When the participant list for next week’s PGA Championship was unveiled on Tuesday, one name stood out.
This was someone who wasn’t expected to be among the 156 players at Quail Hollow for the season’s second major.
Dustin Johnson, who saw his PGA Tour ranking plummet after joining LIV Golf, received a special exemption to compete in the PGA and accepted the invitation.
At 40, Johnson is a two-time major champion, having won the 2016 US Open and the 2020 Masters.
His victory at the Masters allowed him to enter five PGA Championships regardless of his qualification status, but that exemption expired last year.
Johnson’s best finishes in the PGA Championship were second place in both 2019 and 2020.
As for his recent performance at LIV, he hasn’t made much noise, managing to finish in the top 10 in two events but missing the cut at the Masters in April.
The US Open and British Open have set up categories for LIV players to enter their competitions, but that’s not the case for the PGA Championship.
Similar to the Masters, the PGA can invite players through special exemptions.
“We’ve done this for the past three years and we’ll keep doing it,” stated Kerry Haigh, Championship Director at PGA of America. “We have the flexibility to invite players deserving of any tour.”
To qualify for the PGA, players generally need to rank in the top 70 on the PGA points list, based on the past year’s performance.
The World Ranking Formula has been adjusted in 2023 to favor PGA events, limiting awards of points for LIV participants, which has affected their rankings.
Saudi-backed LIV Golf will have 16 players included in Quail Hollow’s 156-player field, matching last year’s figures.
This includes LIV member John Catlin, who has played in three LIV tournaments this year but qualified through performances in Asia.
Among other LIV golfers expected to be present are 2021 PGA champion Phil Mickelson, Bryson DeChambeau, Sergio Garcia, Tyrrell Hatton, Patrick Reed, Cameron Smith, and Joaquin Niemann.
Xander Schauffele, the defending champion, is likely to be a favorite, along with world number one Scottie Scheffler and Masters champion Rory McIlroy.
The PGA Championship has also offered a special exemption to fan favorite Ricky Fowler. Following his participation in the Ryder Cup in Italy two years ago, Fowler, who won his first PGA Tour event back in 2012 at Quail Hollow, is also making a return.
