All eyes will be on the Masters in April. It will be the first time this season that LIV Golf Series golfers will tee up alongside PGA Tour golfers.
LIV golfers recently got clearance to enter the Masters. August National Golf Club and Masters Tournament Chairman Fred Ridley extended invitations to 17 LIV golfers.
‘We will invite those eligible under our current criteria to compete in the 2023 Masters Tournament,’ Ridley said in a statement, via The Palm Beach Post. ‘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, our focus is to honor the tradition of bringing together a preeminent field of golfers this coming April.’
Here is everything to know about LIV golfers joining the 2023 Masters:
Tension between LIV Golf and the PGA Tour
LIV Golf is financed by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund and poached several golfers in recent years. Top golfers, such as Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson and Brooks Koepka, defected from the PGA Tour to join the upstart league.
The division has impacted many PGA Tour tournaments. However, the majors have decided to welcome LIV golfers. The Masters is the latest to follow suit after LIV golfers competed in the 2022 U.S. Open and British Open last year.
When is the 2023 Masters?
The 2023 Masters begins April 6 at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia. Scottie Scheffler won the 2022 tournament with three stroke victory over Rory McIlroy.
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Which LIV golfers received invitation to the Masters?
The Masters invited 17 LIV golfers to the annual tournament. The group includes former Masters winners Sergio Garcia, Dustin Johnson and Phil Mickelson among others. Here is the complete list of LIV golfers invited:
Abraham AncerBryson DeChambeauSergio GarciaTalor GoochDustin JohnsonBrooks KoepkaJason KokrakPhil MickelsonKevin NaJoaquin NiemannLouis OosthuizenThomas PietersPatrick ReedCharl SchwartzelCameron SmithHarold VarnerBubba Watson
LIV golfers who have won the Masters
There are six LIV golfers that have won the Masters in their careers. Dustin Johnson is the last winner among the LIV Golf contingent. Johnson won in 2020 after setting a tournament record at 20 strokes under par.
Other winners include Patrick Reed (2018), Sergio Garcia (2017) and Charl Schawartzel (2011). Meanwhile, Bubba Watson and Phil Mickelson have won the Masters multiple times. Watson is a two-time winner (2012, 2014) and Mickelson has won three times (2004, 2006, 2010) in his career.
Will LIV Golf have access to the Masters Champions Dinner?
According to the Palm Beach Post, LIV golfers that previously won the Masters will have a spot at the Champions Dinner. The special celebration, which began in 1952, occurs the Tuesday night before the opening round and the defending champion will choose the menu.