The Masters is a tradition like no other. It is the only major championship to be played at the same course, with Augusta National Golf Course hosting every edition since the event was first played in 1934.
The 2025 tournament will be the 89th staging of the Masters and it promises to be the most exciting yet.
96 players make up the field, comprising of the elite stars who make up the top 50 in the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR), five amateurs and 12 LIV Golf players. They will all be vying to claim the green jacket this week.
There will be plenty of focus on just how well those from the LIV Golf League can perform at the first major of the season. Since the Saudi-backed league was formed in 2022, only Brooks Koepka (2023 PGA Championship) and Bryson DeChambeau (2024) U.S. Open, have won a major title.
Ahead of this years Masters, seven players from the league have won the title in the past. But just who are they?
Seven LIV Golf League players have won the Masters before
These seven players have combined to win 15 major championships throughout their careers. Let’s start with one of the most decorated golfers of his generation…
Phil Mickelson – 3 Masters titles (2004, 2006 and 2010)
Mickelson was the perennial bridesmaid when it came to major championships ahead of the 2004 Masters. Between 1994 and 2003, he recorded nine top-five finishes across all majors, yet couldn’t quite break through to win one.
That all changed in 2004 when he birdied the final hole to claim his first green jacket and the floodgates opened from there on. Two more Masters titles were won in 2006 and 2010. While Mickelson added two PGA Championship titles (2005 and 2021) and an Open Championship victory (2013) to his resume.
A stunning T2 finish in 2023 was his highest at the Masters since 2015. He couldn’t win a fourth green jacket, could he?
Sergio Garcia – 1 Masters title (2017)
Garcia had earned the moniker of ‘best player to have never won a major’ after several near misses during his career, notably at the Open and the PGA.
A thrilling duel with Justin Rose at the 2017 Masters saw the Spaniard finally claim his first major title, winning a playoff on what would have been Seve Ballesteros’ 60th birthday.
Five missed cuts from six appearances at Augusta since then proved he might not enjoy that feeling again, but the 45-year-old is playing some of his finest golf in years this season.
Charl Schwartzel – 1 Masters title (2011)
Charl Schwartzel wasn’t mentioned as one of the favourites for the title ahead of the 2011 edition, but the South African came through a crowded leaderboard to become just the third player from his country to win the event.
Indeed, he birdied each of the last four holes to shoot a final round 66, winning by two strokes over Jason Day and Adam Scott.
Bubba Watson – 2 Masters titles (2012 and 2014)
Bubba Watson won the Masters twice during his career and will be making his 17th appearance at Augusta National.
His sublime hook shout out of the woods in his playoff against Louis Oosthuizen in 2012 will go down as one of the best shots ever at the tournament and it was enough for him to win his first major.
Two years on, Watson’s margin of victory was more comfortable, winning by three strokes. Since then, however, he has registered just one top-ten from 33 majors, indicating that he wont be much of a threat.
Dustin Johnson – 1 Masters title (2020)
There is no denying that Dustin Johnson should have more than just two major titles to his name. A string of near misses was halted when he won the 2016 U.S. Open title, but it wasn’t until 2020 that he won the Masters.
The event was delayed until November that year due to the Covid-19 pandemic, which made Augusta National softer, hence the low scores throughout the week.
Johnson finished at 20-under par, a record for the tournament, while eight other players reached double-digits under par for the week.
He has missed the cut twice in four appearances since that victory five years ago.
Patrick Reed – 1 Masters title (2018)
Patrick Reed shot just one round over 70 on his way to the green jacket in 2018, claiming a one-stroke victory over Rickie Fowler.
The American has a decent record at the event over the previous six tournaments. He has finished lower than 12th only twice.
Jon Rahm – 1 Masters title (2023)
Jon Rahm became the fourth Spaniard – after Ballesteros, Jose Maria Olazabal and Garcia – to win the Masters when he won in 2023.
He trailed Koepka by two shots ahead of a rain-delayed final round. A final round 69 was enough to claim a four-stroke victory over the American.
The two-time major winner hasn’t played his best golf in the majors since, recording just three-top ten finishes from six events.
Don’t count him out this week though, as he could spring a surprise.
