The 2023 Masters begins on Thursday from the Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia, and when the tournament is set to begin there will be a significant rivalry between the players on the PGA Tour versus those on the LIV Tour. In all, there will be 18 LIV golfers competing at the first major of the year. Let’s take a look who they are and how they qualified.
Of the LIV players in the field, are six psst champions. They are Phil Mickelson of the United States (2004, 2006, and 2010), Charl Schwartzel of South Africa (2011), Bubba Watson of the United States (2012 and 2014), Sergio Garcia of Spain (2017), Patrick Reed of the United States (2018), and Dustin Johnson of the United States (2020). Mickelson also qualified because he won the 2021 PGA Championship. Schwartzel also qualified by finishing in 10th place at the 2022 Masters. Johnson also qualified by finishing in 12th place at the 2022 Masters and by being in the top 50 in the 2022 Official World Golf Rankings (41st).
Australia’s Cameron Smith qualified six different ways. He qualified by winning the 2022 British Open, the 2022 Players Championship, by being in third place at the 2022 Masters, by qualifying for the 2022 Tour Championship, by being in the top 50 of the 2022 Official World Golf Rankings (third), and by being in the top 50 of the current Official World Golf Rankings (sixth).
Brooks Koepka of the United States, who won the LIV event in Orlando this past weekend, qualified by winning the 2018 U.S. Open, the 2018 PGA Championship, and 2019 PGA Championship. American Bryson DeChambeau qualified by winning the 2020 United States Open.
Mito Pereira of Chile qualified by finishing in the top four of the 2022 PGA Championship (third) and by being in the top 50 in the 2022 Official World Golf Rankings (44th). American Talor Gooch is Masters bound by qualifying for the 2022 Tour Championship and by being in the top 50 in the 2022 Official World Golf Rankings (40th).
Fellow Chilean Joaquin Niemann qualified for the Masters by qualifying for the 2022 Tour Championship, by being in the top 50 in the 2022 Official World Golf Rankings (22nd) and by being in the top 50 in the 2023 Official World Golf Rankings (25th). Mexico’s Abraham Ancer was also in the top 50 in 2022 (32nd) and in 2023 (31st), as was Belgium’s Thomas Pieters (37th in 2022 and 44th in 2023),
American Harold Varner III qualified for the 2022 Masters by being 45th in the world in 2022. Meanwhile, Canadian-born American Jason Kokrak was also in the top 50 in 2022 as he was 47th. So too was American Kevin Na, as he was 49th, and South Africa’s Louis Oosthuizen, as he was 50th.
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