Tag: LIV

Why LIV Golf players shouldn’t hold their breath for a new Masters qualification criteria

If a player not already exempt wants a spot in the Masters, it’s up to them to go and earn it, like Joaquin Niemann.

AUGUSTA, Ga. — When LIV Golf’s Joaquin Niemann was announced as one of three players to receive a special invitation to the 2024 Masters, the folks at Augusta National pointed to his three top-five finishes on the DP World Tour this season, including his win at the Australian Open last December.

They also referenced his previous Masters appearances and 2018 Latin American Amateur Championship. They did not, however, reference any of his accolades on the Saudi-backed league.

During his annual press conference on Wednesday ahead of this year’s Masters, chairman Fred Ridley addressed how the club evaluates LIV players and whether a special qualification criteria would be created for those who play outside of the Official World Golf Ranking jurisdiction.

“As you know, we’re on the board of the OWGR. We believe that it is a legitimate determiner of who the best players in the game are,” Ridley said. “There’s been communication that’s been public regarding, you know, the LIV’s application, which it subsequently was withdrawn after some remedial suggestions were made regarding pathways and access to players and concern about some of the aspects of team golf.”

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“But I think in our case, we’re an invitational, and we can adjust as necessary. I mean, a great example is this year Joaquin Niemann was given a special invitation,” Ridley added. “We felt that Joaquin had not only a great record coming up to this year, but after his season, you know, he went to Australia, played very well there, finished fourth in the Australian PGA, won the Australian Open, one of the great, great championships in the world. And we thought he was deserving of a special invitation.”

Once again, no mention of his pair of LIV Golf wins this season.

“Now, historically, and as stated in our qualification criteria, we consider international players for special invitations,” Ridley continued. “But we do look at those every year and we, I will say that if we felt that there were a player or players, whether they played on the LIV tour or any other tour, who were deserving of an invitation to the Masters, that we would exercise that discretion with regard to special invitations.”

Long story short, and much to the chagrin of the likes of Bryson DeChambeau and Phil Mickelson, LIV players shouldn’t be holding their breath for any new qualification criteria in the near future.

With guaranteed contracts and very little turnover due to LIV’s forgiving relegation system, the chairman noted how it would be difficult to establish a point system that had any connection to the rest of the world of golf because of LIV’s “closed shop” format. That said, as an invitational, the Masters has the ability to give, as Ridley calls it, “subjective consideration” to players based on talent and performance.

“Our goal is to have, to the greatest extent possible, the best field in golf, the best players in the world,” Ridley explained. “Having said that, we never have had all the best players in the world because of the structure of our tournament. It’s an invitational. It’s a limited field, it’s a small field.”

The Masters and Augusta National play by their own rules, and as an independent major, they have every right to do so. Here’s the quiet part out loud: playing 14 LIV events isn’t going to cut it for the green jackets to extend an invite. If a player not already exempt wants a spot in the exclusive field, it’s up to them to go and earn it, like Niemann. It won’t be handed out like a signing bonus.

Professional golf has long been a meritocracy, and it’s no surprise that a club steeped in tradition like Augusta National is sticking to that spirit.

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Brooks Koepka is back in his element at Augusta National, and that’s bad news for the 2024 Masters field

Koepka won’t share what he learned from last year’s Masters loss, but he certainly won’t let it happen again.

AUGUSTA, Ga. — As a kid growing up in South Florida, Brooks Koepka always dreamed of winning major championships when he was practicing at his dad’s course.

That desire to be the best has fueled Koepka for 33 years and guided him to an incredible tally of five major championships in a six-year span (two of which were riddled with injuries). While he’s never won at Augusta National Golf Club, Koepka has finished runner-up twice and in the top 10 three times in eight previous Masters appearances.

His most recent close call for a green jacket occurred at last year’s Masters, when Koepka held at least a share of the lead after each of the first three rounds before he was caught by Jon Rahm on the final 18. Koepka ended up tied for second with Phil Mickelson.

After his PGA Championship win last summer, Koepka said he learned a lesson as to why he lost his lead Sunday at Augusta. While he still won’t share exactly what he learned, he’s vowed he won’t let it happen again.

