MIAMI, Florida – The worldwide anticipation of the 2024 Masters is rapidly escalating with the year’s first major less than a week away. Even the LIV Golf Miami event this week has been a spawning ground for Augusta National speculation, particularly since places 1-4 went to LIV players last year: Jon Rahm, Brooks Koepka, Phil Mickelson and Patrick Reed.

With 13 LIV players participating in this year’s Masters—seven former champs and six invitees—the question was asked Wednesday at the Trump National Doral press conference before six players in the Masters field, “What are the chances of a LIV member taking home the Green Jacket next week?”

Defending champion Rahm, who is the host of this year’s Champions’ Dinner, stated, “That is a very hard question to answer. But you know, there are quite a few major champions in LIV, and there are more than a few that are major champion quality golfers. So, in just pure numbers, if you go with the math, we might not have the highest percentage chance, but I’m confident that one of us can get it done this year.”

Watson, a two-time Green Jacket winner (2012 and 2014), said, “A LIV winner is about a 13 percent possibility. Yes, I mean, there’s some great golf being played out here on the LIV tour, as well as some great golf being played on the other tours.

“So, it’s going to be a battle but, you know, at the end of the day, that’s an individual battle. So, we are pulling for our friends no matter where they play, but it’s going to be a battle and, hopefully, it is a LIV player because I’m one of those that’s up there at the top. And I want to be in that top five or challenging on Sunday.”

Mickelson, a three-time winner at Augusta, waxed nostalgic and optimistic, “I obviously love the place. It’s a course where I feel I don’t have to be perfect. When I go through the gates and drive down Magnolia Lane, I relax a little bit because if we miss it on the correct side of the hole, given the pin placement, we can still salvage par utilizing our short games.

“We have shots like the shot Bubba hit in the playoff when he really had to hook a wedge—where you can still be creative and recover at Augusta. I think it’s so fun to watch the recovery shots because they are so exciting. I think that adds to a lot of the drama of Augusta. If I play the course strategically, know how to play it, and know where to go, I don’t have to be perfect.”

Joaquin Niemann, who received a special invitation after winning the Australian Open, intends to make the most of it. He said, “It’s been a good start to my year. I have enjoyed playing Augusta National the last couple years, but I haven’t had a really good result yet. But I am certainly looking forward to it.

“If I keep playing the way I have been, I know I’m going to have a good chance to win. I’m going to be excited to get there and play good golf. Here on LIV, many of these guys have won a few Masters already. It’s nice to be around them and to play against them. It’s very good for me.”

Koepka, a runner-up in 2019 and 2023, minced no words. The five-time major winner said, “Yeah, I like our chances. A lot of these guys are playing so well. Especially Joacquin. I have watched him progress for eight months now, and he has started to turn the corner.

“And, for me, I don’t know, I have usually started playing well in March. This is kind of my time.”

Bryson DeChambeau, meanwhile, tried not to look past Trump Doral. The 2020 US Open champion said, “I want to make sure that I am ready for next week because it’s a major. But I still want to win this week.

“To be honest, as much as I’d like to try and elevate my emotions for Augusta, I have to control those emotions for the next few days. I realize and respect what the Masters is, but I have to focus on each and every day I play and do the best I can possibly do on that day and, hopefully, it accumulates to playing really good golf over the next two weeks. That’s my mindset right now.”

The Masters’ field is set at 88 players, and the 2024 champion will be slipping on his own Green Jacket in the late afternoon of Sunday, April 14.

We’ll see if that finery belongs to one of the lucky 13 players from the LIV Golf League.