LIV Golf players have enough opportunities to qualify for Open, says R&A CEO
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The R&A CEO Martin Slumbers (right) and director of corporate communications at The R&A, Mike Woodcock, during a press conference in Scotland, on July 17.
PHOTO: REUTERS
TROON – As he heads into his final British Open as the chief executive of the R&A, the largest governing body in golf, Martin Slumbers feels there are already enough ways for members of LIV Golf to qualify for the Major without installing a direct pathway.
LIV Golf has given up its attempts to gain accreditation with the Official World Golf Ranking and receive world ranking points for its 54-hole, no-cut events. The Saudi-backed breakaway tour has turned to advocating for a number of guaranteed berths for its top-performing players into the four Majors.
At his pre-British Open press conference on July 17 at Royal Troon in Scotland, Slumbers pointed to the fact that 18 LIV players are in the field this week, the most of any Major this season.
Those players made it based on past performance (winning a Major, or finishing in the top 10 and ties at the 2023 British Open); by qualifying from the PGA Tour’s FedExCup race or the DP World Tour’s Race to Dubai; by finishing highly at an Open Qualifying Series event around the world; or via final qualifying earlier this summer.
“We wanted to ensure that there were sufficient enough opportunities for all players, whichever tour they’re playing on, to get into The Open,” said Slumbers, who announced in January that this will be his final year in charge at the R&A.
“We used our Open qualifying series. We picked events that were available for all players. We used the Asian Tour, and we used final qualifying to create those opportunities.
“We have 18 players from LIV in the field, and we’ve got all the best players in the world. So I think we’ve created those opportunities.”
The R&A’s stance differs from its counterpart in North America. United States Golf Association chief Mike Whan had said in June that his governing body would consider a LIV Golf exemption category this off-season.
Slumbers also said he “doesn’t care” that the British Open’s prize fund is not among the highest.
The winner at Royal Troon will receive US$3.1 million (S$4.15 million). Bryson DeChambeau earned US$4.3 million for winning the US Open in June, while Scottie Scheffler’s Masters victory in April came with a US$3.6 million prize.
The total British Open prize fund of US$17 million is up by just US$500,000 on 2023 and is less than the other three Majors, 12 PGA Tour events and all 14 LIV Golf events. Slumbers said: “We have to make choices about how we allocate resources and make the resources we have go as far as they can.” REUTERS, AFP
