Kevin Na is confident that LIV Golf’s biggest names will be granted exemptions to the major championships in the future, as the breakaway tour continues to grow.
LIV Golf star Kevin Na is optimistic about major championship qualification for those players who joined the breakaway league. He suggests that despite the unsanctioned status of the LIV circuit, which currently offers no direct route into the four majors, change is on the horizon.
The captain of the Iron Heads team pointed out that the Saudi Arabia-backed tour has been establishing itself over the past three years. With LIV events not providing Official World Golf Ranking points, many players have seen their rankings drop, impacting their ability to qualify for majors.
However, Na highlighted a positive shift, referencing The Masters’ special invitation to LIV golfer Joaquin Niemann for a second consecutive year.
Speaking to Golf Monthly, Na said: “I haven’t heard exactly what’s going to happen, but I’m pretty confident that in the near future we will get exemptions to majors.
“It just has to happen because there are too many good players playing out here. I know the major champions are exempt, but – eventually – guys will run out of exemptions.
“The majors want the best players to play. Obviously, the majors are successful either way, but they want the best competition. And in order to do that, you have to invite the best players in the world. You saw Joaquin get a bunch of invites last year – that was just the beginning. I think, eventually, we will have a criteria from our league with a pathway straight to the major championships, I’m not too concerned about that.”
Since its inception in 2022, major championships are warming up to LIV players, despite lingering worries surrounding the league’s limited field sizes and unique format hindering direct qualification based solely on performance within LIV itself.
Yet, Na remains confident, insisting all winners of LIV events should automatically qualify for the next year’s major tournaments and those finishing top 16 in the season rankings also earn their spot. He added: “A lot of guys who are major champions and are exempt, they’re going to overlap, so top-10 isn’t enough. I don’t even think top-15 is enough, 16 is a good number.
“I know The Masters does it so that if you win a golf tournament on the [PGA] Tour, then you get in. I think it should be just the same for LIV. If you win a LIV event, there are only 13, then you should be in all the majors because that’s not easy to do.”
