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AUGUSTA, Ga. — When LIV Golf’s Joaquin Niemann was introduced as considered one of three gamers to obtain a particular invitation to the 2024 Masters, the parents at Augusta Nationwide pointed to his three top-five finishes on the DP World Tour this season, together with his win on the Australian Open final December.
Additionally they referenced his earlier Masters appearances and 2018 Latin American Newbie Championship. They didn’t, nevertheless, reference any of his accolades on the Saudi-backed league.
Throughout his annual press convention on Wednesday forward of this yr’s Masters, chairman Fred Ridley addressed how the membership evaluates LIV gamers and whether or not a particular qualification standards can be created for many who play outdoors of the Official World Golf Rating jurisdiction.
“As , we’re on the board of the OWGR. We consider that it’s a professional determiner of who one of the best gamers within the recreation are,” Ridley mentioned. “There’s been communication that’s been public concerning, , the LIV’s software, which it subsequently was withdrawn after some remedial strategies have been made concerning pathways and entry to gamers and concern about a number of the elements of staff golf.”
“However I believe in our case, we’re an invitational, and we will alter as mandatory. I imply, an incredible instance is that this yr Joaquin Niemann was given a particular invitation,” Ridley added. “We felt that Joaquin had not solely an incredible report coming as much as this yr, however after his season, , he went to Australia, performed very effectively there, completed fourth within the Australian PGA, gained the Australian Open, one of many nice, nice championships on this planet. And we thought he was deserving of a particular invitation.”
As soon as once more, no point out of his pair of LIV Golf wins this season.
“Now, traditionally, and as acknowledged in our qualification standards, we think about worldwide gamers for particular invites,” Ridley continued. “However we do have a look at these yearly and we, I’ll say that if we felt that there have been a participant or gamers, whether or not they performed on the LIV tour or another tour, who have been deserving of an invite to the Masters, that we might train that discretion with regard to particular invites.”
Lengthy story brief, and far to the chagrin of the likes of Bryson DeChambeau and Phil Mickelson, LIV gamers shouldn’t be holding their breath for any new qualification standards within the close to future.
With assured contracts and little or no turnover resulting from LIV’s forgiving relegation system, the chairman famous how it could be troublesome to determine some extent system that had any connection to the remainder of the world of golf due to LIV’s “closed store” format. That mentioned, as an invitational, the Masters has the flexibility to offer, as Ridley calls it, “subjective consideration” to gamers based mostly on expertise and efficiency.
“Our objective is to have, to the best extent doable, one of the best discipline in golf, one of the best gamers on this planet,” Ridley defined. “Having mentioned that, we by no means have had all one of the best gamers on this planet due to the construction of our event. It’s an invitational. It’s a restricted discipline, it’s a small discipline.”
The Masters and Augusta Nationwide play by their very own guidelines, and as an unbiased main, they’ve each proper to take action. Right here’s the quiet half out loud: taking part in 14 LIV occasions isn’t going to chop it for the inexperienced jackets to increase an invitation. If a participant not already exempt desires a spot within the unique discipline, it’s as much as them to go and earn it, like Niemann. It gained’t be handed out like a signing bonus.
Skilled golf has lengthy been a meritocracy, and it’s no shock {that a} membership steeped in custom like Augusta Nationwide is sticking to that spirit.
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