|
LIV, which is bankrolled by Saudi Arabia's
Public Investment Fund, and the PGA Tour have been in litigation
since several LIV players filed federal antitrust lawsuits last
August.
While they remain banned from PGA Tour events, Augusta will open
its doors to LIV's biggest names from April 6-9. Reed and Watson
are among six golfers who qualified with a lifetime exemption as
past winners of the tournament.
"The storylines are going to be obviously LIV versus PGA Tour
and all that," 2018 champion Reed said on Wednesday.
"But really, at the majors, top players in the world are going
and playing against each other no matter where they come from.
It doesn't matter what Tour they're on. For us, at least for
myself, it's going to be business as usual.
"Would I like to have LIV be up at the top? Of course."
Watson, who won the Masters in 2012 and 2014, said criticism
from Rory McIlroy, one of the staunchest opponents of the LIV
Series, was not surprising.
"He's protecting his business, protecting his entity, which is
fine," Watson said. "I'm going to be honest, it's only awkward
in the media. I've talked to people that are going to be there.
Some guys have already asked me to play practice rounds."
Four-time major winner Brooks Koepka, who is eligible for the
Masters thanks to his 2019 PGA Championship victory, said he was
with PGA Tour players McIlroy and Justin Thomas in Florida on
Tuesday.
"We see each other quite a bit," he added. "I also don't think
that means anything personal with any of us ... No one is angry
at anybody from what I've seen."
(Reporting by Hritika Sharma in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter
Rutherford)
[© 2023 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content. |
|
