LIV players already getting snubbed at Masters

GM. This is Easy Pars. The golf newsletter that never makes you count your provisional ball.

Here’s what we’ve got for you today:

• Tiger, tiger, tiger

• Masters clearly snubs LIV

• LIV winner celebration plans

Oh, Tiger’s playing?

Tiger and golf. Golf and Tiger.

Even though he’s nowhere near his prime and has been mostly out of action since his 2021 car accident; Tiger Woods is still the poster boy for the sport of golf to the world at large.

He still draws a huge crowd, and Tiger-mania, although not what it once was, is still alive.

And he did win The Masters just a few short years ago, in 2019.

He arrived yesterday in Augusta, and the big golf news outlets acted as though it’s his to lose.

And that’s because Tiger and The Masters have a long history together. So the fact that he’ll be playing at all makes them feel butterflies in their bellies.

The question this year has been and still is, how much of the Tiger of old are we getting?

Also, with 25 starts at Augusta under his belt, he knows what to do here. But will he be able to keep it up throughout the whole tournament?

How will he do? What do you think?

We’re just happy to see a post-accident Tiger making it back out at Augusta.

Imagine if he were to make a top-10 finish, or if he actually comes close to winning…

For the game’s sake, and for our own entertainment—we hope this week is AMAZING.

Augusta quick facts

• The “Augusta National Invitational” began in 1934

• Became “The Masters” in 1939

• Started dolling out green jackets to winners in 1949

• E.’s favorite stretch of winners is 1960-1966 (Palmer, Player, Palmer, Nicklaus, Palmer, Nicklaus, Nicklaus)

Maybe the most interesting fact are the course changes through the decades. Twitter user @flushingitgolf 😂 gave a really beautiful before/after of the 12th hole.

In 1952, the 12th looks like a hole at the public course near our town’s quarry. Now—it’s truly stunning.

The Masters snubs begin

Yes, the course is gorgeous, but things seem to be getting ugly between the Masters and LIV.

What’s the drama now?

Well…it seems Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson are officially snubbed from the Interview room.

Probably the two most famous of the PGA defects to the LIV. And both are previous Masters winners—who will be in Augusta.

But…no interview. August organizers just don’t want that drama?

Here’s a list of the interviewees, in a tweet from @golfturfwar (fitting name, amiright?):

Maybe there will be some bad blood after all.

According to a recent statement by Chilean golfer Joaquin Niemann, “It’s going to be more fun for us knowing that they hate us.”

Niemann also mentions that it will be interesting and will be a “motivating factor” to his game.

Niemann preparing for this week:

Remember that long Augusta history? This is the first time in recent history that players from competing leagues square off.

It remains to be seen how much of the animosity is real and how much is fabricated by the media.

Having this whole “Us vs. Them” dynamic may make one of the season’s biggest events even more fun for us golf fans.

Tweetstorm against Cam

Cam Smith is overall a pretty chill guy. The Australian seems to embrace a live-and-let-live kind of philosophy, especially when it comes to the whole Tour/LIV drama.

This week, “fans” tweeted how LIV golfers “don’t play real golf anymore” and “aren’t talented enough to compete well in the majors.”

But backing out of the Twitter drama, the reality is that Cam and his other 17 LIV colleagues do have a point to make. And what better place to do it than at Augusta?

If team LIV has a strong finish, it would quiet down the critics somewhat, and prove that all those multi-million contracts was money well spent by the Saudi-backed league.

Just imagine what would happen if an LIV golfer were to win the Masters?

I think a few heads would explode. And if that happens—we’ll see something we’ve never seen in Augusta… in the PGA… in televised golf.

Greg Norman says the entire LIV Masters playing field will storm the 18th green if an LIV player wins.

We don’t know about you, but this year’s Masters has some like 80s’ and 90s’ underdog movie vibes, right?

We’ll know more tomorrow when (hopefully) the tee times get released. Once that happens, it’ll be clear if those organizing are clearly trying to pretend the LIV isn’t a thing.

Meme of the Day

😂😂

Masters organizers pumping each other up while deciding pairs:

That’s is for today, golfer. But we’ll be back this Wednesday with an in-depth look at this year’s Masters lineup!

Later gator,

E.