Why were the LIV players not banned from the US Open?

First things first the USGA run the US Open. This is part of the PGA Tour schedule but the US Open is overseen and managed by the United States Golf Association. So, while the PGA Tour has dished out 'indefinite suspensions' for those players who teed it up at the inaugural LIV Golf event last week at Centurion, the USGA decide who plays in their event.

America's governing body decided not to follow suit for this week's US Open, after all they want the best players in the world playing in their championship and, whatever you think of the LIV series, they now have plenty of the big names in the game on their books.

“Whether we all like it or not, in February 30 guys played for the same promoter in Saudi Arabia with an acceptable release from the PGA Tour, and for years the DP World Tour has had an event there, same promoter,” the USGA CEO Mike Whan said.

But Whan, who was previously the commissioner on the LPGA Tour, said that the 2023 version could see a different outcome to this year.

“It would be a lot of hypotheticals for me to get what LIV is going to be by the time we’re talking about this next year, but as we would do any year, we’re going to definitely reevaluate field criteria. We would any year. We will take a look at what the landscape looks like.

“Could I foresee a day? Yeah, I could foresee a day. Do I know what that day looks like? No, I don’t. To be honest with you, what we’re talking about was different two years ago, and it was different two months ago than it is today. But the question was, could you envision a day where it would be harder for some folks doing different things to get into a US Open? I could. Will that be true? I don’t know, but I can definitely foresee that day.”