The PGA of America announced Thursday that its board has determined LIV Golf players will be eligible for both future PGA Championships and the Ryder Cup.
LIV players will be offered A-3 membership into the PGA of America, the same granted to PGA Tour players, those on the DP World Tour and nine other circuits around the world.
The announcement is consistent with what the PGA of America has done the past two years, including in 2023 when LIV Golf’s Brooks Koepka won the PGA Championship for the third time and then participated on the United States Ryder Cup team in Rome.
“To ensure the PGA Championship will continue to deliver the strongest field in golf and that the U.S. Ryder Cup team will continue to have access to the best American players, the PGA of America board has determined that LIV Golf players will be eligible for both,” the statement read.
“Going forward, all LIV Golf players are eligible for the PGA Championship and any American player who qualifies for the Ryder Cup on points or is added to the U.S. team as a captain’s pick is eligible to compete.”
No LIV Golf players were banned from competing in the PGA Championship or from the U.S. Ryder Cup team the last two years, though they were given a “grace period” to be able to compete. Joaquin Niemann even received a special invitation to the 2024 PGA Championship at Valhalla after his stellar start to the 2024 season.
Without LIV events receiving world ranking points, it will be hard for most of those players to compete in the PGA Championship or make the U.S. Ryder Cup team, outside of a select few.
The process will remain the same as it has forever: if you can qualify, you can play.
