AUGUSTA — The rift in men’s professional golf still exists, but Fred Ridley hopes everyone agrees “there's excitement in the air” this week as the top players in the world battle for a green jacket.
Ridley, chairman of the Masters Tournament and Augusta National Golf Club, addressed that and more Wednesday during his annual “State of the Masters” news conference.
“The best golf has to offer is on center stage,” Ridley said. “That is good for everyone, certainly players, but also our partners, volunteers, the Augusta community, and its many local charities, and especially our patrons and fans around the world.
“As solutions are pursued to bridge the current divide in men's professional golf, I hope there will be a focus on these and the other stakeholders who are the fabric of tournament golf, all of whom represent the values and virtues of the game. It is this culture that makes golf the greatest game. That is our focus once again this week, and it will always be for many years to come.”
The PGA Tour has been the dominant tour for professional men for decades, but the LIV Tour was established in 2022 and includes several of the top names in golf. Those include defending Masters champion Jon Rahm, and other notables on the LIV roster include Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, Sergio Garcia, Patrick Reed and Bryson DeChambeau.
A merger between the PGA Tour and LIV, proposed last June, has yet to take place.
Although the Masters is typically the highest-rated television broadcast of the year, viewership numbers for other golf events have been on the decline.
“I think part of it is just what's happening in the world of media and the fact that people are consuming content in different ways, that's happening in all sports, mobile phones, apps, social media channels, et cetera,” Ridley said.
“But that's the case with all sports. I will acknowledge that, if you look at the data this year, golf viewers are down linear television while other sports, some other sports are up. So you can draw your own conclusions. Certainly the fact that the best players in the world are not convening very often is not helpful. Whether or not there's a direct causal effect, I don't know. But I think that it would be a lot better if they were together more often.”
There’s also been much discussion about how LIV players will qualify for majors going forward. The Masters uses the Official World Golf Rankings in its criteria for invitations, and that seems unlikely to change. LIV asked for its players to be given ranking points for its tournaments, but recently withdrew its application for membership.
Ridley and the Masters extended an olive branch of sorts when they gave LIV player Joaquin Niemann, along with two other international players, special invitations for this year. The tournament has a history of inviting foreign-born players on merit, and Niemann fit that bill with victories around the globe.
“As you know, we're on the board of the OWGR,” Ridley said. “We believe that it is a legitimate determiner of who the best players in the game are.”
Ridley also talked about a number of other topics.
On the renovation of the Augusta Municipal Golf Course: “We have reached an agreement with the City of Augusta to lease this facility, and over the past year we have had multiple community input sessions with the many stakeholders who frequent The Patch. With the insightful feedback we received, we are on a great path to make significant improvements to The Patch and to the First Tee facilities. In that regard, we have retained two of golf's most respected course designers, Tom Fazio and Beau Welling, to lead the renovation of this historic municipal course. Along with our partners, we are excited to get started next January with the goal of an April 2026 opening.”
On the distance debate: “Adding distance to the Augusta National golf course has become standard operation over the past two decades. For almost 70 years, the Masters was played at just over 6,900 yards. Today the course measures 7,550 yards from the markers, and we may well play one of the tournament rounds this year at more than 7,600 yards. I've said in the past that I hope we will not play the Masters at 8,000 yards. But that is likely to happen in the not too distant future under current standards. Accordingly, we support the decisions that have been made by the R&A and the USGA as they have addressed the impact of distance at all levels of the game.”
On a new facility for players: “One final piece of news on facilities I would like to share with you is the commencement this summer of a two-phase project that will significantly elevate the experience of all Masters competitors. Phase 1 will include underground parking and will be operational next year. The second phase of this project will open in 2026 and will feature a three-level state-of-the-art facility, designed to anticipate every need for players, their families, and support teams. We'll have more details when we are together next April.”
