Masters Not Expected to Change Qualifying Criteria for LIV Golfers in 2024

The Augusta National Golf Club does not plan to change its criteria for admittance into the 2024 Masters tournament in light of the Official World Golf Ranking board's recent decision to reject LIV Golf's application for world ranking points.

Club chairman Fred Ridley offered insight into the matter on Thursday.

"As you recall last year, there was some speculation as to whether or not we would invite LIV golfers, and we stayed true to our qualification criteria and we invited everyone who was eligible," Ridley said, according to ESPN's Mark Schlabach.

"And so, while we do not at this time anticipate making any changes in 2024, you know, we do always look at them and we will continue to do that. I would just answer by saying that, you know, that our qualifications are very much dynamic, and we adjust to what we feel is the best interests of the tournament representing the best players in the world, so we always look at that."

The OWGR's decision has presented a massive roadblock for LIV golfers looking to qualify for the Masters.

The two most inclusive ways for a player to qualify for the Masters are finishing top 50 on the final OWGR for the previous calendar year and landing in the top 50 on the OWGR during the week before the current year's Masters tournament.

A handful of golfers don't have to worry about finishing top 50 by virtue of qualifying in other ways. For example, winning the Masters offers a lifetime exemption into the field. Taking home the U.S. Open, Open Championship or PGA Championship provides a five-year exemption, while a Players Championship victory leads to a three-year exemption.

Brooks Koepka (No. 18) and Cam Smith (No. 19) are the only two LIV golf players in the top 50, although six others (Phil Mickelson, Patrick Reed, Dustin Johnson, Charl Schwartzel, Sergio Garcia and Bubba Watson) are in for life by virtue of winning the Masters. Bryson DeChambeau is in through 2025 after winning the 2020 U.S. Open.

On the other hand, golfers who have found great success playing in LIV Golf have a hard time making into the Masters. The biggest example is Talor Gooch, who won three times in LIV Golf last year. He is No. 214 on the rankings.

OWGR chairman Peter Dawson explained why LIV Golf tournaments are not considered for points, per comments relayed by the Associated Press' Doug Ferguson.

"We are not at war with them," Dawson said. "This decision not to make them eligible is not political. It is entirely technical. LIV players are self-evidently good enough to be ranked. They're just not playing in a format where they can be ranked equitably with the other 24 tours and thousands of players trying to compete on them."

LIV Golf notably plays 54-hole, no-cut tournaments in which players compete on four-person teams that are largely set for each season barring a player injury. The "closed shop" issue is apparently the biggest issue preventing LIV from getting those OWGR points.

For now, LIV golfers will have struggles qualifying for majors unless they have already managed previous success at those tournaments.

Ridley did note that the club's "qualifications are very much dynamic," so perhaps changes could come down the road. That won't be the case in 2024, however.