‘It’s Reasonable’: Greg Norman’s LIV Given Massive Relief by USGA as U.S Open Aims to ‘Unify’ Fractured Golf

Greg Norman and his LIV Golf have finally been hit with a piece of good news. Ever since the inception of the breakaway circuit, many golfers who are part of the league have found themselves unable to compete in the various major championships, including the U.S. Open. The situation, however, seems to have taken a turn for the better as the Chief Championships Officer of the United States Golfing Association came forward recently with a surprising revelation.

John Bodenhamer was spotted in an interview mentioning how the USGA is seriously looking into creating a way for those part of the Greg Norman-led circuit to play at the U.S. Open. “I think we’re looking very seriously at that,” said the official while alluding to creating some sort of pathway.

He also mentioned why such a perspective was being taken into consideration: “From the beginning, we’ve been open, you earn your way in you get to play whether it’s through qualifying or exemption as the past champion. We’ve seen a lot of good players go over to LIV & so we’re thinking a lot about it, we’ve talked a lot about it. I think it’s reasonable to expect that at some point yes, we would create a pathway or some way that we would get those great players, give them an opportunity to be unified again.” He also made sure to point out how there would be a lot of professionals from the breakaway league that are part of the field at the upcoming major due to various reasons.

A total of 12 golfers on the Greg Norman-led circuit are now part of the field at the tournament that will kick off on June 13 at Pinehurst. The likes of Dean Burmester and David Puig became part of the same through their performances at the recently-ended U.S. Open qualifiers, popularly known as Golf’s Longest Day. The South African made himself eligible by finishing 6-under at the Jupiter, Florida, qualifier at The Bear’s Club, while the latter did so owing to his 12-under at the Daly City, California qualifier.

Eugenio Chacarra had also earned a spot through one of the qualifiers, just like Burmester and Puig. He succeeded in clinching a spot on the U.S. Open field to make his first-ever major appearance through a qualifier that took place at the Dallas Athletic Club in Texas a couple of weeks ago. He clinched one of the 11 spots through a 6-under score, tying himself at second place.

The other 9 athletes, meanwhile, include the likes of Bryson DeChambeau, Martin Kaymer, Tyrrell Hatton, Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson, Jon Rahm, Brooks Koepka, Adrian Meronk, and Cameron Smith. All of these pros on the Norman-led LIV Golf made it into the field through their exemption as past champions or by winning another major championship.

The eligibility of the rest of the LIV Golf Pros in the U.S. Open field

DeChambeau had managed to clinch the 2020 U.S. Open title, thereby making him eligible for the field till 2030. Johnson and Koepka, on the other hand, can only play at the USGA event till 2028 owing to them being past major champions. DJ had won the 2016 U.S. Open and the 2020 Masters, allowing him exemption while the Smash GC captain emerged victorious at the 2017 and 2018 U.S. Open as well as the 2018, 2019, and 2023 PGA Championships.

‘Lefty’ is eligible to play at the U.S. Open till 2025, all thanks to him being a past major champ (remember him winning the 2004, 2006, and 2010 Masters; the 2005 and 2021 PGA Championships; and the 2013 Open Championship). Kaymer, Rahm, and Cameron Smith earned their eligibility by being past winners of the US Open, Masters, and The Open Championship in 2014, 2021, and 2022, respectively, with the German being exempted through 2024, the Spaniard till 2031, and the Aussie through 2027.

The likes of Hatton and Meronk had already sealed their spots at the upcoming major’s field before jumping to LIV Golf. The former had done so by qualifying for the 2023 Tour Championship, with the latter clinching one of the top 2 spots in the 2023 Race to Dubai Rankings.

With the recent revelations by Chief Championships Officer John Bodenhamer, coupled with such a strong lineup from his own league, Greg Norman would surely be sporting a wide smile. He would surely be hoping for a LIV Golf Pro to clinch the trophy this time around!