The world of golf had been waiting for a long time for the response of the four major tournaments as to whether the players enrolled in the LIV could participate in the most important events on the annual calendar. The Augusta Masters has been the first to speak out and today issued a statement signed by its president Fred S.
Ridley, to announce that there will be no changes to the invitation criteria for next year, although he does not rule out modifying them for 2024 All this has several possible readings.
Masters 2023, golfers
The writing speaks of players such as Gene Sarazen, Byron Nelson, Ben Hogan, Sam Snead, Arnold Palmer, Gary Player, Tom Watson, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods, who “have supported the sport and, therefore, all those who benefit from it.”
In addition, he stresses: “Golf is better thanks to them.” Then, the letter from Augusta National goes on to analyze the situation: “Unfortunately, recent actions have divided men’s professional golf by diminishing the virtues of the game and the significant legacy of those who built it.”
Although the Masters does not seem enthusiastic about the LIV’s way of working, what does seem quite clear is that it does not share its competition model. The note continues to define the position of the ‘major’ that awards the green jacket to its winner: “Although we are disappointed with this development, our goal is to honor the tradition of bringing together a pre-eminent cast of golfers next April.
Therefore As invitations go out this week, we will invite those players who are eligible based on our current criteria to compete in the 2023 Masters Championship. As we have said in the past, we look at all aspects of the tournament every year, and any changes or change in invitation criteria for future events will be announced next April.”
In short, the Masters will maintain, for 2023, the invitation to its champions and to all the players who are within the ‘top 50’ of the world ranking, regardless of the circuits to which the players are attached.
LIV golfers are not banned, although the presence of players such as Joaquín Niemann (#22), Abraham Ancer (#30), Talor Gooch (#40), Harold Varner III (#44), Louis Ooosthuizen (#48), Brooks Koepka is seriously endangered (49th) or Bryson DeChambeau (nº65).
By not scoring the LIV tournaments for the world ranking, everything will depend on what they can do in a handful of events on the Asian circuit. The place of Cameron Smith, current champion of The Players and the British Open, is not in danger, since he is the current number 3 in the world, he still has a lot of margin.
