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The PGA Championship field has been confirmed for the second men’s Major of 2023 and there are 18 LIV players set to feature, including Paul Casey.
The Englishman didn’t manage to qualify through the various different routes but has been entered into the field at Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, New York.
Casey would have automatically qualified had he been in the world’s top 100, as golfers from the most recent Ryder Cup who are in the top 100 make it in, although he missed out on that after slipping to 131st.
Under the entry requirements, the PGA of America says that it “reserves the right to invite additional players not included in the categories listed above.”
It appears that the PGA of America is honoring its exemption to him last year after he was out injured. He finished T4th in the 2021 PGA Championship so was qualified for the event at Southern Hills but couldn’t play due to a back problem.
Of the 12 members of the 2021 European Ryder Cup team, Casey is the only one outside the top 100 to have received an invite, with fellow LIV players Ian Poulter, Lee Westwood, Sergio Garcia and Bernd Wiesberger all missing out.
The 45-year-old joined LIV in July last year and currently plays for Bryson DeChambeau’s Crushers GC team along with Anirban Lahiri and Charles Howell III.
His best ever Major finish came in the PGA Championship in 2020, where he was T2nd at TPC Harding Park in San Francisco, California.
Casey wasn’t the only player to receive a special invite, with 2012 US Open champion Webb Simpson also getting one. The World No.150 has lost form over the past couple of years after reaching a career-high of 4th in the world in July 2020.
PGA of America chief Seth Waugh confirmed in February that LIV players would be allowed to compete in the championship. He said: “Our decisions are always based on what’s in the best interest of the PGA of America and conducting the best championship possible.
“Sadly the current division in the professional game is not good for the sport or the future of the game. We hope there might be some resolution soon. In the meantime, as always, our focus will be on our mission to grow the game and improve the lives of our members, who work so hard to impact millions of lives every day.”
An identical number of 18 LIV players teed it up in The Masters last month, with Brooks Koepka and Phil Mickelson finishing T2nd, while Patrick Reed was a shot further back in a tie for fourth.
There are three PGA Championship winners who…
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