PGA Tour star furious at Open chiefs who still haven't told him if he's playing
The prestigious tournament will feature a field of 156 players, with some securing their spots this week. However, world No. 55 Kim remains uncertain about his involvement and has expressed his frustration at the challenging qualifying process.
In a post on X, the 31-year-old PGA Tour regular shared the vague response he received when seeking clarity about his role, even with the news that LIV Golf stars are able to make a play for the event.
"You'd think with less than two weeks before the Open Champ starts, the R&A (The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews) could give me a decent idea of whether I'm playing it or not... but nope. All I've gotten is 'you have a slight chance'," Kim wrote.
"My friend who looked at all the qualifications has given me more info than the R&A has. There's still six spots left and if they fill it with OWGR (Official World Golf Ranking), then I'm most likely in but even that they won't say anything about."
While the R&A doesn't publicly disclose it, the reserve list typically includes players from the rankings who are not otherwise exempt. After the three spots are filled from the Genesis Scottish Open, which runs from July 10-13, the field will stand at 150 with six places remaining, reports the Mirror US.
While Kim currently sits at 55, event organisers may be holding out to see how the rankings pan out post-Scottish Open before filling the remaining spots. The Open has a complex yet broad set of criteria in place for qualification, with 28 different routes to secure a spot.
This year, 44 spots are up for grabs for those who triumph in qualifying events. The remaining 112 will be filled by players who have earned exemptions due to their past performances.
Seventeen of these 112 spots were snapped up by previous Open champions, including last year's victor Xander Schauffele, who will be under 60 by July 20, 2025. Nine places were secured by those who finished in the top 10 at last year's tournament, including Scottie Scheffler and Justin Rose.
The next 39 spots were claimed by players in the world's top 50 who hadn't already qualified by week 21 of the golf season. The following places were filled by those in the top 25 of the 2024 Race to Dubai rankings and recent winners of the BMW PGA Championship.
Those who clinched the Masters and US Open between 2020 and 2025, including Rory McIlroy, also made the cut. Winners of the PGA Championships from 2019 to 2025, and those who finished in the top 30 of the 2024 FedEx Cup points list, were also granted a spot.
The last three victors of the Players Championship and the top five players in the 2025 FedEx points list have secured their spots at The Open. However, Sergio Garcia will be joining them due to the top five players from the 2025 LIV Golf League's solo standings being given a chance to compete.
The remaining places are filled by final qualifying. English star Lee Westwood was one such player to secure his place this way, triumphing in one of the two-round events that were held across four different venues on Tuesday. The 153rd Open is set to tee off on Thursday, July 17 and will run until Sunday, July 20.
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