Joaquin Niemann, Thorbjørn Olesen among 2024 Masters special invitations | Golf Today | Golf Channel

Matt Adams and Eamon Lynch offer their thoughts on Thorbjørn Olesen, Ryo Hisatsune and Joaquin Niemann being extended special invitations to the 2024 Masters. #GolfChannel #GolfToday #JoaquinNiemann #ThorbjørnOlesen
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Joaquin Niemann, Thorbjørn Olesen among 2024 Masters special invitations | Golf Today | Golf Channel
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.” >> HELLO AND WELCOME TO “GOLF TODAY.” MATT ADAMS WITH EAMON LYNCH. EAMON, LET’S JUMP RIGHT INTO IT. YOU HAVE NEWS. >> THERE IS SOME NEWS TODAY. STILL SEVEN WEEKS AWAY FROM THE MASTERS TOURNAMENT, PUT TOURNAMENT NEWS IS COMING THICK AND FAST. THE CHAIRMAN OF AUGUSTA NATIONAL

GOLF CLUB AND MASTERS TOURNAMENT HAS ANNOUNCED THREE PLAYERS HAVE ACCEPTED INVITATIONS TO COMPETE IN THE MASTERS. THORBJORN OLESEN, RYO HISATSUNE AND JOAQUIN NIEMANN. THIS STORY THIS MORNING SAYING THE MASTERS TOURNAMENT HAS A LONG-STANDING TRADITION OF INVITING LEADING INTERNATIONAL PLAYERS WHO ARE NOT OTHERWISE QUALIFIED.

TODAY’S ANNOUNCEMENT REPRESENTS THE TOURNAMENT’S CONTINUED COMMITMENT TOWARD DEVELOPING INTERESTS IN THE GAME OF GOLF ACROSS THE WORLD. WE LOOK FORWARD TO WELCOMING EACH PLAYER TO AUGUSTA NATIONAL THIS SPRING. A LOT OF THE ATTENTION IS LIKELY TO FOCUS ON JOAQUIN NIEMANN AS A LIV PLAYER BEING INVITED.

ALTHOUGH IN SPECIFYING WHY HE WAS INVITED, THE MASTERS TOURNAMENT SINGLED OUT HIS VICTORY IN THE AUSTRALIAN OPEN. AND TOP FIVE FINISHES IN HIS LAST THREE DP WORLD TOUR EVENTS. NO MENTION OF LIV AT ALL, WHICH, TO ME, SUGGESTS THAT IT IS VERY MUCH BASED ON MERIT.

LIV IS NOT UNDER CONSIDERATION AS QUALIFYING SOMEONE TO PLAY IN THE MASTERS. WHAT THEY DO, ON TOURS, WHOSE COMPETITIVE INTEGRITY CAN BE VOUCHED FOR DOES MATTER, WHETHER OR NOT THEY PLAY ON LIV. >> I’M NOT 100% CERTAIN THE OMISSION OF THE MENTION OF LIV

WOULD COMPLETELY INVALIDATE WHAT HE’S DONE. BECAUSE WITH CLUB IN HAND ON LIV, HE’S HAD SOME VERY IMPRESSIVE PERFORMANCES THERE AS WELL. THERE WERE QUITE A BIT OF GROUNDSWELL OF SUPPORT THAT WAS BREWING BEHIND GETTING HIM INTO THE MASTERS BY VIRTUE OF THE SAME.

SO, I WOULD STILL LIKE TO BELIEVE THAT IT IS FOR THE ENTIRETY OF WHAT HE’S ACCOMPLISHED SO FAR. >> I THINK THAT MIGHT BE OPTIMISTIC. I THINK THE QUESTION TO ME, THORBJORN OLESEN, WHO — HE’S 59th IN THE WORLD. CO-TEC HE COULD TECHNICALLY STILL PLAY

HIS WAY IN AND HE’S HAD FIVE TOP TEN FINISHES IN HIS LAST SEVEN STARTS. HE’S FIVE YEARS REMOVED FROM HIS LAST PERFORMANCE IN THE MASTERS. HE’S NOT FROM A GROW THE GAME PART OF THE WORLD IN THE WAY THAT THE OTHER TWO INVITEES ARE. HE’S FROM COPENHAGEN, MIDCAREER,

34-YEAR-OLD, IT SEEMS — THAT ONE SEEMS SLIGHTLY OUT OF LEFT FIELD. >> HE HAS WON RECENTLY. HE’S ALSO A STORY OF REDEMPTION, ISN’T HE, WITH THE PITS AND VALLEYS OF LIFE THAT HE HAD TO WALK THROUGH AND CLIMB OUT OF TO GET HIMSELF AND GET HIS GAME

BACK AGAIN. I THINK HE’S AN EXCITING PLAYER. WHEN HE CAME OUT, ALL THE COMPARISONS WERE BETWEEN HIM AND RORY IN TERMS OF STYLE. HE’S KEPT HIMSELF IN SHAPE. HE’S STRONG AS CAN BE. I THINK HE’S AN EXCITING PLAYER. I DO THINK IT IS INTERESTING

THAT IN TWO OF THESE THREE THAT WE’RE LOOKING AT, YOU HAVE GOT DIFFERENT REGIONS OF THE WORLD THAT YOU’RE NOTING THAT ARE GREAT FOR EXPANSION, AND GROWTH OF THE GAME, AND THEN THE OTHER FROM A DP WORLD TOUR PLAYER, EVEN FROM THAT PERSPECTIVE, IF

YOU’RE LOOKING AT IT FROM A GLOBAL BASIS, MACRO BASIS AND YOU’RE GUSTIA AUGUSTA NATIONAL,S WHAT AUGUSTA NATIONAL DOES TO SPREAD THAT GOODWILL GLOBALLY. >> ALL THREE GUYS ARE DEFENSIBLE AS INVITEES. IT ILLUSTRATES THE FACT THAT WHEN EVERYONE IS INVITED TO THE MASTERS BEYOND WHAT IS THE

PUBLISHED CRITERIA FOR QUALIFYING AUTOMATICALLY, IT IS SUBJECT TO A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF SCRUTINY AND ANALYSIS AS TO WHY CERTAIN PEOPLE ARE IN. YOU CAN MAKE A CASE FOR ALL OF THEM. NOT AS THOUGH ANYONE IS SO FAR IN LEFT FIELD THAT YOU CAN SAY,

WHAT IS THAT GUY DOING IN THE FIELD? >> I’M GLAD THEY’RE DOING IT. I’