AUGUSTA GA. — There was a lot of talk about golf. How did Tiger look? What about the change at No. 13? 13? – Monday’s first practice round saw the field for the 87th Masters Tournament in full force.
LIV Golf cast an unavoidable shadow over the tournament and how it could impact the tournament in many ways. LIV Golf has 18 players in the field, many of whom were formerly part of the PGA Tour. This has caused disruptions like nothing else at the professional level.
LIV didn’t begin its first season until June 9, 2022. It used multi-million-dollar contracts and purses in order to attract a lot of PGA Tour players. Some took verbal shots at their old tours on their way out, creating a bitter feeling among their former colleagues. A possible scenario is that a PGA Tour player could face a LIV golfer on Sunday.
Masters leaderboard : The latest news from Augusta
Six LIV players, who were Masters champions in the past, are expected to attend Tuesday’s Champions Dinner.
Mark O’Meara and other champions believe that the dinner will be “fine, totally fine.”
Ben Crenshaw is the moderator and isn’t sure what the outcome will be.
Crenshaw told Golf Channel recently that “it’s going to difficult.” “I would imagine that it will be tense within a few minutes.
“But, you know, all of us are champions in that room. Last count shows that there are six players who have signed up for LIV. My insistence will be on, everyone is together in this space, everybody worked really hard to get in, so we should all be happy to be together. Life is a series of choices. I am very old-fashioned. I don’t like the current situation. The worst thing for me is the way it has fractured relationships between players and golfers. This has never been the case in golf. Golf is a traditional game.”
After making inflammatory remarks about the PGA Tour, where he played for 30+ years, Phil Mickelson missed the dinner and the tournament last year. He signed with LIV two months later.
O’Meara stated, “My take on it is that I’m friends all these guys, regardless of Sergio (Garcia), Patrick Reed, Dustin Johnson or Dustin Johnson. You can talk about whatever topic you like.” “Tuesday night is about Masters history and Scottie Scheffler, the defending champion. As a player, I wish that this is the case. I believe it will be.
LIV arrived at Masters with handshakes and explanations
Fred Couples, 1982 champion, is the most vocal critic of all the champions in the room. In an Orange County Register article, he called Mickelson “nutbag.” He also attacked Mickelson’s LIV form, which has not been great.
According to the Register, Couples stated, “If you give Phil Mickelson $200,000,000 at age 52 to shoot 75 and 74, God bless you.”
Couples stated Monday that people had asked him, “Are you going get paired up with Phil?” I was like, “I would love to be paired up with Phil.” He is one of the greatest players ever to play. He loves this place as much I do. We would look at each other when we were on the first hole. It would be a great time.
Couples also referred to players dismissive of their time on PGA Tour as “clowns” in the same Register story and named Garcia.
Couples stated Monday that she has no problem with anyone playing on the LIV tour. “I don’t think they should be bashing the PGA Tour – or anyone. Go out and play golf. If anyone wants to ask me why I pick on them, I am all for it. I don’t think I have done anything particularly horrible. They are making comments, and I am responding.
“I have no problems with any of them. Please don’t criticize the tour that I have spent 43 years on. It bothers me. They don’t bother my. They don’t bother me at all. They are golfers. I am a golfer. They all have my respect. Sergio is one the best 10 players I have ever seen hit a ball. However, if he makes comments about my tour, I will make a reply. I’m sorry if it offends. They are on another tour. Have fun, go play!”
Former PGA Tour players left to go to LIV, and they were expelled from their old tour. Monday marked the first time they saw each other this season. While some Masters players were present, none of the LIV players were there as they had an Orlando tournament on Sunday.
Cameron Smith is the current British Open champion and the No. 1 LIV player. 6 didn’t know what was going to see Monday as he walked the practice range.
He said, “I spent probably an entire hour on the range this afternoon.” It was nice to see familiar faces. It was great to see familiar faces. There were lots of smiles and handshakes. Although I didn’t expect much, it was something I wanted, both for me and for golf. There’s too much going on right now, especially in the media. It’s probably a bit too much.
Smith stated, “I think there’s just too much rubbish going around, basically.”
Dustin Johnson, 2020 Masters champion and LIV golfer, stated that this year at Augusta National feels no different even though he is on a new tour.
Johnson stated, “I still play golf as a profession.” Johnson said, “I’m here at The Masters and enjoying the week. Augusta is the focus of this week. It doesn’t matter where you play, but the guys who are here play everywhere. Everybody plays at different spots. As I have said, my friends are my buddies. It’s great to see them. It’s great to see so many of them, as I don’t get to see them very often. It should be a great week. I’m looking forward to it.”
Gannett could earn revenue from betting operators in exchange for audience referrals. The newsrooms and news coverage are not under the control of sports betting operators. Terms and conditions apply. Please refer to the operator’s site for more information. Help is available for anyone with a gambling problem. 1-800-GAMBLER (NJ), OH, 1-800-522-4700(CO), 1-800-BETSOFF (IA), 1-800-9WIT-IT (IN), 1-800-GAMBLER-NJ (OH), 1-800-522-4700(CO), 1-800-522-4700 – 24/7 Gambling requires that you be at least 21 years old. Gambling and sports betting are not allowed in all countries. Respect the laws in your area.
