Getting the chance to play at The Masters isn’t easy. Just ask LIV Golf’s Joaquin Niemann

For many aspiring golfers, playing The Masters is the pinnacle of the sport, yet the game’s recent rifts have ensured the pathways to Augusta National have become complicated.

For many aspiring golfers, playing The Masters is the pinnacle of the sport, yet the game’s recent rifts have ensured the pathways to Augusta National have become complicated. Though the PGA Tour and DP World (European) Tour continue to work towards the reconciliation agreement with breakaway LIV Golf that would end a feud that has dogged the men’s professional game for almost two years, fallout from the split continues to hang over the four major championships. And with The Masters kicking off the calendar for the sport’s four majors on April 11, its build-up took a twist Wednesday when LIV Golf’s Joaquin Niemann received a special invitation to play the 88th edition of the prestigious tournament. To understand why Niemann’s inclusion raised eyebrows, it helps to get to grips with how golfers secure their spot on the field at Augusta National. Qualifying criteria for invitation to the Masters spans 20 categories, starting with former champions. Anyone who has won a green jacket receives a lifetime exemption to compete at the event, hence why five-time champion Tiger Woods is among the 83 current invitees for April despite his sporadic playing time and world No. 896 ranking. Winners of the other three major titles – the PGA Championship, US and British Open Championships respectively – within the previous five years receive honorary exemptions, while victors at The Players Championship, often dubbed “the fifth major,” inside the last three years also secure automatic spots.