“I think if I get the chance this year, I won’t be thinking that way,” Koepka said during his pre-tournament press conference Tuesday.

Koepka has nine wins on the PGA Tour and three since he joined LIV Golf, but he doesn’t shy away from the fact that the major championships are what’s most important to him. He’s well aware of his stature and current place in the pro golf history books. Major championships make for a lasting legacy.

“Even today, that’s what I first see, that’s what I think you’re judged by, your legacy, what you’re defined by. I’ve always said it, I think you can tell exactly how (many majors) Jack, Tiger, Arnold, Tom, you can tell, all these guys, how many majors they won,” explained Koepka. “It’s tough to tell how many events they won, but I know that there’s one sure-fire way to figure out who is who is by major championships.”

How aware is he? Like the NFL players who can name which quarterbacks drafted ahead of them, Koepka knows he’s tied with James Braid, John Henry Taylor, Byron Nelson, Peter Thomson and Seve Ballesteros on the all-time major winners list and that there are still 14 other names in front of him.

When it comes to players with 25-49 rounds under their belt at Augusta, Koepka is third in scoring average at 71.56 behind Rahm (70.50) and Jordan Spieth (70.66). He doesn’t know what it is about Augusta that brings out his best game, but he sure does wish he could do it more often.

“I just think there’s just something special about this place. You kind of drive down Magnolia Lane and it gets the juices flowing,” said Koepka. “And I think everybody that drives down it gets pretty excited. And, you know, first major of the year. And that’s what you play the game for, is to win here, win a major, and that’s the goal.”

In classic Koepka fashion, he also sarcastically challenged a reporter for asking if 59 was attainable at Augusta National:

Q: It sounds like the course is already pretty dialed this week, but under softer or optimal scoring conditions do you think 59 is obtainable on this golf course?

BROOKS KOEPKA: Have you played here?

Q: Not yet.

BROOKS KOEPKA: I can tell by the question.

Q: What number is attainable in your mind? 63’s the low.

BROOKS KOEPKA: I mean, now, anything’s attainable. But, yeah, if you want to go play the members tees and maybe play like 15 holes, yeah, I could do that.

If you didn’t think Koepka was already back to his old self after the PGA Championship, that exchange surely signals he is.

Now healthy following a couple of years of injury struggles, Koepka knows he’s ready for the challenge that awaits this week. Following his Monday practice round, he noted the course “was as firm as I’ve seen it in maybe four, five years” and that green speeds were already near a weekend pace.

For a player who constantly rises to the occasion, that’s music to a confident Koepka’s ears and bad news for the other 88 players in the field.

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Jon Rahm on ‘nerve-wracking’ 2024 Masters Champions Dinner, his failed attempt to expedite golf’s unification

“But I would hope it would be something that would help expedite that process,” Rahm said of his LIV move.

AUGUSTA, Ga. —At the start of last year, Jon Rahm wanted to be a fly on the wall for what he predicted would be a “tense” Champions Dinner as a handful of LIV Golf players reunited with their former PGA Tour colleagues at the 88th Masters.

Fast forward to this week and the 29-year-old is hosting the annual Tuesday night gathering at Augusta National Golf Club as the defending champion, and he’s brought a little Spanish flair down Magnolia Lane.

“Everybody I talked to seems very excited about the menu, which, if anything, has put a lot more pressure on me, even though I’m not cooking, right. So, yeah, I’m definitely a little nervous,” said Rahm Tuesday during his pre-tournament press conference. “It is quite daunting to think about the room you’re going to be in and having to stand up and talk to that group of players, right. I mean, it’s basically all the living legends in this game, active and non-active. Everybody who’s been somebody in this game is there. So as wonderful as it is to be a part of, it’s still, yeah, a little nerve-wracking for sure.”

MORE: Champions Dinner menus over the years

The big man from the Basque region didn’t just dish on his menu, he also talked about his best memories with the green jacket – not many get to throw out the first pitch at a World Series – as well as the divided professional game and what needs to happen to get more LIV players in major fields. LIV had 18 players in last year’s field, and that number has dropped to just 13 this year.

