No LIV Golf Players on Presidents Cup Team

Canadian Mike Weir, the captain of the International team for the Presidents Cup, has confirmed that no member of the LIV Golf will be part of his team when they host the defending champions, the Americans, in Montreal, Canada, from September 26 to 29, 2024. However, the door remains open for the next edition in 2026.

Presidents Cup, results

It’s not exactly a surprise. There will be no LIV Golf players on the International team for the Presidents Cup in September at the Royal Montreal Golf Club, the host of the 15th edition. Mike Weir, 53, the captain, announced this on Tuesday, March 5, during a teleconference with the media.

“They will not be eligible, but I hope that in the future, perhaps in Chicago in 2026, they will be,” said the winner of the 2003 Masters. “It’s unfortunate. It’s a regrettable situation we find ourselves in currently. We would all like to see the best players compete against the best American players. But our current team looks great.”

This means that players like Joaquín Niemann, Cameron Smith, Mito Pereira, Carlos Ortiz, Sebastian Munoz, Abraham Ancer, or Louis Oosthuizen will not be selected for the International team, which is seeking a second victory in this biennial competition, which was established in 1994 and is a mirror image of the Ryder Cup.

Defeated 17.5 to 12.5 in 2022 at Quail Hollow, the International team (without European players) has only won once since the competition was created. That victory came in 1998. Since then, and after a draw in 2003 in South Africa, they have suffered 9 consecutive losses.

The inception of a new golf tour aiming to rival the PGA Tour came to light in 2019 with the introduction of the Premier Golf League. This league sparked a response from PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan, who hinted that players opting for the new tour might face exclusion from PGA Tour events. In 2020, the PGA European Tour and the PGA Tour initiated a “strategic alliance” to collaborate on various aspects such as commercial ventures, scheduling, and prize funds for their respective memberships.

The Premier Golf League engaged in discussions with Saudi investors regarding potential financial backing. However, Golf Saudi, a subsidiary of the Public Investment Fund, chose to finance a separate entity in 2020 with its vision of establishing a global professional league, commonly known as the “Super Golf League.” This entity officially emerged in October 2021 as LIV Golf Investments, with former professional golfer Greg Norman assuming the role of CEO.

LIV Golf has frequently been likened to the football European Super League, which has since been suspended. In July 2022, LIV Golf submitted a formal application to be included in the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR). The process of approval typically spans one to two years from the time of application submission. Subsequently, in October 2022, LIV Golf formed a “strategic alliance” with the MENA Tour to expedite the allocation of ranking points for LIV Golf events. However, it was clarified that events in 2022 would not receive points pending further review of the MENA Tour’s structure.