R&A chief executive Martin Slumbers has strongly suggested that The Open Championship will not ban LIV golfers from competing, stating that he is looking forward to seeing Cam Smith defending his title at next year's event.
Smith won the 150th Open in July, his first Major victory, before making the jump to the controversial Saudi-backed LIV in August. And Slumbers is keen to have "the best players in the world competing" at next year's Open.
In an interview with Golf Digest, he said: "We'll go public in January/February with what we are going to do with regard to LIV golfers. But if you want a guide, go back to what I said in July.
"We're not banning anyone. We are not going to betray 150 years of history and have the Open not be open.
"The name says it all. And that's important. What we will do is ensure that there are appropriate pathways and ways to qualify.
"I'm looking forward to seeing Cam Smith tee-up around 9:40 a.m. on the first day of the Open next year. The Open needs to set itself aside from what's going in terms of disagreements and make sure we stay true to our principle, which is to have the best players in the world competing."
Slumbers did, however, hit back at his LIV counterpart Greg Norman who called the R&A "petty" after they did not invite him to the celebrations which preceded the 150th Open. Explaining the decision, Slumbers said: "It was clear to me that Greg had not been to a champion's dinner in quite some time.
"He wasn't there in 2000, 2005, 2010 or 2015. With everything that was going on, it was clear to me that there was a reason why he wanted to be there this year. If he had been there, it would have been about noise.
"The Open has to be distinct from all that. I didn't want to have noise between two rival tours and two big personalities. It would have overshadowed what was happening that week."