“I understood my position, yes. And I understood that it could be, what I hoped, a step towards some kind of agreement, yes. Or more of an agreement or expedited agreement,” Rahm said of the ongoing talks between Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund and the PGA Tour. “But, unfortunately, it’s not up to me. But I would hope it would be something that would help expedite that process. But at the end of the day, I still did what I thought was best for myself.”

“I still love the PGA Tour, and I still hope everything the best, and I still hope that at some point I can compete there again,” he added later.

As far as a way to get more LIV players involved in the majors, Rahm echoed what many of his cohorts have said over the last year: there’s smarter people who can figure out how to unify the game. Players like Phil Mickelson and Bryson DeChambeau, who were among the first to break away and leave for LIV, have called for new qualification categories for LIV players since the Saudi-backed league isn’t recognized by the Official World Golf Ranking. Rahm agrees.

“But the obvious answer is that there’s got to be a way for certain players in whatever tour to be able to earn their way in. That’s the only thing can I say,” he explained. “I don’t know what that looks like. But there’s got to be a fair way for everybody to compete.”

2024 Masters
Jason Day gets a hug from Jon Rahm at the practice facility during a practice round for the 2024 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club. (Photo: Katie Goodale-USA TODAY Network)

“They’ll need to figure out a way to evaluate how the LIV players are doing and how they can earn their way. And I understand there’s less players and you can’t give, right, 10 people or 15 people a start, but there’s got to be a way for some players to earn their way in,” Rahm continued. “That’s the best way I can say it. I just don’t really know what that looks like.”

Add Rahm to the long list of LIV players who are quick to point out a problem without offering up any solution.

As far as his title defense is concerned, Rahm is riding a weaker wave of momentum into the first men’s major of the year compared to last season. Instead of three PGA Tour wins in eight tournaments, he’s played five LIV events with finishes of T-3, 8, 5, T-8 and T-4. His team, Legion XIII, have won two events, including last week at LIV Golf Miami at Trump National Doral. Many view fewer competitive rounds as a negative, but the two-time major champion actually sees this year’s change in preparation as a positive.

“Well, you’re saying like playing a little bit less is a bad thing. Which I wouldn’t think it is. If anything, for the, if I had would go based on how I feel today on a Tuesday, I feel physically better than I did last year,” Rahm said. “But then once competition starts, it doesn’t really matter. Once the gun goes off, whatever you feel is out the window. You got to go out there and post a score.

“So it’s not something that I have in mind, but I do feel, I do feel fresh and ready for it.”

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Lynch: Call for unity rings hollow from people who divided golf for their own greed

There’s no detail too small at the Masters Tournament.

AUGUSTA, Ga. — Adlai Stevenson described Richard Nixon as the kind of man who would cut down a tree then mount the stump to deliver a speech on conservation, so one wonders what he’d say of Bryson DeChambeau, one of the arsonists who set golf’s house on fire and who is now complaining that others aren’t moving quickly enough to extinguish the blaze.

At last week’s LIV tournament in Miami, DeChambeau demanded reconciliation in a sport that’s been bitterly divided by things like the now-withdrawn antitrust litigation filed by, um, Bryson DeChambeau. “We can’t keep going this direction,” he said. “It needs to happen fast. It’s not a two-year thing. Like, it needs to happen quicker rather than later just for the good of the sport. Too many people are losing interest.”

One assumes he means people are losing interest in the PGA Tour’s product, unless LIV’s turnstile numbers have plummeted from the hundreds to the tens.

DeChambeau was reacting to similar comments made by Rory McIlroy, who has been attempting to cajole competing interests toward a resolution. “There needs to be a correction,” McIlroy said. “I think what’s happening is not sustainable right now, so something needs to happen to try to bring it all back together so we can all move forward so we don’t have this division that’s sort of ongoing.”

A valid argument can be made that golf would benefit enormously from reunification, that the diffusion of star players between tours is bad for the competitive sport, bad for fans and bad for business. That’s eminently fair. Who has the credibility to make that argument is another matter.

