Masters chairman: No plans to create LIV exemption

Augusta National Golf Club chairman Fred Ridley says there are no immediate plans to create an exemption for LIV Golf members for the Masters.

Ridley touched on that topic Wednesday and also praised the "spirit of our entire Augusta National family" for the recovery efforts since Hurricane Helene damaged the iconic course in September.

Ridley was asked whether the Masters would consider following the examples of the U.S. Golf Association and the R&A, which are both offering spots in their majors via exemptions to the top LIV Golf players based on the circuit's season-long standings.

"As it relates to the USGA and the R&A, they certainly act independently," Ridley said. "We respect their decisions. We are an invitational tournament. We have historically considered special cases for invitations for international players, which is how Joaquin Niemann was invited, or why he was invited, the last couple years.

"We feel we can deal with that issue, whether it's a LIV player or a player on some other tour that might not otherwise be eligible for an invitation, that we can handle that with a special invitation."

As potential merger talks continue between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf, Ridley said he will continue to encourage the leaders to find a solution.

"I think we all agree that four times a year is not enough to have the great players of the game together," he said.

There are 12 LIV golfers in the field for this week's tournament in Augusta, Ga., including seven past champions.

Another past champion, Miguel Angel Cabrera, is in the field for the first time since 2019 after spending more than two years in prison in Argentina for domestic violence charges.

"Well, we certainly abhor domestic violence of any type," Ridley said. "As it relates to Angel, Angel has served the sentence that was prescribed by the Argentine courts, and he is the past champion, and so he was invited."

The golf course is in pristine condition, with Ridley crediting a colder-than-normal January to the "near-perfect early spring bloom" of the signature azaleas.

He discussed the post-hurricane challenges and obstacles overcome to get everything ready in time for the 89th Masters Tournament.

"For weeks, water, power, food, fuel and other basic necessities were either difficult or impossible to access. Nevertheless, our employees were out in the community distributing food, cleaning up debris and donating food and money to help others in their time of need," Ridley said.

"I thank each and every one of them, and to everyone in Augusta who made sacrifices to assist others, even when you were impacted yourself, we are deeply appreciative, and we will continue to do our best to support you and our community."

--Field Level Media