NIEMANN RECEIVES SPECIAL INVITATION TO COMPETE IN 2024 MASTERS

Chilean star Joaquin Niemann, winner of LIV Golf Mayakoba earlier this month, will compete in this year’s Masters after accepting a special invitation from Augusta National, the club announced Wednesday.

The Torque GC captain, who turned 25 last November, is one of three international players who received invites. The others are Denmark’s Thorbjørn Olesen and Japan’s Ryo Hisatsune.

“The Masters Tournament has a long-standing tradition of inviting leading international players who are not otherwise qualified,” chairman Fred Ridley stated in Wednesday’s news release. “Today’s announcement represents the Tournament’s continued commitment towards developing interest in the game of golf across the world. We look forward to welcoming each player to Augusta National this spring.”

Niemann opened the 2024 LIV Golf League season with a course-record 12-under 59 at Mayakoba’s El Camaleon – the second sub-60 round shot in LIV Golf history. He eventually beat Sergio Garcia on the fourth playoff hole to win his first League title.

The victory was Niemann’s 11th since turning pro. During the LIV Golf offseason, he won the ISPS Handa Australian Open in December for his first European Tour victory. That win earned him a qualifying spot for this year’s Open Championship at Royal Troon.

Niemann will be making his fifth Masters start. Last year, he tied for 16th, his best result at Augusta National. His other finishes include a T-35 in 2022, a T-40 in 2021, and a missed cut in 2018 when he competed as the reigning Latin America Amateur champion and ranked as the world’s No. 1 amateur.

Niemann’s invitation brings the total of LIV Golf League members in the 2024 Masters field to 13. That list includes defending champion Jon Rahm; past champions Sergio Garcia, Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson, Patrick Reed, Charl Schwartzel and Bubba Watson; recent major winners Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka and Cameron Smith; and Tyrrell Hatton and Adrian Meronk, who qualify via their world rankings in 2023.

The tournament is scheduled for the week of April 8-14, the week after LIV Golf Miami at Doral.