McIlroy does. He’s spent the past few turbulent years advocating for unity, urging his peers to remain under one roof while acknowledging that significant repairs to that roof are necessary. DeChambeau didn’t do that, though. He made a decision to cleave the sport for the sole purpose of personal enrichment, and his new-found enthusiasm for a peace agreement is a shameless effort to have others insulate him from the consequences of that decision.

DeChambeau’s win at the 2020 U.S. Open earned him a 10-year exemption to that major and five years’ worth of free passes to the other three. His eligibility for the Masters, PGA Championship and the Open expires in 2025, so unless he earns a place in the field by other means – or the qualification criteria is rewritten – DeChambeau will be boxed out of three-quarters of the events that matter most. No wonder he insists that reaching a deal is a matter of urgency, that it can’t be a drawn out process for a couple of years. All for the good of the game and the fans, you understand.

From whatever quarter they emanate, pleas for a settlement all cite worrying evidence of an erosion of fan interest. In some instances, that concern is genuine. In others, it’s expedient for people with a lengthy, undistinguished record of prioritizing their personal interests over those of fans or the broader game. The argument for unity is underpinned by an assumption that is both convenient and generous: that fans who have been turned off by money grubbing and entitlement will return if only we can get all the entitled money-grubbers together again under one roof. It’s possible instead that the fire damage caused by the likes of DeChambeau and Phil Mickelson – and those who stayed loyal to the PGA Tour but insisted it too be disfigured by avarice – is irreparable.

It’s going to take time to figure out the future shape of men’s professional golf. Not just in negotiating terms between the PGA Tour and the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund, but in the regulatory scrutiny that follows. And that’s before any agreed-upon changes are actually implemented. Even the most optimistic types gathered at Augusta National this week think that a new normal is, at best, a couple of years off. That’s a lot of time and political infighting during which more disaffected consumers can drift away from the product. Yet no single party can wield absolute power over the timetable for finally extinguishing golf’s slow, painful immolation, least of all the guys who struck the match that began it all.

2024 LIV Golf Miami prize money payouts for each player and team

It pays to play in the Saudi-backed league.

It pays to play well in the LIV Golf League, just ask Dean Burmester.

The 34-year-old won for the first time on the Saudi-backed circuit on Sunday after a two-hole playoff against Sergio Garcia at Trump National Doral to claim the league’s fifth event of the 2024 season, LIV Golf Miami.

For his efforts, Burmester will take home the top prize of $4 million.

Check out how much money each player and team earned at 2024 LIV Golf Miami.

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Individual prize money

Position Player Score Earnings
1 Dean Burmester -11 $4,000,000
2 Sergio Garcia -11 $2,250,000
3 Matthew Wolff -10 $1,500,000
T4 Marc Leishman -8 $833,333
T4 Jon Rahm -8 $833,333
T4 Tyrrell Hatton -8 $833,333
T7 Bryson DeChambeau -7 $562,500
T7 Louis Oosthuizen -7 $562,500
T9 Abraham Ancer -6 $385,500
T9 Thomas Pieters -6 $385,500
T9 Joaquin Niemann -6 $385,500
T9 Patrick Reed -6 $385,500
T9 Talor Gooch -6 $385,500
T14 Carlos Ortiz -5 $301,667
T14 Paul Casey -5 $301,667
T14 Richard Bland -5 $301,667
17 Adrian Meronk -4 $270,000
T18 Caleb Surratt -3 $250,000
T18 Brendan Steele -3 $250,000
T18 Peter Uihlein -3 $250,000
T21 Harold Varner III -2 $220,000
T21 Cameron Tringale -2 $220,000
T21 Scott Vincent -2 $220,000
T24 Kevin Na -1 $195,000
T24 Dustin Johnson -1 $195,000
T24 Kieran Vincent -1 $195,000
T27 Jason Kokrak E $182,500
T27 Sebastian Munoz E $182,500
T29 Graeme McDowell 1 $170,000
T29 Ian Poulter 1 $170,000
T29 Henrik Stenson 1 $170,000
T32 Matt Jones 2 $153,250
T32 Branden Grace 2 $153,250
T32 Bubba Watson 2 $153,250
T32 Mito Pereira 2 $153,250
36 Anirban Lahiri 3 $145,000
T37 Danny Lee 4 $141,500
T37 Charl Schwartzel 4 $141,500
T39 David Puig 5 $134,000
T39 Eugenio Chacarra 5 $134,000
T39 Martin Kaymer 5 $134,000
T39 Kalle Samooja 5 $134,000
T43 Charles Howell III 6 $128,000
T43 Hudson Swafford 6 $128,000
T45 Lee Westwood 7 $125,000
T45 Brooks Koepka 7 $125,000
47 Phil Mickelson 8 $123,000
T48 Sam Horsfield 9 $90,000
T48 Pat Perez 9 $90,000
50 Andy Ogletree 11 $60,000
T51 Jinichiro Kozuma 15 $55,000
T51 Lucas Herbert 15 $55,000
53 Anthony Kim 21 $50,000

