Don’t expect LIV Golf to receive a formal invitation to the Masters anytime soon.

Earlier this year, the USGA became the first governing body to provide players from the LIV Golf League a direct pathway into a men’s major championship. Because LIV’s competitive makeup failed to qualify the league for Official World Golf Ranking points, many LIV players who haven’t won majors and previously used the OWGR exemptions to get into the elite fields have seen their chances of earning spots into the sport’s four biggest tournaments diminish. But for this year’s U.S. Open at Oakmont, a full exemption will be awarded to the top player who is not otherwise qualified for the field and in the top three of the 2025 LIV Golf Individual Standings as of May 19. Additionally, exemptions into Final Qualifying will be awarded to the top 10 players from the 2025 LIV Golf Individual Standings as of April 7.

Five days later, the R&A announced a new provision for the top player in the LIV individual ranking not already qualified to get a spot after LIV’s event in Dallas, which is being held June 27-29. The Open is set for July 17-20.

But speaking Wednesday, Augusta National and Masters chairman Fred Ridley downplayed the idea that the Saudi-backed circuit have an annual qualifying criteria carved out for the tournament.

“I think that some of the issues that have been raised in connection with world golf rankings, and that is pathways for players to come and go on the LIV Tour as well as the team aspect of the LIV Golf, certainly creates some concern in that regard,” Ridley said. “As it relates to the USGA and the R&A, they certainly act independently. We respect their decisions. We are an invitational tournament.”

Ridley did say the club will continue to evaluate individual international invitations on a case-by-case basis. For the past two years, LIV’s Joaquin Niemann has received special exemptions, particularly for his success outside LIV-sanctioned events, although it’s worth noting that in both instances LIV was not named in the announcement.

As for the ongoing schism in professional golf—with worries the cold war between the PGA Tour and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment may reheat after a breakdown in negotiations—Ridley expressed his hope for the world’s best to reunite for more than four tournaments a year.

“I’m not really in a position to say what form that should take as far as how the two organizations should come together, what legal structure that may be or what the financial aspects of that may be, but what I would do and what I am doing is just encouraging again … sometimes if you start kind of at eye level, and that is to encourage cooperation and trying to figure out a way to get something done, regardless of what the structure of it is, to where everyone can play together again,” Ridley said. “So I’m going to continue to be saying that and encouraging the leaders of the organizations involved to try to work together to come up with a solution. But I think we all agree that four times a year is not enough to have the great players of the game together.”

There are 12 LIV Golf members in this week’s Masters field, including past winners in Jon Rahm, Dustin Johnson, Patrick Reed, Bubba Watson and Phil Mickelson. Additionally, new LIV Golf CEO Scott O’Neil is expected to be on the grounds this week, a guest of Augusta National Golf Club.

Main image: Bryson DeChambeau. Supplied by Eurasia Sport Images

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