PGA of America has made a surprising decision Wednesday to allow LIV Golf members to compete in the 2023 PGA Championship.
The decision comes despite the ongoing feud between the PGA Tour and the upstart Saudi-backed golf league.
PGA America CEO Seth Waugh acknowledged the feud but insisted that the decision was made to ensure that the world’s top talents will play the tournament.
Champion Team Captain Dustin Johnson of 4 Aces GC and caddie Austin Johnson celebrate on stage during the team championship stroke-play round of the LIV Golf Invitational – Miami at Trump National Doral Miami on October 30, 2022, in Doral, Florida. (Chris Trotman/LIV Golf via Getty Images)
“Our decisions are always based on what’s in the best interest of the PGA of America and conducting the best Championship possible,” Waugh said, according to Sports Illustrated.
“Sadly, the current division in the professional game is not good for the sport or the future of the game. We hope there might be some resolution soon. In the meantime, as always, our focus will be on our mission to grow the game and improve the lives of our members, who work so hard to impact millions of lives every day.”
The decision by PGA America comes on the heels of a similar ruling made by the Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews, which announced that LIV Golfers would not be banned from the 2023 British Open, Yahoo Sports reported this week.
On Tuesday, R&A formally announced that any golf pro who has gained standard eligibility would be allowed to play. However, their LIV standings still do not count toward eligibility because LIV stats do not count toward Official World Golf Rankings.
Team Captain Dustin Johnson of 4 Aces GC sprays champagne on Team Captain Cameron Smith of Punch GC on the podium after the team championship stroke-play round of the LIV Golf Invitational – Miami at Trump National Doral Miami on October 30, 2022, in Doral, Florida. (Eric Espada/Getty Images)
R&A’s confirmation is not a surprise, though. R&A chief executive Martin Slumbers had already signaled that the LIV Golf members would not be banned when he told Golf Digest in Oct. that, “We are not going to betray 150 years of history and have the Open not be open.”
“The Open needs to set itself aside from what’s going in terms of disagreements and make sure we stay true to our principle, which is to have the best players in the world competing,” Slumbers added.
The decision means that LIV Golf members will continue to qualify for all the major tournaments, though the path is far narrower than it once was.
LIV Golf, then, has won a minor victory with the decision to allow its players to compete in the majors. But the upstart league still has a murky future, especially after it made “virtually zero” money during its inaugural year last year.
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