AUGUSTA, Ga. — The Masters Tournament field became significantly smaller for LIV Golf participants on Friday, as only five players from the Saudi-backed league survived the cut at Augusta National.
Leading the charge is England’s Tyrrell Hatton, who delivered the day’s second-best performance with a remarkable 6-under 66. Starting his morning round at 2-over par from the 9:31 a.m. tee time, Hatton climbed the leaderboard with seven birdies before briefly matching the overnight leaders at 5-under. A bogey on his closing hole dropped him back slightly.
The stellar round marked Hatton’s personal best at Augusta National by two strokes across 34 career rounds at the venue, representing just his fourth sub-70 score there.
“Today was a great day,” Hatton said. “Actually walking up 18, I was pretty confident that I couldn’t mess it up enough that I wouldn’t shoot my best score here. I mean, naturally I tried with a three-putt, so that was disappointing, to say the least.”
Hatton’s score initially appeared destined to be Friday’s best before Rory McIlroy caught fire with six birdies across his final seven holes, posting a 65. After two rounds, Hatton holds a tie for seventh position, trailing McIlroy’s lead by eight strokes.
His performance far exceeded that of his LIV Golf colleagues. Dustin Johnson claimed the next-best position at even par.
The remaining three qualifiers for weekend play were Sergio Garcia at 3-over, plus Jon Rahm and Charl Schwartzel, who both barely made the cut at 4-over par.
Bryson DeChambeau faced a crushing finish, needing only a bogey on the 18th hole to advance but instead recording a triple-bogey that dropped him to 6-over. This marked DeChambeau’s second triple-bogey of the tournament, following Thursday’s disaster on the 11th hole where he required three attempts to escape a greenside bunker.
Two-time Masters winner Bubba Watson also held cut-line position until missing an 18-foot par putt on his final hole.
Current LIV Golf standings after 36 holes show Tyrrell Hatton tied for 7th at 4-under, Dustin Johnson tied for 24th at even par, Sergio Garcia tied for 45th at 3-over, Jon Rahm and Charl Schwartzel both tied for 47th at 4-over, with the eliminated players including Bubba Watson at 5-over, Bryson DeChambeau at 6-over, Tom McKibbin at 7-over, Cameron Smith at 7-over, and Carlos Ortiz at 11-over.
Regarding preparation differences between LIV events and major championships, Hatton dismissed any need for special adjustments.
“It’s another tournament that you’re at. You go on to the next hole, and you try your best,” Hatton said. “Wherever you play, whatever the tournament is, you’re always giving it your best, and you’re trying to prepare in a way to give yourself a chance to win the tournament.”
“I don’t think anyone that’s playing this week would change anything. That would be my guess. But yeah, every tournament you play, you’re trying to win. This week is no different in that sense.”
The Saudi-funded circuit entered with its smallest Masters field ever, further reduced after Phil Mickelson’s withdrawal last week due to family health concerns. LIV Golf’s Masters presence has steadily diminished since the league’s 2022 launch, dropping from 18 qualified players in 2023 to 13 in 2024 and 12 last year.
This year’s reduced number stems partly from recent departures of Brooks Koepka and Patrick Reed from LIV Golf. Additionally, Joaquin Niemann failed to receive an invitation after earning special invites the previous two years.
Both former LIV players are performing well this weekend, with Reed tied for second at 6-under and Koepka sharing 13th place at 3-under.
