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USGA CEO Mike Whan discusses LIV Golf's impact on the sport and its future during a media day for the U.S. Open. The conversation highlights changes in leadership and the significance of upcoming tournaments.
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SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y. â The disruption LIV Golf has brought to the professional game, and how the sport will look because of it in the future, continues to be the biggest looming question as the major championship season continues.
This week, the golf world will congregate in Philadelphia for the PGA Championship. But last week, all eyes were on the U.S. Open, which hosted a media day at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club ahead of the course hosting the 126th edition of the national championship June 18-21.
Front Office Sports caught up with USGA CEO Mike Whan, who opened up about LIVâs impact on golf, the sportâs shifting leadership landscape, and more. Some quotes have been lightly edited for brevity and clarity.
FOS**:** How do you grade LIV Golfâs U.S. Open exemptions that began last year? (The highest-ranked player, not otherwise qualified, inside the top 3 of LIVâs individual standings at the end of the 2025 season and as of May 18, 2026, earns exemptions into this yearâs tournament.)
Whan: LIV has got an incredible amount of talent there. We wanted to make sure that we didnât miss some of that talent. Iâve really been both impressed and pleased to see how many LIV players play in our qualifier each year and will again. If somebody goes out there and is beating champions that are already qualified here on a regular basis, we wanted to make sure we captured that. So, when we said, âLetâs take a look at who the top player is, and then weâll actually even take that down to top three, if there arenât any otherwise qualified,â that felt right, still feels right. What happens to LIV in the future? We look at our exemptions and our road to the U.S. Open every year. Weâll see what LIV looks like in a couple years and make the same decision we made a couple years ago.
FOS**:** How are golfâs leaders managing so much turnover with relatively new CEOs at the PGA Tour, PGA of America, R&A, and LIV Golf?
LIV Golf's U.S. Open exemptions allow the highest-ranked player in LIV's standings to qualify for the tournament, starting in 2025.
The 126th U.S. Open is scheduled for June 18-21, 2026.
The leadership landscape in golf is shifting due to the influence of LIV Golf and its impact on traditional tournaments and player participation.
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Whan: When I walked in as the commissioner of the LPGA in 2010, I remember looking around the room and thinking, âThese are all the old guys that people have talked about.â And now, Iâm probably that old guy, and virtually everybodyâs changed that room since 2010 when I first walked in, and even since I got to the USGA, I think everybodyâs changed in terms other than Augusta National chairman Fred Ridley and executive director Will Jones. So, it keeps me fresh. I want to make sure Iâm not the old guy holding us back for new ideas. But how often do we talk? Virtually all the time, as you can imagine. The business is just too interrelated, and itâs been fun kind of getting to watch it through some of the new eyes, like PGA of America CEO Terry Clark and PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp, and they come in with the same kind of perspective I probably came in with 15 years ago.
FOS**:** How does golf deal with Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelsonâs presence in the professional game diminishing?
Whan: I was commissioner of the LPGA for 12 years, and when youâre in that moment, I know that those athletesâand sometimes even their commissionerâcan feel like, âHow are we ever going to get past Lorena Ochoa?â Before me, they were probably saying, âHow are we going to get past Annika Sorenstam or Nancy Lopez?â Athletes step up, and now weâre talking about Nelly Kordaâs run or Jeeno Thitikul. It just happens. So, when you say no Tiger or Phil, Iâll never think about the 2026 Masters as that. Iâll think about it as the year that Rory threw a back-to-back on us. Thatâs what happens in sports. The next big ones step up, and the big ones are stepping up in the menâs and womenâs game as well.
FOS: Are you still pleased with the media-rights extension the USGA reached last year with NBC and Versant?
Whan: I didnât say it too publicly, but my hope was to keep the band together. I really like what NBC and the Golf Channel does in terms of not just the U.S Open, not just the womenâs open, but how they support our championshipsâhow they make the U.S. Amateur a big deal, the womenâs amateur, the Curtis Cup, the Walker Cup. I wasnât sure that every TV partner would think about golf. I knew they liked our big events, and there were a lot of people bidding on our big events, but I wanted to make sure we were with a partner that was going to raise the game. I really think one of the things weâre riding right now, on this high, is because we celebrate all kinds of golf. We celebrate the greatest in juniors and seniors and adaptive. Thatâs what I like about our deal, it keeps the band together, and I know that band is committed to more than just the U.S. Open.
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