ST. ANDREWS, Scotland – The organizer of the British Open deliberately warned on Wednesday that it could change its entry rules for future tournaments, which could complicate the prospects of the claret pitcher of players who deserted in the LIV series Gulf supported by Saudi Arabia.
Although the R&A, which runs the Open, has not made a decision on how players will be able to join the 156-man field in 2023 and beyond, the organization’s executive director, Martin Slumbers, it left open the possibility that the path to one of the most sacred golf tournaments could soon change.
“We will review our exemptions and qualifying criteria for the Open,” Slumbers said at a news conference in St. Louis. Andrews on the eve of the start of the Open at the Old Course. “We absolutely reserve the right to make changes” from past years, he added.
“Players have to earn their place in the Open, and that’s critical to their ethos and their unique global appeal,” said Slumbers, who did little to disguise his disdain for the LIV series. which he condemned as “totally driven by money.” and threatening “the culture based on merit and the spirit of open competition that makes golf so special.”
Still, he noted that a wholesale ban on players “was not on our agenda.”
Slumbers denied that R&A was coordinating with organizers of other major golf tournaments to potentially exclude LIV players, whose ranks include Brooks Koepka, Sergio Garcia, Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson and Patrick Reed. But the executive director of the U.S. Golf Association, which controls the U.S. Open, said in June that the group would “reevaluate” the criteria it uses to establish the course of that tournament.
A Quick Guide to the LIV Golf Series
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A new series. The launch of the new LIV Golf series, funded by Saudi Arabia, has resurrected long-standing questions about the moral obligations of athletes and their desire to compete and make money. Here’s what you need to know:
What is LIV Golf? The series is an adventurous professional golf circuit funded by the sovereign wealth fund of Saudi Arabia. Its organizers hope to position it as a player-focused alternative to the PGA Tour, which has been the highest level of professional golf for nearly a century.
Who plays there? The 48 players at the initial LIV Golf event weren’t exactly who’s who of golf, and many of the sport’s top names, such as Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy, have stayed away. But there were big names and important former champions, such as Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson and Sergio Garcia.
What attracts players? The LIV Golf events are the richest tournaments in golf history. The total scholarship for the first tournament was $ 25 million, and the winner’s share was $ 4 million. The last qualifier for each event had $ 120,000 guaranteed. This is in addition to the nine-figure sign-up fees and login payments that some players have accepted.
The PGA of America, which is in charge of the PGA Championship, has also expressed its contempt for the LIV series, which has offered millions of dollars in guaranteed money to players to join 54-hole tournaments without cuts with output of shotgun. The Augusta National Golf Club, which organizes the Master Tournament by invitation only, has so far kept quiet about its intentions.
R&A publishes a long list of ways for players to qualify for the Open, which will be held next year at the Royal Liverpool. This year, for example, the options included a place in the top 50 of the Official World Golf Ranking on a given date.
The group overseeing the world’s official golf rating system said on Tuesday that LIV Golf, which gets much of its funding from Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund, had called for “inclusion” this month and was beginning to review the sun. licitud.
Organizers of the British Open have made a powerful effort this week to turn their attention to the 150th tournament. But the agitation surrounding LIV has been introduced repeatedly. Over the weekend, R&A acknowledged that it had not invited Greg Norman, the LIV executive director who won the Open twice, at this year’s festivities in St. Louis. Andrews.
And on Tuesday, Tiger Woods used a press conference to denounce LIV.
“What are these players doing for guaranteed money, what is the incentive to practice?” Woods asked. “What incentive do you have to get out there and beat it to the dirt? They only pay you a lot of money in advance and you play a few events and you play 54 holes. “
Players who passed the PGA Tour, which has been under scrutiny by the Justice Department for its efforts to maintain its list of golfers, at LIV Golf “turned their backs on what has allowed them to reach this position.” , said Woods.