Det har lenge vært tvil om hvordan major-arrangørene skal stille seg til LIV Golf, og om hvorvidt deres spillere skal få delta i de aller største turneringene: Masters, US Open og British Open.

Tirsdag uttalte Fred Ridley, Augusta Nationals styreleder, at klubben vil «invitere de som er kvalifisert under våre nåværende kriterier til å konkurrere i 2023 Masters».

Han la til at potensielle endringer i kriteriene for fremtidige år vil bli annonsert i april.

Det betyr at følgende spillere vil garantert få muligheten til å spille Masters:

• Sergio Garcia (tidligere vinner)
• Dustin Johnson (tidligere vinner)
• Phil Mickelson (tidligere vinner)
• Patrick Reed (tidligere vinner)
• Charl Schwartzel (tidligere vinner)
• Bubba Watson (tidligere vinner)
• Bryson DeChambeau (vunnet US Open de seneste fem år)
• Brooks Koepka (vunnet US Open de seneste fem år)
• Cameron Smith (vunnet British Open de seneste fem år)
• Joaquin Niemann (var kvalifisert til Tour Championship 2022)

I tillegg er følgende spillere også kvalifisert, ettersom de vil fortsatt være topp-50 i verden ved årsslutt:

• Abraham Ancer (30. plass)
• Talor Gooch (40. plass)
• Harold Varner III (44. plass)
• Jason Kokrak (46. plass)
• Kevin Na (48. plass)
• Louis Oosthuizen (49. plass)

Nevnte ikke LIV med navn

Styreleder Ridley kommenterte konflikten mellom PGA-touren og LIV Golf, dog uten å nevne navn. Les pressemeldingen i sin helhet her:

«From its inception in 1934, the purpose of the Masters Tournament has been to benefit the game of golf. Each April, the Masters assembles the world’s leading golfers to compete for the Green Jacket and a place in history. It provides a stage for fans to experience dramatic moments of competition at the highest level and promotes the sport domestically and abroad.

Through the years, legends of the game have competed and won at Augusta National Golf Club. Champions like Gene Sarazen, Byron Nelson, Ben Hogan, Sam Snead, Arnold Palmer, Gary Player, Tom Watson, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods have become heroes to golfers of all ages. They have inspired some to follow in their footsteps and so many others to play and enjoy the game. They have supported the sport and, thus, all who benefit from it. They have shown respect for those who came before them and blazed a trail for future generations. Golf is better because of them.

Regrettably, recent actions have divided men’s professional golf by diminishing the virtues of the game and the meaningful legacies of those who built it. Although we are disappointed in these developments, our focus is to honor the tradition of bringing together a preeminent field of golfers this coming April.

Therefore, as invitations are sent this week, we will invite those eligible under our current criteria to compete in the 2023 Masters Tournament. As we have said in the past, we look at every aspect of the Tournament each year, and any modifications or changes to invitation criteria for future Tournaments will be announced in April.

We have reached a seminal point in the history of our sport. At Augusta National, we have faith that golf, which has overcome many challenges through the years, will endure again.»