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Augusta National is allowing LIV golfers to play The Masters. Officials made the call on Tuesday and released a statement allowing LIV golfers to attend the event. The decision came amid a raging LIV Golf-PGA Tour debate.
The role of LIV golfers at The Masters has been a hot topic of discussion ever since the inception of the Saudi-backed tour. Now, the private club in Augusta, Georgia, has clarified that any player who meets its qualification criteria can play at the event. Reacting to this, several PGA Tour players came forward to state that they would be happy to have the rebel league players “if they qualified” by the given criteria.
PGA Tour players react to LIV golfers playing at The Masters
According to Golfweek, past Masters champions, Jordan Spieth and Trevor Immelman seemed on board with the idea of letting LIV golfers play at the event. While Spieth said, “sure. If they have qualified,” Immelman had some explanation.
He said:
“If they have qualified via various criteria, yes. It is an invitational though so the Masters can decide on its own criteria.”
Justin Thomas was one pro who seemed to be fully on board with the decision. The PGA Tour star, who had earlier quashed rumors of moving to LIV himself, said that players like Cameron Smith and Dustin Johnson deserved to play in the coveted event.
Replying to Golfweek, Thomas said:
“If they’ve qualified, if they’re good enough. I don’t think it’s just a pity invite. DJ, Cam Smith, P Reed, Charl, they’ve earned it and they definitely deserve to play.”
Xander Schauffele, Tony Finau, Billy Horschel, Stewart Cink and Matt Kuchar are other PGA Tour stars who spoke in support of the move. While Schauffele and Kuchar said that they didn’t see a reason to bar LIV golfers at the event, Finau was more adamant about following the eligibility criteria.
Max Homa was another golfer who completely supported the notion. The golfer went on to state that the event wouldn’t be the same without the “best players.”
He said:
“Yeah, the majors would be lesser without the best players. Cam Smith is one of the best players in the world, Dustin Johnson is one of the best players in the world, they should absolutely be allowed to play. I don’t think any of us have a problem with that.”
Some PGA Tour pros remain neutral
Tommy Fleetwood, Jim Furyk and Collin Morikawa sounded like real neutrals. The trio simply stated that it was The Masters’ call whether they should allow LIV golfers or not. Pointing out that the event was an invitational one, the golfers said that it was normal for any qualified player to attend the Masters.
Meanwhile, Kevin Kisner is one golfer with a strong opinion. Reacting to LIV golfers’ place at The Masters, the American suggested that only the past champions of the event be called-up.
He said:
“Past champions, maybe. That’s probably about it. That’s going to be an interesting one, though.”
It is pertinent to note that several LIV members are eligible to be invited to The Masters 2023 as of now. It’ll be interesting to see how the event turns out amid the LIV-PGA fight.
