Two worlds in two images. In the first, Jon Rahm presides over the Augusta Masters champions’ dinner along with 32 other owners of the green jacket. Tradition. In the second, 13 golfers wear shorts (except Patrick Reed) a few days before the first major of the season. Revolution. They are the players from LIV, the Saudi League, with the right to participate in the event that opens the Grand Slam this Thursday and which finally brings together the best on the planet. Golf remains divided between those who continue in the large traditional circuits and those who changed sides convinced by petrodollars. So the stars of both teams can only see each other, and not all, in the big four, one per month from April to July: Masters, PGA, US Open and British Open.
Rahm appears in both photos. In green as current Masters champion. In shorts like LIV’s big signing, the man with the 500 million dollars. As last year’s winner at Augusta, Rahm has commissioned chef José Andrés to create a menu that includes potato omelette, chistorra, lentils, croquettes and steak. “Fabulous food and a good atmosphere,” summarizes Jose María Olazabal about the traditional meeting, in which Sergio García also accompanies them. The three Spaniards shared training this Wednesday before leaving today (starting at 3:30 p.m., Spanish peninsular time, at Movistar Golf) in the battle of the 88th edition of the Masters. An opening for which an electrical storm and winds of up to 65 km/h are forecast that can turn upside down a field that until now was firm and hard like few other times.
Along with Rahm and García, LIV Golf plants five other Masters champions at Augusta: Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, Patrick Reed, Charl Schwartzel and Bubba Watson. He adds Bryson DeChambeau, Cameron Smith, Tyrrell Hatton, Brooks Koepka, Joaquin Niemann and Adrian Meronk to them. On the opposite side, the PGA Tour shows the world number one, the American Scottie Scheffler, who this year has beaten The Players and Arnold Palmer, in addition to five other positions among the top 10 in a tournament. And the Northern Irishman Rory McIlroy, number two, who is pursuing his first major after 10 years and the only one missing from rubbing shoulders with Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player and Tiger Woods as the only ones with all four seasons.
Rahm remembers Seve at the Champions Dinner. The Basque wanted to share the box office at Augusta with his idol, or at least with Olazabal and García, but the Masters places him next to Art Wall, winner in 1959, and Bob Goalby, the winner in 1968. Both have died. Fair concessions, and certainly less so in the case of a LIV player who wears the logo of his team in the Saudi League, Legion XIII. It is the first time that a golfer from the rival side has stepped onto Augusta as a champion, and every detail counts. And every word. Rahm talked about LIV at the official press conference, but not a single question to Tiger (host of a recent conclave in the Bahamas), McIlroy, Koepka and Scheffler about the conflict. It is difficult to think that there was not some recommendation to sweep the matter under the rug.
“This situation is not good for golf. Finding a solution as soon as possible will be the best,” asks Olazabal. Negotiations have continued since a future agreement was announced on June 6. Since then, Keith Pelley has left the presidency of the European tour, Rahm has changed his jacket, McIlroy has stepped down from the players’ committee and the PGA has signed an agreement with SSG, Strategic Sports Group, for $3 billion.
In their practice round, the three Spaniards greet Greg Norman, the general director of the Saudi championship, on the fairway of the second hole. Meanwhile, the president of Augusta National, Fred Ridley, throws out the possible fixed invitations to players from the other side (this year they invited Niemann). And the absent Talor Gooch, individual leader of LIV last year, assures that this great one has an asterisk because not everyone who should be there is there.
World golf bleeds. Television audiences have fallen. In the middle of the storm, Augusta appeals to the power of her tradition, to the 75th anniversary of the famous green jacket, to the reborn Tiger Woods who returns to compete. The Masters is looking for an owner after linking 11 different winners in the last 11 editions, the longest period without a repeat champion. Finally, the best face to face.
Groups and schedules. Spanish peninsular time: 2:12 p.m. Jose Maria Olazabal, T. Moore and S. De la Fuente. 15.12. Sergio Garcia, C. Kirk and R. Fox. 16.30. Jon Rahm, M. Fitzpatrick and N. Dunlap. 16.42. S. Scheffler, R. McIlroy and X. Schauffele. 19.24. T. Woods, J. Day and M. Homa. TV: from 3:30 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. on Movistar Golf.
All groups and departure times.
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