LIV Golf blow as nine stars fail to qualify for The Open as player makes striking decision
The Open is set to get underway later this month, but nine LIV stars will be absent from the tournament.
LIV Golf has suffered a major blow after nine of its stars failed to qualify for The Open. The fourth major of the season will get underway at the Royal Troon Golf Club on Thursday, July 18, with the winner crowned three days later.
LIV Golf became a rival of the PGA Tour following its launch in 2021, with a whole host of golf stars defecting to the new tour, which is funded by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund.
And some players have been able to earn a small fortune since signing up to the new competition.
But LIV Golf tournaments aren’t recognised by the official world golf rankings, which means players are forced to go through qualifying to get into events such as The Open.
And Talor Gooch, Sergio Garcia, Bubba Watson, Paul Casey, Ian Poulter and Lee Westwood will all miss out on The Open this year, as will Martin Kaymer, Thomas Pieters and Graeme McDowell.
Gooch is the current LIV Golf player of the year and won three times on last year’s circuit. But he made a striking decision to refuse the chance to qualify for this year’s US Open and The Open through Final Qualifying.
And when he and his Smash GC team-mates were asked whether they were planning to enter qualifying for the US Open earlier this year, Gooch simply replied: “I’m not”.