Three of the top six on The Masters leaderboard were LIV players, with Brooks Koepka sharing second with Phil Mickelson and Patrick Reed finishing tied-fourth; Jon Rahm secured a second major title with a four-shot win at Augusta National
Monday 10 April 2023 13:14, UK
Brooks Koepka believes the LIV contingent delivered a strong message by showing they are not "washed up" after a string of strong performances at The Masters.
Koepka was one of 18 members from the breakaway circuit who featured in the opening major of the year, with the four-time major champion taking a two-shot lead into the final round before finishing tied-second behind Jon Rahm.
Six-time major winner Phil Mickelson shared second with Koepka on eight under, with fellow LIV golf member Patrick Reed a further stroke back in a share of fourth, with Koepka insistent it should come as no surprise that so many of them contended.
"We're still the same people," Koepka said after a final-round 75. "I know if I'm healthy, I know I can compete. I don't think any of the guys that played this event thought otherwise, either.
"When Phil [Mickelson] plays good, we know he's going to compete. P-Reed [Patrick Reed], the same thing. I think that's just manufactured by the media that we can't compete anymore; that we are washed up.
"It is fractured, I guess, from the fans' perspective. But as far as us, I think everybody saw it this week. It's nice to see everybody. There's no hard feelings pretty much. I think that's the way everybody should see it."
Mickelson charged up the leaderboard on Sunday with a round-of-the-day 65, firing seven birdies over his final 13 holes to post his best worldwide finish since winning the PGA Championship in 2021, with the 52-year-old grateful to have the opportunity to tee it up again at Augusta.
"I thought it was exciting that this tournament rose above it all to have the best players in the world here and lost all the pettiness; that was great," Mickelson said in his post-tournament press conference.
"I'm not saying it [LIV] is for everybody, but it's been awesome for me and I love it. I'm excited to go play in Australia, but this tournament isn't about what tour you play from.
"There's players from all over, all over the world on many different tours, and you're bringing the best players to play against each other in the majors. That's what it's all about. That's what the game of golf should be.
"There's always going to be, and should always be, a place for historical events like this, but it's okay to have a little bit of different and variety in the game of golf."
Reigning Open champion Cameron Smith and 2020 Masters champion Dustin Johnson were among the other LIV players who made the cut, with Harold Varner III - who claimed tied-29th - also pleased to see so many of his colleagues impress.
"Looking at it right now, yeah, I guess they don't suck," Varner said. "Yeah, I think it's good for golf. Don't think about any tours, just play golf and see how they stack up."
Masters chairman Fred Ridley said there had been a good "tone" between the PGA Tour and LIV golfers ahead of the tournament, with three players from each circuit ending up filling the top six on the leaderboard.
"The controversy of LIV was they only play three rounds, they haven't played that many tournaments, these guys aren't tested, but three of the top four were LIV players," Butch Harmon told Sky Sports. "You've got Mickelson, you've got Patrick Reed - these are all the stars over on the LIV tour.
"They've proved to the world of golf they can compete with the rest of the players around the world. Yes, it's a different league and it's a different type of golf, but great players are great players, I don't care where they play."
Former PGA champion Rich Beem added: "I just look at it as the majors as being where we finally get everyone together to play the hardest golf courses with the best fields, and the winner takes all. I think the majors are going to be very exciting this year."
LIV golf members will compete in all four majors, providing they are exempt, meaning there are at least three more opportunities this year for them to go toe to toe with their PGA Tour counterparts.
Oak Hill Country Club hosts the PGA Championship from May 18-21 ahead of the US Open at Los Angeles Country Club from June 15-18, before Royal Liverpool hosts The 151st Open from July 20-23.
Get the best prices and book a round at one of 1,700 courses across the UK & Ireland
