Jon Rahm won his second major and led a podium completed by two Super League players. It is the first time that the two circuits meet in the most important tournament in the world.
With the present upheaval in world golf, there was no way Augusta would not become a battleground. Sportingly speaking at least. For while it is true that the tension between the teams eased once they arrived in Georgia, the leader board remained until Sunday with a heads-up between the PGA and the LIV. It was Rahm who finally put on the green jacket, but Koepka and Mickelson took blankets that weren’t being considered on Thursday morning.
In fact, until the start of the fourth round, everything seemed set for LIV to have their first major. Brooks Koepka entered Sunday with a four-stroke lead over the Spaniard, but it all came crashing down on the fourth hole.
The Palm Beach native nailed three bogeys in five flags and watched as the new world number one robbed him of his lead and the illusion of winning a major again after four years. From Thursday to Saturday he was that player who won four big games between 2017 and 2019. On Sunday he was the Koepka of 2022 again.
But before his debacle, and almost silently, another LIV reference entered the argument. It was Phil Mickelson, the star face and the PGA’s first rebel. “Lefty” birdied seven times between 6 and 18 at Augusta National on Sunday to climb to second place overall. Incredible record that wasn’t enough to rip off Rahm’s jacket, but allowed two of the top three marks in the world’s most important league come from super league players.
If you go back a little further, three of the top seven Masters players are with the Rebels. In addition, of the 17 who played in Georgia (they were 18 but Kevin Na withdrew before the first round), 12 made the cut. Only Louis Ooshtuizen (retired on day two), Sergio Garcia, Bryson DeChambeau, Bubba Watson and Jason Kokrak they said goodbye after 36 holes. Not bad considering that on the field of 88 players, more than 50 were from the PGA.
The Chileans, for their part, obtained good results (Niemann T16 and Pereira T43), helping a delegation which left Augusta without a new green jacket (six of his players won it before switching sides ), but specifying that they are there to compete. After four days, questions about the level being uncompetitive and more show-focused fade away.
Now, the LIV will have other challenges in the future, since despite the fact that it has been confirmed that its players will be able to continue participating in the Masters in 2024, only seven of them have a guaranteed presence . Sergio García, Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson, Bubba Watson, Patrick Reed and Charl Schwartzel, for winning the Green Jacket in the past and Cameron Smith for winning The Players title in 2022. In the case of the top six, his presence in Augusta is confirmed for life . The Australian for his part, thanks to his victory at TPC Sawgrass, has an invitation until 2025.
At this stage, Niemann (24th OWGR) and Mito (54th) they will have to find ways to get back to Georgia. The most accessible is to be among the top 50 players in the world rankings at the end of the year or the week before the list is released for the 2024 edition. , something that, especially in the case of Pereira, is not guaranteed. In the LIV, they don’t add points and they will have to go to Asia to look for the units that the OWGR has not yet given them to play in the super league. Other options are to finish in the top four, or tied, at the US Open British Open and the PGA Championship in 2023 .
Pending task, but after a great Augusta they will face it with more momentum. They will have to go for points on other circuits or wait for the LIV to win its most important battle and be formalized by the WGR as one of the official circuits.
Because while the PGA celebrates that at the first Augusta Masters where they had to fight against their rivals, one of their own was champion. Rahm, for his part, also left a battle-tinged reflection. Already dressed in the green jacket, thinking of his mentor Severiano Ballesteros and those troubled years, he launches a declaration of principles. “The history of the sport is one of the main reasons I play golf “said the Basque. The new number one on the planet and the main emblem of the PGA in Georgia.
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Source: Latercera
I am David Jack and I have been working in the news industry for over 10 years. As an experienced journalist, I specialize in covering sports news with a focus on golf. My articles have been published by some of the most respected publications in the world including The New York Times and Sports Illustrated.
