The Professional Golfers' Association of America, the organization that manages the U.S. Ryder Cup team and runs the PGA Championship, made headlines with a statement Thursday about LIV Golf and the sport.
In essence, the PGA of America ruled that LIV golf stars such as Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau will be able to compete in the 2025 Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black, the 2025 PGA Championship at Charlotte's Quail Hollow and “future” tournaments of those events.
of Full statement from the PGA of America: Please see below for details.
To ensure the PGA Championship continues to feature the strongest field in golf and the U.S. Ryder Cup team continues to compete against the best American players, the PGA of America Board of Directors has decided to allow LIV Golf players to be eligible to compete in both.
Going forward, all LIV Golf players will be eligible to play in the PGA Championship, and any U.S. player who has qualified for the Ryder Cup through points or been added to the U.S. team through a captain's nomination will be eligible to compete.
This is in line with LIV golfers who have competed in the PGA Championship the past two years: Brooks Koepka was a member of the U.S. Ryder Cup team last year;
As the final paragraph points out, this statement is consistent with how the organization has handled the rise of LIV golf. Many major champions have played on the Saudi Arabia-sponsored circuit, and Koepka won the Wanamaker Trophy at Oak Hill in May 2023, making him the first active LIV player to win a major. Fifteen other LIV players have also teed up at Oak Hill. But then the PGA of America tightened the policy even further, inviting a total of 16 players to play at Valhalla this year. The organization sent special invitations to a number of LIV players who played well in the months leading up to the second major of the year, especially Joaquin Niemann. The organization wants all the best players in the world to play together, which is what Rory McIlroy aspired to in his dream vision of a World Tour.
Despite this, nothing has changed.
That's probably one of the reasons the PGA of America released this statement Thursday: Bob Harig Sports Illustrated DeChambeau may miss next year's Ryder Cup, the report said Wednesday. Harig also wrote that the PGA of America has not yet confirmed LIV Golf's 2025 eligibility, but that the association has already done so.
But it was always expected that LIV players would be able to play at Bethpage Black next year.
When the organization suddenly named Keegan Bradley as Americans captain, the 2011 PGA champion responded to a question about selecting a LIV golfer for the team.
“I'm going to bring in the best 12 players, so the PGA of America is going to bring in the best 12 players, so if that's an issue for them, they need to figure it out,” Bradley said in New York on July 11.
“I know you have to be a PGA member to play in the Ryder Cup, that's the only requirement, so if there are some players that we think could be selected for the team, we'll make sure they get membership.”
The problem is solved, but there was no problem in the first place.
In 2023, captain Zach Johnson welcomed Koepka to the team. Koepka is the only LIV player competing in Rome, as Europe deemed longtime mainstays Sergio Garcia, Ian Poulter, Lee Westwood and Martin Kaymer ineligible due to their LIV affiliations. These players also withdrew from DP World Tour membership, thus missing out on the biennial opportunity to don the blue and gold. But then Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton moved to LIV, so Europe has a bit of a conundrum. Rahm and Hatton were key contributors to Europe's win in Rome, and both players would love to play for the team again in New York. Europe will need Rahm and Hatton, too. Winning at Bethpage Black will be a tough task for the visiting team.
Despite this, the PGA of America has no involvement with the European Ryder Cup teams, and the DP World Tour will have to sort that issue out.
But now, the PGA of America has officially said it's OK with LIV golf, and any LIV player can compete in the PGA Championship and the Ryder Cup if they're eligible.
But was this even a problem in the first place?
not much.
Jack Mirko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation Playing Through. Follow For more golf articles, follow us on Twitter Jack Mirko In the same way.
