With the news of the PGA Championship allowing players from LIV Golf to compete in the third major tournament, all four major tournaments are allowing each of the four fields to consist of players from LIV.
The news comes the day after the R&A announced that the Open Championship in July will also be open to LIV Golf members.
Related: What makes each of the four major tournaments unique
On Wednesday, The PGA of America announced player eligibility guidelines for this year’s PGA Championship, which is slated for May 18-21 at Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, N.Y.
One exemption for this year’s PGA Championship is as a past champion such as Brooks Koepka or Phil Mickelson.
Another exemption into the field are major tournament winners over the last five years, which include Bryson DeChambeau, Dustin Johnson and Patrick Reed.
However, it is not only the big name LIV golfers who have the opportunity to participate in this year’s PGA Championship.
The PGA of America also announced a new and additional category for an exemption into the field from the new International Federation Rankings list for golf tours in Japan, Asia South Africa and Australia.
“This new category will help identify current or emerging international players who may not yet have had the opportunity to showcase their talents in the cauldron of a Major Championship setting. It provides all players from these four International golf tours an opportunity to compete throughout their respective seasons to be rewarded by access into the PGA Championship.”
PGA of America CEO Seth Waugh in a statemen
Being able to play in the independent events – the major tournaments – has been the goal for LIV Golf, led by Greg Norman.
Also read: What is LIV Golf? How it works
As players were resigning from the PGA Tour to go play with LIV, those players would be unable to participate in any future PGA Tour events from that point of resignation.
So, the only events that LIV players could participate in while receiving points toward a player’s Official World Golf Ranking is through the major tournaments since LIV Golf is not an official league like the PGA Tour or the DP World Tour.
LIV Golf has filed an application with the OWGR board but has not heard notice as to when the submission will be approved for its players to start receiving points.
As of now, there are 20 players from LIV Golf that are in the top 100. However, eight are at No. 75 and lower, and likely to drop more as the OWGR approval process lengthens with time.
However, each of the major tournaments wants the best players in the field, including the PGA Championship.
So, what goes through the minds of the PGA Tour players?
Although this seems like a defeat for the PGA Tour, the best players on tour are going to present and have the opportunity to win the Wannamaker Trophy. This is still a major tournament that golfers dream of playing in.
When you look back at the best players in the game, they have won majors. Winning a major tournament, no matter which one is career-defining.
Everyone who has won a major tournament has a story. Fom Collin Morikawa winning his first major at his college golf course at the 2020 PGA Championship to current World No. 1 Jon Rahm winning his first major at the 2021 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines in San Diego, four years after his first PGA Tour victory (the Farmers Insurance Open) and near the site he proposed to his wife.
Also read: Who has won the most major tournaments?
In addition, Jordan Spieth is one PGA Championship away from winning the career Grand Slam, which only five players have done in the history of the game and not done since Tiger Woods in 2000 when he was only 24 years old.
Speaking of Woods, who has won 15 major tournaments, with the injuries he has gone through over the last couple of years, his schedule and the ability to recover from an event is based on the four major tournaments.
Related: Top players react to Woods’ PGA Tour return at the 2023 Genesis Invitational
Rory McIlroy is looking for his first major victory since the 2014 PGA Championship which feels like forever. In addition, there are a lot of top golfers on the PGA Tour who are still looking for their first major, including Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay (among others).
There is still a lot at stake for the PGA Tour and its players as the first major of the year, The Masters, is six weeks away and the PGA Championship is less than three months away.