Chairman says LIV golfers could receive future Masters invitations

— Augusta National grew again. The competition committee moved the No. 2 tee back 10 yard and to the left, extending the par-5 to 585 yards and adding another degree of difficulty for those hoping to reach the green in two shots.

But the decision reintroduced not only much longer the course has been lengthened but also how little space remains to stretch it further, given the distance factors with current equipment.

“For almost 70 years, the Masters was played at just over 6,900 yards,” Ridley said. “Today, the course measures at (7,555) from the markers and we may well play one of the tournament rounds at more than 7,600 yards. I’ve said in the past that I hope we will not play the Masters at 8,000 yards.

“But that is likely to happen in the not too distant future under current standards.”

Perhaps the foremost remedy is the new USGA and R&A rule limiting how far the ball used in elite competition can travel. Guidelines call for an approximate 5% reduction in distance, meaning a 13- to 15-yard difference off the tee. But that rule is not scheduled to be introduced until 2028 and the PGA Tour has not yet adopted that change.

Even after the course was substantially lengthened following Tiger Woods’ 1997 18-under-par rampage, Augusta National has continued to add yardage. In the last five years alone, the tees at Nos. 5, 11, 13, 15 and 18 have been moved back.

“We have some more room but we don’t have a lot,” Ridley said. “So I’m holding to that 8,000-yard red line and I hope we never get there.”

— Earlier in the week, former champion Vijay Singh suggested the par-3 No. 12, which still plays to its original 155 yards, should be lengthened by 10 yards. Don’t count on that.

“I would say with 100 percent certainty that it would not be lengthened during my tenure,” Ridley said. “That’s almost like asking, you know, can we touch up the Mona Lisa a little bit. I mean, I think that the 12th hole at Augusta is the most iconic par-3 in the world.”

— Ten years after it began, Augusta National’s Drive, Chip and Putt competition for juniors reaches a benchmark this week when one of its alumni, Akshay Bhatia, becomes the first Masters contestant. The competition has grown from 110 players from 19 states to this year’s field of 400 qualifiers from all 50 states.

Former women players have gone on to win 13 LPGA titles and three major championships.

“After the inaugural Drive, Chip & Putt finals in 2014, (Masters) chairman Billy Payne said he wanted to wait a few years before declaring the program a success,” Ridley said. “I believe Billy would agree the wait is over.”