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Open Championship Field: Who's In, Who's Out? LIV Golf's Latest Open Run

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Alright, the biggest golf news of the week is here. The Open Championship. Royal Birkdale. The Claret Jug. You know the drill. And this year, it’s got that usual drama. The PGA Tour and LIV Golf guys are all mixed up in the same field. For now, anyway. This is it for the year, the last major. After this? Who the hell knows what happens with LIV. It’s a damn mess, but the golf itself? Still gold.So, who actually made it to the biggest links test in the world? And who’s watching from their couch, probably pissed off about something? Let’s break it down. It’s not as simple as just showing up. There are ways in, and then there are ways you don’t get in. Some guys you expect to be there, they’re not. Some you might have forgotten about? They’re grinding.

The Big Names Making the Cut (and How)

You got your Jon Rahm. He’s always a threat, right? Won the U.S. Open last year, top 10 at The Open in ’25, and he’s always ranked high enough. He’s in. Easy. Then there’s Bryson DeChambeau. Masters champ in ’23, good OWGR. He’s in too. These guys, they make it look simple. They win big ones, they play well consistently. That’s how you get in the big leagues.But it’s not just about winning majors. It’s about being good enough, consistently. You’ve got guys like Cameron Smith, who won the Open back in ’22. He’s in. Of course he is. He’s a former champ. Same for Shane Lowry, he won it in 2019. He’s in. These guys have that lifetime exemption, basically. Good for them.Then there are the guys who have to grind through qualifying. It’s brutal. You see guys who are usually in the top whatever, suddenly fighting for their lives in some qualifying event. It’s a real test. It separates the pretenders from the contenders, you know? You can’t just cruise into The Open.

So, Who's Actually Playing?

Let’s get down to it. Here’s the rundown of the LIV guys who are teeing it up at Royal Birkdale.
  • Jon Rahm: OWGR 37. How he got in? Won the 2024 U.S. Open, top 10 at The Open last year, and he’s inside the top 50 in the world rankings. Solid. His best finish at The Open? T8 back in 2022.
  • Bryson DeChambeau: OWGR 11. He qualified by winning the 2023 Masters and staying inside the top 50 OWGR. He almost won The Open in 2023, T2. Close call.
  • Tyrrell Hatton: OWGR 22. He made it through the 2025 Race to Dubai standings (top 25) and is inside the top 50 OWGR. His best Open finish was T5 in 2016.
  • Adrian Meronk: OWGR 48. He qualified through the 2026 LIV Golf standings after LIV Andalucia. He’s had a T53 at The Open before.
  • Dean Burmester: OWGR 66. He got in on the world rankings reserve list, as one of the highest ranked outside the top 50 on July 6th. His only Open appearance was a missed cut in 2024.
  • Eugenio Chacarra: OWGR 80. Another one who got in via the world rankings reserve list, same as Burmester. He had a decent T13 in 2023.
  • Cameron Smith: OWGR 140. He’s a former champ! Won the 2022 Open. He’s in. His best finish? A win, obviously.
  • Shane Lowry: OWGR 419. Another former champ! Won the 2019 Open. He’s in. Best finish: a win.
  • Joaquin Niemann: OWGR 97. He qualified through the Open Qualifying Series, finishing runner-up at the New Zealand Open. He’s had a T15 at The Open back in 2022.
  • David Puig: OWGR 135. He also got in through the Open Qualifying Series, winning the Hong Kong Open. He made the cut at T66 in 2024.
  • Abraham Ancer: OWGR 132. He made it through Final Qualifying. His only Open appearance was a missed cut in 2023.
  • Carlos Ortiz: OWGR 189. He also came through Final Qualifying. He finished T44 in 2017.
  • Paul Haley II: OWGR 293. Final Qualifying again. This will be his first Open appearance in 2026.
  • Talor Gooch: OWGR 143. He’s in through the top 25 in the 2025 Race to Dubai standings. He had a T17 in 2023.
  • Scott Jamieson: OWGR 152. He qualified through the top five on the OWGR’s International Federation Ranking List. He missed the cut in 2022.
  • Ryo Hisatsune: OWGR 163. He got in by finishing top three at the Scottish Open, and wasn’t already exempt. He had a T34 in 2022.