Team prize money

Position Team Score Earnings
1 Legion XIII -22 $3,000,000
2 RangeGoats GC -21 $1,500,000
3 Stinger GC -15 $500,000

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Dean Burmester wins 2024 LIV Golf Miami in playoff; Jon Rahm’s Legion XIII claim team title

The win is Burmester’s first since joining the Saudi-backed league last season.

Sergio Garcia had his sights on a first LIV Golf win Sunday, but a late bogey opened the door for Dean Burmester to steal the honor.

The 34-year-old South African took down the 2017 Masters champion in a two-hole playoff at 2024 LIV Golf Miami at Trump National Doral to claim the $4 million prize and hand Garcia his third playoff loss since joining LIV.

Burmester shot consistent rounds of 68-69-68 to finish tied with Garcia at 11 under and then won LIV’s fifth event of the season with a par on the second playoff hole after each player made par the first time around. The victory is Burmester’s third in the last year after he won the Joburg Open and South African Open on the DP World Tour in consecutive weeks at the end of 2023.

“It’s special because coming over, obviously I was coming over to three friends and I was excited about that, but I also wanted to prove myself against a lot of the best players in the world, a lot of major champions,” said Burmester. “Now that I’ve done that a year and a half in, I’m super stoked and proud of myself and now we’re going to try to do it again.”

“I mean, it’s certainly probably the best golf of my career,” he said of his current form. “If I look at it that way, the amount of wins, the amount of top 10s, top 5s that I’m producing is some really special stuff.”

On the team side, Jon Rahm’s Legion XIII held off Bubba Watson’s RangeGoats GC by a single shot at 22 under for their second win of the season. Louis Oosthuizen and Burmester’s Stinger GC finished in a distant third at 15 under.

“Well, I guess that so far we’ve done well on challenging golf courses. I think more importantly this week, though, was to bounce back after how we finished last in Hong Kong,” said Tyrrell Hatton. “I think we were all pretty sad about that. To come back out next event and win as a team is great, and now we look forward to Adelaide.”

“The best part for us is that I don’t think either of us has played even what I would say is their best golf for a whole week,” said Rahm of his team. “I feel like all of us have had some rounds where we left quite a few shots out there. I know some rounds might not count, but I think, exactly, it’s a lot of good to look forward to when all of us show up to a tournament when we’re all playing our B+ or A game. Either one of us four is capable of winning individually at any given tournament, and I’m looking forward for that day to happen.”

Thirteen LIV players will take their talents down Magnolia Lane this week for the 2024 Masters while the rest of the 54-player field will take a break before traveling to Australia for 2024 LIV Golf Adelaide, April 26-28, at the Grange Golf Club.

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A week before Masters, Cameron Smith withdraws from LIV Golf Miami

Hopefully Smith gets feeling better before next week.

Cameron Smith is going to head into the first major championship of the year a bit rusty.

The Australian, who captured the 2022 Open Championship, withdrew from LIV Golf’s event in Miami, Florida, at Trump National Doral, due to illness. Smith shot 3-over 75 in the opening round and had four birdies, five bogeys and a double. The specific illness was not mentioned.

Ben Campbell will replace Smith in the Ripper GC lineup for the rest of the team competition.

Smith placed third in LIV’s latest event in Hong Kong last month and has two top-10 finishes in his first four events of 2024.

