The competition is open to golfers who are:

1) PGA Members in good standing in the Long Island Section.

2) PGA Associates, employed at a golf facility in the Long Island section, who are enrolled in the Professional Golf Management (‘PGM’).

3) Golf Professionals who are residents of Long Island and not employed outside the Long Island section at the time of the tournament.

4) Golf Professionals who are dues paying members, with full golfing privileges, at MGA Member Clubs in the Long Island Section, and an individual up to-date Handicap Index based on ratings for men not exceeding 4.0 under the USGA Rules of Handicapping. A Golf Professional may not join an MGA member club in the Long Island Section for the sole purpose of gaining entry to the Long Island Open.

5) Amateur members of MGA Member Clubs on Long Island, members of the MGA eClub – Long Island or USGA/MGA GC who reside on Long Island, and members of the MGA eClub – New York City or USGA/MGA GC who reside in Brooklyn, Staten Island, Queens, or Manhattan* with an individual up-to-date Handicap Index based on ratings for men not exceeding 4.0 under the USGA Rules of Handicapping.
*MGA eClub – NYC or USGA/MGA GC members who reside in Manhattan may play in either LIGA or WGA events, not both.


6) Applicants for Amateur Reinstatement and Professionals who are members at Long Island MGA Member Clubs with an individual up-to-date Handicap Index based on ratings for men not exceeding 4.0 under the USGA Rules of Handicapping. A professional may not join a club for the sole purpose of entering the LI Open.

1. All Past LIGA Open Champions

2. Top 30 Low scores and ties in the 2024 Long Island Open Championship.

3. 2025 Long Island Met PGA Championship Semifinalists

4. Top 5 and ties in the 2024 Met PGA Championship, NYS Open and Met Open Championship

5. 2024 Hoffhine Memorial Championship

6. 2024 Met PGA Assistants Champion

7. Top 25 on the Met PGA Player of the Year list from the Long Island Section (Farley Cup)*

8. Qualifiers for the 2025 PGA Championship, U.S. Open Final Qualifier, U.S. Senior Open, & 2024 U.S. Open

9. 2024 Long Island Senior Open Champion and Low Amateur

10. 2024 Long Island Amateur Semifinalists

11. Current Champion and Runner-Up of; Richardson, LI Mid-Am, & Hebron

12. Current Champion of Richardson Senior Division, LI Junior, and LI Senior Am

13. 2024 Met Amateur Championship; all competitors who qualify for match play

14. Top 5 Low scores and ties at the 2024 Ike

15. Top 10 on the 2024 LIGA Player of the Year list

16. 2024 Senior Amateur Player of the Year

17. 2024 MGA Player of the Year Honor Roll

18. Qualifiers for the 2024 U.S. Amateur and match play contestants for the 2024 U.S. Mid Amateur.

19. Top 500 WAGR Ranking at the time of entry.

20. Competitors in the most recent Stoddard Trophy Team Matches

21. Past U.S. Open and PGA Champions

22. USGA Champions and members of the Walker Cup team from the past 10 years

23. 2 Professional Representatives from the host club and the Club Champion.

24. LIGA Special Exemptions

*Players who are new to the LI section and would be eligible for an exemption based off of their standing on the prior year Met PGA Player of the Year List are exempt under category 7.

Exempt Players List