Joaquin Niemann and Nicolai Hojgaard accept special US Masters invitations
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Joaquin Niemann of the Torque GC tees off on hole 2 during the final round of the LIV Golf Chicago tournament.
PHOTO: REUTERS
WASHINGTON – Dane Nicolai Hojgaard and Chilean Joaquin Niemann have accepted special invitations into the 2025 US Masters field, Augusta National Golf Club chairman Fred Ridley announced on Jan 8.
The additions raise the field so far to 87 golfers for the year’s first Major from April 10 to 13.
Hojgaard will make his second Masters appearance after his 2024 debut, in which he was in the top six after each of the first three rounds before finishing tied for 16th.
World No. 60 Hojgaard will join his 23-year-old twin brother Rasmus, who is making his Masters debut, in the line-up. It will be the first time a pair of twins compete in the same Masters.
World No. 71 Niemann, who plays in the Saudi-backed LIV Golf League, will make his sixth Masters start in April. He made the cut in his last four starts. He also made the 2024 field on a special invitation.
Niemann, 26, won LIV Golf events last season at Mayakoba in Mexico and in Jeddah and captured the Asian Tour Saudi International title in December.
He shared ninth place at the Paris Olympics, seventh at the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai and fifth as defending champion at the Australian Open.
“In support of Augusta National’s efforts to develop interest in golf globally, deserving international players not otherwise qualified have been invited throughout the tournament’s history,” Ridley said.
“The tradition continues as we welcome Nicolai and Joaquin back to the Masters, as both players have showcased their talent while competing around the world. We look forward to their arrival this April.”
Meanwhile, LIV Golf has yet to announce a marquee new signing a month out from its 2025 season opener, but the league is set to make a splash with the addition of a Rory McIlroy protege.
Fellow Northern Irishman Tom McKibbin is set to join Jon Rahm’s Legion XIII team on a multi-year deal, according to multiple reports. The move comes just weeks after the 22-year-old earned his PGA Tour card as one of the top 10 players without a card on the DP World Tour’s Race to Dubai.
A friend of McIlroy’s, with both having played out of Holywood Golf Club, McKibbin is currently 110th in the Official World Golf Ranking. His most recent start was a T24 at the Alfred Dunhill Championship to close out 2024, but he did finish T10 at the Abu Dhabi Championship and T11 at the DP World Tour Championship.
He declined to comment on his reported signing while at this week’s Team Cup event in Abu Dhabi, where McKibbin is playing for Britain and Ireland captain Justin Rose and European Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald.
“I’m not gonna make any comments out of respect for Justin and Luke and this tournament,” McKibbin told Golf Digest.
“It’s a team event, so I’m just trying to give my best to the team and see how many points I can get.”
In other news, United States captain Keegan Bradley named Kevin Kisner as one of his vice-captains for the 45th Ryder Cup.
The competition will be played from Sept 26 to 28 at Bethpage Black in Farmingdale, New York.
Kisner, 40, joins Webb Simpson and Brandt Snedeker, who were previously appointed as vice-captains. Additional vice-captains will be announced at a later date.
REUTERS, AFP
