Sergio Garcia of LIV Golf sent a confident caution to the majority of the Masters participants ahead of next week’s tournament at Augusta National Golf Club.
As a result of Joaquin Niemann’s committee invitation, along with two DP World Tour players, 13 LIV Golf League members will go to Georgia in an attempt to carve their names into the sport’s history books.
Seven of the 54-hole circuit’s players have won The Masters at least once, including Jon Rahm, Bubba Watson, Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson, Charl Schwartzel, Patrick Reed, and Garcia, while Cameron Smith and Brooks Koepka have been in contention on Sunday in recent years before falling short.
With a stacked stable of players hoping to increase those numbers in 2024, Garcia shared a photo of all 13 members, including Bryson DeChambeau, Adrian Meronk, and Tyrrell Hatton, teeing it up at both LIV Golf Miami this week and The Masters in the coming days, with the caption “We’re coming for that green jacket @TheMasters.”
The 2017 Masters champion isn’t the only LIV golfer who is optimistic about the PIF-backed circuit’s chances this year; Koepka and Rahm both expressed their optimism at pre-LIV Miami press conferences.
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Koepka stated: “Obviously, the odds are good. There are a number of good players. I’m not sure how many players are on the field. Usually around 90, correct? Usually around 90. So you probably received about 15 percent.
“When you start breaking all the numbers down, no amateurs, no first-time winners, I’m not sure, probably goes to what, 70?
Yes, I like the chances. A lot of people are playing well. Joaco is performing well this year, and I watched Bryson last year. And I suppose we played together in Singapore or Thailand, and I began to see what happened over the last, I don’t know, eight months or so.
“It’s been cool to see how that progressed. I see him starting around the bend. And then, I don’t know, started playing well till March; this is kind of my moment.”
Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka, and Joaquin Niemann speak with the media before LIV Golf Miami.
Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka, and Joaquin Niemann speak with the media before LIV Golf Miami.
Meanwhile, Rahm, the reigning Masters champion, stated that the sheer quality of players coming over from LIV, as well as the size of the field, increase LIV’s prospects of hosting a winner.
He stated, “There are quite a few major champions in LIV, as well as a few golfers of major champion caliber. So pure numbers, if you go with math, would not be the highest, but I’m convinced that one of us will complete it this year.”
The Masters begins on Thursday, April 11, and Golf Monthly will cover all of the key events throughout the week.
