Garcia looks to hold off Herbert, Munoz for LIV Golf’s Open Championship exemption

CARROLLTON, Texas – LIV Golf Dallas presented by Aramco marks the final chance for the league's players vying for the highly coveted LIV Golf exemption into next month’s Open Championship at Royal Portrush.

At the start of the year, The R&A introduced a new Open Championship qualification pathway, leveraging LIV Golf's season-long Individual Championship standings. The top non-exempt player within the top five after Sunday’s final round in Dallas will secure a spot in the last major of the 2025 season, scheduled for July 17-20 at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland.

The top three currently atop the points standings are Joaquin Niemann, Bryson DeChambeau and Jon Rahm, all of whom are already exempt for The Open.

Sitting at No. 4 in the standings is Fireballs GC captain Sergio Garcia, who is unexempt and determined to hold his position in order to make his 26th Open appearance and 102nd major championship start.

For the first half of the season, Garcia was playing some of the best golf of his career. He finished T6 at Riyadh to kick off 2025 before winning in Hong Kong. The Spaniard then posted top 5 finishes at both the International Series Macau and LIV Golf Miami in consecutive starts.

However, the 45-year-old has since seen his form fall precipitously. After missing the cut at the Masters in April, Garcia then finished 50th in Mexico City, T42 in Korea, T67 at the PGA Championship, and T38 in Virginia. Heading into LIV Golf Dallas, Garcia stressed his commitment to delivering a strong performance.

"Well, the first thing that I'm focused on is playing well,” Garcia said. “And I know that if I do that, I have a good chance of holding that spot.

Obviously, it would be amazing to be at Royal Portrush and be at The Open again after missing for a couple of years. But at the end of the day, I just have to focus on playing well and whatever happens, happens.”

Garcia's career includes 10 top-10 finishes at The Open, with near-misses as runner-up in 2007 and 2014.

Hot on Garcia’s heels, just seven points back, is Ripper GC’s Lucas Herbert in fifth. Herbert, who has four Open starts under his belt, including a T15 in 2022, played a pivotal role in Ripper’s Team Championship victory at Maridoe last year and is poised to make a run at the Open Championship exemption.

Reflecting on his pursuit of another Open appearance, the Australian admitted the final LIV Golf exemption spot will be on his mind this week. If he doesn’t overtake Garcia and claim the spot, he is scheduled to play in the 36-hole final qualifier next Tuesday at England’s West Lancashire.

“Hopefully not too much, but I'm sure it'll creep in a little bit,” he said. “It's super important, I love The Open. You know, [Herbert’s caddie, Nick Pugh] being from the UK as well, it's his one major. I think if we could pick one for the year, he would pick that one.

“I played three or four of them now and love, love my opportunities when I have gotten them to play it. So, yeah, if I can get another one, that'd be great.”

This season, Herbert has four top 10s on LIV Golf, as well as a win at the International Series Japan, bolstering his confidence in contending for the exemption.

“I feel like my game is trending in the right way as well,” he said. “So, if I can play well enough this week or on Tuesday to be able to get in, then my game's probably in a good enough spot to be able to go and contend.”

Torque GC’s Sebastián Muñoz, less than 10 points behind Garcia, is also in contention. His last Open appearance was in 2022, but he is arguably playing the best golf of his career, boasting top 20 finishes in six of eight events this season.

When asked about chasing The Open spot, Muñoz said, “I mean, I guess it depends how close I am to getting it. You know, I feel like I've been playing good. I know that I’ve got to beat [Garcia] by more than 10 points. So, it's just about putting in the rounds and see if we're close. And if we are, then trying to get it done.”

The Colombian played his college golf at the University of North Texas, which utilizes Maridoe Golf Club as their home course. Last year, he had the round of the week at the course in the LIV Golf Team Championship, firing an 8-under 64 in the final round.

Although Herbert and Muñoz have the best shot to catch Garcia, there are technically 10 non-exempt players alive in the hunt to surpass him: Herbert, Muñoz, Dean Burmester, David Puig, Charl Schwartzel, Anirban Lahiri, Adrian Meronk, Thomas Pieters, Talor Gooch, and Abraham Ancer. With 40 points awarded to a LIV Golf individual winner, a victory could vault The Open hopefuls into the fourth spot in the individual standings after LIV Golf Dallas.