The R&A made it official Tuesday, announcing that qualifying LIV Golf players will be permitted to play in the 151st edition of The Open Championship this year at Royal Liverpool.
It’s been trending in this direction with the R&A saying for months it doesn’t view Saudi Arabia-backed LIV Golf like the PGA Tour does. R&A chief Martin Slumbers said banning LIV golfers is "not on our agenda."
So players like Phil Mickelson, Henrik Stenson, Louis Oosthuizen, Dustin Johnson and last year’s winner of The Open, Cam Smith, will be allowed to play despite being on the LIV tour.
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"We have created an exciting schedule of events which takes in many regions around the world and provides the chance for golfers to earn a place in The Open at Royal Liverpool," executive director of champions at the R&A Johnnie Cole-Hamilton said, via ESPN.
"We are grateful to our colleagues at the professional tours for their support and look forward to seeing who emerges from each event to book a sought-after place in the championship this year."
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The Open is one of the four major championships in the game of golf, and it’s expected that all golfers will be allowed to play in them no matter which tour they play in.
The Masters, for example, will be the first major played this year, and Augusta National will welcome the best of the best in April. The PGA Championship will follow that in May, and then the U.S. Open will be played in June.
The Open is last on the list of four majors from July 20-23.
"I'm looking forward to seeing Cam Smith tee up around 9:40 a.m. on the first day of The Open next year," Slumbers said in October, via ESPN. "The Open needs to set itself aside from what's going [on] in terms of disagreements and make sure we stay true to our principle, which is to have the best players in the world competing.
"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."
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There could be some tense moments with all those players converging on Royal Liverpool for the last major of the year.
Jon Rahm, who just won the Genesis Invitational last week at Riviera Country Club on the PGA Tour, admitted in January he anticipates a "tense" Masters Champions Dinner.
LIV golfers remain banned from regular PGA Tour events.
