PGA of America clarifies LIV Golfers’ Ryder Cup, PGA eligibility

LIV Golfers will continue to be able to play in the PGA Championship and Ryder Cup, but they are still running out of ways to qualify.

The PGA of America, the governing body that runs the major and the American side of the Ryder Cup, announced in a statement Thursday that LIV Golfers will remain eligible for the two events.

But the statement stopped short of announcing new avenues for the breakaway league’s players to qualify for both events.

“To ensure the PGA Championship will continue to deliver the strongest field in golf and that the U.S. Ryder Cup team 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 statement reads. “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 U.S. team as a captain’s pick is eligible to compete.”

The statement continues, noting that the decision is not a departure from past practice in the two years the organization has staged the events since LIV’s launch in 2022.

“This is consistent with LIV Golf players competing in the PGA Championship the past two years,” it continued. “Brooks Koepka was a member of the U.S. Ryder Cup team last year.”

The announcement follows reports in both the UK Telegraph and Sports Illustrated that the PGA of America was reluctant to allow Koepka and other LIV Golf members to retain their PGA of America memberships.

While the PGA Tour and PGA of America are separate entities, the PGA Tour’s suspension of all players who have joined LIV Golf means they are no longer active members of the PGA as well. Koepka, who was selected as a captain’s pick by U.S. captain Zach Johnson for last year’s matches in Rome after winning the 2023 PGA, was allowed to play thanks to a grace period in the PGA membership of LIV Golfers that expires at the end of this year. The same applied to golfers competing in the PGA Championship.

Bryson DeChambeau finished second this past year before winning the U.S. Open in June and is currently third on the U.S. Ryder Cup team standings.

Now the PGA is confirming DeChambeau, Koepka and other American LIV stars such as Dustin Johnson and Patrick Reed are eligible to either make the U.S. team on points or be selected for next year’s matches at Bethpage Black by captain Keegan Bradley.

But those players will still be hindered in qualifying for both events as players primarily earn entry to the PGA via the Official World Golf Ranking, which LIV events do not earn points for. Likewise, LIV events also do not award U.S. Ryder Cup team qualifying points, which are based on money earned in majors and PGA Tour events.

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The announcement, however, does not affect European LIV stars’ participation in the Ryder Cup as the European half of the event is owned by the DP World Tour. To be eligible for the European team, LIV Golfers must be members of the DP World Tour, meaning they pay the fines and serve the suspensions issued to them upon joining LIV.

Jon Rahm and Tyrell Hatton, two of Europe’s best players who went a combined 5-0-3 in Rome last year, are currently playing again on the DP World Tour as they appeal those suspensions, but neither has paid their fines.

On Wednesday, 2023 European Ryder Cup member Justin Rose called on the ongoing negotiations to be expedited between the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund, LIV Golf’s parent company, to ensure Rahm, Hatton, and other LIV golfers’ inclusion on the 2025 Ryder Cup teams.

“I think we need things to accelerate quickly,” Rose explained in a press conference ahead of this week’s BMW PGA Championship on the DP World Tour. “Obviously the lads who have gone off to LIV — there was a period of time now where obviously we’re seeing scenarios with Tyrrell [Hatton] and Jon [Rahm] having gone, as well, but they’re still very much current in terms of form of playing in the Ryder Cup, and I know there’s a few outstanding I’s to be dotted and T’s to be crossed for them to be eligible, but I think the sentiment in the team is we want the best players playing.”