MASTERS TO ALLOW LIV GOLFERS TO COMPETE; 16 CURRENTLY QUALIFIED

Of the 78 players on the latest qualification list as of Dec. 19, 16 are members of LIV Golf, including past Masters champions Sergio Garcia, Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson, Patrick Reed, Charl Schwartzel and Bubba Watson.

LIV Golf players meeting the criteria of recent major winners include Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka and Cameron Smith.

The other seven players currently meet qualifications based on their ranking inside the top 50 in the world: Joaquin Niemann (22), Abraham Ancer (30), Talor Gooch (40), Harold Varner III (44), Jason Kokrak (46), Kevin Na (48) and Louis Oosthuizen (49). Players who finish the calendar year ranked in the top 50 qualify for a Masters invitation, as do players ranked in the top 50 during the week prior to the Masters.

Oosthuizen, who lost to Watson on the second hole of a playoff in the 2012 Masters, is expected to finish 50th when the year's final rankings are released. The Stinger GC captain told the Golf Channel he was "very happy and grateful" to get an invite.

"At the end of the day, golf is bigger than any tour or players," Oosthuizen said.

DeChambeau, the Crushers GC captain, also spoke to the Golf Channel. “As long as you meet the criteria established by the tournament committee, you should be eligible to play," the 2020 U.S. Open champ said. "I believe they made the right decision. This Masters will be one of the most exciting Masters in many years.”

Ridley said that invitations will be sent out this week. The 2023 Masters is scheduled for April 6-9.

Earlier this year, LIV Golf sought inclusion in the Official World Golf Ranking and remains hopeful that its tournaments will be given world ranking points, one of the key pathways to qualifying for the majors.

LIV Golf has unveiled the dates and locations of seven of its 14 tournaments for 2023, with the remaining events to be announced in the coming weeks. The official LIV Golf League schedule will take place between February and September and will not compete with the majors, international team events or heritage events

“I would say my comment about the majors, I just hope they stay Switzerland,” LIV Golf Commissioner and CEO Greg Norman said last month. “They want the best field. They don't want to miss out on a Cam Smith or a Dustin Johnson or any of the players. They want the best players in the field because they have a responsibility to their broadcasters. They have a responsibility to their institution, which is the Masters, the Open, the U.S. Open or the PGA of America. They should not take sides. If they do take sides, it tells you that maybe there should be a bit of a look into the way the structure of their boards are.

“But at the end of the day, they should stay Switzerland for the betterment of the game, and the game of golf, that's the most important thing coming out of all this, competition is the best thing. The Masters should always be among the top four most elevated events, and they're going to have the best competition when they have the best competitors, all the competitors playing in their events.”

This article has been updated with player reaction.

BEST MASTERS FINISH

The best Masters result for each of the 16 LIV Golf players set to receive a 2023 invite