The first Major of the season is always the most eagerly-anticipated given the long build-up and there’s always huge interest in who is in the field for the The Masters.
LIV Golf stars still don’t currently have access to Official World Golf Ranking points, and being in the top 50 is one of the qualifying criteria for Augusta National, but that’s not the only way in.
Previous winners of the Green Jacket get lifetime exemptions into The Masters so the likes of Jon Rahm, Phil Mickelson, Sergio Garcia, Dustin Johnson and Bubba Watson can all take the stroll down Magnolia Lane for as long as they wish.
With LIV players able to play in DP World Tour events, Tyrrell Hatton‘s excellent form kept him up in the OWGR top 50 to book his return to play Augusta National.
LIV Golfers qualified for the Masters
Jon Rahm
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2023 Masters champion Jon Rahm moved to LIV Golf at the end of that year, and it was no surprise to see him win the invidual title in 2024 after a hugely impressive debut season.
His Legion XIII side also finished second in the team standings – before Rahm then headed back to the DP World Tour to ensure he played the minimum events to keep his card and qualify for the Ryder Cup.
Rahm finished T45 last year but had a lot to deal with as defending champion and with his LIV move – and four other top 10s apart from his victory show he plays well enough around Augusta to seriously challenge again.
Bryson DeChambeau
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Last year’s thrilling US Open victory bagged Bryson DeChambeau a fresh set of exemptions for the next five years into the Majors – but he also finished second at the PGA Championship and T6 at The Masters.
DeChambeau was the star of the Majors last year after being in contention for three of them, and he’ll again be the centre of attention when he heads back to Augusta.
He was also in the year-ending top 50 of the OWGR just for good measure.
Brooks Koepka
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The five-time Major champion is still on his five-year exemption from winning the PGA Championship in 2023.
Koepka felt he should’ve also won The Masters that year, as he blew a lead in the fourth round to allow Jon Rahm to claim the title.
That was his second runner-up finish at Augusta National and he’s also finished tied seventh – so given…
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