5 LIV Golf stars who missed Masters cut as Dustin Johnson endures nightmare return

A group of 13 LIV Golf stars headed to Augusta National for the 2024 Masters but five of those saw their week end after just 36 holes after finding themselves on the wrong side of the cut line

A group of LIV Golf stars had a forgettable week at the Masters, with five out of the 13 members from the breakaway circuit competing at Augusta National failing to make the cut after 36 holes.   

This season, the number of players representing LIV at the first major championship is reduced due to the Saudi-backed circuit not being included in the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR). Seven out of the 13 players competing this week are former champions, such as Jon Rahm who won the green jacket in 2023. 

  Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka, and Cam Smith earned spots at Augusta this week due to winning major tournaments in the last five years.   Adrian Meronk and Tyrrell Hatton qualified for the Masters based on their world rankings.

   Joaquin Niemann stood out among the group as he received a special invitation from Augusta National to compete, showcasing his impressive performance in recent times.   Niemann made the most of his invitation by securing his spot for the weekend and fighting his way into a competitive position. 

The same can not be said for a number of others though, and here is a look at the five LIV stars who are heading home early on Friday.

Dustin Johnson (+13).

Dustin Johnson (+13)
Dustin Johnson headed into this week’s Masters as one of LIV’s best chances of keeping hold of the green jacket, however it proved to be a nightmare return for the 2020 champion. The form that saw him win the title for the first time four years earlier was nowhere to be seen on day one and two, carding a dismal 13-over-par across his two rounds.

On Thursday Johnson went birdie-less around Augusta National, carding a six-over-par 78, which included back-to-back double bogeys at 14 and 15. It was then more of the same on Friday, as despite finally adding a birdie on his 25th hole of the week, eight bogeys ensured he missed the cut by some way.

Adrian Meronk (+14)
Adrian Meronk booked his place at Augusta on merit, having broke into the world’s top-50 at the end of 2023, two months before his move to LIV Golf. The Polish star, who was voted DP World Tour Player of The Year in January, has struggled to find his best form on the breakaway circuit so far, and it was more of the same at Augusta.

Meronk did himself no favours on day one, after making eight bogeys and just two birdies across his opening 18 holes to sit at six-over-par for the tournament. He knew he needed to get himself in the red on Friday to make the weekend, but more frustration followed, after finishing his week with an eight-over 80.

Bubba Watson (+10)
Not many know Augusta National better than Bubba Watson, having won the green jacket on two occasions during his career. He will have to wait for No. 3 though, as he followed up an opening two-over-par 74 in round one with an eight-over 80 on Friday to cut his stay in Georgia short.

Sergio Garcia (+7)

2017 green jacket winner Sergio Garcia, who is a past champion, was unable to qualify for the tournament this weekend.  

He had a good start on Thursday with a level-par score of 72 in the first round.   However, his performance suffered on Friday as he made five bogeys and a double bogey in the last eight holes of the second round.   This downfall caused him to drop in the rankings and miss the cut by one shot.

Charl Schwartzel (+11)

Another previous winner from the LIV tournament is Charl Schwartzel, but like Watson, he also had a disappointing return to Augusta National.

Despite starting strong with three consecutive birdies at holes 12, 13, and 14, Schwartzel struggled with a double bogey and three bogeys, finishing the day at two-over.   Unfortunately, his performance deteriorated on Friday with a birdie-less 81, featuring seven bogeys and a double bogey, leading to an early exit from the tournament for Schwartzel.