Masters chairman Fred Ridley shuts down idea of automatic exemption for LIV golfers

AUGUSTA, Ga.— While there have been small signs of late of a thaw between the mainstream professional golf powers and the rival Saudi-backed LIV Golf, which has been seen as a disruptor, Masters chairman Fred Ridley on Wednesday squashed any rumors of an automatic exemption into the Masters for any LIV players based on performance. Changes to the qualification criteria are typically announced on the eve of the Masters, which begins Thursday at Augusta National. None were offered Wednesday during Ridley’s annual pretournament news conference.

Ridley did, however, call for reunification of the game, saying the best players should compete together at more than just the four major championships. Recently, the U.S.Open and British Open have extended one qualifying spot into their respective championships this year (potentially two next year) via LIV Golf’s individual points standings. That raised questions about whether Augusta National would do the same. “As it relates to the USGA and the R&A, they certainly act independently [and] we respect their decisions,” Ridley said.

“We are an invitational tournament.We have historically considered special cases for invitations for international players, which is how Joaquin Niemann [from Chile and a two-time winner this year on LIV Golf] was invited, or why he was invited, the last couple years. “We feel we can deal with that issue, whether it’s a LIV player or a player on some other tour that might not otherwise be eligible for an invitation, that we can handle that with a special invitation.” There are 12 LIV players in the field this week, seven of whom have won the Masters and are exempt for life: Phil Mickelson, Jon Rahm, Sergio Garcia, Bubba Watson, Dustin Johnson, Charl Schwartzel and Patrick Reed. Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka and Cam Smith are in the field this week as a result of winning major championships in the past five years.

Tyrrell Hatton finished top 12 at last year’s Maste...