How did each of these 16 LIV golfers get into 2024 PGA Championship field

This is the second time this season that PGA Tour and LIV golf professionals will tee up side by side at the PGA Championship.

Golf fans around the world are celebrating this, as the Great Divide in golf has achieved only one goal so far: increasing the importance of the four major championships.

Regardless, 16 players from the Saudi support circuit will be playing at Valhalla this week, all of whom qualified in different ways.

We’ll explain how each player did it below, while also ranking each LIV golfer in the field.

1. Brooks Koepka

Exemptions: Past Champions (2018, 2019, 2023)

Brooks Koepka won his fifth major title at Oak Hill a year ago and arrived at Valhalla as the defending champion. He recently won the LIV Golf Event in Singapore, proving that his game is picking up at the right time.

2. Jon Rahm

Exemption: 2023 Masters Champion

Jon Rahm has yet to win an LIV golf event, but no one should count the two-time major champion out this week. He has the game to shine at Valhalla, a course that emphasizes distance and accuracy off the tee. Thanks to his win at Augusta National last year, Rahm can play in the PGA Championship until 2027.

3. Joaquin Niemann

Exemption: Special Invitation

Joaquin Niemann started the LIV golf season with fireworks, shooting a 59 at Mayakoba to push himself up the leaderboard. He continued to win during the week and also won the LIV golf event in Jeddah in March. Additionally, Niemann won the Australian Open in December, tied for fourth at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic in January, and finished solo in third place in Oman in March. So the PGA of America invited Niemann to the competition this week.

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4. Bryson DeChambeau

Exempted: 2020 U.S. Open Champion

Bryson DeChambeau qualified for the 2024 PGA Championship with his victory at the U.S. Open at Winged Foot in the midst of a pandemic. However, the five-year exemption period for this championship is running out. His bomb-and-gouge strategy could come in handy in Valhalla this week, so perhaps he’ll be competing for a second straight major victory.

5. Cameron Smith

Exemption: 2022 British Open Champion

Cameron Smith, one of the world’s best putters, won the Claret Jug at St. Andrews two years ago and can play in the PGA Championship until 2027. He has the game to compete anywhere and recently tied for sixth at Augusta National.

6. Tyrrell Hutton

Exemption: If you finish in the top 15 at the 2023 PGA Championship.

Hatton had a top-15 finish in the field thanks to a 3-under 67 in the final round at Oak Hill a year ago. But he could have entered in other ways. He competed in the Ryder Cup and is ranked 18th in the world according to the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR). He made the jump from the PGA Tour to LIV Golf in January and has maintained his solid ranking with a top-10 finish at Augusta.

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7. Dustin Johnson

Exemption: 2020 Masters Champion

Like DeChambeau, Dustin Johnson’s exemption slot for this championship is running out. His win at Augusta in the fall of 2020 gave him a PGA ticket until 2025, so he needs to win one more major to extend it. Unfortunately for him, his game has been lackluster as of late.

8. Adrian Mellonk

Exemption: Special Invitation

Adrian Melonk, the reigning DP World Tour Player of the Year, received a special invitation from the PGA of America to compete this week. He tied for 40th in his PGA Championship debut a year ago and hopes to improve on that record at Valhalla.

9. Phil Mickelson

Exemptions: Past Champions (2005, 2021)

Luckily for Phil Mickelson, he doesn’t have to worry about whether he’ll be able to play in the PGA Championship. He always has an invitation. But the only major he has to worry about is the U.S. Open, where he has finished runner-up six times. His exemption from the championship expires in 2026.

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10. Taylor Gooch

Exemption: Special Invitation

Taylor Gooch missed the cut for both Oak Hill and Royal Liverpool a season ago. However, due to his strong play at LIV Golf, the PGA of America invited him again for his fifth consecutive PGA Championship appearance. His best finish came in 2022, when he tied for 20th in his home state of Oklahoma.

11. Dean Burmester

Exemption: Special Invitation

South African Dean Burmester won twice in his home country at the end of 2023, and won again at LIV Golf Miami in April. Two wins at the Joburg Open and the Investec South African Championship led to the PGA of America inviting him to play. Burmester will be making his eighth start in the major leagues.

12. Lucas Herbert

Exemption: Special Invitation

He won the ISPS Handa Championship in Japan before Australia’s Lucas Herbert tied for 40th at Oak Hill last year. Since then, he has not won anywhere, but since he transferred to LIV Golf at the beginning of the season, his world ranking has not completely fallen. The PGA of America has invited Herbert, currently ranked 90th in the OWGR, to Valhalla, where he will play in the PGA Championship for the sixth straight year.

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13. Patrick Reed

Exemption: Special Invitation

Patrick Reed finished solo in fourth place at the Asian Tour’s International Series Macau in March and tied for 12th at Augusta National the following month. He also tied for fourth at the 2023 Masters and ended his calendar year with a strong performance at the Indonesia Masters.

14. David Puig

Exemption: Special Invitation

David Puig has made it a priority to play around the world as much as possible. The extra effort and travel paid off as the Spaniard won the International Series Singapore in October this year and also won the Malaysian Open in February. Since then, Puig has recorded three top-10 finishes on the Asian Tour and two top-15 finishes on LIV Golf. This week will be his first start at the PGA Championship.

Photo by Andrew Reddington/Getty Images

15. Andy Ogletree

Exemption: Top 3 players in the League of Nations rankings

Andy Ogletree has topped the Asian Tour rankings in 2023, earning him a spot in this season’s LIV Golf. This also placed him in the top three in the International Federation Rankings, another criterion used by the PGA of America to determine championship spots. . Like Puig, the 2024 PGA Championship will be Ogletree’s first tournament.

16. Martin Kaymer

Exemptions: Past Champions (2010)

Martin Kaymer missed last year’s tournament at Oak Hill for undisclosed reasons after missing out on the PGA Championship for the fourth consecutive year. Nevertheless, Keimer returned to the field this week for his win at Whistling Straits in 2010.

Jack Mirko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through.Be sure to check it out @_PlayingThrough Cover more golf. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko In the same way.