Augusta prepares for a Masters like no other with golf’s civil war centre stage

G reg Norman believes he was not welcome at the 2023 Masters. In his traditional pre-tournament address, Augusta National’s chairman, Fred Ridley, confirmed precisely that. Ridley refused to offer an assurance that Norman, the chief executive of the rebel LIV circuit, will ever receive an invitation to the opening major of the year.

The schism at the heart of professional golf has put Norman in direct opposition to the PGA and DP World, formerly European, Tours. The Saudi Arabian-backed LIV series has 18 golfers in the Masters field, including six past champions, but Norman is a notable absentee inside this venue’s gates. Umpteen other leading administrative figures in the sport are in attendance.

“We did not extend an invitation to Mr Norman,” said Ridley. “The primary issue and the driver there is that I want the focus this week to be on the Masters competition, on the great players that are participating, the greatest players in the world, which, by our decision in December, we ensured that we were going to honour and be consistent with our invitation criteria.

“I would also add that, in the last 10 years, Greg Norman has only been here twice and I believe one of those was as a commentator for Sirius Radio. It really was to keep the focus on the competition.”

Ridley’s sentiment is almost identical to that of the R&A’s chief executive, Martin Slumbers, last July, when Norman was missing from celebrations marking the 150th staging of the Open Championship. Pressed on whether he could foresee Norman, a former world No 1 who played in more than 20 Masters, ever being welcomed back to Augusta, Ridley was noticeably non-committal.

“It’s hard to answer that question because I don’t know where the world is going to be next