Augusta National scolds LIV defectors, stops short of Masters ban – GOLF.com

By: Josh Berhow December 20, 2022 Augusta National Golf Club released a statement addressing LIV golfers, saying any player who has qualified for its event will not be banned. Getty Images The 2023 Masters will welcome every golfer who has qualified — regardless of what tour they play on. In a statement from Augusta National Golf Club chairman Fred Ridley on Tuesday morning, the club paved the way for golfers from both the PGA Tour and LIV Golf to earn entry into next April’s tournament. While Ridley didn’t go as far as to name the upstart tour explicitly in his statement, he noted Augusta National will invite “those eligible under our current criteria to compete in the 2023 Masters Tournament” — effectively ruling out a LIV Golf Masters ban. “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,” the statement said. “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.” LIV Golf completed its first season in 2022; an eight-event series that ended in late October at Trump National Doral.
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