PGA of America officials defended their decision to extend invitations to several members of LIV Golf to compete in this week's PGA Championship, with the governing body's CEO Derek Sprague saying "it's about having the strongest field in golf."
Sprague, PGA of America president Don Rea and chief championships officer Kerry Haigh fielded questions Tuesday at their annual press conference before the major championship they administer. The PGA Championship will be played Thursday through Sunday at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, N.C.
This year's field includes 16 LIV golfers, with 15 of them fulltime members along with reserve player John Catlin.
Brooks Koepka, the PGA champion in 2018, 2019 and 2023, was an automatic invitee, as was German Martin Kaymer (2010). Other recent major winners who play on the LIV circuit – Bryson DeChambeau, Australian Cameron Smith and Spaniard Jon Rahm – were also invited as is custom.
But some selections were more controversial. Sergio Garcia, the former Masters winner from Spain who has not played in the PGA Championship since 2022, was extended an invitation, as was two-time major winner Dustin Johnson, who has not performed well in recent years.
Sprague, Rea and Haigh all at some point used the phrase "the strongest field in golf," long the motto of the PGA Championship.
"Just as we have for many years, we look at every tour that's playing worldwide golf and try and identify the best players from those respective tours," Haigh said Tuesday. "When we do that, we certainly look at points list or money lists or rankings and identify who we think are the better players. The committee meets and talks about whether or not we should offer them invites, which is why I think through that process we were able to get worldwide players from various tours.
"It's a worldwide field. That's why we feel it's the strongest field in golf because of that process where we look at all the different tours and try and include and invite those best players."
The PGA of America's system stops short of the USGA's decision in February to establish a direct pathway for LIV Golf members to qualify for the US Open, the first of the four men's majors to do so.
There is little movement on the long-discussed merger between the PGA Tour and Saudi Arabia's golf holdings. At the start of 2025, LIV Golf introduced a new CEO, Scott O'Neil, and the league is once again interested in applying for Official World Golf Ranking recognition.
Sprague did not share much on his initial meetings with O'Neil.
"Those were just more of an introduction to meet him," Sprague said. "I had heard and read about him from many of you folks in this room. So I met with him for the first time at (the Masters) just to introduce myself.
"Certainly he's still looking, it's been reported lately, in Official World Golf Rankings. I sit on that board. He's encouraged to submit an application for the board to review. Other than that, I have nothing else to report."