On the eve of the Masters, two of the pre-tournament favorites are from LIV Golf: 2023 Masters champion Jon Rahm and three-time major champion Bryson DeChambeau.
“I think if you had to pick one guy, Scottie Scheffler would be the guy,” veteran CBS announcer Jim Nantz said Monday. “And probably right behind him would be Bryson. I know his desire to win there. It wouldn’t surprise me at all to see him in a green jacket one day.”
He would be the first LIV player to win the Masters.
Augusta National chairman Fred Ridley said last year that the qualifications weren’t going to change, but the tournament always had the option to use a special invitation to accommodate any glaring omission. Last year, Joaquin Niemann, who was leading LIV Golf in points at the time, received a special invitation.
The Masters has remained relatively neutral when it comes to LIV Golf. The tournament did not exclude qualified LIV players when the original split from the PGA Tour occurred in 2022. But it has also refused to create additional pathways to make it easier for LIV competitors to qualify for the tournament.
A change to the Official World Golf Ranking points system this year offers additional points to LIV players who finish in the top 10 of their events. It has allowed top names like DeChambeau and Rahm to stop their drop due to lack of competition; DeChambeau is No. 24, and Rahm is No. 29. The Masters invites the top 50 players on the points list if they have not already qualified in another category.
Credit: Hyosub Shin/ Hyosub.Shin@ajc.com
Credit: Hyosub Shin/ Hyosub.Shin@ajc.com
That’s a good first step, LIV officials said.
“We acknowledge this long‑overdue moment of recognition, which affirms the fundamental principle that performance on the course should matter, regardless of where the competition takes place,” they said in a statement.
There are 11 LIV players in this year’s Masters field. Six of those are past Masters champions: Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, Sergio Garcia, Bubba Watson, Charl Schwartzel and Rahm. They each own a lifetime exemption into the Masters.
The other LIV players qualified in an assortment of manners. DeChambeau and Cameron Smith are eligible based on the five-year exemption that comes from winning a major championship. Tyrrell Hatton qualified based on his top-50 world ranking. Carlos Ortiz got in based on his fourth-place finish at the U.S. Open. Tom McKibbin was invited after winning the Hong Kong Open.
The list doesn’t include former LIV players Brooks Koepka or 2018 Masters champion Patrick Reed. Koepka left LIV to rejoin the PGA Tour in January until the limited return policy that’s laced in paybacks and limitation. Reed exited LIV in January and will play the DP World Tour until he is eligible to return to the PGA Tour following the Tour Championship.
The change also allowed other LIV players to make their case. Australian Elvis Smylie won LIV Riyadh and jumped to No. 82 in the world. Spaniard David Puig, who has three top-10 LIV finishes, moved up to No. 79 in the world.
DeChambeau and Rahm remain the most intriguing LIV players in the field.
DeChambeau has used his outgoing personality and his social media presence to create a huge following. With his long-hitting ability — he hit a 3-wood 300 yards from the rough to set up the winning putt to beat Rahm in a playoff in South Africa — DeChambeau has become a magnet, both on and off the course. Over the last two years, he’s tied for sixth in 2024 and tied for fifth in ’25 when he was tied for the lead early in the final day, only to falter around Amen Corner.
Rahm won the Masters in 2023 by beating LIVers Koepka and Mickelson. Less than a year later, he had flipped to LIV Golf. He has not been a factor since his victory, tying for 45th in 2024 and tying for 14th in ’25.
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