A whole host of LIV Golf stars are set to miss out on a place at next year’s Masters Tournament, with Augusta National bosses expected to host one of its smallest fields for some time
The likes of Ian Poulter, Lee Westwood and LIV Golf champion Talor Gooch are all set to miss next year’s Masters, with Augusta National set to welcome one of its smallest fields for some time.
As things stand it appears that only 77 players will be in the field for the 2024 edition which takes place next April. Usually the field at Augusta is anywhere between 85 to 100 competitors, with 88 players receiving invites to Augusta at this year’s event.
The reduced field comes after it was confirmed bosses at the opening major championship of the year would not be altering their qualifying criteria to allow more LIV stars to compete.
Due to the breakaway league’s continuous wait for points in the world ranking, its presence in Georgia is expected to be restricted in April of 2019. Calls had been made for the four major golf tournaments to implement a list of exemptions for the top players in LIV who had not yet qualified through other means.
Sadly for Poulter and co, Masters chief Fred Ridley claimed that there would be no change to qualification for 2024, but did hint there could be some alterations in the future. “If you look back over the history of the Masters tournament, and the qualifications that existed, we have changed those qualifications in numerous times, dozens of times,” Ridley said in October.
We look at those every year. We don’t make changes every year, but we do look at them under the current circumstances. As you’ll recall last year, there was some speculation as to whether or not we would invite LIV golfers. We stayed true to our qualification criteria. We invited everyone who was eligible.
“While we do not, at this time, anticipate making a change in 2024, we do always look at (exemptions), and we will continue to do that. Our qualifications are very much dynamic, and we adjust to what we feel is in the best interest of a tournament representing the best players in the world. We’ll always look at that.”
Arguably the biggest omission will be LIV’s 2023 individual champion Gooch. The American star won three times on the breakaway circuit this year, before getting his hands on the season-long prize after finishing second in Jeddah behind Brooks Koepka in October.
Despite receiving a £14 million bonus, he was unable to qualify for any of the four majors in 2024 due to a lack of world ranking points. Gooch, who recently moved to Koepka’s Smash GC, is hoping that he can still make it to Augusta in April despite the rejection.
“We’ll see what they [the major championship organizers] all decide,” Gooch said to Mirror Sport in November while he was a competitor at the Hong Kong Open. “I hope to be at the majors next year, you know.”
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