Masters 2023 expands the playing field to 80 golfers receiving a special invitation from the NCAA champion, the Japanese star
Augusta National Golf Club announced Thursday that it has extended a pair of special invitations to the 2023 Masters that have been accepted by Gordon Sargent, the 2022 NCAA champion, and Japanese golfer Kazuki Higa. This brings the Masters course up to 80 golfers with three months to go until the tournament.
“masters Augusta National President Fred Ridley said in a statement: “The tournament prioritizes opportunities to upskill both amateur and professional golfers around the world. Whether in the international arena or at the elite amateur level, each player has showcased their talents over the past year. We look forward to hosting them at Augusta National in April.”
Sargent, a 19-year-old sophomore at Vanderbilt who was named an SEC Freshman in 2022, is currently ranked 3rd in the World Amateur Golf Ranking and good project at PGA Tour level because of his swing speed and tee length. He is the first amateur player to receive and accept a special invitation to the Masters since 2000 and the sixth amateur to enter the field in 2023.
While the Masters typically doesn’t invite NCAA champions to compete in its event – although the US Amateur winner and runner-up are both invited – it has previously offered special exemptions to some players. difference. If such exemptions are made, they are usually eliminated near the tournament in April.
Higa is less well known, but he has six wins on the Japan Golf Tour and is ranked 68th in the world. He also won the Japan Golf Tour’s merit in 2022. Higa had played at a major championship before, missing out on The Open Championship last July in St. Andrews five strokes.
It’s hard not to compare this news of the Masters sending out invitations to amateurs and global players with their recent statement on golfers’ eligibility to play for LIV Golf. Such golfers are still invited to the Masters when eligible, but it is clear that Augusta National prefers one route over the other.
Professional golfers can still qualify for the Masters in the next three months by winning a PGA Tour event or breaking into the top 50 in the Official World Golf Rankings the week before the tournament.
