LIV Golf issued a mid-season update on June 25 arguing that its pathways system is delivering on its promise to give players routes into major championships and strengthen fields across the league.
The announcement cited three cases. Joaquín Niemann, the Torque GC captain, finished tied for 7th at the US Open at Shinnecock Hills, his career-best major result. David Puig of Fireballs GC earned a US Open exemption by climbing into the top 60 of the Official World Golf Ranking through results in off-week events. And Anthony Kim, who was relegated from LIV Golf in 2025, fought his way back through the Promotions qualifying event and went on to win in Adelaide.
“LIV Golf’s global pathways system identifies top talent,” said Oliver Banks, LIV Golf EVP and Chief Championship Officer. “You see it working first-hand via League agreements with the USGA and R&A.”
Niemann’s US Open Recovery
Niemann began the week at Shinnecock Hills with a 78 that featured an 11 at the par-4 sixth hole after sending two tee shots out of bounds, then got a two-stroke penalty from the USGA for “serious misconduct” after throwing a club on the same hole.
He responded with a 5-under 65 in round two, followed by weekend rounds of 72 and 66 to finish at 1 over par. The T7 result secured him a 2027 US Open exemption under the championship’s top-10 rule.
“I feel like I’ve been playing great golf lately,” Niemann said. “I’ve got a great team around me. We’re working towards our goal, that is obviously winning out here. We’re getting closer and closer.”
Niemann secured his 2026 US Open berth through LIV Golf’s direct exemption route as the highest non-exempt player within the final 2025 individual standings’ top three. Lucas Herbert of Ripper GC qualified through the same route using the 2026 standings.
Puig’s OWGR Route
Puig reached the US Open through another route. Rather than qualifying through LIV standings, the Fireballs GC player used the league’s open weeks to compete across 12 countries in 2026, with starts that included the United States, India, Turkey and the UAE.
Across those starts, he logged four finishes inside the top 20 in non-LIV events, including a T18 at the PGA Championship, and rose to 58th in the OWGR. That put him inside the USGA’s top-60 cutoff for automatic exemption. According to GolfMagic, the 2026 US Open field included 13 LIV Golf players in total.
Banks said Puig’s qualification was “further validation of the model” of off-week play and OWGR accumulation.
Kim’s Comeback Through Promotions
Anthony Kim’s route back to LIV Golf, and then to the winner’s circle, ran through the league’s internal pathways.
After being relegated in 2025, Kim competed in all five season-ending International Series events and earned one of three wild-card spots at the 2026 Promotions event, held January 8–11 at Black Diamond Ranch in Florida. He finished third at 5 under in the 36-hole weekend shootout.
“There were definitely low moments throughout those two years,” Kim said. “But I believe in myself more than anybody else believes in me, and I think that’s all that matters.”
On February 15 at The Grange Golf Club in Adelaide, Kim shot a final-round 63 to finish at 23 under par, three strokes clear of Jon Rahm. It was his first professional victory in nearly 16 years. He has since added a sixth-place finish at LIV Golf Virginia and sits seventh in the individual standings.
The 2026 Promotions event expanded the number of available league spots from one to three. Richard T. Lee won the event and has since climbed to 16th in the standings after a runner-up finish at LIV Golf Singapore, where he lost in a playoff to Bryson DeChambeau. Bjorn Hellgren, the third qualifier, secured his spot with a closing 64.
International Series and the Wider System
LIV Golf also pointed to the International Series, co-sanctioned with the Asian Tour, as a feeder pathway producing results at both the league and major championship level.
Scott Vincent of HyFlyers GC reclaimed a 2026 LIV Golf League place by winning the 2025 International Series rankings. He has posted finishes of fourth in Mexico City, fifth in Korea, and eighth in Virginia, placing him 17th in the individual standings. Vincent also earned a berth at The Open Championship at Royal Birkdale through the OWGR International Federation Ranking List.
Yosuke Asaji, Miguel Tabuena, and Travis Smyth all advanced from the International Series into LIV Golf roles for 2026. Smyth parlayed a victory at International Series Japan into multiple wild-card starts and also secured an Open Championship spot through the PGA of Australasia pathway.
Tom McKibbin of Legion XIII earned invitations to the 2026 Masters and The Open Championship after winning the LINK Hong Kong Open on the International Series circuit.
What Comes Next
LIV Golf’s next event is LIV Golf United Kingdom presented by JCB, scheduled for July 23–26 at JCB Golf & Country Club. Niemann is confirmed for The Open Championship at Royal Birkdale through the same direct LIV pathway that got him into the US Open.
LIV Golf United Kingdom presented by JCB is the next stop on the 2026 schedule, taking place at JCB Golf & Country Club from July 23-26. Tickets are available at www.livgolf.com/
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Simon Bale
Simon Bale is the publisher of Golf Today. A low single-figure handicap golfer, he was previously a major shareholder and course reviewer for Top100GolfCourses.com for over a decade, starting in 2010. Through this role, he developed extensive knowledge of golf course design and architecture while playing more than 300 courses worldwide.