As the magnolia trees turn green and the petunias bloom at Augusta National Golf Club, the major season for professional golf is set to begin. The best players in the world are all competing in four separate events, called majors, for the glory of the first place position at the Masters, the U.S Open, the British Open (nicknamed “British”) and the Professional Golf Association (PGA) Championship. The major season kicked off last Thursday, April 6, in Augusta, Georgia, at the most prestigious golf event of the year, the Masters, which dates back to its first four rounds in 1934. However, this year was unlike any other Masters because of LIV — Roman numeral 54, as they only play three rounds instead of the usual four at 72 holes — Golf, a new competitor to the PGA Tour.

Last season, a new professional golfing tour started — the LIV golf tour, backed by Saudi Arabia, was created when they hired some of the PGA Tour players. Popular players like Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, Cameron Smith and Bryson Dechambeau decided to make the switch to LIV, causing an immense controversy in the golfing world. The LIV tour pays players to golf, which has never been done in the golfing space, as players had previously only earned money from sponsorships and tournament earnings.

Despite controversy, the Masters chose to invite the LIV players to attend this year’s tournament. Senior Chase Oldenbrook, a golfer for Redwood’s team and avid fan of the sport, watched the weekend event and was happy to see PGA and LIV players playing together. 

“The Masters this year was the first time that the LIV players and the PGA players had played in the same tournament since the split, and I think that it was great to see all of the best players back [together] again,” Oldenbrook said. 

Coming off of a fiery few PGA Tour events and winning Masters last year, the number one golfer in the world, Scottie Scheffler, had all eyes on him. Similarly, the PGA’s Jon Rahm, who had already had three PGA Tour wins in 2023, was a favorite. Additionally, Tiger Woods made his first Masters appearance since 2020, when he placed 38th at one under par. 

After round one on Thursday April 6, the PGA’s Victor Hovland and Rahm found themselves sitting at seven under par — seven shots better than par for the course of 72 — along with LIV’s Koepka. Scheffler sat a few back at four under par. 

On round two on Friday, the weather took a turn for the worst. Play was suspended but at the end of the round, Rahm and Koepka separated themselves from the field, with Koepka at 12 under par and Rahm at ten under par. 

After round two finished in the morning on Saturday, cuts were made, and the field was shortened. As round three began, bad weather continued, and the players battled through the high winds and pouring rain. About halfway through Koepka and Rahm’s round, play was suspended and they were forced to finish on Sunday morning.

Going into Sunday, Koepka had two strokes on Rahm at 11 under par to nine under par. A few hours later, they both teed off for their final rounds, and Koepka got off to a shaky start. Going three over par through the first nine holes, Rahm was able to take the lead by two strokes. After the first nine, Rahm was able to cruise to victory through Amen Corner and take home the coveted green jacket with a lead of four strokes. Oldenbrook was unsurprised by this as he said that golf is all about momentum and hitting a stride.

“When it comes to playing great golf consistently, it is all about getting in a rhythm and playing the game at your own pace,” Oldenbrook said. “It seems that Rahm has really found his swing in the past couple of years and who knows what the future may hold for him.”

Some might consider this the first win for the PGA over LIV golf. With three more majors left in store for this year, the future of professional golf dominance is still up for debate.