LIV Golf, the outlawed circuit not recognized by the world rankings, which is the main gateway to the majors, received a boost from the United States Golf Association (USGA), organizer of the US Open, by opening a new category so that players in this competition can participate in the third major of the season.
If one of the top three in the Saudi-backed Tour’s overall standings by May 19 is not otherwise qualified for the most American major, they will be invited to compete at Oakmont (June 12-15), while the top 10 ranked on April 7 will automatically qualify for the final stage of qualifying, avoiding the local rounds.
The direct entry exemption will change to two players in 2026, and the best player from the final 2025 ranking will be eligible along with another player according to the 2026 points ranking weeks before the event.
“The USGA continues to evaluate the pathways that exist to ensure that the best players have the opportunity to compete in our championship,” said John Bodehamer.
In the rest of the majors, the Masters has invited Chile’s Joaquin Niemann for two consecutive years because of his performance in both LIV Golf and tournaments around the world, while the PGA usually invites the top 100 in the world rankings, among whom at the moment is David Puig, for his brilliant performances on the DP World Tour and the International Series of the Asian Tour. The British Open, for the moment, refers to the previews.