As the 2025 Masters arrives, golf’s civil conflict still rages on with no sign of a deal between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf in sight.
Earlier this year, PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan expressed confidence that a breakthrough might be on the horizon. That tone changed a month later, with Rory McIlroy saying, “It takes two to tango. ” While McIlroy still wants the game to be unified, he doesn’t believe the PGA Tour needs a deal at this point.
During a pre-Masters press conference, defending champion Scottie Scheffler acknowledged that he wished he competed against the likes of Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau more than four times a year, but at the end of the day, it’s on those who left to decide when the game comes back together.
“I definitely miss the competition,” Scheffler said. “They got some pretty good players on their tour. I still think the PGA Tour has by far the best players in the world. The depth of our fields and the competition that we have is still hands down the best competition that there is in the game of golf. That’s why I’m still playing on the Tour. I love the competition. I wish some of those guys had stayed, but at the end of the day, they made their choice. They knew the consequences of that decision, and I’m not here to change their minds. I hold no ill will toward any of those guys that left.
“They did what they wanted to do, and I can’t control their life. I’m not going to sit here and say they should have done something differently. They made their choice. If we want to figure out why the game of golf is not back together, go ask those guys. Go to wherever they are playing this week and figure out when the game is going to come back together.”
With the game still fractured, a trip to Augusta National represents the first time all of the world’s best players will be in the same place since last year’s Open Championship.
Last year, 13 LIV players received invitations to play in the Masters. That number was down from 18 in 2023 due to the breakaway league’s inability to reward Official World Golf Rankings points for its events. This year, that number is down to 12, as Adrian Meronk did not qualify for a trip back down Magnolia Lane.
LIV has seven past Masters champions and three players who qualified based on recent major wins. Tyrrell Hatton qualified by virtue of his OWGR rank, thanks to wins on the DP World Tour. He also finished in a tie for ninth at last year’s Masters. Joaquin Niemann received a special invitation.
Below is a list of the LIV golfers playing in the 2025 Masters, including how they qualified. (Several earned spots via more than one qualification criteria.)
LIV players at the Masters (and how they qualified)
Bryson DeChambeau, U.S. Open exemption
Sergio Garcia, past champion
Tyrrell Hatton, top 12 finish in previous year’s Masters
Dustin Johnson, past champion
Brooks Koepka, PGA Championship exemption
Phil Mickelson, past champion
Joaquin Niemann, special invitation
Jon Rahm, past champion
Patrick Reed, past champion
Charl Schwartzel, past champion
Cameron Smith, Open Championship exemption
Bubba Watson, past champion
