The USGA Announces New Exemption Categories for U.S. Open, and One Tweak That Could Keep a LIV Golfer Out

This year’s event at Los Angeles Country Club will include the reigning NCAA champion; one LIV golfer is not exempt despite qualifying for last year’s Tour Championship.

The winner of the NCAA individual championship will now get a spot in the U.S. Open, as the United States Golf Association on Thursday announced four new exemption categories starting with this year’s tournament at Los Angeles Country Club.

It did not do anything to thwart LIV Golf players, who can still qualify via the Official World Golf Ranking, previous major victories or even take part in sectional qualifying—although it changed the wording of its exemption criteria for the Tour Championship, which could keep Talor Gooch out if he is not among the top 60 in the world.

Previously, a player who qualified for the season-ending Tour Championship earned a spot in the following year’s U.S. Open. Gooch finished among the top 30 last year despite being ineligible for the event due to his move to LIV Golf.

The USGA’s wording now reads: “Those players who qualified and were eligible for the season-ending 2022 Tour Championship.’’

Gooch is presently ranked 43rd in the world. He is in the Masters due to being top 50 at the end of the year as well as having qualified for the Tour Championship. He needs to remain in the top 60 by May 22 or June 12 to get an invite to the U.S. Open.

The Latin America Amateur champion, which had been previously announced, also will get a spot in the field along with the 2022 Korn Ferry Tour season points leader and the top five players in the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup standings as of May 22 who are not otherwise exempt.

The NCAA individual women’s champion will also receive an exemption into the U.S. Women’s Open, to be played in July at Pebble Beach.

For the men’s tournament, there are still two cutoff points for the top 60 in the world, on May 22 and June 12. LIV golfers Harold Varner (No. 51 in the world), Jason Kokrak (56), Patrick Reed (61) and Kevin Na (63) are currently around the top 60.

This year’s U.S. Open will also be the last one Tiger Woods is exempt into by virtue of his 2019 Masters win. He would likely receive special exemptions from the USGA in the future.

The USGA said it plans a return to staging a final qualifier in the U.K. for the first time since 2019 and thus will also invite the top two finishers in the final ’22 Race to Dubai standings, not otherwise exempt, as well as the top player in the standings as of May 22, not otherwise exempt.