He has a history of playing well at Augusta National. He has four top-10 finishes in the past six years. The 88th Masters Tournament starts Thursday.

LIV Miami: Photos

Former Masters champ among those tied for lead at 2024 LIV Golf Miami

Jon Rahm and Brooks Koepka are two back.

Next week, 13 LIV golfers will head to Augusta National for the first men’s major championship of the year. And plenty of them, including the defending champion, have had success at Augusta National Golf Club.

One of those former past Masters champions is tied for the lead after the opening round of LIV Golf Miami at Trump National Doral.

Sergio Garcia, the 2017 Masters champion, is one of three players tied for the lead after a 5-under 67. Also tied on top are 2023 LIV individual champion Talor Gooch and Peter Uihlein.

Jon Rahm, the defending Masters champ, Brooks Koepka and Patrick Reed are in a group sitting two shots behind and T-8.

LIV: Best photos from Trump Doral

In his first action back in the United States, Anthony Kim shot 4 over and is T-47 along with Phil Mickelson, who finished T-2 at Augusta National last year.

Photos: 2024 LIV Golf Miami at Trump National Doral

LIV Golf’s final tune-up before the Masters is at Trump Doral.

It’s time for LIV Golf’s final event before the Masters next week in Augusta, Georgia.

LIV is at Trump National Doral in Miami, Florida, for its fifth event of the 2024 season. It’s only the second event in the United States, following the Las Vegas event the week of the Super Bowl. Dustin Johnson won the individual competition while Brooks Koepka’s Smash GC took home the team title.

In LIV Golf’s last event in Hong Kong, Abraham Ancer won for the first time while Joaquin Niemann, who has won twice in the first four events, placed T-4. Defending Masters champion Jon Rahm has yet to win on LIV Golf but has three top-10 finishes.

Here’s a look at the best photos from LIV Golf Miami at Trump Doral:

On the 14th anniversary of his last PGA Tour win, LIV Golf’s Anthony Kim believes he can get his game back

“I believe I can absolutely do it at that level again. I’m prepared more than ever for success,” Kim explained.

Today marks the 14th anniversary of Anthony Kim’s last win on the PGA Tour at the 2010 Shell Houston Open.

Over that time the former rising star has “had some experiences that I wouldn’t wish on anybody,” such as battles with addiction and a whopping seven surgeries (including the same spinal fusion operation Tiger Woods underwent in 2017). He’s keeping a lot of the details of his demise close to the vest as he prepares to release a documentary, but did shed light on conversations with doctors who told him his time was running out.

“That’s a pretty rude awakening,” Kim said on Thursday ahead of LIV Golf Miami at Trump National Doral. “I still think about it to this day when I’m out there and I get frustrated with my golf, you know, how far I’ve come.”

During a recent interview with David Feherty, Kim admitted he never really loved golf. Throughout his down years the three-time PGA Tour winner and former Ryder Cupper hardly paid attention to what was happening on Tour. But just how removed was he from the game? Dustin Johnson told him on Wednesday that Brooks Koepka won back-to-back majors in 2018. Kim had no clue.

Since the birth of his daughter Isabella two years ago, Kim has gotten his life on track and is back in professional golf as a wildcard player for LIV Golf this season. The game has changed quite a bit in his time away, and as much as he wants to win and compete, Kim knows the real importance is to stay in the right mental headspace as he continues his return. He’s not sweating the poor results – in two starts with LIV he’s finished last and 50th in the 54-player field events – and thinks he can still play to the level he once did while on the PGA Tour.

“I believe I can absolutely do it at that level again. I’m prepared more than ever for success,” he explained. “I don’t think in my first career I was because I didn’t know what to expect. It was my mistakes that are the reason that I fell down into this deep hole. Having better people around this time around definitely helps.”

“My goals for this season and moving forward are to work as hard as I can, be focused, which I don’t think that I ever have been,” Kim added. “I appreciate the opportunity going on around me and the platform that I have and to be able to make a difference in the world. As crazy as that sounds, I feel like I will have the opportunity to do it, and the better I play, the louder my voice gets. And so hopefully if I play some good golf I’ll be able to do bigger things.”

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