LIV players eligible for US Ryder Cup team and PGA Championship

The PGA of America has confirmed that golfers who play in the LIV Golf League will be eligible for the Ryder Cup and PGA Championship going forward.

In a statement, the PGA of America has said the decision to add LIV to its list of approved tours had been made to ensure that the “US Ryder Cup team continue to have access to the best American players.”

LIV players will be offered membership into the PGA of America, the same membership granted to PGA Tour players, those on the DP World Tour and nine other circuits around the world.

The announcement is consistent with what the PGA of America has done over the past two years, including in 2023 when LIV Golf’s Brooks Koepka won the PGA Championship for the third time and was then picked for the United States Ryder Cup team in Rome.

The statement read: “Going forward, all LIV Golf players are eligible for the PGA Championship and any American player who qualifies for the Ryder Cup on points or is added to the US team as a captain’s pick is eligible to compete.

“This is consistent with LIV Golf players competing in the PGA Championship the past two years.”

LOUISVILLE, KY - MAY 13: Brooks Koepka (USA) looks on during a practice round prior to the 2024 PGA Championship on May 13, 2024, at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Icon Sportswire) (Icon Sportswire via AP Images)
Image: Brooks Koepka participated on the United States Ryder Cup team in Rome

LIV-based American golfers – such as Bryson DeChambeau and Koepka – will be permitted to feature in next year’s Ryder Cup at Bethpage, assuming they qualify or are picked by captain Keegan Bradley.

US skipper Bradley had previously indicated a willingness to welcome LIV players onto his side.

“I’m going to have the best 12 players at Bethpage so the PGA of America need to figure that out, if that’s their problem,” he said.

“I know you have to be a PGA member to play in the Ryder Cup. That’s the only stipulation. So we’ll make sure if some of those guys that we think might make the team, we’ll make sure that they are a member.”

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