Reports indicate LIV Golf members will be allowed to participate in 2023 Open Championship

LIV Golf players will be allowed to participate in the 2023 Open Championship. There has been a lot of debate and contention surrounding the involvement of LIV golfers, as tournaments and companies have had to decide how to proceed.

In most cases, LIV golfers have not been excluded. They're allowed to play in the Masters and in the U.S. Open. Now, they can play in the Open Championship as well.

This doesn't come as a huge surprise. Martin Slumbers, R&A Chief signaled his intention last fall (via Golf Digest):

"We’ll go public in January/February with what we are going to do with regard to LIV golfers. But if you want a guide, go back to what I said in July. We’re not banning anyone. We are not going to betray 150 years of history and have the Open not be open. The name says it all. And that’s important."

He continued:

"What we will do is ensure that there are appropriate pathways and ways to qualify. I’m looking forward to seeing Cam Smith tee-up around 9:40 a.m. on the first day of the Open next year. The Open needs to set itself aside from what’s going in terms of disagreements and make sure we stay true to our principle, which is to have the best players in the world competing."

They will largely retain the same qualifications. Phil Mickelson, Henrik Stenson, Louis Oosthuizen (past champions), Cameron Smith (reigning champion), Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau (top 10 at St. Andrews last year), Brooks Koepka, Patrick Reed (major wins since 2018), Thomas Pieters, Richard Bland (top 30 in Race to Dubai), Joaquin Niemann and Talor Gooch (top 30 in 2022 FedEx Cup) can play under those criteria.

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LIV Golf not barred from Open Championship

Johnnie Cole-Hamilton, executive director of champions at the R&A, added:

“We have created an exciting schedule of events which takes in many regions around the world and provides the chance for golfers to earn a place in the Open at Royal Liverpool. We are grateful to our colleagues at the professional tours for their support and look forward to seeing who emerges from each event to book a sought-after place in the Championship this year.”

Not all LIV Golf members will be able to participate, but it's clear that the Open has no intentions of barring any of them solely for defecting to the rebel tour. Like the Masters, they believe in the unity of golf and don't want to further the divide.

Phil Mickelson at the 150th Open

As each of the aforementioned LIV stars has learned, there are many different ways to qualify for the Open Championship.

With such a wide open field, there's a real chance for an LIV player to win a major this year, something that used to feel like an incredible longshot.

The divide continues to grow between LIV and PGA, but the tournaments, especially the major tournaments, seem to want nothing to do with it.