Jon Rahm earned a Masters green jacket in April and then wore an LIV Golf black letterman’s jacket in December.
Two images — one in Butler Cabin with Scottie Scheffler, the other in a New York studio with Greg Norman — show the divide in golf, with the sport’s biggest stars spread across two tours. The rival circuits are not working against each other, and that's the problem facing golf: They’re never together.
That’s what makes the Masters feel bigger than ever.
It already is the most anticipated tournament of any year because of Augusta National and all the history and memories it has created over 90 years. One year after the PGA Tour and LIV first mixed at the Masters, it now feels like a reunion long overdue.
“The first time there was that split, this war between the tours,” Xander Schauffele said. “It brought a lot of eyeballs because of that, sort of LIV versus the PGA Tour kind of thing. … I think the tone might be different from a fan’s perspective.
“But I think it will still be great viewing. One, it’s the Masters. And two, I think everybody is just probably excited to see everyone compete again.”
When the first tee shot in the 88th Masters Tournament is struck April 11, it will be the first time in 263 days that all the world’s best players will be chasing the same prize.
Rahm and Scheffler. Brooks Koepka and Rory McIlroy. Patrick Reed and Jordan Spieth. Even aging stars Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods.
Enjoy these moments, because there doesn’t seem to be peace in the immediate future.
The PGA Tour invited the Saudi backers of LIV Golf to partner with them last June in a surprising agreement.
But then Congress got involved. The Justice Department had antitrust concerns. The tour began receiving offers from U.S. private equity groups. As the tour narrowed its list of suitors, the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia used its financial power to tempt Rahm with an offer believed to be close to the tour’s entire prize fund for the year.
The PGA Tour now has a $3 billion investment from a group of billionaire sports owners in the U.S., while still negotiating with the Saudis. Just before the Masters, Woods, Spieth and the other player-directors on the PGA Tour board met for the first time with Yasir Al-Rumayyan, the PIF governor who refers to LIV as his “baby.”
LIV doesn’t seem to be going anywhere, and there is no agreement on how to bring LIV players back into the fold, if they even want to come back.
“We can’t keep going this direction,” Bryson DeChambeau said. “It’s great to have the majors where we all come together, but we want to be competing — at least I want to be competing — every week with all of the best players in the world.”
The closest the two tours have been to each other was early February, about 300 miles (480 kilometers) separated the Phoenix Open from LIV Golf Las Vegas. Otherwise, they feel galaxies apart.
For now, the boundaries vanish only at the four majors. That starts with the Masters.
Rahm said that what makes this Masters and other majors fun is that everyone can play together again and show their abilities.
The show begins with Scheffler, the clear No. 1 in the world even though LIV players are dropping in the ranking.
His performance from the tee to the green is one of the best since Woods' prime years. And then Scheffler started putting well and won against strong fields in consecutive weeks at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and The Players Championship. His most recent performance was a second-place finish in the Houston Open.
Rahm has been observing. That's all he can do. The Masters provides an opportunity for him to have a say about that.
Rahm said he's fully aware of Scottie's performance. He doesn't need to play next to him to know what's going on. He finds Scottie's impressive achievements quite remarkable.
The only important history for McIlroy is joining the most exclusive golf club. Only five players have won the four professional majors since the start of the Masters in 1934. Woods was the most recent in 2000, and he won at the British Open on his first attempt.
Of the other four players with the career Grand Slam, no one waited longer than three years to get the last leg. McIlroy is going on his 10th year, and it's been that long — 10 years — since he won any major championship.
McIlroy said he's under no illusion that it has been 10 years since he's won one of them. He just needs to keep putting himself in those positions, and sooner or later it's going to happen.
This is his 16th Masters. Only one player — Sergio Garcia — has played the Masters more times before finally winning. Garcia won his green jacket in his 19th attempt.
McIlroy won in Dubai at the start of the year, though his PGA Tour performance has been mediocre by his standards. He has been at the forefront of this disruption in golf, going from one of LIV’s loudest critics to resigning from the PGA Tour board and now pushing as hard as anyone for golf to find harmony, even if that means bringing back LIV players without penalty.
Woods has been the strongest and steadiest opponent of LIV Golf, and now the biggest name in the sport is adding his voice by getting an unlimited term on the PGA Tour board. He also was behind a change that gives players a majority on the board.
As for golf? That remains a mystery, as it has for the last five years since he capped that remarkable comeback from four back surgeries by winning a fifth green jacket and his 15th major. Woods had ankle surgery after last year’s Masters and is walking better. His ambitious goal was to play once a month through the major championship season.
That hasn’t gone to plan, not even close. Woods has played only 24 holes in one tournament this year, withdrawing after six holes of the second round at Riviera with the flu.
There is still curiosity about how they will perform. Rahm has played only five times since November leading up to the Masters. Is that enough? What does guaranteed cash do for motivation?
The answers to those questions may have been given last year. Koepka came second at the Masters with Mickelson. Patrick Reed was one shot behind. Koepka became the PGA Championship winner. Cameron Smith finished fourth at the U.S. Open.
Koepka said, "This has been my time," as he pursues a sixth major title since 2017.
Now is the time for everyone to play on the same golf course, in the same clubhouse, on the same range, competing for the same prize, with no focus on money. This rarely happens these days.
