The major challenge

The Masters will be unlike any other this time around as LIV Golfers test their mettle against PGA Tour regulars

By Matt Smith

THE BIG RED CIRCLE in marker pen on the calendar that denotes the date at Augusta seems to roll around more quickly each year, and The Masters showdown is upon us once again.

But this meeting among the magnolias will be unlike any other, as we will see a comingtogether of the PGA Tour stalwarts and their breakaway LIV Golf counterparts for the first time in earnest since the new series was set up last summer.

The PGA Tour has banned the likes of multiple major winners Phil Mickelson, Brooks Koepka, Bubba Watson and Dustin Johnson from competing in their events after they opted to move to the no-cut, 54-hole series last year, with the acrimony spilling from the fairways to the courts in the US and Europe. Not to mention the chip-on-shoulder, point-to-prove guys like Patrick Reed, Henrik Stenson, Ian Poulter and Bryson DeChambeau.

While both tours are doing their best to get on with things — the PGA Tour stumping up big cash for its ‘elevated’ events to try to compete with the $25 million LIV Golf shows — this saga has a long way to go before we see anything like a peaceful resolution.

The DP World Tour seems to be edging towards an agreement as their own court case nears a conclusion (the former European Tour had been pushing to also ban LIV Golfers from its events), but Jay Monahan in the States is not budging an inch in the war against Greg Norman’s new arrival.

Which brings us back to Augusta National, where LIV Golfers are clear to compete — as they are in all four majors this year — and it will all begin with an intriguing Champions Dinner, where host and defending champ Scottie Scheffler will serve up Texan treats in the shape of burgers and steak at what could be an awkward dining table as Tiger Woods and Fred Couples tuck in alongside Phil Mickelson and Sergio Garcia.

To be a fly on that wall ...

And then comes the action on the famous greens and fairways around Amen Corner.

Will the LIV Golfers prove they deserve to be at the top table — so to speak — by contending for that coveted Green Jacket? Will the arguably more competitive PGA Tour prove to be the key in silencing their rivals? Will the rising DP World Tour players such as Tommy Fleetwood and Tyrrell Hatton have their say?

Many eyes will be on the non-Americans in Georgia as Rory McIlroy again goes in hunt of an elusive Green Jacket to complete his major collection, having fi nished second last year and just short of a career grand slam.

The aforementioned Fleetwood is in great form, having contended at The Players and the Valspar Championship. The indefatigable Jon Rahm will be aiming to wrest the No. 1 ranking back from Scottie Scheffler, while in-form LIV Golfers Carlos Ortiz, Charles Howell III and Abraham Ancer would love to make a statement.

Then there are ‘old’ heads such as Open champion Cameron Smith, serial winner Dustin Johnson and back-to-form Phil Mickelson (OK, he is old), who would be looking to break his own record as the eldest major winner.

All in all, the weekend of April 6-9 in Georgia will be the hottest ticket in town and beyond, and do not be surprised to see global viewing figures get smashed along the way.

I know I will be glued to the box as the action comes to a climax on the Sunday.

That is just getting the ball rolling as we have all four majors in almost back-to-back fashion on the new-look calendar, with the PGA Championship at Oak Hill in May, the US Open in Los Angeles in June and the Open Championship at Royal Liverpool in July.

Stock up on your popcorn, guys, as this will be a summer to remember.

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