ORLANDO, Fla. — The head of the R&A said Wednesday that the organization considered giving spots in the British Open field this summer to LIV Golf players but ultimately decided on wider qualifying opportunities around the world.
Martin Slumbers, the CEO of the R&A who is leaving his position at the end of this year, in a brief interview after playing in the pro-am at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, lauded players such as Joaquin Niemann and Dean Burmester who won Open Qualifying Series events last year.
“Quite a few of the guys went and traveled and I would look at how many of them did that,” Slumbers said. “We decided to create those opportunities. And I’d add there are a minimum of 16 players in final qualifying (two weeks prior to the Open). We felt that is the next best step of progression on this road.
