Augusta National Announces Decision on LIV Golfers Competing in 2023 Masters

On Tuesday, via a statement from Augusta National Chairman Fred Ridley, the Masters Tournament announced that it will invite all eligible players under the event’s current criteria, including LIV Golf members. 

“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 wrote. “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.”

As the Masters criteria currently stands, 16 LIV Golf members will be invited to play at Augusta National come April. Those players include six past winners of the major championship: Sergio Garcia, Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson, Patrick Reed, Charl Schwartzel and Bubba Watson.

Cameron Smith, Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka, and Joaquin Niemann will also receive invitations, despite the fact that they joined the Saudi-backed rival league. Smith, DeChambeau and Koepka are all eligible via major championship victories in the last five years.

Lastly, LIV members Talor Gooch, Harold Varner III, Jason Kokrak, Kevin Na, Abraham Ancer and Louis Oosthuizen are all currently ranked in the top 50 of the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR), meaning they will be invited to Augusta as well. Oosthuizen qualified on the number at No. 50. Gooch is eligible both through world ranking and as a player who qualified for the previous year’s season-ending Tour Championship, which he was not permitted to compete in.  

The OWGR is expected to stay the same until the start of the new year. 

Although Ridley’s letter explained that Augusta’s invitation criteria will not change for 2023, it did note that changes for future Masters Tournaments would only be announced in April. Traditionally, these changes are announced the Wednesday before the major championship during Ridley’s annual press conference. 

“As we have said in the past, 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,” Ridley wrote. 

“We have reached a seminal point in the history of our sport. At Augusta National, we have faith that golf, which has overcome many challenges throughout the years, will endure again,” he continued.