AUGUSTA, Ga. – Masters chairman Fred Ridley suggested Wednesday that he was unlikely to follow the lead of two other major championships and carve out a narrow pathway for the top-performing LIV players.
Earlier this year, both the USGA and R&A announced that they will reserve a spot in their major field for the top player in the LIV standings not already exempt provided he is among the top 3 in the individual standings.
Ridley, during his annual State of the Masters address, said although there is “some concern” regarding future pathways for players given the current divided landscape, he is confident that the club has other means to invite deserving players, such as the use of a special invitation, which is how Joaquin Niemann has competed in the Masters each of the past two years.
“We feel we can deal with that issue,” Ridley said, “whether it’s a LIV player or a player on some other tour that might not otherwise be eligible for an invitation, that we can handle that with a special invitation.”
Ridley was also asked whether the club, which has historically granted invitations to all PGA Tour winners, will reassess its policy given the weaker fields in the fall as most players are competing for Tour status.
“It’s really a balance,” Ridley said. “We think it’s important to win a PGA Tour tournament, and we have for many years recognized that by granting an invitation to the winner of each tournament.
“But like we do every year, we will have a thorough examination of our qualifications at the end of the year.”
That eligibility review could also include some of the most prominent international tournaments that feature strong fields, such as the DP World Tour’s flagship event, the BMW PGA Championship.