08 April 2024 , 02:00
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The number of LIV Golf players in the Masters field this year has decreased drastically compared to the previous edition.
Of the 88 golfers in line to tee it up at Augusta, only 13 play in the league. That total is down from 21 last year despite the signing of Adrian Meronk, reigning champion Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton.
Bubba Watson, Charl Schwartzel, Dustin Johnson, Patrick Reed, Phil Mickelson and Sergio Garcia, like Rahm, are all in thanks to their lifetime exemption as former winners. Meanwhile, Brooks Koepka, Bryson DeChambeau and Cameron Smith benefit from being recent major winners. Hatton, Meronk and Joaquin Niemann also profit from their past play, but that leaves eight on the outside looking in.
Mirror Sport has listed the LIV Golf stars who won't be taking part in Augusta this week.
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Abraham Ancer
Even after winning LIV Golf's event in Hong Kong, Ancer will not be at Augusta again this year, ending a streak of four straight starts. After playing all four majors in 2023, the former world number 11 is not currently exempt from any this year.
Harold Varner III
Varner played at the last two Masters, finishing inside the top 30 on both occasions. But he will not be back this year, regardless of a maiden LIV Golf win in Washington DC last May.
Jason Kokrak
After failing to cut last year, 12 months after finishing tied-14th at Augusta, Kokrak cannot rectify that this year. He did not play at the other three majors in 2023 and will miss all four 12 months later.
Jason Kokrak will not be at the Masters this year (Getty Images)Kevin Na
Na has plummeted down the rankings to sit 1257th at the end of March this year. He will not add to his four career top-15 finishes at Augusta, 12 months after withdrawing in the middle of his first round through illness.
Louis Oosthuizen
The 2010 Open champion will be at Royal Troon this summer, but that will be the only major for Oosthuizen this year. After sneaking into the top 50 of the rankings in 2022, wins at the Alfred Dunhill Championship and Mauritius Open late last year were not enough to even crack the top 100.
Mito Pereira
Unlike his compatriot Niemann, Pereira will not be at Augusta. Tying for third at the 2022 PGA Championship earned him his first Masters exemption, but after making the cut at the first attempt, he does not have another opportunity this year.
Talor Gooch
After qualifying through the 2022 Tour Championship and his ranking, Gooch is not returning a year on. After missing the cut at the PGA Championship and The Open, he is not due to play any majors this year.
Thomas Pieters
Seven years after finishing in a tie for fourth in his first Masters appearance, Pieters has never hit those heights at Augusta again. Despite playing at all of the last eight majors, that streak is stopping this year, as the Belgian faces missing out on all of them for the first time since turning pro.