The pinnacle of the USGA has declared there shall be important low season conversations about whether or not to create a clearer pathway into the US Open for LIV gamers, with Mike Whan declaring “we’re severe about that”.
After the withdrawal of 2021 winner Jon Rahm, there are 12 LIV gamers at Pinehurst for this week’s occasion, together with Australian star Cameron Smith. However a number of of them are former winners enjoying on exemptions that may run out within the coming years that might scale back the variety of contenders from the Saudi-backed tour.
Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau and Martin Kaymer are all former US Open winners now enjoying with LIV, with Kaymer within the last 12 months of his 10-year exemption.
Phil Mickelson, a six-time runner-up within the US Open, additionally has only one 12 months left on his five-year exemption for successful the 2021 PGA Championship, the identical exemption that permits Smith, who received the 2022 British Open, to play.
With sluggish progress being made on the deal between the PGA Tour and the Saudi Public Funding Fund that may form the way forward for the sport, Whan stated the USGA could be proactive to make sure that whereas the door was open for anybody to qualify, there may very well be simpler methods in for one of the best gamers on the LIV tour.
“We’re going to speak about it this low season, whether or not or not there must be a path to any individual, or somebodies, which might be performing rather well on LIV that may get an opportunity to play in that method,” Whan stated forward of the beginning of the US Open on Thursday night time, Australian time.
“I believe we’re severe about that. Precisely what that appears like and the way that’ll curtail, I’m not simply being coy, we haven’t carried out that but.”
Whan identified that the US Open was not a “closed area” and LIV gamers may qualify ought to they wish to underneath present guidelines.
“I believe we had 35 gamers from LIV that have been exempted proper into last qualifying, so in the event that they actually wished to be right here, they may go play 36 holes and qualify, and a few did, to their credit score,” he stated.
“I believe we now have 13 or 14 LIV gamers within the area, and that’s primarily what we’ve had in ’22 and ’23.
“There (are) no out-of-bounds stakes on our area standards.
“In different phrases, this main, most likely completely different than some others, you may get in. It’s not a closed area. It doesn’t require a committee or an invite. If you wish to play on this area, you’ve acquired a chance to play on this area, and we’re happy with that.”
Whan indicated {that a} potential pathway wouldn’t be “enormous” however extra in keeping with exemptions for the winner of the European BMW PGA Championship and the top-two finishers within the DP World Tour’s Race to Dubai standings from the earlier season.
He stated the brand new form of {the golfing} panorama may additionally dictate what they do.
“We’ve all the time felt like for the final perhaps 12 months and a half that we’re all the time three months away from form of understanding what the brand new construction goes to appear like,” he stated.
“So earlier than we form of react, what’s LIV going to be, what’s the PGA Tour? So we all the time form of felt like we’re nearly to know that reply, so let’s determine that out.
“Now I believe the rationale we’re being extra vocal about taking a look at that for subsequent 12 months is perhaps that is the brand new world order, and if that’s the case, we wished to try that.”