AUGUSTA, Ga. — If the playing of the 87th Masters Tournament is half as interesting as all the lead-in conjecture this week, it will be one that will be remembered for years to come.
As official practice rounds begin Monday morning, storylines are coming from all directions, starting with what could be a contentious Champions Dinner on Tuesday night as six former champions are now part of the controversial LIV Golf tour and expected to be in attendance.
As for the course itself, for the second year in a row, one of the second nine par 5s has been lengthened. This time, it’s the iconic 13th. It’s a move that has been talked about since Augusta National Golf Club bought land from neighboring Augusta County Club in 2017. This year, it’s a reality.
On the course, it’s one of those years that the top players in the world are peaking at just the right time for the Masters.
They are the new Big Three
- Defending champion Scott Scheffler
- Jon Rahm
- Rory McIlroy
This is McIlroy’s ninth try to complete the career Grand Slam. He’s coming off his best finish here, a solo second last year thanks to a final-round 64.
LIV’s first big moment at Masters? Champions Dinner
Some past champions, such as Fred Couples, have expressed their displeasure with the breakaway LIV Golf League. Since last year’s Champions Dinner, six former champions have joined the league and are expected to be in attendance Tuesday night.
That includes three-time champion Phil Mickelson, who skipped the dinner and the tournament last year in the wake of comments critical of the PGA Tour and his support of LIV. He joined LIV in June, and was followed by former Masters champions Bubba Watson, Dustin Johnson, Sergio Garcia, Patrick Reed and Charl Schwartzel.
Scheffler, who will host the dinner as the defending champ, joked with Watson that maybe there should be a separate table for the LIV golfers. Nick Faldo, a three-time champ, joked that perhaps it might be wise to use “plastic knives and forks.”
Masters 2023 leaderboard: Get the latest news from Augusta
In all, there are 18 LIV golfers in the 2023 Masters field, including four-time major champion Brooks Koepka and the winner of the most recent LIV event in Orlando. All of them have been sensitive to criticism that, because they are banned by the PGA Tour and have only played three events this season (including one in Orlando that ended Sunday), they might have lost their edge. They also play 54 holes tournaments, not the…
..
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Golfweek…