Anticipation is at fever pitch ahead of the first men's Major of the year. The Masters tee times have been announced, with some star-studded groupings set to descend upon Augusta National.
Also announced were the four three-balls that would be included in the featured group coverage for round one, and they were perhaps most notable for those who weren't included.
It could be coincidence, of course, as the green jackets have remained fairly quiet on the ongoing divide in the men's game, but the four groups on Thursday are bereft of a single LIV Golf player.
Instead, they are made up of PGA Tour stalwarts, led by Tiger Woods as he makes his second start of the year alongside Viktor Hovland and Xander Schauffele at 10.18am local time (3.18pm BST)
Thursday's featured groups are:
10.18am EDT/3.18pm BST: Tiger Woods, Viktor Hovland, Xander Schauffele
10.42am EDT/3.42pm BST: Justin Thomas, Jon Rahm, Cameron Young
1.36pm EDT/6.36pm BST: Scottie Scheffler, Max Homa, Sam Bennett
2.00pm EDT/6.00pm BST: Jordan Spieth, Tommy Fleetwood, Tony Finau
As picked up on by No Laying Up, in each of the last three Masters tournaments, multiple players who since went on to join the breakaway circuit have been part of the featured group coverage from the famous Georgia venue.
(Eventual) LIV guys in featured groups by year:'20: Bryson, Oosthuizen, Ogletree, Wolff, Bubba, Smith, DJ, Koepka, Westwood, Na, Kokrak, Stenson'21: DJ, Westwood, Smith, Bubba, Koepka, Phil, Bryson, Reed, Casey'22: Oosthuizen, Niemann, DJ, Koepka, Piot'23 Round 1: NoneApril 4, 2023
In 2022, LIV's Louis Oosthuizen, Joaquin Niemann, Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka and James Piot all made the grade, while in previous years, the likes of Phil Mickelson, Bryson DeChambeau, Patrick Reed and Cameron Smith have also been included.
Augusta National chairman Fred Ridley confirmed members of the Greg Norman-fronted tour who qualified for The Masters would be allowed to tee it up at the men's season-opening Major, but added he was "disappointed" by recent developments.
"Regrettably, recent actions have divided men's professional golf by diminishing the virtues of the game and the meaningful legacies of those who built it" Ridley said. "Although we are disappointed in these developments, our focus is to honour the tradition of bringing together a pre-eminent field of golfers this coming April."
Open champion Smith was given a press conference slot and it remains to be seen whether he or any of his colleagues form part of Friday's featured group coverage.
-
'Bryson’s A Good Dude' - Brooks Koepka Admits He Was Wrong About Rival DeChambeauBrooks Koepka admits he had the wrong impression of Bryson DeChambeau and is now seemingly a big fan of his long-time rival
-
Quiz! Name The 10 US States With The Most Golf CoursesTwo-fifths of the world's courses are in the USA, and half of these are concentrated in 10 states. Can you name these 10 states?
-
'Bryson’s A Good Dude' - Brooks Koepka Admits He Was Wrong About Rival DeChambeau
Brooks Koepka admits he had the wrong impression of Bryson DeChambeau and is now seemingly a big fan of his long-time rival
-
Scottie Scheffler Beats Xander Schauffele And Rory McIlroy To Record-Equalling PGA Tour Player Of The Year AwardThe World No.1 claimed the coveted title in a landslide vote, with Scheffler matching Tiger Woods as the only player to have collected it three times in a row
-
Tiger Woods To Make PNC Championship Return Alongside Son CharlieThe 15-time Major winner is set to tee it up for the first time since back surgery in September, with Team Woods making their fifth appearance in the tournament
-
The Equipment Change That Gained Justin Thomas 10 Yards At Hero World ChallengeJustin Thomas produced a fine performance in the Bahamas partly down to a change of driver shaft that resulted in added distance off the tee
-
Tiger Woods Coy Over PNC Championship ReturnSpeaking to NBC’s Dan Hicks during the final round of the Hero World Challenge, the 15-time Major winner gave a rather muted response to when his return may happen
-
'A Natural Fit' - Tiger Woods Backs Keegan Bradley US Ryder CaptaincyThe 15-time Major winner made his remarks during an appearance in the NBC Sports broadcasting booth in the final round of the Hero World Challenge
-
Hero World Challenge Final Round Tee TimesScottie Scheffler and Justin Thomas will go out together in round four of the Hero World Challenge, with the latter holding a one-stroke lead...
-
Scottie Scheffler Testing Out Major Change To Cure Putting ProblemsScottie Scheffler has been using the claw putting grip at the Hero World Challenge as he looks to improve the only area of his game that struggled this year
