This 12 months’s Champions Dinner has been held on the Masters with Jon Rahm, surrounded by LIV Golf colleagues, celebrating his Basque heritage with the Spanish menu.
Rahm received the inexperienced jacket as a PGA Tour member, however returned to Augusta this week as a LIV Golf recruit following a big-money swap for this season.
Rahm as soon as once more had loads of LIV firm on the dinner with colleagues Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, Patrick Reed, Sergio Garcia, Charl Schwartzel and Bubba Watson all in attendance (see picture beneath).
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SMITH OPENS UP ON HORROR PREP
Cameron Smith’s fortunate attraction bracelet didn’t forestall a pre-Masters slip after arriving at Augusta nonetheless recovering from meals poisoning, however the consequence was not as unhealthy as a gymnasium mishap which means Min Woo Lee will play the Masters with a damaged finger.
After a Tuesday apply spherical having spent the weekend in mattress, Smith revealed his physique “shut down” after he pushed too laborious to play ultimately weekend’s LIV occasion in Miami to spherical his Masters prep.
The Queenslander mentioned Tuesday was the primary day he felt like he had “just a little little bit of vitality” and was hopeful he’d be able to go for Thursday’s opening spherical at Augusta understanding he’d be “fairly screwed” if he didn’t begin properly.
“A little bit of meals poisoning firstly of final week and doubtless simply tried to perform a little bit an excessive amount of and physique simply form of shut down on me,” mentioned Smith, who has 4 top-10 finishes at Augusta.
“Spent the weekend within the mattress, which wasn’t the best preparation, however I used to be simply saying that right this moment might be the primary day the place I really feel like I’ve bought just a little little bit of vitality. I’m certain I’ll be fairly cooked tonight. Not less than I might get round and really feel OK.
“I feel right here greater than most locations if you happen to get behind the eight-ball, you’re fairly screwed fairly early. It positively doesn’t make it any simpler.
“I feel the golf course goes to get more durable and more durable because the week goes on, and also you positively wish to be up on the prime of the leaderboard when it begins to get agency and quick.”
Smith tried to recover from Rae’s Creek on the entrance of the thirteenth inexperienced and his try didn’t go too properly.
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“I didn’t attempt to soar, I simply tried to get on a few rocks, and I had metals in my proper shoe and I slipped. A little bit of comedy for the gang there,” he mentioned.
“The one factor I used to be pondering as I used to be taking place was to not get moist, so I managed to truly do all proper. I needed to throw my glove out and my sneakers had been a bit moist, however that’s about it.”
His fortunate escape got here as world No.32 Lee revealed he broke his finger in a gymnasium incident 10 days in the past and would play by way of the ache at his third Masters, having completed in a superb tie for 14th on debut in 2022.
“I’ve it bandaged up proper now. You already know, I hit my first shot for the final week on Friday, so hit my first full driver,” he mentioned.
“Actually, it’s truly superb how briskly the restoration was. It was bruised, nonetheless swollen, however not truly that painful which is absolutely unusual.
“In some way recovering superb, so icing and elevating as a lot as I can. I suppose it wasn’t the very best prep, and I bought the flu two days in the past. Yeah, it’s going nice.
“We didn’t know as a group to inform or to not, and I felt like I ought to inform individuals as a result of there was loads of the stress on me I suppose taking part in properly.
“Actually, felt practically as much as scratch to the place it was … restoration was miraculously good.”
Day and co. land at Augusta Nationwide | 02:42
WHY TIGER HAS ‘ONE MORE’ MASTERS WIN LEFT
Tiger Woods will resume talks about being the 2025 US Ryder Cup captain subsequent week after the 15-time main winner struggles by way of aches and pains merely to stroll 72 holes on the Masters.
Woods mentioned Tuesday he has delayed talks with the PGA of America about being captain subsequent 12 months at Bethpage as a result of he hasn’t misplaced confidence that he can win one other inexperienced jacket.
“If all the pieces comes collectively, I feel I can get yet one more,” Woods mentioned Tuesday after a nine-hole apply spherical at Augusta Nationwide forward of the 88th Masters.
Woods mentioned he’ll resume Ryder Cup talks subsequent week with PGA of America chief government officer Seth Waugh.
“It’s one thing that Seth and I are going to sit down again and speak about after this occasion,” Woods mentioned. “I mentioned I’m going to be busy for a pair weeks, so let me concentrate on getting by way of this week and hopefully getting one other jacket, after which we are able to sit again and speak about it subsequent week.”
