Golf legend questions LIV players preparedness for majors
Priest of the House
Augusta, Georgia: Former British Open winner Ian Baker-Finch has questioned whether home courses at LIV Golf adequately prepare players for the rigors of major championship golf after half the league’s contingent missed the cut at Augusta National.
Five LIV golfers out of 10, including Bryson DeChambeau and Australia’s Cameron Smith, were sent home early from the April major. Two-time Masters champion Bubba Watson, Northern Irish golfer Tom McKibbin and Mexican Carlos Ortiz also missed the weekend rounds.
Midway through the third round, England’s Tyrrell Hatton was the top seed among LIV golfers, three under and eight shots behind.
LIV Golf abandoned its 54-hole format this year and adopted its more traditional 72-hole identity. His five pre-Masters tournaments included Saudi Arabia, Adelaide, Hong Kong, Singapore and South Africa. Four of those, a 72-hole total of at least 23, were won under par.
In other words, the superstars beat the golf courses into submission. By contrast, Augusta National’s rock-hard fairways and bouncy greens proved challenging at the 90th Masters.
Baker-Finch, the 1991 British Open champion, was asked during the third round at Augusta National on Saturday whether the five courses at LIV had properly tested ten Masters hopefuls.
“I’m not even sure they thought about that when they were making their programs,” Baker-Finch said.
“Let me tell you, I wish they had played more difficult courses that were more similar to this one. [Augusta]That would be a good decision.
“When I play [PGA Tour’s] Players Championship [at TPC Sawgrass] Every year two or three weeks before the Masters…they would take the greens there hard and fast to make it a little more similar. [Augusta].
“It’s up to the players to do that; it’s not to plan people. But… it’s more advantageous if you play on the greens and go to an area where the greens are similar or the greens are 14 on the Stimpmeter.” [a green speed-measuring device].”
LIV golfers have fielded questions about their development at Augusta National, including 2023 Masters champion Jon Rahm. The LIV golf captain was blunt when asked after the second round if he needed to make adjustments heading into the Masters.
“Nope; golf is golf,” Rahm said.
Asked how the league is preparing its players for Augusta, Rahm said, “Same as any other golf tournament in the world, yes.”
Baker-Finch is involved with LIV golf as president of the Australian PGA, given that many big names travel to play Australian summer golf events such as the Australian PGA and the Open.
While the 65-year-old does not envision a new league and PGA Tour reuniting, he sees LIV as a long-term asset.
“I see it being here for the long term, but I don’t see a merger of any kind,” Baker-Finch said.
“I think they’ll do what they do and be who they are, and that’s okay too.
“I don’t see any need for concern anymore. The PGA Tour is still a shining light. DP World Tour [Europe] kind of like a world tour and other tours [such as Australia] to adapt.
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