Several LIV Golf players have received special invites to the second Major of the year, the PGA Championship. However, fans have been left baffled by one glaring omission – two-time runner-up Louis Oosthuizen.
In March, Joaquin Niemann revealed he had received a special invite to the Valhalla tournament, and now it has been confirmed that he will be followed by Patrick Reed, Talor Gooch, Dean Burmester, Lucas Herbert, Adrian Meronk and David Puig.
Typically, any player in the world's top 100 the week before the tournament earns a place and, despite LIV Golf’s inability to offer world ranking points, only three players among the seven with special invites, Puig, Gooch and Burmester, are beneath that threshold.
That also applies to 2010 Open champion Oosthuizen, who is 125th, 19 places beneath Puig but five above Burmester and a massive 519 ahead of World No.644 Gooch. As well as Oosthuizen’s relatively high world ranking, he also has considerable pedigree at the tournament, including T2 finishes in 2017 and 2021.
Oosthuizen has also shown some excellent form in recent months away from LIV Golf. That included back-to-back DP World Tour victories at the Alfred Dunhill Championship and the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open in December, and runner-up at the international Series Oman on the Asian Tour in February.
Despite those achievements, there's no place for the 41-year-old, who was also absent from the 2023 tournament at Oak Hill, and that's a decision that has been questioned on social media.
AP's Doug Ferguson described the omission as "a surprise," while PA Media Golf Correspondent Phil Casey questioned whether Oosthuizen would be even bothered about missing out. In a similar vein, popular X golf account Flushing It wondered if Oosthuizen may have turned down an invite, writing: “It’s entirely possible he declined an offer.”
PGA plays it by the book with top 100 and a little beyond. No Oosthuizen was a surprise. But cool to invite Tim Widing after back-to-back wins on Korn Ferry, and Kazuma Kobori. Reminds me of PGA inviting Tom Kim in 2020 when he was 18May 7, 2024
Would be interesting to know if @Louis57TM is bothered about not getting an invite to the US PGA. He was very honest about his goals when joining LIV. Tractors and less golf, IIRC.May 7, 2024
It’s entirely possible he declined an offer…May 7, 2024
Fans questioned the decision too, with one calling it a "glaring oversight" and another describing it as "brutal."
Not inviting Louis is a glaring oversight. He is playing some of the best golf of his life & won 2x on the DPWT in ‘23!May 7, 2024
Louis not getting an invite is brutal. I’m sure he’s happy for Burmey though!May 7, 2024
Disappointed to see Louis Oosthuizen not get an invite. A major Champion who finished T2 at this event just three years ago. Not to mention his results this year speak for themselves. pic.twitter.com/lyL0lHMIsRMay 7, 2024
Later, the suspicion that Oosthuizen may have turned down an invite was confirmed by Doug Ferguson, who wrote: "Turns out PGA offered Oosthuizen an invitation. He turned it down because of personal commitments. Not sure what those were."
Turns out PGA offered Oosthuizen an invitation. He turned it down because of personal commitments. Not sure what those were.May 7, 2024
While Oosthuizen won’t get to showcase his abilities for a 14th time at the Major, there are logical reasons why the other two LIV golfers outside the world’s top 100 have received invites.
Gooch is the LIV Golf individual champion after a stunning 2023 that included three victories, while Puig has been in sensational form away from LIV Golf. Victory at the IRS Prima Malaysian Open was the highlight of his Asian Tour appearances so far this year, which has also included three other top-10 finishes.
The PGA Championship gets underway at Valhalla on 16 May.
