LIV Golf League players will be eligible to compete in both the PGA Championship and U.S. Ryder Cup teams going forward, the PGA of America ruled on Thursday.
After winning the 2023 PGA Championship, and finishing runner-up at the Masters, LIV Golf’s Brooks Koepka was chosen as a captain’s pick for last year’s U.S. Ryder Cup team. (A grace period allowed Koepka to remain a member of the PGA of America through 2024.)
“Going forward, all LIV Golf players are eligible for the PGA Championship and any American player who qualifies for the Ryder Cup on points or is added to the U.S. team as a captain’s pick is eligible to compete,” the PGA of America said.
“This is consistent with LIV Golf players competing in the PGA Championship the past two years. Brooks Koepka was a member of the U.S. Ryder Cup team last year.”
LIV golfers Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau are now considered locks to be captain’s picks for the matches next fall at Bethpage Black, according to a PGA source.
“You ask any golf fan to list the 12 best American golfers and every single list will include Koepka and Bryson,” said the source via phone. “You have Scheffler, Xander, Brooks and Bryson. Those are your undisputed top four Americans. You can throw in Morikawa to make it five. But that’s it.
“Just look at the odds for next year’s majors (ed: see below). Bookmakers don’t have a bias. They don’t discriminate with standings, lists and whatnot. Across the four majors, Koepka and Bryson appear as two of the top eight favorites, period – regardless of nationality. When excluding Europeans like Rahm, Rory, Aberg and Hovland, it’s as exactly as I said: Scottie one, Xander two, three Bryson, four Koepka and Morikawa at five.
“So, they are inarguably two of the five best Americans, never mind a dozen. After that you’re getting into names like Sahith Theegala, Wyndham Clark, Russell Henley, Brian Harman, Sam Burns, Max Homa, etc. Let’s be real.
“Who do the raucous American fans at Bethpage Black want to see, Bryson and Brooks or Henley and Harman? I mean come on.”
Odds for 2025 Majors
bold denotes American
Masters Odds
1. Scottie Scheffler 5-1
2. Xander Schauffele 10-1
3. Rory McIlroy 11-1
4. Jon Rahm 12-1
5. Ludvig Aberg 14-1
6. Bryson DeChambeau 18-1
7. Brooks Koepka 20-1
7. Collin Morikawa 20-1
7. Viktor Hovland 20-1
10. Hideki Matsuyama 25-1
PGA Odds
1. Scottie Scheffler 5-1
2. Rory McIlroy 9-1
3. Xander Schauffele 10-1
4. Jon Rahm 14-1
5. Brooks Koepka 16-1
5. Bryson DeChambeau 16-1
5. Ludvig Aberg 16-1
8. Viktor Hovland 18-1
9. Collin Morikawa 20-1
10. Justin Thomas 25-1
10. Patrick Cantlay 25-1
U.S. Open Odds
1. Scottie Scheffler 5-1
2. Rory McIlroy 10-1
2. Xander Schauffele 10-1
4. Bryson DeChambeau 12-1
4. Jon Rahm 12-1
6. Ludvig Aberg 16-1
7. Brooks Koepka 18-1
7. Collin Morikawa 18-1
7. Viktor Hovland 18-1
10. Patrick Cantlay 30-1
British Open Odds
1. Scottie Scheffler 5-1
2. Rory McIlroy 8-1
3. Xander Schauffele 9-1
4. Ludvig Aberg 14-1
5. Collin Morikawa 16-1
5. Jon Rahm 16-1
7. Bryson DeChambeau 20-1
8. Brooks Koepka 25-1
8. Tommy Fleetwood 25-1
8. Viktor Hovland 25-1
