Augusta National Does Not Need to Amend Criteria for LIV
John Patrick writes that while LIV players may soon find themselves eligible for most major championships, the Masters may not be on that list.
ADELAIDE, AUSTRALIA: Bubba Watson of Rangegoats on the 4th during day one of LIV Golf Adelaide at The Grange Golf Club on February 14, 2025 in Adelaide, Australia.
Despite having left the PGA Tour for LIV, as a past champion he remains eligible for the Masters.
A couple of years ago, when a group of golfers left the PGA Tour for the opportunity and money to play for LIV, they were told in no uncertain terms what making that move would mean.
On the positive side, it would mean a pile of money. It would also mean a lighter schedule when it came to playing in events. On the negative side - they would no longer be welcomed as members of the PGA Tour and no longer entitled to all of the benefits that come with that privilege.
That is where, in the last couple of years, things have gotten murky.
There are players that claim LIV promised them ranking points in the Official World Golf Rankings. Those points come in handy when one wants to play in the major championships around the world. Those points have not materialized, nor will they. The lack of points and the opportunity to play in the major championships has been something the LIV players have been complaining about, to anyone that would listen, for years.
Recently, there’s been some movement on that front. In the past few weeks, both the United States Golf Association, the organization that puts on the US Open, and the Royal & Ancient, the organizer of the Open Championship, have created pathways for LIV players to participate in their championships. With those moves, there are now opportunities for anyone on LIV to qualify for three of the game’s four major championships.
Which brings us to Augusta National Golf Club and the Masters.
With recent moves from the PGA of America, the USGA, and the R&A, will Augusta National see fit to amend their criteria and allow LIV players a pathway? If I had to make a guess, absolutely not. Here’s why. First, Augusta National makes decisions based on their timetable and priorities, not anyone else’s. An argument can be made that Martha Burk’s campaign against the club’s membership policies more than twenty years ago delayed admittance of female members. It wasn’t until seven years after Burk’s protests that the Club welcomed its first female members. It’s my understanding that plans were already in place to admit female members, but Augusta National wasn’t going to allow even the perception of being bullied into the decision. So, I don’t foresee any changes to the qualifying criteria in order to allow LIV players into the Masters. Besides, with former champions always invited, there are already eight LIV players at the Champions Dinner on Tuesday night.
Recent reports suggest that an agreement between the PGA Tour and Public Investment Fund (LIV’s founders) is at hand, perhaps to be announced in the next couple of weeks. Nothing would please Chairman Ridley more that to have that chapter of the game closed.
