LIV Golf branding will be seen throughout Augusta National this week in a sign that relations in golf’s so-called civil war appear to be thawing.
Many of the 13 LIV players in the Masters field this week are sporting their team uniforms and the LIV logo, but that wasn’t the case last year.
The 18 LIV golfers in last year’s field reportedly agreed in a pre-tournament meeting to ditch the LIV logo from their apparel, caps and bag “out of respect” for the Masters.
While it’s unclear if last year’s decision was due to a request by Augusta National, it appears that no such move exists this year, with the 54-hole tour golfers all wearing their usual LIV branding this week – perhaps a sign of growing acceptance of the rebel tour within the golfing ecosystem.
LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman – who is in attendance at Augusta this week, albeit as a paying customer – claimed in an interview with the Washington Post that the reaction towards LIV from fans and security at the Masters has been overwhelmingly positive.
"Walking around here today, there’s not one person who said to me, 'Why did you do LIV?'" Norman said.
"There’s been hundreds of people, even security guys, stopping me, saying, 'Hey, what you’re doing is fantastic.' To me, that tells you that what we have and the platform fits within the ecosystem, and it’s good for the game of golf."
The PGA Tour and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, which bankrolls LIV, remain in talks over a proposed merger in hopes that a deal will once again unify the men's professional game.
Friendly rivalry remains, however, with two-time Masters champion and LIV golfer Sergio Garcia sending a pre-tournament warning to the rest of the field that the 13-player contingent are “coming for that green jacket”.
The LIV players, including eight former champions, competing this week at Augusta are:
- Bryson DeChambeau
- Sergio Garcia
- Tyrell Hatton
- Dustin Johnson
- Brooks Koepka
- Adrian Meronk
- Phil Mickelson
- Joaquin Niemann
- Jon Rahm
- Patrick Reed
- Charl Schwartzel
- Cameron Smith
- Bubba Watson
-
LIV Golfers 'Good Enough To Get In' Are Welcome At US Open 'With Open Arms'USGA boss Mike Whan will welcome LIV Golf players with open arms into the US Open - if they are good enough to qualify
-
Phil Can Still Thrill - Watch Mickelson Smoke A Driver Off The Deck At LIV Golf SingaporePhil Mickelson showed he can still be box office viewing with a pure driver off the deck in Singapore
-
Two Thirds Of The Entire LIV Field Hoping To Join Tiger Woods At US Open By Entering Final QualifyingThere are 35 LIV Golf League players who have entered Final Qualifying for the 2024 US Open at Pinehurst
-
'Not Very Good' - Brooks Koepka Issues Worrying Verdict On His Game Ahead Of PGA Championship DefenceBrooks Koepka admitted he is running out of time to find the magic formula before his PGA Championship defence at Valhalla
-
'It’s Toward Its End' - Phil Mickelson Drops Major Retirement HintPhil Mickelson is well into the back nine of his career and hinted he may soon begin to consider retiring from the sport
-
LIV Golf Will Be 'Bigger, Badder And Better Than Ever' - DeChambeau And Mickelson Bullish Over FutureBryson DeChambeau says LIV Golf will get "bigger and badder" in the future while Phil Mickelson believes the tour will help grow the game in new global markets
-
LIV Golf Singapore Prize Money Payout 2024There’s another eye-catching prize money payout available at the second LIV Golf event in a week at Sentosa Golf Club
-
Ronnie O’Sullivan Admits He ‘Would Love To See A LIV-Style Breakaway’ At 2024 World Snooker ChampionshipThe Englishman has admitted the emergence of LIV Golf in the men’s elite game is something he’d like to see come to top-level snooker
