Welcome to LIVbreathegolf. We’re like an ice cold beer after a long round. Smooth, refreshing, makes you forget all of your sorrows.

What we’re teeing up for you today:

• ⛳️ What LIV Golfers Are Playing in the Masters?

• Player Profile - Dustin Johnson

• My Fair(way) maiden

• Canary in the coal mine

What LIV Golfers Are Playing in The Masters?

And why isn’t Charles Howell III one of them?

We will get to who is in the Masters this year - but first I want to give my man Chucky Three Sticks (Charles Howell III) the respect he has earned this year.

Howell III, so far this year, has finished:

1. 1st place

2. 5th place (but only 1 stroke away from first)

And both of those finishes are better than 18 other players who will be at the Masters this year!

People will point out two main things whenever this gets brought up.

1. Howell III’s winning percentage on the PGA Tour is pretty low with only 3 wins out of 609 events played. (Don’t mention the 98 top 10 finishes though)

2. He knew what he signed up for when he joined LIV. No OWGR points and possible exclusion from this event.

That is all well and good, but the fact is that right now he is beating the tar out of the bigger names that everyone is so worried about.

Cameron Smith - lost to Howell

Dustin Johnson - Howell left him in the dust

Bryson DeChambeau - Not hitting it as far as Howell

So maybe he hasn’t won as much as others in the past, but he is playing really well RIGHT NOW!

Well that brings us to the “He knew what he signed up for” argument. 

And, you know what, that is a very valid argument. These guys all knew what they signed up for and made a conscious decision to take the risk of not playing in the Masters.

You can’t feel too bad for him for that.

What you can feel bad about - is the Masters possibly not having the best field.

This is kind of the same argument that was out there for the Players, but at the end of the day people want to see the best players competing in the best tournaments. 

The old rules for how players got into the Masters made more sense. But now that there is a new golf league that doesn’t get OWGR points or play in all of the qualifying tournaments, it is time to reevaluate the rules a little.

I don’t know if they will ever figure this out, or if the PGA Tour and LIV have to get along first, or what. But, what I do know is:

If someone is handily beating 18 other top players that have qualified for a tournament, we probably need to consider the guy who is actually winning.

What LIV players are invited to the 2023 Masters

LIV is going to make a showing at the 2023 Masters with 38% (18/48) of the LIV field competing. That also makes up about 20% of the entire field at the Masters.

Let’s take a look at who we get to watch tee it up April 6th:

1. Abraham Ancer

2. Bryson DeChambeau

3. Sergio Garcia

4. Talor Gooch

5. Dustin Johnson

6. Brooks Koepka

7. Jason Kokrak

8. Phil Mickelson

9. Kevin Na

10. Joaquin Niemann

11. LouisOosthuizen

12. Mito Peirera

13. Thomas Pieters

14. Patrick Reed

15. Charl Schwartzel

16. Cameron Smith

17. Harold Varner

18. Bubba Watson

Whether the rules change or not it will be a show at Augusta in April.

Which LIV player do you want to see winning at the Masters? Reply to this email and let us know who you think will be wearing a green jacket home.

Player Profile - Dustin Johnson

A lot of sports earn followings from loyalty to geographic locations, colleges, etc… This is your chance to learn about the LIV golfers and find who you connect with.

Dustin Johnson is one of the biggest names that LIV recruited in 2022. And he played like it last year. Johnson was the individual winner of the first LIV Golf season and he propelled his 4Aces to a team championship as well. His 2023 season has cooled off a bit, but he is never far behind. And while we’re on a Masters run in this edition, you can’t forget that Johnson won the event in 2020.

• Age - 38

• Birthplace - Columbia, SC

• College - Coastal Carolina University

• Plays From - USA

• Turned Pro - 2007

• Joined LIV - 2022

• LIV Team - 4Aces GC

• OWGR - 65th

Chart - Fairway % Top 3, Bottom 3

Top 3 Fairway % (Well, 4 with ties…)

Bottom 3 Fairway %

Yesterday we looked at how driving distance affected players finishes in Tucson. Now let’s forget about how far it goes and see what happens if we actually hit it in the fairway.

Finishes for top 4 driving percentages:

1. Abraham Ancer - 28th (-2)

2. Brendan Steele - T2nd (-9)

3. Branden Grace - 11th (-6)

4. Scott Vincent - 20th (-3)

Well, this looks better than the driving distance did, maybe not the best indicator still.

Have you ever heard the phrase “drive for show, putt for dough"? Check back tomorrow to see the top putters compared to their finishes.

Breakfast Balls

(Click on the links for more info)

LIV Live, Where Are The Numbers? - We want to see the attendance numbers as well as the TV numbers. How many people watched LIV Tucson live? LIV has said that tickets were sold out and I saw a great crowd. Those exact numbers would be fun to see. No link in this one because the numbers aren’t out there! (Shoutout to Dave Hvinden for the great question!)

Canary in the Coal mine - Yesterday I wrote about waiting for the LIV and CW to comment on TV numbers. There is another season long barometer of LIV’s success - sponsors. If you really want to know how LIV is doing, follow the money. More sponsors = good. Sponsors leaving = very bad. (Shoutout to Charles Monette for this one)

The Masters is changing the 13th hole at Augusta. Hear what the players have to say about it.

Meme of the Day

Don’t golf alone, Share LIVbreathegolf and get more people on the course

For sharing you get…something???

Is my undying gratitude enough? If people actually start reading this maybe you will get a sticker or a trip to the LIV Golf finals or something… who knows. For now, just know that I love you.

How’s My Swing?

Will you do me a favor now that you are done reading? Click one of the buttons below and let me know how the newsletter was today. I really appreciate any feedback and it helps LIVbreathegolf grow and improve for you and all who come after.

Thanks!

Bogey, bogey, par, birdie, par, par, bogey, birdie, par...