Golf fans will learn another player in the field for the 2026 Masters Tournament this weekend.
That’s because the winner of the Hong Kong Open will receive an exemption into The Masters and The Open Championship next year.
And with 28 LIV golfers in the Hong Kong Open field, a familiar face will likely take home the incredible prize.
One LIV player in the running to win the tournament made a name for himself for the wrong reasons at Augusta National earlier this year.
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Jose Luis Ballester chasing Masters exemption at Hong Kong Open
Jose Luis Ballester played alongside Scottie Scheffler and Justin Thomas in the first two rounds at The Masters in April.
That was because he already had a big reputation for winning the Spanish Amateur, European Amateur, and US Amateur tournaments.
However, most golf fans’ first time hearing about Ballester was when he caused controversy by urinating on the golf course at Augusta National.
Ballester is now determined to return to Augusta for next year’s Masters by winning the Hong Kong Open this week.
“Having those exemptions for the winner is incredible. I think it has made the field so good this year,” he stated.
“Many players have come to play this event, and many of them are really, really good players.
“It’s a great opportunity for all of us, and I’m super excited to hopefully have a good week and be in contention to compete for those spots.”
Should Ballester receive an exemption to play in The Masters, he will desperately want to improve on his disappointing debut performance, when he missed the cut at 10 over par.
Jon Rahm rates Jose Luis Ballester highly
Ballester now has more experience in competing against the world’s best players after joining the LIV Golf league several months ago.
However, Ballester had already played with one top player before he turned professional: Jon Rahm.
Rahm revealed shortly before The Masters that he had gotten to know Ballester and was seriously impressed with his golf game and personality.
“I have played a bit with Jose Luis; he’s really close with David Puig, whom I spend a lot of time with. All three of us were ASU players,” he said.
“It’s hard to describe his game with anything but saying he’s extremely powerful. You’ve got a player who’s got a 190mph ball speed when he rolls out of bed in the morning, and has two Olympians for parents. So he’s got all the athletic genes he needs to succeed in the game and a lot of talent.
“At the end of the day, ‘Can you mentally handle it, and can you take advantage of the opportunity when you receive it?’ He’s got plenty of game, plenty of talent, and plenty of distance to be in this game for a very long time.
“And I can’t stress this enough, he’s a wonderful man. He’s extremely kind and very empathetic, which is really interesting to see from a 20-year-old in college. Definitely a fun guy to be around, a fun guy to play with.”
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