Latest Tiger Woods Update Rubs Salt on LIV Golf’s Growing Anguish
The Masters will start with its decades-old traditions, such as the Champions Dinner and the Par-3 Contest, in just a couple of days.
One of the most anticipated moments is when some of the top golfers participate in the pre-match press conference. This year too, the pressers are scheduled for Monday, and they have the names of Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy, and many more PGA Tour pros. But does it have any LIV golfers too?
Only two LIV pros join the likes of Tiger Woods at the Masters presser.
Tiger Woods will be giving his first press interview after withdrawing from the Genesis Invitational in February. The 15-time major champ has been inactive on the professional greens since then. Despite this, he is one of the 11 PGA Tour players chosen for the presser. However, the situation is a bit bleak for the PGA Tour’s archrival, LIV Golf.
When looking at the announced list of pros that will be doing the press conference, it has Ludvig Aberg making his debut, Viktor Hovland, who has played only five events without any top performances, and Rory McIlroy, who has been struggling to clinch a major win for about a decade now.
Despite having many former champions like 2x Masters winner Bubba Watson, Dustin Johnson, and Charles Schwartzel on the circuit, only two were given the spot in Tuesday’s presser. It is the reigning Masters champion, Jon Rahm, and the five-time major winner, Brooks Koepka.
The committee missed out on three-time Masters winner and, inarguably, the most successful left-handed golfer of the Masters, Phil Mickelson. The treatment of Lefty being left alone had also enraged the fans, as they called it “an absolute disgrace.” Interestingly, the LIV Golf players played remarkably well at the last year’s edition, which makes them equally deserving candidates for the presser.
Even the 2023 finish did not help LIV golfers in 2024
As it’s widely known, the PIF-backed league now has two of the last four major winners on its rosters. When the Spaniard won the 2023 Masters, nobody would’ve guessed that he would defect to LIV, but he did. What people also didn’t predict last year was the final day leaderboard of the Masters. While Mickelson and Koepka were T2 and four strokes behind the winner, one more golfer was in the top 5.
It was the 2018 Masters winner, Patrick Reed. Last year, the 33-year-old shot a final round score of 4 under 68 and even surpassed world number one Scottie Scheffler to position himself at T4 with Jordan Spieth. However, despite the top-four finish, Reed could not be a part of the 2024 Masters presser. LIV players made themselves and their circuit visible last year, but as it turns out, not enough to gain traction on the press release roster!
