Which LIV Golfers Will We See at the Open Championship?

Open qualifying has been completed, with some stand-out names succeeding in their quest for the Claret jug. Matt Wallace put on a strong showing today to qualify alongside Alex Fitzpatrick, brother of 2022 US Open Champion Matt. It turns out Tiger is going to be in Hoylake, as German-born Tiger Christensen made his mark at West Lancs GC in the wind today.

Several names will miss out on Open spots. Upon delving into the data, it seems that although there are around half the amount of LIV Golfers in the field as last year, the majority have still been able to get in on major exemptions.

Sergio Garcia finished T6 at Qualifying and will miss the Open Championship.

It will be the first Open Championship played without Sergio since 1997!

— Monday Q Info (@acaseofthegolf1) July 4, 2023

Sergio Garcia is one LIV golfer who tried and failed at his Open spot, his Masters win six years ago now – meaning he is no longer major exempt and is missing out for the first time since 1997! (via @acaseofthegolf1) For reference, Viktor Hovland wasn’t even born then. Garcia went down swinging, finishing T6 at qualifying in the North of England today.

What was surprising about the LIV cohort was that so many didn’t even attempt to qualify for the Open. As in, they did not show up for final qualifying.

RESULTS – LIV Open Qualifying a Mixed Bag

GOOD – 3 of the 10 LIV players in FQ advanced – Grace, Schwartzel and Canter. Out of ~280 players, that’s stout.

BAD – ONLY 10 PLAYERS in FQ. With only 13 spots secured, only 20 entered Qualifying, 1 was eliminated in Regionals, but 9… pic.twitter.com/dkEwcBMBPT

— Robopz (@Robopz) July 4, 2023

Here’s the breakdown: (via @Robopz)

• IN:
• 13 LIV Golfers were exempt – automatically qualifying for the Open. This is based on being a recent major champion in the last five years (Koepka, Reed, DJ, Bryson), a past Open champion (Stenson, Mickelson, Cam Smith, Louis Oosthuizen), or in the OWGR Top 50 or the FedEx/DP World Tour top 30 last year (Ancer, Bland, Gooch, Pieters)
• Branden Grace, Charl Schwartzel, and Laurie Canter qualified today with T3, T3, and 1^st, respectively, in the final qualifying – meaning 16 LIV Golfers are eligible for the Open this year, compared to 31 the year earlier.
• OUT:
• 7 LIV Golfers did not qualify after failing to secure high enough finishes at the final stages. This includes Sergio, GMac, Anirban Lahiri, and Jason Kokrak.
• 9 LIV Golfers did not start. DNS. This includes Peter Uihlein, Mito Pereira, Brendan Steele, Cam Tringale, and Marc Leishman.

Make of that what you will. Failing to show up at all is surprising, to say the least.

The majors count for more than ever as recent major exemptions will begin to expire for LIV Golfers, so their best way to secure ranking points is to perform at the big four. It is unclear right now as to why so many players didn’t show up for final qualifying – perhaps the schedule is a tough one to manage after US Open, Spain, and then back-to-back requirements in the UK.

LIV London is being held next week, so the LIV guys will be across the pond to feature in the event where it all began at the Centurion Club. Only 16 will be reserving parking spots for the week after, however, as we witness the battle for the final major of 2023.

Cover Image Via ESPN