Why are LIV golfers allowed to play in the 2023 Masters?

Augusta National have decided to stay with their current criteria for invitations to the Masters Tournament. Their primary reasoning was that they chose "to honour the tradition of bringing together a preeminent field of golfers".

More about LIV golfers playing in the 2023 Masters

It was always an interesting question as six LIV golfers are previous champions and therefore, according to tradition, have lifetime exemptions; Dustin Johnson, Patrick Reed, Sergio Garcia, Bubba Watson, Charl Schwartzel and Phil Mickelson.

And there are other significant players who currently qualify; Cameron Smith, Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka, Joaquin Niemann, Talor Gooch, Harold Varner III, Jason Kokrak, Kevin Na, Abraham Ancer, and Louis Oosthuizen.