The Masters Stands By Rankings, Will Allow LIV Golfers

LIV Golf League players won’t be left out of next year’s Masters tournament.

Augusta National Golf Club announced that any golfer who qualified for the major championship based on its current criteria will be able to play.

The top 50 players in the Official World Golf Rankings are invited. Additionally, players in the top 50 the week prior to the 2023 event will get an invitation. Invitations to the tournament — which takes place in Augusta, Georgia, on April 6-9 — will be sent this week.

There are 16 golfers on the LIV Tour eligible to compete.

• Six of them are previous winners of the Masters: Phil Mickelson, Bubba Watson, Dustin Johnson, Patrick Reed, Sergio Garcia, and Charl Schwartzel.
• Cameron Smith, Bryson DeChambeau, and Brooks Koepka are eligible thanks to their major wins.

“Our focus is to honor the tradition of bringing together a preeminent field of golfers this coming April,” Augusta National Golf Club chairman Fred Ridley said. 

“We look at every aspect of the Tournament each year, and any modifications or changes to invitation criteria for future Tournaments will be announced in April.”

LIV’s Lawsuit

An August lawsuit filed by Mickelson, DeChambeau, and nine other LIV golfers accused Ridley of working behind the scenes for the PGA Tour and instructing players in this year’s tournament to not defect to LIV Golf. 

The lawsuit also accused Augusta National of threatening “to disinvite players from The Masters if they joined LIV Golf.”