The road to Royal Portrush is now clear after Final Qualifying for the 2025 Open Championship concluded on July 1 across four venues in the UK. Several notable LIV Golf players took part, with three successfully earning their way in—adding to the 16 who were already exempt.
Qualified LIV Players from Final Qualifying
1. Lee Westwood – The 51-year-old veteran showed his class at Dundonald Links, shooting 7-under to top the leaderboard and comfortably secure his place in his 27th Open Championship.
2. Dean Burmester – The South African LIV golfer impressed at Royal Cinque Ports, finishing as the top qualifier in challenging conditions.
3. Lucas Herbert – While not exclusively LIV, the Australian competes in LIV events and took medalist honors at West Lancashire with an 8-under performance.
These three join an already strong LIV presence in the field, with 16 players previously exempt due to past major victories, world rankings, or top finishes at the 2024 Open.
Notable LIV Players Who Missed Out
- Ian Poulter – Played alongside his son Luke at Royal Cinque Ports but failed to qualify.
- Sam Horsfield – Disqualified after walking off the course at West Lancashire.
- Richard Bland, Anirban Lahiri, and others were in the field but did not advance.
LIV Players Already Exempt (16 Total)
The exempt list includes:
- Cameron Smith (2022 Open champion)
- Jon Rahm
- Brooks Koepka
- Bryson DeChambeau
- Phil Mickelson
- Joaquin Niemann
- Patrick Reed
- Dustin Johnson
- Louis Oosthuizen
- Talor Gooch
- Tyrrell Hatton
- Abraham Ancer
- Thomas Pieters
- Marc Leishman
- Harold Varner III
- Sergio Garcia (via past champions category)
Summary
In total, 19 LIV Golf players will tee it up at the 2025 Open Championship. With the R&A’s decision to maintain open access to qualifying, the event continues to welcome top talent from across golf’s divided landscape. Royal Portrush is set for a dramatic return to the Open rota.
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