Masters invitations go out to LIV Golf’s Neimann and two others

Augusta National Golf Club chairman Fred Ridley announced on Wednesday that Denmark’s Thorbjørn Olesen, Japan’s Ryo Hisatsune and Chile’s Joaquin Niemann had accepted invitations to compete in the 2024 Masters that will be played from April 8 to 14.

“The Masters tournament has a long-standing tradition of inviting leading international players who are not otherwise qualified,” Ridley said. “Today’s announcement represents the tournament’s continued commitment towards developing interest in the game of golf across the world. We look forward to welcoming each player to Augusta National this spring.”

With the inclusion of Neimann and David Puig having qualified via the Malaysian Open, LIV Golf will be well-represented at Augusta National. The others who are among the 83 names announced so far based on varying criteria include Bubba Watson, Cameron Smith, Charl Schwartzel, Partick Reed, Jon Rahm, Phil Mickelson, Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson Tyrell Hatton, Sergion Garcia, and Bryson DeChambeau.

Rookie Adrian Meronk was also on the initial list though his name and that of Puig does not appear among 83 formally announced so far for the 88th edition of the Masters.

In a statement, ANGC said, “Olesen will compete in his fourth Masters and his first since 2019. He made the cut in each of his three previous appearances at Augusta National, including a T6 in his Tournament debut in 2013. Last month, Olesen, 34, won in the UAE, marking his third consecutive DP World Tour season with a victory. He has five top-10s in his last seven worldwide appearances.

“Hisatsune will make his debut in the Masters this April. In November, he became the first Japanese player to be voted the DP World Tour’s Rookie of the Year. The 21-year-old concluded the 2023 DP World Tour season ranked no. 10 following a campaign that included a French Open victory last September. Hisatsune’s recent highlights include a T8 at the Australian Open in December and a T11 in Palm Springs last month.

“Niemann, 25, is set to appear in his fifth Masters, where he has made the cut in three of his first four tournaments, including a career-best T16 in 2023. He has top-five finishes in each of his three DP World Tour starts this season, including winning the Australian Open in a playoff last December. Niemann’s first Masters came in 2018 while he was the reigning Latin America Amateur champion and the no. 1 ranked amateur in the world.”

With Wednesday’s announcement, two qualification criteria remain active, those being winners of upcoming PGA Tour events that award a full-point allocation and the 50 leaders on the Official World Golf Ranking published during the week prior to the Masters.

Seventeen living past champions will not be participating at the Masters this year. They are Tommy Aaron, Angel Cabrera, Charles Coody, Ben Crenshaw, Nick Faldo, Raymond Floyd, Trevor Immelman, Bernhard Langer, Sandy Lyle, Larry Mize, Jack Nicklaus, Mark O'Meara, Gary Player, Craig Stadler, Tom Watson, Ian Woosnam and Fuzzy Zoeller.