The qualification round for the US Open has already begun. The tournament is rapidly approaching. A number of golfers from LIV Golf have registered for the local qualifiers in an attempt to secure a spot in the June Pinehurst tournament.
In the golf industry, the topic is quite delicate. Due to the fact that LIV events are not eligible for world ranking points, major league players were required to participate in the open qualification process.
But the event’s organizer, the United States Golf Association (USGA), has guaranteed that LIV players would be well-received. The field for the event is sufficiently open, according to USGA CEO Mike Whan, to accept LIV Golf participants with “open arms.”
He continued, saying:
Thirteen final qualifiers and over 100 local qualifiers make up the US Open qualification process. Thirty-five of the 54 competitors in the LIV Golf tournament were among the more than 10,000 players that registered for the first round.
Furthermore, eight players from LIV are not required to qualify for the US Open. They are Tyrrell Hatton, Jon Rahm, Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, Bryson DeChambeau, Martin Kaymer, and Phil Mickelson.
The case of Talor Gooch and the US Open
Mike Whan refrained from discussing the Talor Gooch matter specifically during his interview with Sports Illustrated. He did, however, assert that players on the LIV Golf circuit, including Gooch, are treated equally with those on other circuits.
He continued, saying:
Talor Gooch’s problem started in the 2023 season, when he was granted an exemption to compete in the US Open. However, the USGA changed an exemption category and disqualified him. When Gooch was the big star of LIV Golf, he and many of his supporters saw this as a method for him to avoid competing in the tournament.
Gooch hasn’t looked into ways to get into the other majors and the US Open since then. In an effort to climb up the world rankings, other LIV Golf players competed in tournaments in Europe and Asia. Joaquin Niemann was given a special invitation to The Masters as a result of his 2024 performance.
