“It’s proof they’re working” — Analyst says Sergio Garcia’s Open Championship exemption justifies LIV Golf carveouts

Sergio Garcia became the latest player to qualify for the Open Championship by topping the LIV Golf standings of non-exempt players. Following this, golf analyst Rex Hoggard stated that the carveouts given to the Saudi-backed circuit professionals for getting into majors were working, although he admitted they were narrow carveouts.

On Sunday, June 29, Garcia secured a berth in the Open Championship 2025 after finishing fifth in the season-long standings. Since the top four names, Joaquin Niemann, Bryson DeChambeau, Jon Rahm, and Dallas winner Patrick Reed, were already qualified for the final major, he became eligible for the spot.

On Monday, June 30, in the latest episode of the Golf Channel podcast, Hoggard spoke about Garcia's exemption.

"Sergio Garcia’s exemption into The Open Championship, I think, on some level, proves that these carveouts are working," he said. "No, it's not a perfect world, but if you play well enough on LIV, it is a very narrow carveout, and I will acknowledge that. I think as we move forward in this process, you'd like to think that at some point the major championships come around to the notion that, as they all repeat the same thing, 'We want the best fields.'"

"To do that, every major is going to have to figure out a better way, a little bit more inclusive way. However, I think on this particular stage, it's proof that they're working. Sergio played well enough. He has history there, all of the things we expect out of these types of carveouts, these types of invitations, that he earned, just like pretty much every other player in the field earned. So that's impressive," he added.

For the uninitiated, this will be Garcia’s 26th appearance at the Open Championship and his first in two years. He has finished runner-up twice in his previous 25 appearances.

How has Sergio Garcia performed in the 2025 season?

Here's a look at Sergio Garcia's results in the 2025 season:

LIV Golf

LIV Golf Riyadh (Riyadh Golf Club): T6
LIV Golf Adelaide (The Grange Golf Club): T18
LIV Golf Hong Kong (Hong Kong Golf Club): 1
LIV Golf Singapore (Sentosa Golf Club - Serapong Course): T32
LIV Golf Miami (Trump National Doral Golf Course): 3
LIV Golf Mexico City (Club De Golf Chapultepec): 50
LIV Golf Korea (Jack Nicklaus Golf Club Korea): T42
LIV Golf Virginia (Robert Trent Jones Golf Club): T38
LIV Golf Dallas (Maridoe Golf Club): T25

Majors

Masters Tournament (Augusta National Golf Club): Missed Cut
PGA Championship (Quail Hollow Club): T67

About the author

Shobhit is one of Sportskeeda’s most seasoned golf journalists, having already authored 3600+ articles and received nearly 5.7 million reads. Prior to his current role, he worked with the Asiana Times after completing his MSc in Geology, giving him a solid foundation in understanding the terrain, variety and challenges posed by various golf courses.

He is a keen follower of the sport and keeps himself updated about the latest trends, news and updates via social media and various news platforms. Shobhit is also methodical about accuracy, going through multiple articles from leading media houses and reputed sources before writing his own. Simultaneously, he specializes in writing reader-friendly content that conveys the necessary information in simple language.

Shobhit was a fan of Tiger Woods growing up, but of late, Nelly Korda, Scottie Scheffler and Ludvig Aberg have caught his attention.

He likes to spend his downtime singing and writing, while he is also an avid watcher of cricket and tennis.

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Edited by Shobhit Kukreti