Golf Captain Delivers a Knockout Blow, But Then a Lifeline, to LIV Golfers

Getty Brooks Koepka and Phil Mickelson at a LIV Golf event in Doral, Florida.

Presidents Cup captain Mike Weir delivered a knockout blow to LIV golfers when it came to selection for the upcoming matchplay tournament, but later added a lifeline that could provide hope for future involvement.

During a conference call with reporters on Tuesday, March 5, as reported by Golf Week at the time, Weir said that any player on the breakaway LIV Golf tour would be ineligible for the Presidents Cup event scheduled for September 27 to 29 at the Royal Montreal Golf Club.

This is in line with other tournament restrictions placed on golfers who joined the Saudi-backed organization.

Though LIV’s golfers were able to receive call-ups to the U.S. Ryder Cup team last year, there are a dwindling number of those players who will get the chance to compete at one of golf’s No.1 tournaments — The Masters, which starts April 11 at Augusta National Golf Course and concludes April 14.

“Certainly I want the best players internationally to be playing [at the Presidents Cup],” Weir said regarding a Ryder Cup-esque competition that puts a team from the US, against a team of international (except Europe) players.

“Hopefully we come to a point that they are,” he added. “It’s just an unfortunate situation that we’re in right now. I’ve been told they’re not eligible.”

LIV Golfers Shouldn’t Give Up Hope, Though

Weir, who was named in November 2022 the International Team Captain for the 2024 Presidents Cup, gave LIV’s golfers hope that they may be included in future editions of the competition.

According to Weir, athletes like Brooks Koepka, Phil Mickelson, and Bryson DeChambeau will not be called up for the US team.

The international team could also suffer as Joaquin Niemann, Mito Pereira, and Louis Oosthuizen would be omitted.

Maybe, as soon as 2026, that changes, Weir intimated.

“Hopefully going forward, maybe in Chicago in 2026, they are [included],” Weir said. “It’s a shame.”

He continued: “We would want the best players but I like our team. Our team looks great right now.

“I think, as a captain, we want the best international players from around the world to be playing against the best U.S. guys.”

LIV, Meanwhile, Gives up Quest for Global World Ranking Accreditation

Currently, LIV Golf’s tournaments do not provide its players with qualifying points in the Official Global World Ranking (OGWR).

For golfers who are yet to win a major, a high OWGR means they can earn an exemption to compete in future majors — The Masters, PGA Tour Championship, US Open, and The Open.

LIV’s best players are plummeting down the rankings as any success on that tour does not qualify.

In a twist Tuesday, LIV commissioner Greg Norman said the sports organization would no longer continue in its bid to claim OGWR for its competitions, according to Reuters.

The OWGR rejected LIV’s application in October, last year, citing an objection to it’s three-round format. PGA Tour and other major tours adhere to a four-round format.

Norman and LIV continued a bid to gain rankings for its players but are now no longer pushing forward.

The commissioner informed the players by letter. “The OWGR has shown little willingness to productively work with us,” he wrote, per Reuters.

Only four LIV players are inside the top 50, per the OGWR. They are Jon Rahm who is third, Tyrrell Hatton at 17th, Brooks Koepka in 30th, and Cam Smith in 50.