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No changes will be made to the Masters Tournament invitation criteria for next year.
Augusta National Golf Club chairman Fred Ridley announced the news Tuesday, saying via statement that the club will “invite those eligible under our current criteria to compete in the 2023 Masters Tournament.” He added that any modification to such criteria for future years will be announced in April.
“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,” Ridley said. “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.”
Though Ridley didn’t mention LIV Golf by name, the announcement means that LIV members who qualify for the 2023 Masters will be allowed to play. Currently, there are 10 LIV players exempt into next year’s tournament, including past champions Sergio Garcia, Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson, Patrick Reed, Charl Schwartzel and Bubba Watson.
Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka, Cameron Smith and Joaquin Niemann are also already in the 2023 field while Abraham Ancer, Talor Gooch, Harold Varner III, Jason Kokrak, Kevin Na and Louis Oosthuizen are all in position to lock up Masters berth via the year’s final Official World Golf Ranking.
“As long as you meet the criteria established by the tournament committee, you should be eligible to play,” DeChambeau told Golf Channel on Tuesday. “I believe they made the right decision. This Masters will be one of the most exciting Masters in many years.”
Added Oosthuizen, who is projected to finish No. 50 in the year’s final OWGR: “Very happy and grateful. At the end of the day, golf is bigger than any tour or players.”
LIV Golf is still seeking OWGR points for its events, though its members have been permitted to compete on other tours, mostly the DP World Tour and Asian Tour, to keep earning them. The PGA Tour has continued to…
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