Multiple Big Name LIV Players Skip US Open Qualifying

Entries closed for US Open qualifying last week, and several LIV Golf players have decided to skip it despite their chances of appearing in the Major hanging by a thread.

Among those opting not to take part in qualifying are Paul Casey, Charles Howell III, Louis Oosthuizen, Ian Poulter, Charl Schwartzel, Bubba Watson and Lee Westwood. Each player is outside the top 100 in the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) and, without a special invitation, the only other ways for them to make the tournament is to either reach the top 60 by May 22 or the week before the tournament, or win the PGA Championship. 

None of them are currently in the field for the second Major of the year, and it’s unlikely they’ll make it considering their limited options to accumulate OWGR points.

It's not looking quite so bad for Patrick Reed and Talor Gooch, who are two other LIV Golf players who have not applied for qualifying but have calculated they’ve done enough to reach the tournament. 

Reed is currently World No.44 and Gooch is World No.57. In particular, Reed will be confident of holding onto his place in the world's top 60 in the coming weeks. Meanwhile, Gooch is likely to have a PGA Championship appearance as a potential ace up his sleeve in an effort to maintain the necessary ranking. 

Elsewhere, some LIV Golf players aren't taking as many chances, with Sergio Garcia, Matthew Wolff, Marc Leishman and Harold Varner III all having signed up for qualification for a chance to tee it up at Los Angeles Country Club in June.

It's not so precarious for all LIV Golfers. For example, Mito Pereira and Abraham Ancer will be confident of reaching the tournament as they are eligible for the PGA Championship, where they can either win it and qualify or accumulate the necessary OWGR points to get there. The likes of Thomas Pieters and Harold Varner III should also be eligible for the Oak Hill Country Club tournament.

For others, the outlook is even rosier, with players including Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka, Phil Mickelson, Cameron Smith and Joaquin Niemann guaranteed their US Open places thanks to various other qualifying criteria.

This week, LIV Golf players are competing in the circuit's first ever tournament in Australia, at Adelaide's Grange Golf Club.