invitations – Golfing Agency

2023 Masters expands field to 80 golfers with special invitations accepted by NCAA champion, Japanese star

detlef32 — Thu, 05 Jan 2023 18:19:15 +0000

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Augusta National Golf Club announced Thursday that it extended a pair of special invitations to the 2023 Masters that have been accepted by Gordon Sargent, the 2022 NCAA champion, and Japanese golfer Kazuki Higa. This bumps the Masters field to 80 golfers with three months until the tournament.

“The Masters Tournament prioritizes opportunities to elevate both amateur and professional golf around the world,” Augusta National chairman Fred Ridley said in a statement. “Thus, we have extended invitations to two deserving players not otherwise qualified. Whether on the international stage or at the elite amateur level, each player has showcased their talent in the past year. We look forward to hosting them at Augusta National in April.”

Sargent, a 19-year-old sophomore at Vanderbilt who was named SEC Freshman of the Year in 2022, is currently ranked No. 3 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings and projects well at the PGA Tour level because of his swing speed and length off the tee. He is the first amateur to receive and accept a special invitation to the Masters since 2000 and the sixth amateur joining the field in 2023.

Though the Masters does not normally invite the NCAA champion to play in its event — although the U.S. Amateur winner and runner-up are both invited — it has made special exemptions in the past for a number of different players. If such exemptions are made, they are generally doled out closer to the tournament in April.

Higa is less well-known, but he has compiled six wins on the Japan Golf Tour and is ranked No. 68 in the world. He also won the Japan Golf Tour’s order of merit in 2022. Higa has played in one major championship before, missing the cut at The Open Championship last July at St. Andrews by five strokes.

It’s difficult to not contrast this news of the Masters spreading invites to global players and amateurs with its recent statement regarding the eligibility of golfers playing for LIV Golf. Such golfers are still invited to the Masters while eligible, but it’s clear that Augusta National prefers one path over the other.

Professional golfers will still be able to qualify for the Masters the next three months by either winning a PGA Tour event or playing their way inside the top 50 in the Official World Golf Rankings by the week before the tournament.

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LIV golfers to receive Masters invitations

detlef32 — Wed, 21 Dec 2022 11:34:13 +0000

Players competing on the LIV Golf Invitational Series will be allowed to take part in The Masters in 2023, organisers at Augusta National have confirmed.

Masters chairman Fred Ridley said that their ultimate focus is to bring together ‘a pre-eminent field of golfers’ and they will invite players who are eligible under their current criteria.

Phil Mickelson is of six past Masters champions currently competing in the LIV Golf Series

It means previous champions such as Dustin Johnson, Patrick Reed, Sergio Garcia, Bubba Watson, Charl Schwartzel and Phil Mickelson will be at The Masters in April. Cameron Smith, Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka are among the LIV players who will also qualify as a result of winning a major championship in the last five years.

In a statement released on Tuesday, Masters chairman Fred Ridley said: “From its inception in 1934, the purpose of the Masters Tournament has been to benefit the game of golf. Each April, the Masters assembles the world’s leading golfers to compete for the Green Jacket and a place in history. It provides a stage for fans to experience dramatic moments of competition at the highest level and promotes the sport domestically and abroad.

“Through the years, legends of the game have competed and won at Augusta National Golf Club. Champions like Gene Sarazen, Byron Nelson, Ben Hogan, Sam Snead, Arnold Palmer, Gary Player, Tom Watson, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods have become heroes to golfers of all ages. They have inspired some to follow in their footsteps and so many others to play and enjoy the game. They have supported the sport and, thus, all who benefit from it. They have shown respect for those who came before them and blazed a trail for future generations. Golf is better because of them.

“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. Although we are disappointed in these developments, our focus is to honour the tradition of bringing together a pre-eminent field of golfers this coming April. Therefore, as invitations are sent this week, we will invite those eligible under our current criteria to compete in the 2023 Masters Tournament. As we have said in the past, we look at every aspect of the Tournament each year, and any modifications or changes to invitation criteria for future Tournaments will be announced in April.”

Martin Slumbers, chief executive of The R&A, said in July that there were no plans to ban LIV golfers from competing in the 2023 Open Championship at Royal Liverpool, although, like Ridley, he said that qualification rules were constantly under review, and did not rule out future changes.

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