U.S. Open adds LIV Golf exemption. Will the other majors follow suit?

LIV Golf received a major breakthrough on Wednesday.

With the Saudi-backed league still ineligible for Official World Golf Rankings points, the league has been hoping to find other pathways for its players into major championships. On Wednesday, the United States Golf Association became the first major governing body to offer exemptions to LIV Golf players.

For the 2025 U.S. Open at Oakmont, the USGA will give an exemption to a LIV player who is in the top three of the league’s standings on May 19, 2025, and is not otherwise exempt. The USGA also created a local exemption that will see the top 10 of the LIV standings be exempt from local qualifying and go directly to a 36-hole final-stage qualifier.

“The USGA continues to evaluate the pathways that exist to ensure those playing their best have the opportunity to compete in our national championship,” USGA chief championships officer John Bodenhamer said in a statement. “Consistent with our historical approach, we continuously evaluate talent levels on professional tours and in amateur events, which has led us to add a new exemption category.”

“We’re pleased that the USGA has formally created a new exemption for LIV Golf players to compete in the U.S. Open and appreciate Mike Whan’s leadership and commitment to growing the game of golf,” new LIV Golf CEO Scott O’Neil said in a statement. “Every golf fan in the world longs to see the greatest players in the world competing on golf’s biggest stages at the majors. LIV Golf is committed to working hand in hand with golf’s governing bodies to elevate the sport in all corners of the world.”

That USGA will give LIV Golf two exemptions starting in 2026, with the top non-exempt player from the top 3 of 2025 standings and the top player from the 2026 standings next spring receiving an invite.

The PGA of America, Augusta National and the R&A have not yet created LIV Golf exemptions for their respective majors.

Prior to the start of the 88th Masters last year, Augusta National Chairman Fred Ridley seemed uninclined to open an exemption for LIV Golf into the Masters.

“I think it would be difficult to establish any type of point system that has any connection to the rest of the world of golf because they’re basically, not totally, but for the most part, a closed shop,” Ridley said of LIV Golf.

“There is some relegation, but not very much. It all really depends on what new player they sign. But I don’t think that that prevents us from giving subjective consideration based on talent, based on performance to those players. Our goal is to have, to the greatest extent possible, the best field in golf, the best players in the world. Having said that, we never have had all the best players in the world because of the structure of our tournament. It’s an invitational. It’s limited field, it’s a small field. So we’re in a little bit a different situation.”

At last year’s Open Championship, outgoing R&A CEO Martin Slumbers said he did not believe there was a need to open a LIV-specific pathway, citing the R&A’s decision to increase the number of spots available for final qualifiers and choose tournaments for Open qualifying that were widely available.

“I think we’ve got all the best players in the world, and that’s what we want to have – all the best players in the world coming through,” Slumbers said. “So I think we’ve created those opportunities.”

Slumbers’ successor, Mark Darbon, will determine the 2025 Open qualification criteria.

Ahead of last year’s PGA Championship at Valhalla, PGA of America CEO Seth Waugh and Chief Championships Officer Kerry Haigh sidestepped the idea of a special pathway for LIV, noting they have the flexibility to hand out exemptions to any player they deem fit who is not already in the field. Last year, seven LIV players received special invites from the PGA of America.

“Well, our invitation process has been pretty much the same for many years. You know, we have 15 criteria that are pretty much set, and then there’s an opportunity for us to invite those players who may not be in those 15 criteria,” Haigh said. “That process over the years has made us be able to have what we feel is a field we are really proud of. It brings the best players in the whole world together to compete on a great golf course for a major championship, and that’s what we pride — we are very proud of the field that we have, and we feel they are the best players in the game.”

Added Waugh: “We have the most flexibility of any of the majors, right. We are not bound to World Rankings. We are not bound to special invitations. But Kerry has the ability, we all have the ability, to kind of lean in and really pick the best field in golf, and that’s never been, frankly, more important than it is right now.”