Contenders Masters 2025
By Chris Gay
1. Masters Tournament Champions (Lifetime)
2025 QUALIFICATIONS
2. U.S. Open Champions (Honorary, non-competing after 5 years)
3. The Open Champions (Honorary, non-competing after 5 years)
4. PGA Champions (Honorary, non-competing after 5 years)
5. Winners of THE PLAYERS Championship (Three years)
6. Current Olympic Gold Medalist (One year)
7. Current U.S. Amateur Champion (7-A) (Honorary, non-competing after one year) and the Runner-up (7-B) to the current U.S. Amateur Champion
8. Current The Amateur Champion (Honorary, non-competing after one year)
9. Current Asia-Pacific Amateur Champion (One year)
10. Current Latin America Amateur Champion (One year)
11. Current U.S. Mid-Amateur Champion (One year)
12. Current NCAA Division I Men’s Individual Champion (One year)
Tommy Aaron
Charles Coody
Ben Crenshaw
13. The first 12 players, including ties, in the previous year’s Masters Tournament
14. The first 4 players, including ties, in the previous year’s U.S. Open
15. The first 4 players, including ties, in the previous year’s The Open Championship
16. The first 4 players, including ties, in the previous year’s PGA Championship
17. Individual winners of PGA Tour events that award a full-point allocation from the previous Masters to current Masters
18. Those qualifying and eligible for the previous year’s seasonending TOUR Championship
19. The 50 leaders on the final Official World Golf Ranking for the previous calendar year
20. The 50 leaders on the Official World Golf Ranking published during the week prior to the current Masters Tournament
The Masters Committee, at its discretion, also invites international players not otherwise qualified.
PAST CHAMPIONS NOT PLAYING IN 2025 MASTERS
Nick Faldo
Contenders as of February 17, 2025
Qualification: 13,18, 19
Age: 25
Residence: Tallahassee, Fla.
Masters
Appearance: Second
2024 Masters
Finish: Second
Ludvig Åberg (Sweden)
Sandy Lyle
Larry Mize
Jack Nicklaus
Åberg was impressive in his inaugural Masters appearance last year. The Swedish golfer opened with rounds of 73-69-70 and sat just three shots back entering the final round. After carding three birdies on the front nine of the final round, Åberg was in the mix for the Green Jacket. But after dunking his approach shot into the water at No. 11, he couldn’t recover. He finished four shots behind champion Scottie Scheffler.
Åberg had a stellar year in 2024, recording 14 top-20 finishes, including a runner-up showing at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
He made golf history in 2023 by finishing first in the PGA TOUR University Class of 2023, turning professional and joining the PGA Tour following the NCAA Division I Men’s Golf Championship. He became the first player to join The Tour directly from college via PGA TOUR University. In November 2023, Åberg closed The RSM Classic with weekend rounds of 61-61 for a four-shot victory, his first PGA Tour title.
Mark O’Meara
Gary Player Craig Stadler
Qualification: 18, 19
Age: 33
Residence: Orlando, Fla.
Masters Appearance: Sixth
2024 Masters Finish: T-16
Tom Watson
Ian Woosnam Fuzzy Zoeller
Byeong-Hun An (Korea)
An solidified his standing in the world rankings late last year by winning the Korean Tour’s Genesis Open. He defeated Tom Kim in a playoff to climb from No. 36 in the world to No. 27. He began 2025 ranked No. 24. An got off to a hot start in the 2024 Masters, draining birdies on the first three holes. He moved to 4 under on his round after recording another birdie at No. 13. An closed with bogeys at Nos. 16 and 18 for an opening 70. He finished with rounds of 73-72-75 for his best finish in Augusta. He recorded 18 birdies, 18 bogeys and one double bogey during the tournament.
