The upcoming 44th Ryder Cup is only months away, and there is still uncertainty about which players will be eligible for each team. It was previously assumed that players who defected to LIV Golf, a Saudi-backed circuit, would not be able to participate in the biennial event. However, there has been no official ruling from either Team Europe or Team USA on the matter.
American Ryder Cup captain Zach Johnson recently spoke to the media ahead of this week’s Zurich Classic and revealed that no decisions have been made regarding LIV Golf players. Johnson stated that there are numerous factors to consider, and he will rely heavily on the opinions of the players who make the team, as it is ultimately their team.
At the 2021 PGA Championship, PGA of America CEO Seth Waugh expressed his belief that members of a Saudi league would be ineligible for the Ryder Cup and PGA Championship. However, the 2023 PGA Championship will allow LIV Golf members to compete, and the PGA of America’s ranking system still has LIV Golf players eligible to receive points towards automatic qualification. This raises questions about whether there is still an avenue for LIV Golf players to participate in the Ryder Cup.
Brooks Koepka, currently ranked 17th in the U.S. Ryder Cup points standings and the highest-ranked American playing on the LIV circuit, finished as the runner-up at the Masters. Three U.S. players from the 2021 Ryder Cup—Koepka, Dustin Johnson, and Bryson DeChambeau—are current LIV Golf members, as is former U.S. assistant captain Phil Mickelson. Five European players from the 2021 squad left for LIV Golf, including Sergio Garcia, Paul Casey, Ian Poulter, Lee Westwood, and Bernd Wiesberger.
The decision for the European team might not be as ambiguous, as a recent court ruling upheld the DP World Tour’s suspensions and bans to LIV Golf defectors. Following the ruling, DP World Tour CEO Keith Pelley said it will be more difficult for LIV Golfers to qualify for the Euro team.
The plot is somewhat complicated by the PGA of America’s presence in a Department of Justice antitrust probe spurred by LIV Golf’s accusations that golf’s governing bodies and decision-makers were working with the PGA Tour.
The 44th Ryder Cup is scheduled to begin on September 29 in Rome. The Americans are the defending champions but have not won the cup on foreign soil since 1993.