The 48-year-old US legend has recovered from proper ankle surgical procedure final April that stemmed from a 2021 automotive crash that brought about extreme leg accidents.
“I harm on daily basis,” Woods mentioned.
“I ache. I ache on daily basis.”
However, Woods made a believer of pal Fred {Couples} who joined Woods and Justin Thomas in Tuesday’s apply session.
Tiger: “I feel I can get yet one more!” | 00:48
“Can he win right here? You already know what? Yeah,” {Couples} mentioned.
“9 holes is barely 9 holes on a Tuesday, however he by no means mis-hits a shot.
“His ankle is unhealthy. We all know it. However he’s right here, he’s going to stroll 72 holes, and if he retains taking part in like that, he’ll be an element.”
Woods, a five-time Masters champion, received his most up-to-date main title at Augusta Nationwide in 2019, that finishing an epic comeback from a number of again and knee operations.
At this stage, Woods is having to unfold the stress load from his shotmaking throughout his surgically repaired physique.
“Properly, the ankle doesn’t harm anymore. It’s fused. It’s not going anyplace. In order that’s advantageous. It’s different components of my physique that now should take the brunt of it,” he mentioned.
“The again, the knee, different components of the physique, should take the load of it and simply the endurance functionality of strolling a very long time and being on my ft for a very long time.”
Making an attempt to stroll 4 rounds has been a problem since Woods did it in 2022 to complete forty seventh on the Masters in his comeback occasion over the punishing hilly format.
With the slopes and slants on supply at Augusta Nationwide, each step is a difficult one for Woods.
“So far as my physicality on sure photographs, each shot that’s not on a tee field is a problem,” Woods mentioned.
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‘THINGS ARE CHANGING ALREADY’: WHY MASTERS WIN FOR LIV STAR WOULDN’T IMPACT PGA MERGER TALK
Barely two weeks after Brooks Koepka grew to become the primary energetic LIV Golf participant to win a significant, the PGA Tour and LIV’s Saudi backers introduced a framework merger settlement.
Ten months later, because the 88th Masters prepares to tee off Thursday at Augusta Nationwide with 13 LIV gamers within the discipline of 89, there’s nonetheless no finalised settlement to finish the PGA-LIV cut up.
With talks between the PGA Tour and Saudi Arabian Public Funding Fund (PIF) having stretched properly past a December deadline, there’s a way that not even one other main triumph by a LIV participant might have an effect on negotiations.
“I don’t assume it could actually have an effect on it. I feel there are already too many good gamers on each tour,” mentioned Chilean Joaquin Niemann, a two-time LIV winner who obtained a particular invitation to play the Masters after successful final 12 months’s Australian Open.
“I don’t assume a LIV participant has to win the Masters to vary issues. I feel issues are altering already, and so they’re going to provide you with an answer.”
LIV Golf gamers have received three of the previous 5 majors, together with Koepka on the 2023 PGA Championship — though defending Masters champion Jon Rahm and 2022 Open Championship winner Cam Smith of Australia had been within the PGA once they took the titles.
Present LIV gamers took the highest three spots in final 12 months’s Masters, Rahm adopted by Koepka and six-time main winner Phil Mickelson.
Rahm assured LIV & PGA can coexist | 00:53
“From a negotiation standpoint, I don’t assume it’ll change a lot,” 2020 US Open champion Bryson DeChambeau mentioned of a Masters win by a LIV participant.
“The negotiations are occurring with or with out a win. I feel if a LIV participant had been to win, we’d all be extraordinarily excited and glad for whoever that particular person is.
“I’m not so certain for the opposite aspect, however that’s for them to make up their very own emotional state.”
Gamers who jumped from the PGA to LIV are banned from PGA occasions and discovering a approach for them to return is among the many sticking factors to a merger deal.
For the second, majors are the stage the place prime LIV and PGA expertise compete in opposition to one another.
“We’ll see how issues shake out,” mentioned DeChambeau. “Would I prefer to play a number of (PGA occasions)? Certain, ones that I actually loved.”
Gamers have agreed the ambiance has been congenial at Augusta Nationwide.
“I don’t assume there’s any points in any respect with anyone,” US veteran Fred {Couples} mentioned.
Spain’s Sergio Garcia, the 2017 Masters winner and LIV participant, disputed any trace of tensions.
“There’s nothing,” Garcia mentioned. “You guys like to form of dig and simply form of attempt to make it sound like we get within the locker room and we’re preventing one another and stuff like that. It’s not like that.
“On the finish of the day, it’s golf. We’re all attempting to play the easiest way we are able to, and that’s it.”