The 2023 Masters promises to have plenty of talking points, partly thanks to the inclusion of eligible LIV Golf players.
However, even though the presence of the 18 players will surely add an edge to the tournament given LIV Golf’s rivalry with other circuits, including the PGA Tour, CBS has confirmed that they will receive fair broadcast coverage.
Per Golfweek, during the TV network’s pre-Masters conference call, CBS Sports Chairman Sean McManus confirmed the move, saying: “We’re not going to cover up or hide anything. As I’ve said often, our job is to cover the golf tournament. We’re not going to show any different treatment for the golfers who have played on the LIV Tour than the other golfer.
“If there is a pertinent point or something that we feel we should bring up in our coverage Saturday or Sunday or on our other coverage throughout the week, we’re not going to put our heads in the sand.”
Considering there are six former champions with LIV Golf in the field, including 2020 victor Dustin Johnson and three-time Masters winner Phil Mickelson, there is a strong argument for CBS’s decision.
Still, there is considerable acrimony between LIV Golf and the PGA Tour in particular, while its players were not included in TV featured groups before last year’s flagship DP World Tour event, the BMW PGA Championship. Neither were they granted pre-tournament press conferences at the 150th Open.
Some players have also discussed how they see events unfolding, including PGA Tour legend Tiger Woods, who has admitted he doesn’t know how he’ll react to their presence and World No.3 Jon Rahm predicting a tense Champions Dinner. Then, 1992 Masters champion Fred Couples went further, hitting out at LIV Golf and describing Sergio Garcia as a "clown" and Mickelson as a "nutbag".
There were signs of tension earlier in the year, too, when PGA Tour stalwart Rory McIlroy blanked LIV Golf player Patrick Reed before the DP World Tour’s Dubai Desert Classic.
While it remains to be seen if similar incidents will occur at Augusta National, LIV Golf players can at draw comfort from the knowledge that, at least where broadcast coverage is concerned, they will receive the same treatment as everyone else.
