So, I got curious about the whole LIV Golf thing again, especially with the US Open happening at Pinehurst No. 2. You hear all the chatter, you know? About who’s playing where, who’s allowed, who isn’t. I figured I’d try and get a clear picture for myself, just see how many of those LIV players actually teed it up in the 2024 US Open.
It wasn’t like some big research project, mind you. I just kinda started poking around online while watching some recaps. First thing, I just wanted a list. Who from LIV actually qualified or got an exemption to play?
Finding the LIV Names
So I started looking through the entry lists and the final field roster. Took a bit of time cross-referencing, you know, seeing who plays on the LIV tour regularly and matching them against the US Open participants. It wasn’t super straightforward because they don’t exactly wear team jerseys saying ‘LIV Golfer’ during the major, right?
Here’s who I spotted, the guys I recognized from the LIV lineups who made it into the US Open field:
- Bryson DeChambeau (He was hard to miss, obviously!)
- Brooks Koepka (Always expect him in the majors)
- Cameron Smith
- Dustin Johnson
- Phil Mickelson (Still going!)
- Martin Kaymer
- Tyrrell Hatton
- Jon Rahm (Though I remembered seeing news he had to withdraw right before, because of that foot thing. Shame.)
- Adrian Meronk
- Dean Burmester
- Eugenio Chacarra
- David Puig
- Sergio Garcia (He got in late, I think? Saw some buzz about his qualifier.)
There might have been one or two others slipping through qualifiers that I missed, but those are the main ones I clocked. It’s quite a decent showing, really.
My Thoughts on It
Seeing them play… well, it’s still a bit strange, isn’t it? The whole split in golf. But majors are majors. They are supposed to have the best players, regardless of where they usually cash their checks. Seeing guys like DeChambeau and Koepka battling it out, especially DeChambeau pulling off that win, it just shows talent is talent.
It felt significant seeing DeChambeau win it. A guy who made the jump, winning one of the biggest tournaments there is. Maybe it quiets some noise, maybe it makes more noise, who knows? For me, I just like watching good golf. And having these guys in the mix definitely made the US Open more interesting this year.
Anyway, that was my little dive into it. Just wanted to satisfy my own curiosity about which LIV golfers were actually competing at Pinehurst. It’s less about the politics for me and more about just knowing who’s playing in these big events.
