LIV golfers in the 2024 Masters field? Here's who was invited and how they qualified
The PGA and LIV merger negotiations may be in full swing, but The Masters is just around the corner.
In the meantime, opportunities for LIV golfers to score Masters invites have dwindled, except for the fortunate few who've won at Augusta and have a lifetime of invitations to look forward to.
On March 5, LIV Golf dropped its application for Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) points. Two of the 20 criteria to get a Masters invite are related to the OWGR:
The 50 leaders on the Final Official World Golf Ranking for the previous calendar year
The 50 leaders on the Official World Golf Ranking published during the week prior to the current Masters Tournament
Since joining the Saudi-backed golf league, players have seen their world golf ranking take a nosedive, according to Golfweek, with only four players still in the top 50.
Six qualification criteria are related to amateur players and one to winners of PGA Tour events, which currently excludes LIV players.
Here are the 13 LIV players invited to the 2024 Masters and the qualifications that got them the invite:
Qualifications for Masters invitation
The following criteria qualify players for an invitation to the Masters Tournament:
Masters Tournament Champions (Lifetime)
US Open Champions (Honorary, non-competing after five years)
The Open Champions (Honorary, non-competing after five years)
PGA Champions (Honorary, non-competing after five years)
Winners of The Players Championship (Three years)
Current Olympic Gold Medalist (One Year)
Current US Amateur Champion (7-A) (Honorary, non-competing after one year) and the Runner-up (7-B) to the current US Amateur Champion
Current The Amateur Champion (Honorary, non-competing after one year)
Current Asia-Pacific Amateur Champion (One year)
Current Latin America Amateur Champion (One year)
Current US Mid-Amateur Champion (One year)
Current NCAA Division I Men's Individual Champion (One year)
The first 12 players, including ties, in the previous year's Masters Tournament
The first 4 players, including ties, in the previous year's US Open
The first 4 players, including ties, in the previous year's The Open Championship
The first 4 players, including ties, in the previous year's PGA Championship
Individual winners of PGA Tour events that award a full-point allocation for the season-ending Tour Championship, from previous Masters to current Masters
Those qualifying for the previous year's season-ending Tour Championship
The 50 leaders on the final Official World Golf Ranking for the previous calendar year
The 50 leaders on the final Official World Golf Ranking published during the week prior to the current Masters Tournament
The Masters Committee, at its discretion, also invites international players not otherwise qualified.
Bryson Dechambeau
Bryson DeChambeau won the U.S. Open in 2020. That victory earned him Masters invites through 2025.
Additionally, DeChambeau tied for fourth in last year's PGA Championship. The top four players, plus ties, receive a Masters invitation.
DeChambeau will be making his eighth Masters appearance. His best Masters finish came in 2016 when he tied for 21st.
Sergio Garcia
Spaniard Sergio Garcia won the 2017 Masters. The victory came with a big check ($1,980,000), a green jacket and a lifetime of tournament invitations.
Garcia won in a playoff against England's Justin Rose on that Sunday at Augusta National Golf Club. It was his first major championship in 74 tries.
This will be Garcia's 25th Masters Tournament.
Tyrrell Hatton
England's Tyrrell Hatton met two criteria for a Masters invitation. He qualified for the 2023 Tour Championship and was among the top 50 on the final Official World Golf Ranking for 2023.
Hatton has seven previous Masters appearances. His best finish was a tie for 18th in 2021.
Dustin Johnson
Dustin Johnson won the COVID-delayed 2020 Masters in record-breaking fashion. After a runner-up finish in 2019, Johnson scorched Augusta National's greens in November of 2020 on his way to a scoring record of 20-under par and tournament invitations for life.
This will be Johnson's 14th Masters appearance.
Brooks Koepka
Brooks Koepka qualified for the 2024 Masters in three ways. His 2023 PGA Championship win is accompanied by 5 years of Masters invites. Koepka was among the top 12 finishers in last year's Masters and one of the top 50 players on the last OWGR of 2023.
It will be Koepka's ninth Masters. His best finishes are ties for second place in 2019 and 2023.
Adrian Meronk
Adrian Meronk, of Poland, qualified for the 88th Masters Tournament for being among the top 50 players on the last OWGR of 2023.
This will be Meronk's second time playing in the Masters Tournament. He missed the cut in 2023.
Phil Mickelson
Three-time Masters champion Phil Mickelson will make his 31st tournament appearance in 2024. Mickelson's Masters victories came in 2004, 2006 and 2010. His wins ensure he will receive Masters invitations for life.
He also qualified by way of his 2021 PGA Championship win and being among the top 12 finishers in last year's Masters.
Mickelson finished tied for second place in the 2023 Masters after shooting a record final-round 65, making him the highest finisher among players 50 and older in Masters history.
Joaquin Niemann
Joaquin Niemann, of Chile, spent the LIV offseason playing golf all over the world. His success, including an Australian Open win, was rewarded with a special Masters invitation. Special invitations are extended to international players not otherwise qualified, at the Masters Committee's discretion.
It will be Niemann's fifth appearance at the Masters Tournament. His best result came at the 2023 Masters, where he tied for 16th.
Jon Rahm
Jon Rahm is the defending Masters champion. On what would have been fellow Spaniard and Masters champion Seve Ballesteros' birthday, Rahm bested Brooks Koepka, who let a four-shot lead slip away in the final round. Rahm's round of 69 put him 12-under par and four shots ahead of Koepka for the victory.
Not that he needed it, but Rahm qualified for the Masters in four additional ways:
2021 U.S. Open win (5 years)
Among the top four in The Open Championship
Qualifier for the 2023 Tour Championship
Among the top 50 on the last OWGR in 2023
Rahm joined LIV in December, but his Masters invitations aren't in danger. He's also earned a lifetime of them with his 2023 Masters win.
This will be Rahm's eighth Masters appearance.
Patrick Reed
Patrick Reed gets lifetime invitations for winning the 2018 Masters. Reed also qualified for being among the top 12 finishers in last year's Masters.
He'll be playing in his 11th Masters Tournament.
Charl Schwartzel
Another Masters champion, another lifetime of invitations. South Africa's Charl Schwartzel earned his green jacket in 2011 when he birdied the final four holes to win by one stroke.
This will be Masters No. 15 for Schwartzel.
Cameron Smith
Cameron Smith met four criteria to qualify for his 2024 Masters invite:
Winner of the 2022 Open Championship (5 years)
Winner of 2022 The Players Championship (3 years)
Among the top 5 at last year's U.S. Open
Among the top 50 players on the last OWGR of 2023
This will be Smith's eighth Masters appearance. His best finish was a tie for second in 2020.
Bubba Watson
Two-time Masters champion Bubba Watson doesn't have any invitation worries. His victories in 2012 and 2014 set him up for life, too.
Watson will be making his 16th Masters start.
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: LIV players in Masters 2024: These golfers were invited to Augusta