16 March 2023 , 10:29
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Rival golf tours are set to collide at the 2023 Masters Tournament, and Scottie Scheffler has raised caution over the 'vibe' that awaits at the Champions' Dinner.
It's tradition for the Masters winners of old to host the defending champion in a sign of respect to the incumbent, an honour that belongs to Scheffler on this occasion. And the 26-year-old is a man in form as he returns to Augusta National in Georgia, having recently added The Players Championship to his growing list of accolades earlier in March.
The Champions' Dinner will feature several Green Jacket-owners who have joined the PGA Tour exodus and flocked to the Saudi-funded LIV Golf League. But Scheffler is unsure of the atmosphere that awaits when he runs into the likes of Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson and Sergio Garcia over appetisers.
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“I’m aware I have to say a few words, but, for the most part, it’s kind of a group thing," said the title-holder ahead of the 2023 Masters, which gets underway on April 6. "I’m not quite sure what the vibe will be like, but I think we are all there to play in the tournament and celebrate The Masters and celebrate all being past champions."
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Bubba Watson, Patrick Reed and Charl Schwartzel are also among those Masters champions of the past who have since cut ties with the PGA. This year's will be the first major to take place at Augusta since the LIV Golf League officially got underway in June 2022, and it's uncertain how future editions will be affected by the split.
Scottie Scheffler remained diplomatic over the Masters Champions' Dinner despite the current culture war that's divided golf (Getty Images)Five-time Masters-winner Tiger Woods said in February he was uncertain as to how he'd react when coming into contact with the LIV contingent. Next month's meal will be the first time many players from opposing sides will have seen one another since last year's divide, but Scheffler was eager to sow unity between the two parties.
“I think the dinner will be really special for all us to be able to gather again and I am sure we will put all that other stuff aside and have a good time together," added a diplomatic Scheffler. "Just because guys joined another tour doesn’t mean I’m not friends with them anymore and think differently of them as people. They are still my friends and we are all just gonna hang out and have a good time.”
No-one has managed to win the Green Jacket in back-to-back years since Woods won successive titles in 2001 and 2002. However, matching the feat can't be put past Scheffler, who reclaimed his place as world No. 1 following Sunday's triumph at The Players in Florida.
The New Jersey native has been a consistent threat in the biggest competitions of late and boasts at least one top-10 finish in each of the four majors since the start of 2020. Coming into a major as the titleholder will be a completely new experience for Scheffler, however, and his first challenge will be coming through his own Champions' Dinner unscathed as the tensions between PGA loyalists and LIV rebels remain.