LIV Golf’s first ever Qualifying School event will take place in Abu Dhabi next week, and former major champion – and PGA Tour stalwart – Jason Dufner is headlining the field
Jason Dufner, a previous winner of the PGA Championship, has entered the Abu Dhabi Golf Club promotion event hosted by LIV Golf in an attempt to secure a spot on the breakaway circuit.
The inaugural Qualifying School presented by LIV will take place in the Middle East the following week, with Dufner leading the field. In 2013, Dufner cemented his place in golf history by winning his one and only major championship at Oak Hill, defeating Jim Furyk by two strokes.
The American has played on the PGA Tour for nearly his whole professional career, but he has put this at risk by choosing to enroll in the Saudi-sponsored series’ Q-School in December.
Since the LIV setup’s launch last summer, players who have chosen to participate have been suspended by the Tour; players who have chosen to do so include Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, and Phil Mickelson. However, after the Tour gave its members permission to enter, it was assumed that LIV Promotions would arrive without any consequences.
The qualifying event was not a part of an “unauthorised series,” according to the American circuit, so no penalties would be imposed. A Tour representative stated, “It is determined to be a qualifying event only and not a part of an unauthorised series, based on the information publicly available regarding the LIV Golf Promotion event.”
Thus, the LIV Golf Promotion event does not fall under the category of “unauthorised tournament.” However, it was stated in recent weeks, according to Monday Q Info, that the PGA Tour had decided to change their position.
Players may request a tournament release off the circuit 45 days in advance, according to PGA Tour regulations. It is still unclear whether Dufner submitted his application before the deadline, as LIV announced its promotion event 48 days prior to the commencement of play in Abu Dhabi.
The American is not the only former Ryder Cup star to enter the three-day, 72-hole competition; Jeff Overton and Victor Dubuisson have also done so. Alvaro Quiros, a seven-time champion from Spain, and Kalle Samooja, the winner of the 2022 Porsche European Open, have committed to compete on the DP World Tour.
Many former LIV stars are competing to get back on the breakaway league roster. Chase Koepka, Sihwan Kim, Jediah Morgan, and James Piot—the four players who were demoted in 2023—will all be competing in Abu Dhabi, along with Laurie Canter, a former Majesticks GC and DP World Tour star.
The Q-School competition will span three days and four rounds. The top-20 finishers from the first round advance to the second round on Saturday, when a number of exempt players—including the four demoted stars, Canter, and major champion Dufner—will also be added.
The first round’s scores will be reset for round two, and then there will be a second cut that will see the top 20 advance to Sunday’s championship day. After that, the remaining players will compete over 36 holes, with a spot on the LIV setup guaranteed for the top three finishers.
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