The Masters extends 2024 invitation to LIV golfer

Joaquin Niemann.

LIV Golf is losing its war against the Official World Golf Ranking, but the Saudi-backed tour just scored a major win in its quest to legitimize its operation.

The Masters, which has specific qualifying criteria for players, announced Wednesday that it has extended a special invitation to LIV Golf’s Joaquin Niemann for the 2024 tournament, set for April 11-14. Niemann, one of the brightest young stars in the sport, wouldn’t have been able to qualify for the Masters himself because he’s fallen outside the top 50 in the OWGR.

Niemann is the No. 81-ranked player in the OWGR. That puts him below less accomplished players such as Lucas Herbert, Alexander Bjork and Rikuya Hoshino, to name a few. It’s hard to argue that’s a fair assessment considering the Chilean has won two of his past four worldwide starts, and he finished inside the top five in the other two. He also has a wire-to-wire win at The Genesis Invitational, one of the toughest tests on the PGA Tour.

Niemann left the PGA Tour for LIV Golf after the 2022 tour championship. He was No. 18 in the OWGR at the time. Since then, he’s slipped outside the top 80 despite notching nine top-10 finishes and a win on the rival tour. The 25-year-old wasn’t qualified for the Masters or U.S. Open this year because of his fall down the rankings, but his ultimate goal is still to win major championships and build a legacy.

“I think I have a different mindset for this year,” Niemann said after winning LIV Golf Mayakoba in February, per NBC Sports. “It kind of hurt me a little bit not being in the majors, and I think also helped me to get motivation to kind of earn my spot back into the majors, into the elite players. I think it helped me a little bit to get focused back, to start working harder, to start working with a purpose.

“I think it’s paying off, and I just want to keep telling myself that I’m capable of doing this, of winning tournaments, and this is a good way to prove that, and I don’t want to stop working the way I’m doing it. I just want to keep going.”

Niemann believes he’s still a top-20 player in the world, and now he gets a chance to prove it at Augusta National Golf Club at the Masters.

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