Qualification:
7-A
Age: 21
Residence:
Catellón de la Plana, Castellón, Spain
Masters
Appearance: First
2024 Masters Finish: DNP
José Luis Ballester (Spain)
Ballester has quite the Masters connection. The young Spaniard has Sergio García as his golf coach and trained with Phil Mickelson and Jon Rahm, a pair of former Arizona State golfers. Ballester, who is listed as “Josele” on the Arizona State website and in other golf publications, entered his senior year in fall 2024 without a collegiate victory. It didn’t matter, though, because his biggest win to date came in August when he claimed the U.S. Amateur Championship. Ballester became the first Spaniard to win the U.S. Amateur when he defeated Noah Kent, 2-up, in Hazeltine, Minn. The victory came on Ballester’s 21st birthday.
Qualification: 11
Age: 34
Residence: Virginia Beach, Va.
Masters
Appearance: First
2024 Masters Finish: DNP
Qualification: 18
Age: 30
Residence: Johannesburg, South Africa
Masters
Appearance: Fourth
2024 Masters
Finish: DNP
Christiaan Bezuidenhout (South Africa)
Bezuidenhout is making his first Masters appearance in three years thanks to a banner year on the PGA Tour in 2024. He earned more than $5 million due to to three top-10 finishes, including a runner-up showing at The American Express Golf Tournament. He didn’t take home the first-place money from the tournament because it was won by amateur Nick Dunlap. Bezuidenhout solidified his mark in the FedExCup standings with a fourth-place finish at the Memorial Tournament. With his final-round 69 at the BMW Championship, Bezuidenhout tied for 33rd place to qualify for the TOUR Championship. In three previous Masters appearances, Bezuidenhout has finished tied for 38th, tied for 40th and tied for 44th.
Qualification: 18, 19
Age: 23
Residence: Jupiter, Fla.
Masters
Appearance: Second
2024 Masters
Finish: T-35
Evan Beck
Beck, a former Wake Forest golfer who works as an investment group analyst, finally earned his invitation to play in the Masters. In 2023, he lost in the U.S. Mid-Amateur final. This time around, Beck made the most of his homestate advantage. At Kinloch Golf Club just outside of Richmond, Va., the Virginia Beach native tied for first in stroke play. In match play, Beck survived several tight matches, including his match in the Round of 16, when he needed a birdie on No. 18 for an eventual win on the third hole of sudden death. In the championship match, Beck shot 3 under on the first 18 holes to establish an 8-up advantage for an eventual win over Bobby Massa.
Akshay Bhatia
Bhatia punched his ticket to the 2024 Masters at the very last moment possible, and in an unforgettable way. He injured his shoulder on a fist pump after rolling in a 12-foot birdie putt to force a sudden-death playoff the Sunday before Masters week at the Valero Texas Open. Before hitting his approach shot on the first playoff hole, he called his trainer to tape his shoulder. After Denny McCarthy put his approach shot in the creek, Bhatia hit a wedge to 6 feet for the win. He previously won the 2023 Barracuda Championship, which didn’t qualify him for the Masters. In Augusta, Bhatia played the final six holes of the second round in 1-under fashion to make the cut in his first Masters Tournament.
Qualification: 17, 18, 19
Age: 38
Residence:
Jupiter, Fla.
Masters
Appearance: Ninth
2024 Masters Finish: T-22
Keegan Bradley
Bradley famously did not get selected for the 2023 U.S. Open Ryder Cup team by captain Zach Johnson. However, last year, he saw a reversal in fortunes, getting selected as the U.S. Ryder Cup captain for the Ryder Cup match later this year at Bethpage Black. The 2011 PGA Championship winner, Bradley continues to play golf at a high level. He proved that last year by winning the BMW Championship — his seventh career PGA Tour win and third in three years. After finishing tied for 23rd place in the 2023 Masters, Bradley posted a tie for 22nd place last year.
Qualification: 18, 19
Age: 28
Residence: Choudrant, La.
