Anthony Kim eyes major starts thanks to huge win (and rule changes)

Anthony Kim could qualify for 2026 majors thanks to his huge LIV Adelaide win and key rule changes.

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Anthony Kim could qualify for the majors in 2026 after his LIV Adelaide win. Here's how.Brenton Edwards / AFP via Getty Images

Anthony Kim stunned the golf world this weekend with a monumental victory at the 2026 LIV Golf Adelaide event. It was seismic due to the fact that Kim had struggled greatly on the course since his comeback began two years ago. And because it was his first win in 16 years (not to mention he walloped Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau in the process).
But there’s at least one way Kim could take his shocking comeback to a whole other level: by playing in this year’s major championships.
Surprisingly, Kim is currently in position to qualify for two majors in 2026 (the U.S. Open and Open Championship), which would be his first major starts since 2011. Not only that, he also has potential pathways into the other two (the Masters and PGA Championship). And he has two new exemption criteria and one rule change to thank.
Here’s what you need to know.
Anthony Kim’s 2026 Masters qualification status
The first, and arguably most important, major of the year is the 2026 Masters, set for April 9-12 at Augusta National. Kim recorded his best-ever major finish (T3) at the 2010 Masters. He made his last appearance in 2011.
Kim’s pathway to his first Masters appearance in 15 years may be the toughest of all the majors. Barring a surprise special invitation, the only way Kim can qualify for the 2026 Masters is by reaching the top 50 in the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) by April 6.
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Thanks to a key rule change enacted this year, Kim has a realistic chance of making it happen. Ahead of the 2026 LIV season, the OWGR officially recognized LIV Golf for the first time. Now, the top-10 finishers in LIV events earn world ranking points.
That change paid off big for Kim on Sunday. Thanks to his LIV Adelaide victory, Kim vaulted from 847th to 203rd in the OWGR. He still needs to make up 153 spots by April to earn tee times at the 2026 Masters.
With only three LIV tournaments left before the Masters, Kim will likely need another win or two to make it to Augusta.
Anthony Kim’s 2026 PGA Championship qualification status
Kim’s pathway into May’s PGA Championship at Aronimink, the second major of the year, is also dependent on the world ranking. The PGA Championship’s exemption criteria based on world ranking are not set in stone as with the Masters, but they tend to be more generous.
Traditionally, players ranked within the Top 100 of the OWGR ahead of the tournament get invitations to play the PGA. That’s 50 fewer world ranking spots for Kim to climb, and he’ll have more time to get it done than he will for the Masters.
Anthony Kim’s 2026 U.S. Open qualification status
As with the Masters and PGA Championship, Kim can earn a spot in the 2026 U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills via the world ranking.
The U.S. Open awards spots to anyone ranked in the Top 60 by May 18 or the week before the tournament. So Kim could earn a tee time that way.
But that’s not his only pathway into the tournament.
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Last year, the USGA announced a new special exemption into the 2025 and 2026 U.S. Opens for LIV players. For the 2026 event, “the top player who is not otherwise exempt and in the top 3 of the 2026 LIV Golf Individual Standings as of May 18, 2026” will get an exemption into the tournament.
So Kim just needs to be in the Top 3 of this year’s LIV Individual standings to earn a spot in the U.S. Open, so long as players above him are already exempt.
And it’s well within reach for AK. After his win at LIV Adelaide, Kim sits in second in the LIV Individual standings with only Rahm ahead of him.
Additionally, “local exemptions” into the 36-hole final stage of U.S. Open qualifying “will be awarded to the top 10 players from the final 2025 LIV Golf Individual Standings as well as the top 10 players from the 2026 Individual Standings as of April 6, 2026.” So Kim could earn a spot in the qualifying tournament via the LIV standings and play his way in.
Anthony Kim’s 2026 Open Championship qualification status
When it comes to the 2026 Open at Royal Birkdale, Kim’s chances of qualifying are similar to the U.S. Open.
The Open Championship will offer spots to the top 50 in the OWGR as of late May.
But the Open is also offering a LIV-specific exemption into the 2026 event. According to the R&A, an Open spot will be awarded to “the first player and anyone tying for that place, not otherwise exempt, in the 2026 LIV Golf Individual Season Standings on completion of LIV Golf Louisiana.”
As with the U.S. Open, Kim is currently in position to earn this Open exemption based on his No. 2 position in the LIV Individual standings. He’ll need to maintain his position through the end of LIV Golf Louisiana on June 28th to make it to the Open in July.