Brooks Koepka is the one LIV Golfer to compete within the Ryder Cup so far.
Elianto/Mondadori Portfolio through Getty Pictures
LIV Golfers will proceed to have the ability to play within the PGA Championship and Ryder Cup, however they’re nonetheless working out of how to qualify.
The PGA of America, the governing physique that runs the key and the American facet of the Ryder Cup, introduced in a press release Thursday that LIV Golfers will stay eligible for the 2 occasions.
However the assertion stopped wanting saying new avenues for the breakaway league’s gamers to qualify for each occasions.
“To make sure the PGA Championship will proceed to ship the strongest subject in golf and that the U.S. Ryder Cup staff will proceed to have entry to the most effective American gamers, the PGA of America board has decided that LIV Golf gamers will likely be eligible for each,” the assertion reads. “Going ahead, all LIV Golf gamers are eligible for the PGA Championship and any American participant who qualifies for the Ryder Cup on factors or is added to the U.S. staff as a captain’s decide is eligible to compete.”
The assertion continues, noting that the choice isn’t a departure from previous observe within the two years the group has staged the occasions since LIV’s launch in 2022.
https://twitter.com/PGA/standing/1836812458125595041/photograph/1
“That is per LIV Golf gamers competing within the PGA Championship the previous two years,” it continued. “Brooks Koepka was a member of the U.S. Ryder Cup staff final 12 months.”
The announcement follows experiences in each the UK Telegraph and Sports activities Illustrated that the PGA of America was reluctant to permit Koepka and different LIV Golf members to retain their PGA of America memberships.
Whereas the PGA Tour and PGA of America are separate entities, the PGA Tour’s suspension of all gamers who’ve joined LIV Golf means they’re not energetic members of the PGA as properly. Koepka, who was chosen as a captain’s decide by U.S. captain Zach Johnson for final 12 months’s matches in Rome after profitable the 2023 PGA, was allowed to play due to a grace interval within the PGA membership of LIV Golfers that expires on the finish of this 12 months. The identical utilized to golfers competing within the PGA Championship.
Bryson DeChambeau completed second this previous 12 months earlier than profitable the U.S. Open in June and is at the moment third on the U.S. Ryder Cup staff standings.
Now the PGA is confirming DeChambeau, Koepka and different American LIV stars similar to Dustin Johnson and Patrick Reed are eligible to both make the U.S. staff on factors or be chosen for subsequent 12 months’s matches at Bethpage Black by captain Keegan Bradley.
However these gamers will nonetheless be hindered in qualifying for each occasions as gamers primarily earn entry to the PGA through the Official World Golf Rating, which LIV occasions don’t earn factors for. Likewise, LIV occasions additionally don’t award U.S. Ryder Cup staff qualifying factors, that are primarily based on cash earned in majors and PGA Tour occasions.
Why this Ryder Cup star desires to ‘speed up’ PGA Tour-PIF deal
The announcement, nevertheless, doesn’t have an effect on European LIV stars’ participation within the Ryder Cup because the European half of the occasion is owned by the DP World Tour. To be eligible for the European staff, LIV Golfers have to be members of the DP World Tour, that means they pay the fines and serve the suspensions issued to them upon becoming a member of LIV.
Jon Rahm and Tyrell Hatton, two of Europe’s finest gamers who went a mixed 5-0-3 in Rome final 12 months, are at the moment taking part in once more on the DP World Tour as they enchantment these suspensions, however neither has paid their fines.
On Wednesday, 2023 European Ryder Cup member Justin Rose referred to as on the continued negotiations to be expedited between the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and Saudi Arabian Public Funding Fund, LIV Golf’s mum or dad firm, to make sure Rahm, Hatton, and different LIV golfers’ inclusion on the 2025 Ryder Cup groups.
“I believe we’d like issues to speed up shortly,” Rose defined in a press convention forward of this week’s BMW PGA Championship on the DP World Tour. “Clearly the lads who’ve gone off to LIV — there was a time period now the place clearly we’re seeing eventualities with Tyrrell [Hatton] and Jon [Rahm] having gone, as properly, however they’re nonetheless very a lot present when it comes to type of taking part in within the Ryder Cup, and I do know there’s just a few excellent I’s to be dotted and T’s to be crossed for them to be eligible, however I believe the sentiment within the staff is we would like the most effective gamers taking part in.”
