There are plenty of LIV golfers scrambling to qualify for the 124th United States Open Championship, which is set to tee off in exactly two weeks. Qualifiers are taking place all over the world and the field is far from set. Since the golfers who play for LIV don’t get the benefit of official world golf ranking points for their tour’s events, almost none will get in via that criteria. 36 LIV golfers in total are attempting to qualify.
How will they fare in June at the tournament?
LIV Golfers With Automatic Bids
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For the most part, the biggest names in LIV Golf are already in the field at Pinehurst No.2 in Charlotte, North Carolina. Among them are past major winners and past U.S. Open champions. Those big names are: 2-time champion, Brooks Koepka, 2021 U.S. Open Champion, Bryson DeChambeau, Phil Mickelson, Cameron Smith, Jon Rahm, Dustin Johnson, Martin Kaymer, and Tyrrell Hatton.
All eight golfers automatically qualified thanks to major wins or finishes in previous majors. Aside from Greg Norman, who doesn’t play anymore, and Anthony Kim, whose polarizing return to the game makes him popular more than his play of late, few famous LIV names will be noticeably absent for the year’s third major. So, who are these exceptions?
Phil Mickelson and Bryson DeChambeau have been lobbying for LIV players to receive special exemption status for the majors since they are not allowed to earn any official world golf ranking points. No word on any traction in that regard, but LIV has withdrawn all applications and efforts toward having their events recognized by the OWGR.
Famous LIV Golfers Who Won’t Be At Pinehurst
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Two big names from LIV that we know didn’t qualify for the U.S. Open are former green jacket winners, Sergio Garcia and Patrick Reed. Garcia attempted to get in at the Dallas qualifier. He was in prime position to win outright at Dallas Athletic Club before a double-bogey on the 16th hole catapulted him back into a seven-way tie. Those players all had to compete in a playoff. Garcia was the only one to bogey the first playoff hole.
While Garcia may still play the U.S. Open since he’ll be the first alternate, Patrick Reed most definitely will not. He withdrew from the Dallas qualifier, thus making him ineligible to play in another one, according to USGA rules. Reed competed in the PGA Championship at Valhalla, finishing T53 with a five-under total. This ends an impressive streak for Reed, who has played over forty straight majors.
There were 11 more LIV golfers who are opting not to attempt qualifying at all. The outspoken Taylor Gooch, who was denied a spot in last year’s U.S. Open once criteria changed, will not attempt to play his way in. Neither will former major winners Louis Oosthuizen and Bubba Watson. The same is true of former European Ryder Cup mainstays, Ian Poulter, Paul Casey, and Thomas Pieters.
Other LIV Golfers That Qualified Or Didn’t
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Qualifying hasn’t been kind to LIV golfers thus far. The majority who have attempted, have failed to do so. Carlos Ortiz, Caleb Surratt, Kevin Na, Danny Lee, Abraham Ancer, and Brendan Steele all missed out on one of the 11 spots up for grabs in Dallas. Eugenio Chacarra, a young Spaniard who plays on Garcia’s LIV team, did. Adrian Meronk is also in. He didn’t have to qualify due to his OWGR from the 2023 Race to Dubai ranking.
At the qualifier in Japan, LIV Golf teammates Jinichiro Kozuma and Scott Vincent both failed to make the U.S. Open. Sam Horsfield and Kalle Samooja both attempted to make the U.S. Open via qualifying at Walton Heath in England, but neither made it. LIV golfer Laurie Canter withdrew from that qualifier.
Two LIV golfers teed up at Walton Heath with hopes of booking their first major spot this year. However, Sam Horsfield of Majesticks GC and Kalle Samooja of Cleeks GC failed to book a trip to North Carolina. Neither one teed it up at the 2o23 US Open at the Los Angeles Country Club. Both also missed the cut at the 2022 US Open.
Sixteen total LIV golfers played in the PGA Championship last week at Valhalla Golf Club. That number will presumably be lower in North Carolina next month.
About the Author
Eric Colton is a former Hollywood screenwriter turned sports columnist. With several feature-length screenplays to his credit and 3 short films written and produced, Colton is a respected writer in film and television. His recent move to sports writing is based on his life-long love affair with sports.
Growing up outside of Detroit, he’s die-hard for all of the hometown teams. With over 20 years of fantasy sports experience, he’s well-versed in the intricacies of many sports and with the premier athletes of their respective sports. Colton’s voice is one filled with positivity, directness, and humor. He loves to write and does so at a ‘stream-of-consciousness’ pace.
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