LIV’s Dallas event becomes last chance saloon for Open Championship berth

Spain’s Sergio Garcia, the 2017 Masters champion dnd now a leading light of LIV Golf, is best-placed to seal a slot at next month Open Championship but needs to finish well at this week’s LIV Golf Dallas.

Garcia is currently fourth in the LIV Golf season-long individual standings and has to maintain that placing in order to ensure he will be on the plane to Royal Portrush. On his heels are Australia’s Lucas Herbert and Sebastian Munoz of Mexico, fifth and sixth in the rankings as they stand.

This week’s Dallas tournament is the final opportunity to decide exemptions into next month’s Open based on the qualification criteria announced by the R&A in February offering LIV members an opening into the year’s final major championship.

The best-ranked player in the top five of the LIV standings who is not already exempt will receive a spot at The Open. The top three, Joaquin Neimann, Bryson DeChambeau and Jon Rahm, are already on the entry list.

Garcia, a two-time LIV Golf winner, is in line to make his 26th start in The Open which could be his 102nd major appearance. The 46-year-old 10 top 10 finishes at the Open, including finishing second in 2007 and 2014.

Right on Garcia’s tail and less than seven points in the standings is Ripper GC’s Herbert in fifth. The Australian has four Open starts to his name, including a tie for 15th in 2022.  Also within 10 points of Garcia is Torque’s Muñoz, whose last appearance at the Open was in 2022. 

With 40 points going to the winner of each LIV Golf event, 10 players remain mathematically eligible to overtake Garcia in the standings. Besides Herbert and Muñoz, they are Dean Burmester, David Puig, Charl Schwartzel, Anirban Lahiri, Adrian Meronk, Thomas Pieters, Talor Gooch and Abraham Ancer.

The Maridoe Golf Club in the Dallas suburb of Carrollton will host the ninth leg of the 2025 LIV Golf season from June 27 to 29.