The Surprises: Who's NOT Playing?

This is where it gets interesting. You expect certain names to be automatic entries, but they’re not. And it’s not always for simple reasons.Dustin Johnson. Yeah, DJ. He’s not in the field. He was supposed to play in Final Open Qualifying, but he bailed at the last minute. Why? Who knows. But this is a big deal. It’s the first Open he’s missed since he debuted in 2009. That’s a streak of 38 consecutive majors. Gone. Just like that. What’s going on there? Is he just over it? Or is something else up? It’s weird, man. Really weird.Then there’s Sergio Garcia. Another former champ. He tried to get through Final Qualifying. Came up short. He was blaming some dodgy lasagna he ate for lunch. Seriously? Lasagna? Come on, Sergio. You’re a legend, don’t blame food poisoning for missing The Open. That’s just… pathetic. You gotta dig deeper than that.And the big one: Phil Mickelson. Phil’s not playing. He’s taking time off for family health stuff. Understandable, sure. But he’s also been in the news for some… let’s call them questionable personal conduct issues. Apparently, he got kicked out of a club in San Diego after some female employee accused him of inappropriate contact. That’s not a good look, Phil. Not at all. This is the first time in his entire career he’s missed all four majors. He missed The Open in 2009 when his wife was sick, which is completely different. This is… well, this is something else. It’s a shame, really. A damn shame for the game.

How They Earned Their Spots: The Qualification Gauntlet

It’s not just about being a big name. You gotta earn it. Especially if you’re not in that top tier of the world rankings or haven’t won a major recently. The R&A has a bunch of ways for players to get in.You’ve got the **Open Qualifying Series**. These are events held around the world. Play well enough in one of these, and you’re in. Think Joaquin Niemann, David Puig – they did it that way. It’s a tough route, but it proves you can perform under pressure.Then there’s **Final Qualifying**. This is usually the last chance for players who haven’t secured a spot through other means. It’s often a single-day, grueling event where a handful of spots are up for grabs. guys like Abraham Ancer, Carlos Ortiz, and Paul Haley II are in because they battled through this. It’s pure grit.The **Race to Dubai Standings** for DP World Tour players. If you’re high enough in that, you get an invite. Talor Gooch and Scott Jamieson are on this list. It shows consistent performance on that tour.And of course, the **Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR)**. If you’re inside the top 50, you’re generally good to go. But for LIV players, it’s a bit more complicated because their ranking points are, let’s say, debated. Still, some LIV guys like Rahm and DeChambeau are high enough on the OWGR to get in easily.There’s also the **International Federation Ranking List**. This is another way to get a look-in if you’re a top player globally. Scott Jamieson snagged a spot here.And then, there are the **past champions**. That’s the golden ticket for guys like Smith and Lowry. Win it once, you’re practically in for life. It’s a cool tradition that rewards history.Finally, the **Scottish Open**. This is a co-sanctioned event, and a few spots are reserved for the top finishers who aren’t already exempt. Ryo Hisatsune got his ticket that way. It’s a great way to reward players performing well on a major tour.

LIV Golf's Numbers: Down from Last Year

Last year, 19 LIV players were in the field. This year? It’s 16. So, a slight dip. It shows that not all LIV players are automatically making it into the majors. The qualification process is working, in a way. It’s not just about who you play for, it’s about your performance. And some of those guys who were pretty much guaranteed spots are now having to fight for them, or they’re missing out entirely. It makes for better storylines, doesn’t it?

The Future of LIV and The Majors

This whole LIV Golf thing is still a giant question mark. The future is uncertain, as the article puts it. And that uncertainty hangs over every major. Will these guys keep getting spots? Will the qualification criteria change? Will the tours ever reconcile? It’s all a big mess.But for now, at Royal Birkdale, the focus is on the golf. On who can handle the wind, the bumps, the sheer history of The Open. It’s a brutal test, and it doesn’t care if you play for LIV, the PGA Tour, or just some local club. You gotta be good enough. And this year, 16 LIV Golf members have proven they are, at least for this week. The rest? They’re just watching. And probably complaining about lasagna.For more on major championships and how players qualify, you can always check out the official The Open Championship website. They’ve got all the official details.