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A16 SPORTS
Wednesday 5 april 2023

LIV has more to lose than it does to gain at Masters

By DOUG FERGUSON “They’ve said that if one of
AP Golf Writer them wins, then the other
AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — The 17 will hang around and be
Masters should be above there to congratulate him
all the clamor caused by around the 18th green,”
18 players from LIV Golf Norman said. “Could you
and this feeling of “us ver- imagine what a scene that
sus them” in the first major would be, all these players
championship of the year. hugging the winner? You
But just wait until names only see things like that in
and numbers start to fill the the Ryder Cup, although
white scoreboards around it’s happening in our events
Augusta National on Thurs- more and more.”
day. Try to see only names The last such scene was
without considering their al- when Woods won in 2019,
legiance. and so many past cham-
No one wants to talk about pions waited in their green
it. That doesn’t mean no jackets near the scoring
one is thinking about it. room. Yeah, this would be
The Masters is a real different. With the Masters
chance for LIV Golf be- on the horizon, LIV Golf of-
cause with few excep- fered a clever reminder of
tions, its members have not Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson, and Harold Varner III, walks in the 11th fairway during a practice the players it has on its 48-
mixed it up with anyone for the Masters golf tournament at Augusta National Golf Club, Tuesday, April 4, 2023, in Augusta, man roster with interviews
but themselves over the Ga. and images of Phil Mickel-
last nine months while pil- Associated Press son putting the green jack-
ing up generational wealth “I think there’s a lot of chat- No. 69 requires an asterisk. All this give Greg Norman et on Charl Schwartzel, who
provided by Saudi Arabia’s ter about: ‘These guys don’t He hasn’t played a tourna- chills just thinking about it. a year later presented it to
sovereign wealth fund. play real golf. These guys ment with ranking points Norman, the CEO and Bubba Watson. And then
And now they’re all in the don’t play real golf cours- since he tied for sixth in the commissioner of the Sau- there was Sergio Garcia
same arena. It’s not about es.’ For sure, I’ll be the first British Open. di-funded league, sounds passing along the green
relationships on the range, one to say the fields aren’t Brooks Koepka is coming as though he would con- jacket to Patrick Reed.
in the locker room at the as strong,” Smith said. “But off a victory last week in LIV sider a LIV player winning But it also raised questions
Masters Club dinner it’s we’ve still got a lot of guys Golf-Orlando and is start- the Masters even sweeter about where these guys
about performance. up there that can play ing to regain that swagger than if the Shark had won it are now. Mickelson hasn’t
“I think it’s just important some really serious golf.” that made him “Big Game himself, which he famously made a cut against a full
for LIV guys to be up there Dustin Johnson in a green Brooks.” He’s won four of his never did. field on the PGA Tour since
because I think we need jacket on Sunday? That last 20 majors. Koepka was “I would be the happiest September 2021. Since join-
to be up there,” said Cam- would surprise no one. so excited about his pros- man in the world, the first to ing LIV, he has finished in
eron Smith, still known more Johnson has been No. 1 in pects after winning Sunday ring and congratulate and the bottom half of the 48-
as the “champion golfer of the world longer than any that he said, “It gives me pay for what would be an man fields eight out of his
the year” from St. Andrews player since Tiger Woods, chills thinking of the ca- incredible party,” Norman 10 tournaments.Watson is
than team captain of LIV’s and everyone knows his pabilities of what I can do told The Daily Telegraph coming up on five years
Rippers. current world ranking of when I’m healthy.” last week in Florida. without a win.q

Nadal, Alcaraz pull out of clay-court Monte Carlo Masters

MONACO (AP) — Rafael Masters on Tuesday, saying The 22-time Grand Slam ter his semifinal loss in Flori- wrote on Instagram.
Nadal pulled out of the he is not yet able to com- champion has been side- da last week. The Spaniard Nadal has won the Monte
clay-court Monte Carlo pete at the highest level. lined with a left hip flexor had been so dominant re- Carlo tournament a re-
injury since the Australian cently, he hadn’t lost a set cord 11 times, including
Open. The Monte Carlo since February before that an Open Era record streak
Masters begins on April 8. defeat. of eight consecutive titles
“I will not be able to play in “I have post-traumatic ar- from 2005-12. The 36-year-
one of the most important thritis in my left hand and old Spaniard generally uses
tournaments of my career, muscular discomfort in the the event as a key part
Monte Carlo,” Nadal wrote spine that needs rest to of his preparations for the
on Twitter. “I am not yet in prepare for everything that French Open, which takes
conditions to play with the is to come,” the 19-year- place May 28-June 11.
maximum guarantees and old from Spain said. Nadal has won 14 of his ma-
I continue my preparation Auger-Aliassime needs to jor titles on clay at Roland
process, hoping to be back rest his left knee. “I have Garros, including last year
soon.” been struggling with my left while dealing with chronic
Second-ranked Carlos Al- knee for the past few weeks pain in his left foot.
caraz and seventh-ranked and decided it was the In January, Nadal hurt his
Rafael Nadal of Spain follows his shot to Andrey Rublev of Russia Felix Auger-Aliassime also smartest decision to take hip flexor during a second-
during their quarterfinal match of the Monte Carlo Tennis Masters withdrew from the event. some time off so I’m able round loss to Mackenzie
tournament in Monaco, Friday, April 16, 2021. Alcaraz pulled out because to fully heal and recover,” McDonald at the Australian
Associated Press of “physical discomfort” af- the 22-year-old Canadian Open.q