For the first time, there is an official way for a player to qualify for a major based on Liv’s performance.
It is a small but significant step.
Up to a Liv player will win their way to US Open based on Liv’s ranking this season. To qualify, the player must be in the top three places of the standings since May 19, 2025.
If the three main boys are already in the open US, no one will get the exclusion.
So let’s say the first three are Jon Rahm, Bryson Dechambeau and Dustin Johnson. Those players are already at US Open based on previous main performance. In that case, no exception will be given.
But last year, Livi’s three main players from mid -May were Joaquin Niemann, Rahm and Dean Burmeter. In that case, Niemann would have been given an exception to the US Open – he was the only big one he did not play last year because two of the others (Masters and PGA Championship) gave special exceptions and he qualified in Next (open championship) based on results in Australian Open. (Niemann has already been given exceptions from Masters and Championship PGA for 2025).
There is a high likelihood that at least one Liv player in the first three rankings will not already be excluded in US Open. According to my count, there are only seven Liv players currently in US Open: Dechambeau, Rahm, Johnson, Brooks Koepka, Phil Mickelson, Cameron Smith and Richard Bland.
The other three degrees are determined to have at least 11 LIV players in each field.
In addition to a possible exception, the USA is also helping the top 10 LIV players in the league ranking allowing them directly in the final qualification for the US Open. This simply means that they should not go through local qualification, a difficult step before the next stage.
This can give the players incentive to qualify the difficult path. Some Liv players chose not to try to qualify in previous years.
This is a smart action from the USGA
If you remember again in 2022 and 2023, there were many conversations about diplomas that had the luxury of ignoring Liv because their qualification criteria focused on the official ranking of world golf.
With liv never wins OWGR pointsThe table was decided that diplomas would allow their qualification system to make the conversation. The best liv players were already excluded based on previous main victories. Middle road boys like Talor Gooch—Players that do not really do need To be in the main fields – it would of course fall out of position to qualify based on their rankings.
But over time, Masters and PGA Championships who lack open qualification-make more aggressive with the increase of special exceptions to liv players competing at a high level in both LIV and Non-Liv events.
Niemann is the best example. This is a player who is 14 in Golf Data but only no. 68 in OWGR. He is one of the best players in the world and has gone out of the Liv ecosystem to prove this. He has not won a big one or even played well in degrees, but he is a young player worthy of competing in degrees given his latest achievements.
If the goal of the diplomas is to have the best players in the world, Niemann should be in all of them.
Your next question is how many lave boys fall into Niemann’s category.
Very little. Maybe none depending on your definition.
Sergio Garcia is no. 39 in Golf Data and no. 471 in OWGR. Louis oosthuizen? Abraham aer? They are really 60 leading players in the world without an accurate OWGR to reflect it.
That is why I like the US Movement Open here. Maybe he gets a boy like Niemann or at least a 60 -ball player in the world in their adult, but does not push too much beyond that line. I don’t think USA should at the moment.
Even this little step says a lot about how golf has changed in the past two years.
Liv is one will be here long -term and there will be some good players coming out of the leagues they deserve to be in degrees. These degrees, of course, are not led by PGA Tour. Their target should be to expect the best races.
“I have told the people of Livi that when we announce a trail (in open SH.BA), you will find it completely inappropriate compared to the size,” CEO I USA Mike Whan said in podcast -in no laying up. “Tourdo the tour finds their way into open non -adequate shares. And that’s right. But we also remember that half of our field is open (through open qualification), so you really want to be , we do not block a bunch of people from it. ”
USA making this open the door for more cooperation between major and Liv moving forward.
And, like this or not, the stigma of Livi and being a golf exhibition could erode a little if diplomas set the most official qualification structures in the country that reward good performance in LIV events.
Don’t make me wrong – the situation is thin because liv is a closed circuit (almost entirely) based on invitations. If you start saying Livi’s top 10 boys in the rankings (out of 54 players) get into the diplomas, then this is essentially unfair. Those players did not win their way to Liv. Their competition in Liv Events is much less than in the tournament.
What A guy like Anthony kim Is there a good week and all of a sudden he is in the open US? This is not feeling well.
Over time, diplomas will understand the best mix.
But should there be more official ways of data where we are now in a pro golf world?
Absolutely. I don’t think there is any questions at this point. It is better for diplomas and better for the pro -whole Pro Golf.
The main photo title: Joaquin Niemann may be the beneficiary of a new USGA rule. (Getty Images/Sarah Reed)
office USGA makes sensitive moves creating the Liv Qualifying Path first appeared in MygolfSSS.
