The Open Championship will allow LIV Golf competitors, organizer says
St. Andrews in Scotland will host The Open Championship beginning next month
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}LIV Golf competitors will be able to play in The Open Championship next month, the organizers for the last major of the season said Wednesday.
The R&A will host the major tournament at St. Andrews in Scotland. The event will take place at the Old Course from July 14 to July 17.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}South Africa's Louis Oosthuizen plays his shot from the 1st tee during his final round on day 4 of The 149th British Open Golf Championship at Royal St George's, Sandwich in south-east England on July 18, 2021. (PAUL ELLIS/AFP via Getty Images)
"The Open is golf's original championship and since it was first played in 1860, openness has been fundamental to its ethos and unique appeal," The R&A's chief executive Martin Slumbers said Wednesday, via Sky Sports.
"Players who are exempt or have earned a place through qualifying for The 150th Open in accordance with the entry terms and conditions will be able to compete in the Championship at St Andrews. We are focused on staging a world-class championship in July and celebrating this truly historic occasion for golf.
"We will invest the proceeds of The Open, as we always do, for the benefit of golf which reflects our purpose to ensure that the sport is thriving 50 years from now."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A few more golfers reportedly decided to jump to LIV Golf on Tuesday. Brooks Koepka and Abraham Ancer were the latest to join the Saudi-backed golf tour. Players like Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson, Kevin Na, Lee Westwood, Sergio Garcia, Talor Gooch, Branden Grace, Matt Jones, Martin Kaymer, Graeme McDowell, Andy Ogletree, Louis Oosthuizen, Turk Pettit, Ian Poulter, Charl Schwartzel, Hudson Swafford and Peter Uihlein decided to play the first LIV Golf tournament earlier this month.
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Garcia, Grace, Johnson, Kaymer, McDowell, Na, Oosthuizen, Pettit, Schwartzel and Westwood resigned their PGA Tour memberships.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Collin Morikawa, last year's Open Championship winner, said he was staying with the PGA Tour.
US golfer Collin Morikawa kisses the trophy as he poses for pictures with the Claret Jug, the trophy for the Champion Golfer of the Year, after winning the 149th British Open Golf Championship at Royal St George's, Sandwich in south-east England on July 18, 2021. (GLYN KIRK/AFP via Getty Images)
The USGA allowed those players to compete in the U.S. Open last weekend. Matt Fitzpatrick won the event.
On Tuesday, PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan met with players to discuss changes to the tour schedule that will include "eight limited-field no-cut events, with purses of $20 million or more each, for the top 50 finishers in the prior season’s FedEx Cup standings," Gold Digest reported, citing several players present at the meeting.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Sources told ESPN that while nothing official has been put into place, the changes are expected to be approved for the 2023 season.
The increase in prize earnings will impact several existing tournaments and will be paid for by sponsors or the tour’s reserves, according to ESPN.
A detailed view of the scoreboard on the 18th hole as Collin Morikawa of the United States wins The Open to become Open Champion during Day Four of The 149th Open at Royal St George’s Golf Club on July 18, 2021 in Sandwich, England. (Christopher Lee/Getty Images)
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Two players also told the Associated Press that the topic of returning to a calendar season and changing the FedEx Cup playoff eligibility from the top 125 players to the top 70 was also discussed.
Fox News’ Paulina Dedaj contributed to this report.