Masters Statement Regarding LIV Players in the 2023 Masters Tournament

Tuesday, December 20, 2022

By Fred S. Ridley
Masters Tournament Chairman

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 honor the tradition of bringing together a preeminent 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.

We have reached a seminal point in the history of our sport. At Augusta National, we have faith that golf, which has overcome many challenges through the years, will endure again.

How do you qualify for the Masters?

There are 19 ways to qualify for the Masters…

1. Win the Masters

Any player to have win the Masters will receive a lifetime exemption to the tournament.

2. Win the US Open

US Open winners will receive honorary invitations for the next five Masters.

3. Win the Open Championship

The Open Championship winners will receive honorary invitations for the next five Masters.

4. Win the PGA Championship

The PGA Championship winners will receive honorary invitations for the next five Masters.

5. Win the Players Championship

The Players Championship winner will receive honorary invitations for the next three Masters.

6. Finish in the top two of the US Amateur

The US Amateur champion and runner-up will receive invites to the Masters for the following year.

7. Win the British Amateur

The British Amateur champion will receive an invite to the Masters for the following year.

8. Win the Asia-Pacific Amateur 

The Asia-Pacific Amateur champion will receive an invite to the Masters for the following year.

9. Win the Latin America Amateur

The Latin America Amateur champion will receive an invite to the Masters for the following year.

10. Win the US Mid-Amateur 

The US Mid-Amateur champion will receive an invite to the Masters for the following year.

11. Win Olympic gold 

The gold medalist at the Olympic Games will be invited to play in the next Masters.

12. Finish in the top 12 at the Masters

The top 12, including ties, at each Masters will be invited back the following year.

13. Finish in the top 4 of the US Open 

The top 4, including ties, at each US Open will be invited to the following year’s Masters.

14. Finish in the top 4 at the Open Championship 

The top 4, including ties, at each Open Championship will be invited to the following year’s Masters.

15. Finish in the top 4 at the PGA Championship 

The top 4, including ties, at each PGA Championship will be invited to the following year’s Masters.

16. Win a PGA Tour event

Winners of any PGA Tour event that carries a full FedEx Cup points allocation will be invited to the following year’s Masters.

17. Qualify for the Tour Championship

All 30 players that qualify for the PGA Tour’s season-ending Tour Championship will be invited to the following year’s Masters.

18. Finish the year in the top 50

All players in the top 50 of the Official World Golf Rankings on January 1 will be invited to that year’s Masters.

19. Be in the top 50 of the world ranking ahead of the tournament

All players in the top 50 of the Official World Golf Rankings the week before each Masters, who aren’t otherwise exempt, will be invited to the following week’s Masters.

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2023 MASTERS TOURNAMENT INVITEES
Qualified as of 12/19/2022
Abraham Ancer (Mexico)(18)
Sam Bennett (7-A)#*
Keegan Bradley (16,18)
Sam Burns (16,17,18)
Patrick Cantlay (16,17,18)
Ben Carr (7-B)#*
Cameron Champ (12)
Corey Conners (Canada)(12,17,18)
Fred Couples (1)
Harrison Crowe (Australia)(9)#*
Bryson DeChambeau (2)
Tony Finau (16,17,18)
Matthew Fitzpatrick (England)(2,17,18)
Tommy Fleetwood (England)(14,18)
Ryan Fox (New Zealand)(18)#
Sergio Garcia (Spain)(1)
Talor Gooch (17,18)
Brian Harman (17,18)
Tyrrell Hatton (England)(18)
Russell Henley (16,18)
Tom Hoge (17,18)
Max Homa (16,17,18)
Billy Horschel (16,17,18)
Viktor Hovland (Norway)(14,17,18)
Mackenzie Hughes (Canada)(16,18)
Sungjae Im (Korea)(12,17,18)
Dustin Johnson (1,12,18)
Zach Johnson (1)
Tom Kim (Korea)(16,18)#
Kevin Kisner (18)
Kurt Kitayama (18)#
Brooks Koepka (2,4)
Jason Kokrak (18)
Bernhard Langer (Germany)(1)
Kyoung-Hoon Lee (Korea)(16,17,18)
Shane Lowry (Ireland)(3,12,18)
Sandy Lyle (Scotland)(1)
Hideki Matsuyama (Japan)(1,13,17,18)
Matthew McClean (N. Ireland)(11)#*
Rory McIlroy (N. Ireland)(12,14,16,17,18)
Adrian Meronk (Poland)(18)#
Phil Mickelson (1,4)
Larry Mize (1)
Francesco Molinari (Italy)(3)
Collin Morikawa (3,4,12,17,18)
Kevin Na (18)
Joaquin Niemann (Chile)(17,18)
Alex Noren (Sweden)(18)
Jose Maria Olazabal (Spain)(1)
Louis Oosthuizen (S. Africa)(18)
Mito Pereira (Chile)(15,18)#
Thomas Pieters (Belgium)(18)
J.T. Poston (16,17)
Aldrich Potgieter (S. Africa)(8)#*
Seamus Power (Ireland)(16,18)
Jon Rahm (Spain)(2,16,17,18)
Patrick Reed (1)
Xander Schauffele (16,17,18)
Scottie Scheffler (1,13,17,18)
Charl Schwartzel (S. Africa)(1,12)
Adam Scott (Australia)(1,17,18)
Vijay Singh (Fiji)(1)
Cameron Smith (Australia)(3,5,12,17,18)
Jordan Spieth (1,16,17,18)
Scott Stallings (17)
Sepp Straka (Austria)(17,18)
Adam Svensson (Canada)(16)#
Sahith Theegala (17,18)#
Justin Thomas (4,5,12,17,18)
Harold Varner III (18)
Bubba Watson (1)
Mike Weir (Canada)(1)
Danny Willett (England)(1,12)
Aaron Wise (18)
Gary Woodland (2)
Tiger Woods (1)
Cameron Young (14,15,17,18)
Will Zalatoris (12,13,15,16,17,18)

Past champions not playing: Tommy Aaron, Jack Burke Jr., Angel Cabrera, Charles Coody, Ben Crenshaw, Nick Faldo, Raymond Floyd, Trevor Immelman,
Jack Nicklaus, Mark O’Meara, Gary Player, Craig Stadler, Tom Watson, Ian Woosnam, Fuzzy Zoeller

# Denotes first Masters * Denotes Amateur
^ The Masters Committee, at its discretion, also invites international players not otherwise qualified

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