder Cup teams will continue to have access to the best American players, the PGA of America board has determined that LIV Golf players will be eligible for both,” the PGA of America said in a statement.
“Going forward, all LIV Golf players are eligible for the PGA Championship and any American player who qualifies for the Ryder Cup on points or is added to the US team as a captain’s pick is eligible to compete.
“This is consistent with LIV Golf players competing in the PGA Championship the past two years. Brooks Koepka was a member of the US Ryder Cup team last year.”
The announcement comes after The Telegraph reported that US Open champion and LIV Golfer Bryson DeChambeau was a doubt for next year’s Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black, with the PGA of America’s pathway for LIV players unclear at the time.
US Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley said at last month’s BMW Championship that he will be picking “the best 12 players” for next year’s event, and the PGA of America need to “figure that out”.
“I’m going to have the best 12 players, so the PGA of America … need to figure that out, if that’s their problem,” Bradley said.
“I know you have to be a PGA member to play in the Ryder Cup. That’s the only stipulation that you need. So we’ll make sure if some of those guys that we think might make the team, we’ll make sure that they are a member.”
Kerry Haigh, the PGA of America’s chief championships officer and interim CEO, explained that the move means LIV Golf was added to the organization's list of approved tours.
“It’s more of a cleanup,” Haigh told the Golf Channel. “We’ve added the LIV tour to the list of tours that are eligible towards A-3 membership, which all [PGA] Tour members are eligible for.
“The LIV players had previously been [PGA of America] members but had we not done this they would have had to go through more requirements which no other tour members are asked to do.”
While LIV Golf events are still not eligible for Ryder Cup team points, the new policy paves the way for players like DeChambeau – who is third on the US points list after his US Open victory at Pinehurst in June – to make the American team next year, as well as compete at the PGA Championship.
Haigh added: “All these players would have still been eligible in the short term but they would have had to do additional requirements [to maintain membership].
“LIV players have always been eligible and this cleanup of the bylaws just makes it more consistent with the other tours and will allow the best players in the world to play the PGA Championship and represent the US team at the Ryder Cup, which has always been the case.”
Brooks Koepka of Team USA was the only LIV player to compete at last year's Ryder Cup. He was one of seven LIV golfers who received invites from the PGA of America to compete at the PGA Championship this year.
A pathway for LIV Golfers to make the European Ryder Cup team next year had already been created, with the only criterion being all players must maintain their membership on the DP World Tour.
Players must play a minimum of four events on the Europe-based circuit per year, excluding Majors, to keep their membership.
However, players that left for LIV have also been given suspensions and fines for violating the tour’s policies.
Last week, Jon Rahm appealed those fines, allowing him to compete in the minimum DP World Tour events this year to keep his eligibility for the Ryder Cup.
