Augusta National remained true to its current method for filling the Masters Tournament field.
Imagine the ugly consequences – unless you are fond of swarming attorneys — if Fred Ridley, chairman, had drawn a line at the bunker to ban the Saudi tour golfers from the annual “tradition unlike no other.”
CBS and other media interested parties must be delighted from a dollars-and cents perspective. The Masters doesn’t require outside support to attract big ratings, but current events will ensure that there is even more worldwide interest in 2023.
Imagine yourself heading to the Masters Sunday with Rory McIlroy and Patrick Reed. Reed is LIV Golf’s most famous player for his petulance and unprofessional PR moves. McIlroy is one of the top three golfers in the world and has also been the most vocal defender of the PGA Tour’s time-honored method of doing things.
Although we could imagine a Tiger Woods-Phil Mickelson pairing, let’s not forget about the moon shot.
Granted, none of the possible Establishment-versus-LIV scenarios is preferred by those who market the game’s traditions and standards.
Augusta National currently lists 19 ways a golfer could qualify for the Masters. The “past Masters champ”, which is a list of past Masters champions, leads the list with a lifetime exemption. (To be more precise, this exemption is for the lifetime ability of a past champ to compete fairly well).
This is how six LIV golfers are qualified: Mickelson Reed, Dustin Johnson and Charl Schwartzel. Sergio Garcia is the sixth. A five-year Masters exemption is granted to those who win one of the three other majors. This is how Cameron Smith and Brooks Koepka made it onto the list.
The following seven invites are listed under No. 18: The criteria is Top 50 in the world rankings at the end the previous calendar year. These seven were Joaquin Niemann (Talor Gooch), Abraham Ancer III, Jason Kokrak and Kevin Na. Louis Oosthuizen was also among them.
If they don’t win the ’23 Masters or any of the three other majors, those seven could be playing in their last Masters. LIV tournaments are not recognized by the Official World Golf Ranking. They are therefore unlikely to make it out of the top 50.
DeChambeau, Smith and Koepka may be removed from the invite list over time depending on how they perform in the three majors.
Currently, the U.S. Open, British Open, and PGA Championship top four finishers earn invitations to next year’s Masters. The emphasis is on “currently.”
Ridley stated in his announcement that “as we have in the past, look at every aspect the Tournament each year and any modifications or changes in invitation criteria for future Tournaments’ will be announced in April.”
Augusta National appears to have hit the right spot with its current method of building a Masters field that includes six amateurs. It would be immoral to try to make it work, and to get rid of those who are deemed rebellious, as well as a waste of ratings.
The big picture perspective is that the Saudi Arabia angle and the constant drumbeat reminding everyone of the nation’s connection with 9/11 are a significant part of this. Some might argue that it is appropriate to have 16 of the most prestigious golfers in the world, forced to answer questions again and defend their decision not to make the single-generational kind of money their main ambition.
So it is again asked: “Tell me again, how was this supposed to improve our image?”
