Something about this seems to rub me wrong.
"By invitation only" sounds more like a Country Club event than a legitimate sporting event to me.
There may be some venues where a select field makes sense, but for the most part an OPEN tournament is the real deal. You don't know who will show up. And the possibility exists that the best player may be one you never heard of.
I understand that this years US OPEN will not be an open, but a Country Club event instead.
Don't mean to defend un-sportsman like conduct detrimental to the sport, but I have concerns that the baby might be getting thrown out with the bath water here.
I'm of the belief that any contest that wishes to crown a champion can only be taken seriously if it is open to all competitors.
Sometimes there are more than two sides to the coin.
In other words, there isn't a single professional event in any sport that you take seriously.
As to who is going to play, and who isn't, just because someone isn't there, doesn't mean they are not eligible to be invited. There are only 16 spots available if I read it correctly. That leaves a number of people out anyways. That said, if you ever wanted a lock on a bet, bet that Rodney won't be there.
