LIV player gets Masters invite
Joaquín Niemann competed outside LIV Golf in his offseason and got something money can’t buy. He was among three players given a special invitation Wednesday to play in the Masters.
Augusta National also invited 21-year-old Ryo Hisatsune, the first Japanese player to be European tour rookie of the year, and Thorbjorn Olesen of Denmark.
Nieman had said when he won the LIV Golf opener in Mexico, “I want to win majors, but I’ve got to get in first.” The 25-yearold from Chile had fallen well outside the top 50 in the world ranking because LIV does not get world ranking points.
The Masters is April 11-14.
Niemann was the only player from the Saudifunded LIV Golf to receive the invitation, which was more about his victory in the Australian Open and his willingness to play tournaments outside the LIV Golf League in a bid to get ranking points.
Augusta National didn’t offer an invitation to Talor Gooch, who has won three times in the LIV Golf League since the Masters was last played. The club typically reserves special invitations for international players who are not PGA Tour members and don’t have access to all the criteria, such as winning or reaching the Tour Championship.
In its announcement, Augusta National only mentioned Niemann’s win in the Australian Open and his two other top 10s in European tour-sanctioned events.
The club didn’t cite his victory at LIV Golf Mayakoba.
“The Masters Tournament has a long-standing tradition of inviting leading international players who are not otherwise qualified,” Masters Chairman Fred Ridley said. “Today’s announcement represents the tournament’s continued commitment towards developing interest in the game of golf across the world.”
Niemann won the Australian Open in December, along with finishing fifth in the Australian PGA. He joined the European tour after winning the Australian Open, a co-sanctioned event, and tied for fourth in the Dubai Desert Classic, four shots behind Rory McIlroy.
He started his third season on LIV with a 59 at Mayakoba and eventually won in a playoff over Sergio Garcia, his first tournament title in the Saudi-backed league with only 54 players.
“It kind of hurt me a little bit not being in the majors and I think also helped me to get motivation to kind of earn my spot back into the majors, into the elite players,” he said in Mayakoba.
The special invitation extended to Niemann means the Masters will have 13 players with LIV Golf, including defending champion Jon Rahm. Ten of them are either former Masters champions or have won a major in the last five years.
Niemann, who was No. 18 in the world when he joined LIV in September 2022, is now No. 81. He’s playing in the Asian Tour’s International Series in Oman this week, though he would not have had a chance to get into the top 50 in the world because of the weak field.
Niemann tied for 16th in the Masters last year in his fourth appearance.