(Reuters) – The USGA has created an exemption category for LIV Golf players to compete in the U.S. Open, making the tournament the first of golf’s four majors to introduce a formal pathway for golfers on the Saudi-backed circuit, it said on Wednesday.
One spot in the field for the June 12-15 U.S. Open will be awarded to a player who is not otherwise exempt and in the top three of the LIV Golf Individual Standings as of May 19.
The exemption will increase to two players for next year’s U.S. Open with the leading LIV Golf players from the final 2025 individual standings and the May 18, 2026 list gaining entry. In both cases, the spots are for players not already exempt and among the top three in the standings.
“The USGA continues to evaluate the pathways that exist to ensure those playing their “said John Bodenhamer, USGA chief championships officer.
“Consistent with our historical approach, we continuously evaluate talent levels on professional tours and in amateur events, which has led us to add a new exemption category.”
This year’s U.S. Open will be played at Oakmont Country Club in Oakmont, Pennsylvania.
(Reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto, editing by Ed Osmond)
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