The first Major of the season is always the most eagerly-anticipated given the long build-up and there's always huge interest in who is in the field for the The Masters.
LIV Golf stars still don't currently have access to Official World Golf Ranking points, and being in the top 50 is one of the qualifying criteria for Augusta National, but that's not the only way in.
Previous winners of the Green Jacket get lifetime exemptions into The Masters so the likes of Jon Rahm, Phil Mickelson, Sergio Garcia, Dustin Johnson and Bubba Watson can all take the stroll down Magnolia Lane for as long as they wish.
With LIV players able to play in DP World Tour events, Tyrrell Hatton's excellent form kept him up in the OWGR top 50 to book his return to play Augusta National.
LIV Golfers qualified for the Masters
Jon Rahm
2023 Masters champion Jon Rahm moved to LIV Golf at the end of that year, and it was no surprise to see him win the invidual title in 2024 after a hugely impressive debut season.
His Legion XIII side also finished second in the team standings - before Rahm then headed back to the DP World Tour to ensure he played the minimum events to keep his card and qualify for the Ryder Cup.
Rahm finished T45 last year but had a lot to deal with as defending champion and with his LIV move - and four other top 10s apart from his victory show he plays well enough around Augusta to seriously challenge again.
Bryson DeChambeau
Last year's thrilling US Open victory bagged Bryson DeChambeau a fresh set of exemptions for the next five years into the Majors - but he also finished second at the PGA Championship and T6 at The Masters.
DeChambeau was the star of the Majors last year after being in contention for three of them, and he'll again be the centre of attention when he heads back to Augusta.
He was also in the year-ending top 50 of the OWGR just for good measure.
Brooks Koepka
The five-time Major champion is still on his five-year exemption from winning the PGA Championship in 2023.
Koepka felt he should've also won The Masters that year, as he blew a lead in the fourth round to allow Jon Rahm to claim the title.
That was his second runner-up finish at Augusta National and he's also finished tied seventh - so given his love of the Majors he will always be among the favourites.
Phil Mickelson
As a three-time Masters champion not many players know how to get it done around Augusta better than Phil Mickelson.
The 54-year-old also qualifies as part of his five-year exemption for winning the 2021 PGA Championship.
He's not been in the best form in LIV Golf but his runner-up finish in 2023 showed that around Augusta course knowledge really counts.
Dustin Johnson
An emotional winner of the 2020 Masters which was staged in November due to Covid-19, Dustin Johnson has served up a mixed bag of results since.
Two missed cuts, a T48 and T12 show that absolutely anything is possible when DJ tees it up these days.
Sergio Garcia
Sergio Garcia has only made the cut once at Augusta since slipping on the Green Jacket in 2017, but he showed real signs of life in 2024.
Garcia won an emotional LIV Golf Andalucia and finished T12 at the US Open after going through qualifying - showing his commitment to playing in as many Majors as possible.
And having turned his attention to trying to qualify for the Ryder Cup you couldn't rule him out from making a run again.
Patrick Reed
Captain America is another man who can return to Augusta for life after winning in 2018, and Reed has had three other top 10s since then.
Reed was T12 last year so even when not playing at his best it shows that players who have tasted success around Augusta are always likely to produce the goods.
Bubba Watson
A two-time Masters champion, Bubba Watson pulled off one of the best shots we've ever seen at Augusta during his playoff victory over Louis Oosthuizen.
Watson played so badly on LIV last year he finished in the relegation places, but maintained his place thanks to being captain of the RangeGoats.
He's missed the last two cuts at Augusta and this will be the only Major he's playing in during the 2025 season.
Charl Schwartzel
Charl Schwartzel was the man who came with a flying finish to pinch the Green Jacket in 2011 when Rory McIlroy suffered his nightmare implosion.
A member of Stinger GC on LIV Golf he had two top-threes in 2024 but no victories and will hope to do better than missing the cut last year.
Schwartzel did manage a top 10 finish in 2022 though.
Tyrrell Hatton
A T9 in last year's Masters gave Tyrrell Hatton a pass into the 2025 event, as the top 12 all get invitations into the next year's tournament.
But Hatton also finished the year ranked 15th in the OWGR so qualified by two methods thanks to his excellent play at the end of the year.
He also finished fourth in LIV's individual standings with one victory and was part of Rahm's Legion XIII side that finished second. He'll be well fancied to go well.
Joaquin Niemann
Joaquin Niemann was handed a special invite into The Masters last year, and Augusta National officials have done the same again after his continued excellence on LIV Golf.
The Chilean just lost out to Rahm in the race for the individual title having won twice on LIV including shooting 59 to claim the title at Mayakoba.
Niemann also won the Saudii International and finished top of the Asian Tour's International Series rankings - so will hope to go even better than his T22 last year.
Cameron Smith
Ripper GC captain Cameron Smith is another who qualifies for The Masters through two different criteria - including his five-year pass from winning the 2022 Open at St Andrews.
Smith is also a bit of a course specialist at Augusta though and finished T6 last year to get in as part of the top 12 exemption category.
The Australian has five top-10 finishes at The Masters with three of those being top fives so he's always a danger.
