For the first time in 24 years, Sergio Garcia will be missing a major championship ending one of the most prolific streaks in professional golf.
Earlier this week, the PGA of America announced the official field for the PGA Championship at Oak Hill. The field consisted of 155 players, including one spot saved for the winner of the AT&T Byron Nelson event.
Much to the dismay of Phil Mickelson, there were only 18 LIV Golf players that qualified for the PGA Championship this year. While there are more than a dozen ways to qualify, the Official World Golf Rankings does not recognize LIV Golf events, which has resulted in controversy surrounding this year’s field.
With LIV Golf players slipping in rankings, some members, including Garcia, were unable to qualify for the Major Championship. Without an invitation to the PGA Championship, Garcia will miss his first major championship since 1999.
Sergio Garcia Misses PGA Championship
There are a few ways for LIV Golf members to qualify for the PGA Championship.
Any past champions receive an automatic lifetime invitation to compete in the major. In addition, other major championship winners receive a five-year exemption, giving them an automatic invitation to the PGA Championship.
For Sergio Garcia, invitations stemming from his previous Green Jacket win have expired and he will no longer be able to rely on his spot in the OWGR either. Since moving to the LIV Golf league, he’s fallen outside the top 100 for the first time in 23 years. Since the age of 19, Garcia has steadily been in the top 100.
This will mark the first time since 1999 that Sergio Garcia will miss a major championship. While the PGA of America can make exemptions and send out special invitations, Garcia’s relationship with the PGA isn’t great. He was one of the only players that didn’t pay his DP World Tour fine after defecting to LIV Golf.
Now that Garcia’s Major Championship streak is coming to an end, questions have resurfaced about the future participation of LIV Golf players in major championship events. As players continue to slip in rankings, some players may no longer qualify for majors, which could ultimately affect the overall adoption of the league.
It’s hard to imagine the top young golfers joining LIV Golf if it means that they won’t be able to compete in the sport’s most prestigious events.
LIV Golf Players That Qualified For PGA Championship
Despite only sitting at No. 131 on the Official World Golf Rankings, Paul Casey was invited to Oak Hill next weekend. He is one of 18 LIV Golf players that have been invited to the 2023 PGA Championship.
Check out the list below for a full list of all LIV Golf Players competing at the PGA Championship next weekend.
- Abraham Ancer
- Dean Burmester
- Paul Casey
- Bryson DeChambeau
- Talor Gooch
- Dustin Johnson
- Martin Kaymer
- Sihwan Kim
- Brooks Koepka
- Anirban Lahiri
- Phil Mickelson
- Joaquin Niemann
- Mito Pereira
- Thomas Pieters
- Patrick Reed
- Cameron Smith
- Brendan Steele
- Harold Varner III
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