LONDON, UK — Series LIV players will be allowed to compete in the 150th British Open, organizers of the July 14-17 Grand Slam tournament announced on Tuesday.
Golfers registered with the lucrative LIV, financed by Saudi Arabia, had already been authorized to take part in the Open of the United States, another Major which was disputed last week. “The opening of the tournament is fundamental to its appeal,” said British Open manager Martin Slumbers.
“Players (directly qualified) or those who have won their place via qualifying for the 150th Open in accordance with its entry rules will be allowed to take part in the tournaments at St Andrews,” he added.
“We are focused on organizing a world-class tournament in July to honor this truly historic event for golf,” concluded the leader.
The PGA, which organizes the North American golf tour, but none of the four grand slam tournaments, nor the Ryder Cup, had decided to ban golfers taking part in the dissident circuit from registering for its tournaments.
But according to several media, the PGA would prepare a counter-offensive to try to win back golfers who have passed to the rivaland not the least, since there are Phil Mickelson, Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson and Bryson DeChambeau.
According to several media, the PGA would like to increase the purse of eight renowned tournaments to at least $20 million from 2023 and introduce three new tournaments endowed with $25 million each, without cuts, as on the LIV circuit competitions.
The calendar could also evolve with a season modeled on the calendar year, between January and December, while currently the PGA Tour starts in the fall.
These changes were presented to players during a meeting held on Tuesday on the sidelines of the Travelers Championship, which takes place this week in Cromwell, Connecticut.
The first Series LIV tournament took place in early June in London with the participation of 17 PGA members, all excluded from the North American circuit until further notice. It was won by South African Charl Schwartzel, who walked away with a check for $4 million.
