The 2025 Ryder Cup is just over a year away, where 12 of the game’s top US stars will take on a dozen of the best Europe has to offer at Bethpage Black.
But will LIV golfers have the chance to play, or have their decisions to join the big-money circuit scuppered their hopes?
The short answer is that LIV golfers are eligible for the match, but their chances of getting there are not as good as those on the PGA Tour and DP World Tour.
The qualification process for US players has already begun. Like the previous edition at Marco Simone, it will see six automatic qualifiers based on money earned during a set period, with captain Keegan Bradley then picking six wildcards to complete the team.
Meanwhile, the Europeans have announced changes to their qualification process. Previously, a European Points List, which was based on Race to Dubai Ranking points, and a World Points List, which was based on Official World Golf Ranking points, were used to determine the six automatic qualifiers. After that captain Luke Donald was able to hand the remaining six a wildcard based on his judgment.
While the wildcard element hasn’t changed, a streamlined system will see one list, with points allocated across a range of different tournaments, including Majors, PGA Tour events and DP World Tour contests.
While that’s all well and good, neither the US qualification process nor the European system accounts for LIV Golf tournaments. So, where does that leave its players? Well, players for both teams can still qualify automatically, but to do so, they’ll need to play eligible events.
For US players, one point is on offer for every $1,000 earned in an eligible event, meaning Majors take on extra importance.
One LIV Golf star who has already taken advantage of Majors is Bryson DeChambeau. He currently sits third on the points list thanks to the money he has earned in a successful Major year, which included winning the US Open at Pinehurst No.2. However, neither he nor other US LIV golfers will be able to accumulate points on the PGA Tour as they’re suspended.
Technically, there’s nothing stopping European LIV golfers from qualifying automatically, either. After all, they can compete in the Majors if eligible, and so long as there are no outstanding fines to be paid or suspensions to be served, as long as they're still members, they can even play DP World Tour events.
Two LIV golfers hoping to amass points via that route are Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton, who intend to play the minimum number of DP World Tour events they need to this season to keep their memberships.
If qualification proves beyond LIV golfers due to their limited chances to grab the points, they can also still hope for a wildcard.
Is that likely? Well, in 2023, Brooks Koepka was one of Zach Johnson's wildcards for the US team, although it was hard to leave him out given his season, which included winning the PGA Championship. However, he was very much the exception rather than the rule as the one LIV golfer of the 24 players across both teams.
Whether captains are more willing to choose LIV players next time could depend on how politically palatable it is.
Currently, there is still a stalemate between the powers that be hoping to broker a deal between the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and Saudi Public Investment Fund behind LIV Golf.
The negotiations are likely to have concluded before the wildcards are chosen next year. Depending on which way the talks go, it could affect whether or not the respective captains feel they can turn to the circuit to complete their teams.
