You can, perhaps, paper over the cracks; even attempt to hide the fissures that exist in men’s professional golf since LIV’s arrival on the scene. But, it’s bubbling away, under the surface and – although the four Major championships provide a glimpse of how things used to be and might again be – there remains an “us” versus “them” tension with LIV players numerically in the minority.
For this Masters tournament, there are 12 LIV Golf players in the field, 11 of whom earned their places either as past Masters champions or through other eligibility, with just Joaquin Niemann granted an invitation through the special international player invite category.
Augusta National Golf Club chairman Fred Ridley confirmed Wednesday that the tournament doesn’t plan to add special pathways for LIV Golf players like two other Major championships (the R&A for The Open and the USGA for the US Open).
For an indication of how LIV golf – and, by extension, its players – are viewed by the likes of Jack Nicklaus, it is worth noting the 18-times Major champion’s response to a query of how Phil Mickelson, one of those who jumped to take the greenbacks offered by the Saudi PIF bankrollers, was playing.
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“I don’t know what level Phil is competing at. I guess he’s still playing. He’s playing the LIV Tour, is he? I don’t know if he’s playing or not. I don’t know, you never see that any more.”
Whatever about the viewing figures for LIV events that Nicklaus, among many, haven’t bothered to switch on, Tyrrell Hatton showcased his talents to a wider audience on TV and more especially to those who were on site at Augusta National for the first round as the Englishman – not always known for his patience – stuck to his task and signed for a fine three-under-par 69.
“I don’t know if I’ve worked on my patience. I think it just depends what side of the bed I get out of ... obviously today was a good day. Drove the ball pretty well, which in years gone by is something that I’ve struggled with,” said Hatton, of a round that featured four birdies and one bogey, which arrived late in the round at the 17th.
Hatton, who finished tied-ninth last year, had been disappointed with his form on LIV headed into the Masters. As he put his season so far: “If I’m honest, not great. The last two events on LIV, I’ve needed a really good Sunday to even earn points, and that’s not really a place I want to be competing out on a Sunday.
“I’ve struggled a bit. I feel I’ve put a new driver [Ping Max 440] in play this week with a different shaft, and that’s been a little bit better for me. Seeing the ball come back to the right again, which is nice. That’s my natural shape. Standing on certain holes and being able to trust that better has been good, and I think that was one of the keys for me today.”
For Hatton, the key had been to get off to a solid start. First task accomplished. The next task will be to retain that focus. “It’s such a challenging course, and anything can happen on any of the holes so quickly. You just have to keep it in play the best you can. If you are going to miss, hope your misses are in a good spot. Otherwise, that’s when the numbers can get pretty high very quickly.”
