Augusta National will welcome LIV Golf's top names that players from the breakaway tour will be eligible to compete in the 2023 Masters if they satisfy the established eligibility conditions.
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Augusta National will welcome LIV Golf’s top names, stating on December 20 that players from the breakaway tour will be eligible to compete in the 2023 Masters if they satisfy the established eligibility conditions. With players from the PGA Tour suspended for switching to the rebel circuit, the decision will be seen as a huge success for the Saudi-backed series. LIV Golf has enticed some of the greatest players on the US-based PGA Tour with large sums of money, resulting in a deepening rift within the sport.
There are 15 players on the LIV Tour that are currently qualified to compete at Augusta National. Six previous Masters champions from the LIV Tour are eligible to compete: Phil Mickelson (2004, 2006, 2010), Bubba Watson (2012, 2014), Dustin Johnson (2020), Patrick Reed (2018), Sergio Garcia (2017), and Charl Schwartzel (2011).
Four additional LIV golfers are eligible owing to previous major wins or FedEx Cup standings: Cameron Smith, the winner of the 2022 Open Championship, Bryson DeChambeau who won the 2020 U.S. Open), Brooks Koepka, the winner of the 2017 and 2018 U.S. Open, and Joaquin Niemann who is also in the top 30 in the FedEx Cup standings. Talor Gooch, Harold Varner III, Jason Kokrak, Kevin Na, and Louis Oosthuizen are the five more LIV golfers who rank in the top 50 in the world, which usually results in an invitation.
Read more: LIV Golf 2023: Mexico, Singapore, Spain announced as new venues
“Regrettably, recent actions have divided men’s professional golf by diminishing the virtues of the game and the meaningful legacies of those who built it. Although we are disappointed in these developments,” said the chairman of the Augusta National Golf Club, Fred Ridley. “Our focus is to honor the tradition of bringing together a preeminent field of golfers this coming April. We have reached a seminal point in the history of our sport, At Augusta National, we have faith that golf, which has overcome many challenges through the years, will endure again,” he added.
Eligible Players: Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, Sergio Garcia, Bubba Watson, Patrick Reed, Charl Schwartzel, Cameron Smith, Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka, Joaquin Niemann, Talor Gooch, Harold Varner III, Jason Kokrak, Kevin Na and Louis Oosthuizen
