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The six Masters champions on the 2023 LIV Golf League roster will appear in two featured groups for Friday’s first round of LIV Golf Orlando at Orange County National.
Bubba Watson (2012, 2014 champ), Sergio Garcia (2017) and Patrick Reed (2018) will start on hole No. 1, while Phil Mickelson (2004, 2006, 2010), Charl Schwartzel (2011) and Dustin Johnson (2020) will tee off on hole No. 2. The shotgun start at the Crooked Cat course is scheduled for 1.15pm ET.
Eighteen LIV Golf players have earned spots in next week’s Masters at Augusta National, the first major of 2023. Besides the six past champions, the other 12 include Abraham Ancer, Bryson DeChambeau, Talor Gooch, Brooks Koepka, Jason Kokrak, Kevin Na, Joaquin Niemann, Louis Oosthuizen, Mito Pereira, Thomas Pieters, Cameron Smith and Harold Varner III.
Smith, the reigning Open champ, will play with DeChambeau and Niemann in another all-Masters group on Friday. That threesome starts on hole No. 4.
LIV Golf Tucson winner Danny Lee of Iron Heads will play with Koepka, the Smash captain, and Majesticks co-captain Ian Poulter starting on hole No. 3.
Crushers’ Charles Howell III, the winner of the season-opening event in Mayakoba and current Individual Champion points leader, will play with Carlos Ortiz of Fireballs and Marc Leishman of Ripper. Ortiz was part of the four-man playoff in Tucson. That threesome starts on hole No. 7.
LIV GOLF ORLANDO ROUND 1 PAIRINGS
1 Bubba Watson (RangeGoats), Sergio Garcia (Fireballs), Patrick Reed (4 Aces)
2 Charl Schwartzel (Stinger), Dustin Johnson (4 Aces), Phil Mickelson (HyFlyers)
3 Danny Lee (Iron Heads), Brooks Koepka (Smash), Ian Poulter (Majesticks)
4 Bryson DeChambeau (Crushers), Joaquin Niemann (Torque), Cameron Smith (Ripper)
6 Louis Oosthuizen (Stinger), Harold Varner III (RangeGoats), Paul Casey (Crushers)
7 Charles Howell III (Crushers), Marc Leishman (Ripper), Carlos Ortiz (Fireballs)
8 Branden Grace (Stinger), Jason Kokrak (Smash), Talor Gooch (RangeGoats)
9 Cameron Tringale (HyFlyers), Thomas Pieters (RangeGoats), Eugenio Chacarra (Fireballs)
10 Mito Pereira (Torque), Graeme McDowell (Cleeks), Pat Perez (4 Aces)
11 Andy Ogletree (Crushers), David Puig (Torque), Bernd Wiesberger (Cleeks)
12 Dean Burmester (Stinger), Laurie Canter (Cleeks), James Piot (HyFlyers)
14 Matt Jones (Ripper), Kevin Na (Iron Heads), Sebastian Munoz (Torque)
15 Richard Bland (Cleeks), Jediah Morgan (Ripper), Scott Vincent (Iron Heads)
16 Sihwan Kim (Iron Heads), Sam Horsfield (Majesticks), Chase Koepka (Smash)
17 Henrik Stenson (Majesticks), Peter Uihlein (4 Aces), Brendan Steele (HyFlyers)
18 Abraham Ancer (Fireballs) Lee Westwood (Majesticks), Matthew Wolff (Smash)
