35 LIV Golfers including Joaquin Niemann, Sergio Garcia, etc enter final 2024 US Open qualifying round - Reports
It is Major season and the issue of LIV Golf players not receiving world ranking points once again takes center stage. Several players who are considered top stars in the breakaway league were unable to participate in the Masters because they were not ranked high enough in the world rankings (OWGR).
However, this has not stopped many LIV Golf players from trying to play in the Majors and take advantage of the opportunities available. In the case of the US Open, which will be played at Pinehurst in June, the local and final qualifying event is almost the only way to get in.
Mike Whan, CEO of the United States Golf Association (USGA), the entity that organizes the US Open, confirmed to Sports Illustrated that 35 of the 54 players playing on LIV Golf have entered the qualifying process.
Those players include stars such as Sergio Garcia, Joaquin Niemann, Patrick Reed, Henrik Stenson and Graeme McDowell. The CEO of the USGA was quoted as saying (via Sports Illustrated):
"When people talk about other Majors, some of those Majors are kind of full and the only way to get in is an invite. In our case, half of our field is not only not full, it's wide open. If you're good enough to get in, we welcome you with open arms."
Whan also confirmed that Talor Gooch did not enter the open qualifying process, which closed on April 10.
The open qualification process for the US Open includes more than 100 local qualifiers. Any player interested in participating can register. The only requirements are to pay the registration fee, be a professional, or have a handicap of 0.4 or better if an amateur.
Registered players are assigned a local qualifier site to compete to advance to the next stage. Those who pass the first stage will have to compete again in the final qualifying.
A total of 13 final qualifiers will be played in 2024, 10 in the United States and one per capita in Japan, England and Canada.
Which LIV Golf players are exempt to play in the 2024 US Open?
To date, eight LIV Golf players are exempt to play in the 2024 US Open. They are Bryson DeChambeau, Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, Phil Mickelson, Jon Rahm, Cameron Smith, Martin Kaymer and Tyrrell Hatton.
DeChambeau, Johnson, Koepka, Mickelson, Rahm and Smith rank as Major(s) winners in the last five years. DeChambeau, Rahm, and Koepka are also exempt for having won the U.S. Open in the last 10 years. Kaymer, who is in his final year of exemption as he won the event in 2014, falls into the same category.
Tyrrell Hatton qualified for having been one of the players in the 2023 PGA Tour TOUR Championship field. Hatton is also in the Top 60 of the world rankings, despite not receiving points for his performance at LIV Golf.