LIV Golf players have won 15 of the past 30 majors dating back to 2016. Jon Rahm’s recent departure from LIV Golf also means that two of last year’s four winners belong to the Saudi-backed league.
Yet, despite some of the world’s top players leaving the PGA Tour, the powers that be don’t appear to be willing to bend the rules to help LIV Golfers qualify for some of the biggest tournaments of the season.
Since LIV Golf players can’t earn Official Golf World Ranking points, it’s harder for them to qualify for major tournaments based on their world ranking. It also means that emerging players like Talor Gooch won’t be rewarded for an excellent season in 2023. Gooch won three LIV Golf events in 2023 and finished atop the individual season rankings, ahead of 2022 Open Championship winner Cameron Smith.
Instead, LIV Golf players can only play in major tournaments where they’ve earned an exemption, usually as a result of a previous victory.
Most major tournaments, including The Masters and PGA Championship, traditionally invite all previous winners to participate annually. That means despite leaving for LIV Golf, Jon Rahm will be able to defend his first Masters win at Augusta National in 2024. Rahm will be joined by other past major winners, including Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson, Cameron Smith, Bryson DeChambeau, Phil Mickelson, and more.
Below, we’ll reveal which LIV Golf players you can expect to find at the four majors in 2024, starting off with the Masters in April.
Note: Only the Open Championship has released its official qualifications for 2024.
The Masters
Four of the last eight Masters winners have defected to LIV Golf, including Rahm, who won his first green jacket in 2023. Here are a list of the LIV Golf players that will likely receive an exemption to play at Augusta National this year.
- Jon Rahm
- Brooks Koepka
- Dustin Johnson
- Cameron Smith
- Bryson DeChambeau
- Phil Mickelson
- Sergio Garcia
- Bubba Watson
- Patrick Reed
- Charl Schwartzel
PGA Championship
Dating back to 2018, four of the last six PGA Championship winners are now a part of the LIV Golf roster. Brooks Koepka has won the event three times during that span and Mickelson became the oldest player ever to win a major when he took home the trophy in 2021.
Check out the LIV Golf players that will likely be invited to the PGA Championship in 2024 below.
- Jon Rahm
- Brooks Koepka
- Dustin Johnson
- Cameron Smith
- Bryson DeChambeau
- Phil Mickelson
- Martin Kaymer
U.S Open
Even though the PGA Tour is home to the last two winners, five of the last eight U.S. Open victories belong to members of LIV Golf. Rahm, DeChambeau, Koepka, and Johnson have all won the PGA Championship since 2016.
Here are the LIV Golf players who will earn an exemption to play in the 2024 U.S. Open.
- Jon Rahm
- Brooks Koepka
- Dustin Johnson
- Cameron Smith
- Bryson DeChambeau
- Phil Mickelson
- Martin Kaymer
The Open Championship
Unlike the other majors, the PGA Tour is home to most of the recent winners at The Open Championship. Cameron Smith (2022) and Henrik Stenson (2016) are the only LIV Golf players that have won the event in the past eight years. Last year, Brian Harman cruised to his first-ever major tournament victory, winning by six strokes.
Here are the LIV Golf players that will be on the field at the 2024 Open Championship.
- Jon Rahm
- Brooks Koepka
- Dustin Johnson
- Cameron Smith
- Bryson DeChambeau
- Phil Mickelson
- Dean Burmester
- Joaquin Niemann
- Louis Oosthuizen
- Henrik Stenson
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