Which LIV Golf players are playing at the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth?
18 players from the LIV Golf Tour roster will tee it up at the BMW PGA Championship next week, following the withdrawal of two-time major champion Martin Kaymer.
Rory McIlroy said that he would find it hard to stomach 18 players from the LIV Golf Invitational Series teeing it up in the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth.
The outlook hasn't gotten better for the Northern Irishman as he will still have to face 18 of them now, despite Martin Kaymer deciding he didn't want to play in a tournament where he clearly wasn't welcome.
Each LIV rebel was told they would not be welcome to play in the pro-am on Wednesday, which features a number of celebrities, and they were advised not to wear LIV clothing.
These are the likely reasons why former World No.1 Kaymer didn't want to play in the DP World Tour's flagship event, but the rest of the rebels have held their ground.
Lee Westwood, Ian Poulter and Sergio Garcia are players with who McIlroy has spent great memories during the Ryder Cup. They have each built partnerships and created iconic moments in European golf history.
Despite McIlroy being such a strong advocate of the PGA Tour and against the LIV Golf Series, this was one of the first concerns he has expressed with personal relationships he has with defectors.
The PGA Tour has suspended their players who moved to the Saudi-backed series, but the DP World Tour have been more lenient and are currently allowing them to compete.
The DP World Tour, formerly the European Tour, has nowhere near the financial power or the strength of the field that the PGA Tour has which explains CEO Keith Pelley's leniency, as well as not constitutionally being able to suspend players too.
McIlroy will join Matt Fitzpatrick, Jon Rahm, Shane Lowry, Viktor Hovland and Billy Horschel in what is still an exciting and world-class line-up.
Here is the list of LIV Golf players who are on the entry list for the 2023 BMW PGA Championship:
- Abraham Ancer
- Talor Gooch
- Patrick Reed
- Lee Westwood
- Sergio Garcia
- Bernd Wiesberger
- Sam Horsfield
- Pablo Larrazabal
- Richard Bland
- Graeme McDowell
- Justin Harding
- Shaun Norris
- Branden Grace
- Ian Poulter
- Laurie Canter
- Adrian Otaegui
- Wade Ormsby
- Oliver Bekker