18 LIV Golf players included in the field for the 2023 PGA Championship

The second major tournament of the golf season is just over a week away and, much like April’s Masters, it’ll feature 18 players who defected from the PGA Tour to play on the Saudi-backed LIV Golf circuit.

The big difference this time around, however, is that they’re playing for the PGA Championship — one of the most prestigious prizes on a tour LIV golfers are currently banned from, though the PGA of America will allow them to play in this tournament.

There are 13 ways to qualify for the PGA Championship, which the 18 LIV golfers have satisfied in order to tee it up next week at Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, New York:

1. All former winners of the PGA Championship
2. Winners of the last five Masters (2019-’23)
3. Winners of the last five U.S. Opens (2018-’22)
4. Winners of the last five Open Championships (2017-’22) [Note: Canceled in 2020]
5. Winners of the last three THE PLAYERS Championships (2021 ’23)
6. The top three on the OWGR’s International Federation Ranking List as of April 24, 2023
7. Winner of 2022 KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship
8. The top 15 finishers and ties from the 2022 PGA Championship
9. The top 20 finishers from the 2023 PGA Professional Championship
10. The top 70 players who are eligible and have earned the most PGA Championship points from the 2022 AT&T Byron Nelson through the 2023 Wells Fargo Championship (ending May 7, 2023)
11. Playing members of the last named U.S. and European Ryder Cup teams (2021), provided they remain in the top 100 on the Official World Golf Rankings as of May 7, 2023
12. Winners of PGA TOUR co-sponsored or approved tournaments whose victories are considered official, from the 2022 Charles Schwab Challenge through the 2023 AT&T Byron Nelson
13. If necessary to complete the field, those players beyond the top 70 players who are eligible and who have earned the most PGA Championship points from the 2022 AT&T Byron Nelson through the 2023 Wells Fargo Championship (ending May 7, 2023)
    in order of their position on such a list

Masters champion Jon Rahm (+750) enters as the favorite to win his first-ever PGA Championship (which would put him one away from the career grand slam), followed by Scottie Scheffler (+800) and Rory McIlroy (+1100).

Here’s a look at the 18 LIV players in the field, as well as their odds of winning a trophy the PGA Tour would hate to hand over to them.

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