The organizers of The Open and The Masters have made it clear that they have no intentions of granting exemptions to LIV players for the 2024 events.
Phil Mickelson and Bryson DeChambeau had proposed the creation of an exemption category to ensure that LIV players are not excluded from these major tournaments.
This request came after LIV’s bid to receive world ranking points was rejected earlier this month.
While golfers like Mickelson, DeChambeau, and Cameron Smith currently have exemptions for the majors due to recent victories, Sergio Garcia, the 2017 Masters champion, had to enter final qualifying for last year’s Open due to a decline in his rankings and narrowly missed out on a spot at Royal Liverpool.
When asked about the possibility of exemptions for LIV players at The Open, R&A chief executive Martin Slumbers dismissed recent reports, stating that such discussions were entirely unfounded.
He emphasized that exemptions for The Open are not subject to negotiations and that the tournament’s fundamental principle is to be open to all golfers who earn their place in the field through existing exemption criteria, a principle that will not be altered.
Augusta National chairman Fred Ridley similarly indicated that the criteria for the Masters in April 2024 were unlikely to change but acknowledged that they are continually evaluated.
He mentioned that in the history of the Masters, qualification criteria have been adjusted multiple times, although not every year.
While there are no anticipated changes for 2024, they will continue to review and adjust the qualifications based on the evolving circumstances to ensure the best players in the world are represented in the tournament.
Leave a Reply