The Open Follows The Masters' Lead, Will Allow Eligible Players To Tee It Up At Royal Liverpool

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Just like we'll see LIV golfers in the field at Augusta National for the Masters in April, LIV golfers will also be teeing it up at The Open later this summer at Royal Liverpool.

The R&A, the governing body that runs The Open, making the decision to allow eligible LIV golfers in the field does not come as a surprise. The R&A allowed LIV players in the field at last year's Open at St. Andrews and in October, R&A executive Martin Slumbers said "we're not banning anyone."

This means that defending champion Cam Smith will be eligible to compete at Royal Liverpool. Henrik Stenson, Phil Mickelson, and Louis Oosthuizen - who have all bolted for the Saudi-backed circuit - will be eligible to tee it up as well as past champions.

Bryson DeChambeau and Dustin Johnson are among that eligible LIV golfer group as well as both finished inside the Top 10 a year ago, plus, both have won a major championship in the last five years. Brooks Koepka, Joaquin Niemann, and Patrick Reed are eligible to play for the Claret Jug this year as well.

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Phil Mickelson will be eligible to compete in this year's Open at Royal Liverpool. (Photo by Luke Walker/WME IMG/WME IMG via Getty Images)

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Essentially, all the big-time names at LIV Golf will be in the field at Royal Liverpool.

Now, with two of the four major championships coming to the decision to allow eligible LIV golfers to compete, this puts a bit more pressure on the U.S. Open and PGA Championship to do the same.

Each of the four major championships is run by four different governing bodies, so each can come to its own decisions, but it's hard to imagine one, or both, of those majors going in opposite directions of the other two majors.

Follow Mark Harris on Twitter @ItIsMarkHarris

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Mark covers all sports at OutKick while keeping a close eye on the PGA Tour, LIV Golf, and all other happenings in the world of golf. He graduated from the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga before earning his master's degree in journalism from the University of Tennessee. He somehow survived living in Knoxville despite ‘Rocky Top’ being his least favorite song ever written. Before joining OutKick, he wrote for various outlets including SB Nation, The Spun, and BroBible. Mark was also a writer for the Chicago Cubs Double-A affiliate in 2016 when the team won the World Series. He's still waiting for his championship ring to arrive. Follow him on Twitter @itismarkharris.