Phil Mickelson’s Teammate Teases a Massive Loophole for PGA Tour Pros for a Chance Into LIV Golf’s Millions

The LIV Golf's 2024 season ended in Dallas as the all-Australian team, the Ripper GC of Cameron Smith, Marc Leishman, and more lifted the Silver cup and made incredible memories. Now the breakaway circuit goes on a long hiatus until it returns in December. Does it mean that the 2025 season starts from there? No, LIV Golf usually holds its own qualifying event for the upcoming season in an event called the LIV Golf promotions. Last time, it was held in Abu Dhabi, the 2024 event's date and venue are still to be released. But Phil Mickelson's teammate has given a little detail about the upcoming field.

Andy Ogletree, who joined the HyFlyers GC in 2024, was the latest guest at the LIV Golf's Fairway to Heaven podcast. There, the 26-year-old confirmed his team for the 2025 season and also talked about the LIV Golf Promotion. He said, "I think the promotions event is going to be a little bigger this year. I've heard some rumors that some more PGA [Tour] players are going to go over and play it..." If the rumors are true, the field might have a few PGA Tour names and they would not risk getting suspended from the league either. How so, you ask?

Well, the PGA Tour suspends the players when they play in "unauthorized events" by the Tour like LIV Golf events. But the Promotion event is a qualifying event, and the field doesn't become part of LIV Golf just by playing in it. Thus, a few players who were part of the 2023 Promotion event still played on the PGA Tour or its sanctioned events. For example, Martin Trainer teed up in 17 PGA Tour events, Kevin Chappell played 15 and Braden Thornberry was part of 24 Korn Ferry Tour events, showing that the PGA Tour didn't suspend these players despite their participating in the LIV Golf Promotions.

A similar ruling may follow even this year as per Ogletree many PGA Tour pros are allegedly lined up to try their luck at the LIV Golf Promotion and hopefully, earn the 2025 season card. But last time as well, it was reported that many PGA Tour players are lined however, only a few rarely recognized faces teed up.

Last year, the event was held from December 8th to 10th, this season the same schedule might be followed for LIV Golf Promotion. Even the format of the event in 2023 was a lot different from the PGA Tour Q-School and it may remain the same even this season. But what was the format?

LIV Golf Promotion format From the dates given, one may think that the LIV Golf Promotion event may be a 54-hole stroke play, but going against their usual format of the regular season, the qualifying event has four rounds. The difference is rounds three and four are played on the final day together. Last year, LIV Golf made two categories, A and B. The golfers in category A would play 18-hole stroke play and the top 20 players would move to round two.

Those in category B would get byes into round 2 as it has eligible players as major winners, PGA Tour or DP World Tour winners, leading players from DP World Tour and Korn Ferry Tour Order of Merits, the Ryder Cup or Presidents Cup participants from the last five and more. After every round, the scores will reset, and then from round 2 top 20 will forward to the next stage. The top 20 from there will then go to the final round where the top 3 will be decided after a 36-hole shootout, in case of ties, a playoff will be followed.

In 2023, the LIV Golf promotions had a $1.5 million prize purse for the field, with the first seed getting $200,000. There are still two months for the promotion event to kick start and if it is true that many PGA Tour pros will be in the field, it surely be an enthralling event to watch.