Open chiefs make decision on LIV Golf stars amid uncertainty over participation

22 February 2023 , 08:55

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Cameron Smith will be able to defend his Open title at Royal Liverpool (Image: R&A via Getty Images)

LIV rebels eligible for The Open will not be banned from competing at golf's oldest major in July, tournament bosses have confirmed.

Cameron Smith will be able to defend his Open title at Royal Liverpool as the R&A formally announced that defectors to the contentious Saudi-backed LIV Golf League have been given the green light to play.

The R&A have followed the lead of Augusta officials, who have stated they will not preclude LIV players from the Masters this April.

Smith, 29, jumped ship for the mega millions on offer with the rebel LIV series just weeks after claiming his first Claret Jug in memorable fashion at St Andrews last year.

There was some uncertainty over whether LIV stars may miss out on the four majors after the disruptive emergence of the breakaway tour, but R&A chief Martin Slumbers was adamant that banning them was 'not on the agenda.'

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And golf's two most prestigious majors - the Masters and the Open - will both welcome LIV players, setting up the possibility of tense battles on the course between players from both sides of the sport's fierce ongoing civil war.

Australian Smith will joined by other past Open champions at Hoylake, including LIV stars Phil Mickelson, Henrik Stenson - who gave up his Ryder Cup captaincy to join the series - and 2010 winner Louis Oosthuizen.

LIV's marquee signings Dustin Johnson and Bryson DeChambeau will both compete after their top 10 finishes at the Old Course last year, but were exempt regardless after winning a major championship in the last five years.

New LIV star Thomas Pieters is also eligible to play at Hoylake (Getty Images)

Brooks Koepka and the maligned Patrick Reed will also be in the field as major winners since 2018. Meanwhile, Thomas Pieters, the Belgian poached by LIV for 2023, will also be eligible after finishing in the top 30 in last year's Race to Dubai standings.

Players in the top 50 in the world rankings are eligible to compete, but the newly expanded LIV Golf calendar is still without access to Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR), meaning defectors can currently not qualify through results in the 14 invitational events.

A host of LIV rebels have seen their rankings plunge with limited access to OWGR, with those not exempt for majors jeopardising their chances of playing in the biggest four tournaments of the year.

Ben Parsons