“We are in the process of reviewing” – R&A executive says rumors on LIV Golfers’ getting automatic Open exemption are ‘off the mark’
Earlier this week, reports came out suggesting that LIV Golf is in talks with the R&A regarding 2024 Open Championship exemptions for LIV golfers. Now Martin Slumbers, Chief Executive of The R&A, has stated that the media rumours regarding the same were “off the mark.”
The official was speaking at the Asia Pacific Amateur Championship (AAC) at Royal Melbourne Golf Club when he made the comment. Slumbers dismissed the recent reports on LIV Golf getting automatic exemption and said there was no announcement on changes to qualification criteria for the major. He said that the R&A was still looking into the review process and is yet to decide on a decision.
Speaking about reports on LIV golfers getting automatic exemption for the Open Championship, Martin Slumbers said, as quoted by Golf Monthly:
“We are in the process of reviewing our exemptions and conditions of entry for The Open Championship for next year, as we always do. We will publish those in early 2024. As I've stated a number of times, our conditions are designed in a way to create pathways for the very best players in the world to compete for The Open Championship next year at Royal Troon.”
It is pertinent to note that the official didn’t fully discount the possibility of LIV Golf stars getting an exemption into the major championship at Royal Troon. Slumbers noted that the R&A will stay away from comments on a possible change in qualification criteria before an official announcement.
He also said:
“I would say, though, there has been some speculation in the media recently on the topic and 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, and nor would we at any point in time.”
Will LIV Golfers get invited to the 2024 Masters?
Augusta National Golf Club Chairman Fred Ridley also commented on the development and said that there were no plans to change the invitation policy for The Masters. Also speaking in the press conference at the AAC, he said that the qualification process for the prestigious major has only been changed a few times in history. While noting that the practice wasn’t common, the official also stated that the rules are looked at “every year.”
Ridley said:
“If you look back over the history of the Masters Tournament and the qualifications that existed, we have changed those qualifications numerous times, dozens of times. We look at those every year. We don't make changes every year but we do look at them under the current circumstances. And so while we do not at this time anticipate making any changes in 2024, you know, we do always look at them and we will continue to do that.”
While his comments hint at a possible change in the future, the Augusta National chairman cleared it that decisions will only be taken for the betterment of the competition.