LIV Golf stars discover Ryder Cup fate as PGA explain controversial decision

The PGA of America have explained that LIV Golf players will be able to compete on Team USA at next year’s Ryder Cup where they will host the Europeans at Bethpage Black

The PGA of America have confirmed LIV Golf members will be able to compete in the American Ryder Cup team moving forward in a positive update for the likes of Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau.

Ever since the formation of the LIV setup in June 2022, question marks surrounding players making the Ryder Cup had been raised. At the 2023 event, just one LIV member made the US team in Koepka, following his PGA Championship win four months earlier.

Koepka was able to compete due to remaining a member of the PGA of America, and bosses in charge of the Team USA setup have reinstated this point ahead of next year’s event in New York. As well as this, players from the LIV setup will be able to compete in the PGA Championship.

The PGA of America said in a statement: “To ensure that the PGA Championship will continue to deliver the best field in golf and that the US Ryder Cup team will continue to have access to the best American players, the PGA of America have determined that that LIV Golf players will be eligible for both.

“Going forward all LIV Golf players are eligible for the PGA Championship and any American who qualifies for the Ryder Cup on points or is added to the US team as a captain’s pick will be eligible to compete. This is consistent with LIV Golf players competing in the PGA Championship the past two years. Brooks Koepka was a member of the US Ryder Cup team last year.”

A whole host of Ryder Cup experience is on the LIV roster, through the likes of Koepka, DeChambeau, Dustin Johnson and Phil Mickelson.

Bryson DeChambeau could make a return ( Image: Getty Images)

The 2025 US captain Keegan Bradley had already previously revealed that he would be open to including LIV players in his team, and willing to travel to events on the breakaway league to keep tabs on his players. “I’m going to have the best 12 players,” Bradley said following his appointment this summer.

“So the PGA of America, they – we’re going to have the 12 best players, so they need to figure that out, if that’s their problem. I know you have to be a PGA member to play in the Ryder Cup. That’s the only stipulation that you need. So we’ll make sure if some of those guys that we think might make the team, we’ll make sure that they are a member.”

The change has seen the PGA of America add the LIV setup to its ‘approved tours list’. This grants those competing on the Saudi-funded circuit A3 membership, thus making them eligible for both the PGA Championship and US Ryder Cup team.