Heads of the Masters and The Open Championship Not Keen on Idea of Automatic LIV Qualifiers

With the recent news that LIV Golf players will not be able to accumulate Official World Golf Ranking points, golfers on the circuit have floated ideas in order to not be shut out of golf’s biggest events in future years.

One idea that was going around last week at the LIV Golf Team Championship in Miami was to make the top-10 or -12 on the LIV money list eligible for major tournaments.

In response, the heads of the Masters and The Open Championship were cool on that idea. Martin Slumbers, the CEO of the R&A organization that heads up Great Britain’s major, also shot down a report that LIV reps were in talks with the R&A to come up with a way for their players to be eligible to play.

Slumbers said while at the Asia Pacific Amateur Championship in Australia.

“I would say that it is completely off the mark. I would like to make it very clear that exemptions for The Open—we do not discuss them with anyone, nor would we at any point in time.”

I spent 45 mins talking with R&A chief Martin Slumbers about LIV, @TheOpen rota, WHS, pace of play, rolling the ball back, and whether or not the R&A are in talks with the Saudi Public Investment Fund.

There are a lot of interesting revelations in here –https://t.co/jHYi1dJGCL pic.twitter.com/szOXuNNvQr

— Michael Catling (@Michael_Catling) October 24, 2023

This past year, plenty of LIV pros—including Sergio Garcia—attempted to get into The Open through qualifying events, and Slumbers said that option would remain open.

“There are plenty of opportunities for any player in the world who thinks they are good enough to have a chance to qualify and play in The Open Championship, irrespective of which tour they are participating on, and that will not change,” Slumbers said.

Regarding the Masters, Augusta National says its qualifications are constantly evaluated, but he cautions not to expect any major changes for next year.

Masters not changing qualifying criteria for LIV golfers in 2024, Fred Ridley says https://t.co/nfOcqCncNM pic.twitter.com/lQ3k9xxiSo

— Golfweek (@golfweek) October 26, 2023

“While we do not at this time anticipate making any changes in 2024, we do always look at them and we will continue to do that,” Masters Chairman Fred Ridley said. “Our qualification criteria are very much dynamic, and we adjust to what we feel is in the best interests of the tournament representing the best players in the world, so we always look at that.”

One reporter asked Ridley whether Talor Gooch should be a part of the Masters. Gooch win three LIV events and earned upwards of $35 million thanks to those wins and taking home the series’ points title.

“They made decisions based on what they thought was in the best interests of their golf careers, and we certainly respect that,” Ridley answered.

With many inside LIV thinking that a deal will not be reached between the PGA Tour and its Saudi benefactors, expect this topic to continue to resonate for the foreseeable future.

Cover Image via The Masters