The PGA of America and LIV Golf have reached an agreement. This is not a deal with the PGA Tour, but with the governing body that controls the Ryder Cup and PGA Championship. The LIV Tour players will be allowed on the American Ryder Cup team and in the PGA Championship moving forward, per a release from the organization.
This announcement does not change much for the PGA Championship. Players were allowed to play in the tournament so long as they qualified. The qualification system heavily relies on Official World Golf Ranking points, which LIV does not receive. If a player has won a major in the last five years or a PGA Championship at any point, they will be in.
The Ryder Cup announcement is more consequential for 2025. Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka should be on the American team at Bethpage Black. They will need captain's picks from Keegan Bradley, but they are still two of the best in the world. Koepka played in 2023 when captain Zach Johnson reached across tour lines to select him.
Future of LIV Golf and the Ryder Cup
LIV Golf and the PGA Tour have been at odds since 2022 when the rival tour started. Gasoline was poured on the fire when Jon Rahm jumped to LIV. He believed that leaving would help finalize the deal between the two tours. That has not been the case, and the golf world is as separated as ever.
There are no reports on whether LIV will try and strike a similar deal with the other three major championships. As of now, qualified LIV players are eligible to play in every major. Qualifying is difficult, as they have to acquire OWGR points from tours that are not the PGA Tour or DP World Tour.
The DP World Tour, formerly the European Tour, runs the European Team at the Ryder Cup. Rahm is currently not a member of that Tour because he has not paid his fines. Being a member is a pre-requisite of making the Ryder Cup team. LIV will likely not make a similar deal with the DP World Tour, as they are in concert with the PGA Tour on that deal.
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