The Presidents Cup is all set to kick off in September 2024. Both captains, Mike Weir and Jim Furyk are ready with their teams, fired up to compete against each other. While the Ryder Cup has given the captains the liberty to choose members even from LIV Golf, for the Presidents Cup, it is not the same. The event only has one criterion to qualify, and that is being able to play in PGA Tour-sanctioned events.

The members of the breakaway league are not eligible to do that, which has made players like Cameron Smith, Jon Rahm, Joaquin Niemann, and others ineligible to be a part of the team. A few hours ago, the Smash GC Captain shared his frustration over the rule.

In a conference call with reporters on Tuesday, ahead of LIV Golf Chicago, the Chilean player expressed how badly he wanted to be a part of the International team led by Weir. Golf Digest took to their official X account and quoted what the 25-year-old said about not being selected. “It sucks. I would love to be on that team. It’s supposed to be the best golfers around the world and they’re not doing that right now,” conferred Niemann.

While Joaquin Niemann believes he is one of the greatest golfers and thinks it is unfair that he cannot be a part of the event because he chose to be a part of LIV Golf, it seems the golf community disagrees with his perspective.

The golf community scrutinizes Joaquin Niemann’s decision

Joaquin Niemann joined the breakaway league back in 2022 with Cameron Smith. While the latter had signed the contract immediately, Niemann had second thoughts. He did not sign the contract right away. The Chilean player flew back to Boston to discuss the move with his father. Later on, he accepted the six-digit deal and decided to join LIV Golf.

Joining LIV Golf might offer great pay with the championships and everything, but it has huge side effects on course history. Any player who joins the league is terminated from being a member of the PGA Tour and its events. Commenting on this, one person wrote, “It was your choice to take the bag, Joaquin, and choices have consequences,” reminding him of the decision he made.

Another person, wittily enough, used a simile to describe the situation with that of the corporate world. They wrote, “@joaconiemann When you quit your job, you forfeit the benefits from your former employer.”

Adding to the previous point, the breakaway league players don’t even have the privilege of earning OWGR Points. This is because the format is not accepted under the World Ranking system. Commenting on this, one person even suggested, “Then play in an established league that feeds those events. You made the move and you knew it had consequences. I hate whiners.”

When it comes to the world rankings, Joaquin Niemann is in the 110th position on the list with total points of 44.19504. Also, despite becoming the only LIV Golfer to earn a special invitation to the Masters, he could not make full use of the opportunity. The 25-year-old finished with a T22, bagging a disappointing score of 4-over. Commenting on this, people left remarks like, “It’s the best players who qualify.”

Some golf fans even took a jab at the format and proceedings of the breakaway league. Instead of the regular 72-hole format, like other tour championships that go on for four days, LIV Golf has its own format. The events of the league last only three days, and the golfers play 54 holes instead of the regular ones. This is also one of the primary reasons why they are not eligible for OWGR points. Making fun of the league, one person even wrote, “Nobody but you cares Joaquin… enjoy your Mickey Mouse 54-hole league…”

What are your thoughts on LIV Golfers not being eligible to play at the Presidents Cup in Montreal? Let us know in the comments section below!