USGA announces exemption at 2025 U.S. Open for LIV Golfers, fans left divided on social media

LIV Golf will get one full exemption for the 2025 U.S. Open following the massive decision by the USGA on Wednesday.

USGA announces exemption at 2025 U.S. Open for LIV Golfers, fans left divided on social media

LIV Golf star Bryson DeChambeau won the U.S. Open in 2024 (Image via US Open Golf Championship)

The United States Golf Association (USGA) opened a massive door for LIV Golf on Wednesday. In an announcement, they informed about an exemption for LIV Golfers at the U.S. Open tournament this June at Oakmont.

LIV Golf does not get the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR) points. This leads to the rankings of their stars taking a huge hit.

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The OWGR rankings play a massive part in qualification for the major championship. As a result of this, several LIV Golfers do not get the chance to play in the majors and battle it out against some of the best in the business.

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The USGA now has extended an olive branch to LIV Golf. For the 2025 season, a full exemption will be awarded to the top player who is not otherwise exempt and in the top 3 of the 2025 LIV Golf Individual Standings as of May 19, 2025.

Apart from this, a local exemption will also be awarded to the top-10 players from the 2025 Individual Standings as of April 7, 2025. By doing this, the U.S. Open has become the first major championship to provide a direct pathway to majors.

Seven LIV Golfers currently have an exemption for the 2025 U.S. Open. This list includes defending champion Bryson DeChambeau, past winners such as Dustin Johnson, Jon Rahm, and Brooks Koepka, and recent major winners like Phil Mickelson and Cameron Smith, and U.S. Senior Open defending champion Richard Bland.

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Golf fans react to LIV Golf getting exemption for U.S. Open

The news announced by the USGA on Wednesday has left the golf world stunned a little bit. Their decision to give an exemption for the U.S Open to LIV Golf has brought out mixed reactions from the fans online.

Bryson DeChambeau
Bryson DeChambeau will enter the 2025 U.S. Open as the defending champion (Image via SB Nation)

Though a majority of the fans were pleased with this move, there were some who were left disappointed. One fan pointed out that one exemption was not enough but at least it was a step in the right direction.

Check out that and some other reactions from X below:

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Just a few days ago, the PGA Championship sent a special invitation to Sergio Garcia and Joaquin Niemann. The latter has also received a special invitation from the Masters tournament as well. This decision by the USGA will now allow at least one more golfer from LIV to take part in the U.S. Open this year.