Family members of the victims of 9/11 will hold a press conference on Tuesday in Atlanta ahead of The Masters this weekend in protest of the tournament's inclusion of LIV golfers, according to a Monday press release from 9/11 Families United.
The group plans to meet at 10 a.m. at The Commerce Club to discuss Augusta National Golf Club's decision to embrace the members of the Saudi-backed LIV Golf Tour who have partnered with the organization "over the last year to help 'sportswash' its horrific record."
Terry Strada, National Chair of 9/11 Families United, is expected to share her family's personal connection to the game of golf and the impact of the terrorist attacks. Strada's husband, Tom, was an avid golfer who died when the North Tower was struck by plane hijackers.
Strada will be joined by Matthew Bocchi, whose dad, John, worked for the same financial service company as Tom Strada.
Get top local stories in DFW delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC DFW's News Headlines newsletter.
The decision to allow LIV golfers to participate at arguably the sport's biggest event is a split from their position last year when LIV was first debuting and members were not permitted to participate at The Masters. This year, 18 representatives from LIV are expected to compete, including former tournament champions Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson and Charl Schwartzel.
When the decision was first announced, Augusta National Golf Club chairman Fred Ridley said the organization was deferring to their regular criteria for admission and would not exclude players on the basis of tour membership.
"Regrettably, recent actions have divided men's professional golf by diminishing the virtues of the game and the meaningful legacies of those who built it," Ridley said. "Although we are disappointed in these developments, our focus is to honor the tradition of bringing together a preeminent field of golfers this coming April."
Sports Connection
Connecting you to your favorite North Texas sports teams as well as sports news around the globe.
9/11 Families United group cited their disappointment in August National's decision, particularly in light of recent government documents being declassified by President Joe Biden that support the long-held belief that Saudi government agents were connected with the 19 hijackers.
It also comes in the wake of a State Department document released last month that detailed a laundry list of alleged human rights violations, including "credible reports" of arbitrary killings, enforced disappearances and detention of American citizens.
Practice rounds are already underway two hours from Atlanta. The tournament officially begins Thursday.
As of now, LIV golf events are not eligible for world ranking points. However, 2022 Open Championship winner Cameron Smith is ranked No. 6 overall and leads LIV on the global leaderboard.
