Joaquin Niemann was among three players given a special invitation Wednesday to play in the 2024 Masters.
Augusta National also invited 21-year-old Ryo Hisatsune, the first Japanese player to be European tour rookie of the year, and Dane Thorbjorn Olesen.
Niemann had fallen well outside the top 50 in the world ranking due to the collusion between the OWGR and PGA Tour (LIV does not get world ranking points).
“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.”
The invitation extended to Niemann means the Masters will have 13 players from LIV Golf, headlined by defending champion Jon Rahm.
As proof of its blatant bias against LIV Golf, Augusta National cited only Niemann’s win at the Australian Open, way back in December, along with his two top-10s on the DP World Tour (in December and January). Meanwhile, the club completely blacklisted his recent playoff win over 2017 Masters champion Sergio Garcia at LIV Golf Mayakoba, which included a course-record 59.
The Masters is April 11-14.
AP wire report was used to compile this post.