Masters
Appearance: Third
2024 Masters Finish: MC
Qualification: 1
Age: 55
Residence:
Córdoboa, Argentina
Masters
Appearance: 21st
2024 Masters
Finish: DNP
Ángel Cabrera (Argentina)
Cabrera, known as “El Pato” (“The Duck”), spent 30 months in prison for domestic violence and just returned last year, playing 12 events on the Champions Tour. Cabrera will be making his first Masters start since 2019 and is seeking his first cut made at the Masters since 2016. He staged comebacks to win the 2007 U.S. Open and 2009 Masters. At the U.S. Open, Cabrera overcame a four-shot deficit entering the final round to defeat Jim Furyk and Tiger Woods by a stroke. At the 2009 Masters, Cabrera bounced back from a two-shot deficit with two to play to eventually defeat Chad Campbell and Kenny Perry in a sudden-death playoff.
Qualification: 17
Age: 37
Residence: Guaynabo, Puerto Rico
Masters
Appearance: First
2024 Masters
Finish: DNP
Sam Burns
Burns didn’t post a victory in 2024, but he still had a solid year. He recorded eight top-10 finishes, including a tie for ninth place at the U.S. Open. That marked the best Major finish for the five-time PGA Tour winner. From 202123, he played in 76 tournaments and earned more than $19 million. After winning twice in 2021 and winning twice again in 2022, Burns added PGA Tour victory #5 last March at the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play event, when he bested Cameron Young, 6 and 5, in the final match. Burns opened the 2023 Masters with rounds of 68-71 to find himself within striking distance of the leaders. A thirdround 78, capped by a triple-bogey 7 at 18, led to Burns falling off the pace. He opened the 2024 Masters with birdies on two of the first three holes before later carding three double bogeys en route to an opening 80.
Rafael Campos (Puerto Rico)
Campos earned his first trip to Augusta thanks to his play in the fall of 2024. At the Butterfield Bermuda Championship, Campos fired 62 in the third round and closed with 68 for a three-shot victory and his first PGA Tour victory. The win moved him from No. 317 to No. 161 in the World Golf Rankings. Campos entered 2025 with seven top-10 finishes in 81 career tournaments.
Qualification: 14, 18, 19
Age: 33
Residence:
Jupiter, Fla.
Masters
Appearance: Ninth
2024 Masters Finish: T-22
Patrick Cantlay
Cantlay had an interesting time at the 2024 Masters. He holed out two shots from the fairway for a pair of rare eagles on par-4 holes in the first two rounds. He was poised to post his second top-10 Masters finish, but he closed with a double bogey at No. 16 and bogeys at Nos. 17 and 18 to fall back.
Cantlay put himself in position to win his first Major when he opened the 2024 U.S. Open with 65. He was in the thick of contention deep into the final round until he posted a bogey at No. 16 and finished two shots back. After recording eight career PGA Tour wins from 2017-22, Cantlay failed to win a tournament for the second year in a row in 2024. He is still seeking his first Major victory.
Qualification: 2, 18, 19
Age: 31
Residence: Scottsdale, Ariz.
Masters
Appearance: Second
2024 Masters
Finish: MC
Qualification: 19
Age: 33
Residence:
Jupiter, Fla.
Masters
Appearance: Eighth
2024 Masters Finish: T-38
Corey Conners (Canada)
After a string of three consecutive top-10 finishes at the Masters, Conners shockingly missed the cut in 2023. He rebounded to make the cut again in 2024, but four double bogeys in the final round prevented him from making a run. Conners posted an unbelievably consistent year in 2024, when he made the cut in every tournament. He tied for ninth at the U.S. Open and ended the year ranked No. 40 in the world.
Qualification: 1
Age: 65
Residence: Newport Beach, Calif.
Masters Appearance: 40th
2024 Masters Finish: MC
Wyndham Clark
Clark is making his second Masters appearance after coming out of nowhere to win the 2023 U.S. Open in his seventh Major appearance. Before that victory, he missed the cut twice at the U.S. Open, added two other missed cuts and never finished better than 75th in a Major. Clark took a one-shot lead into the final round over Rory McIlroy. After McIlroy bogeyed the par-5 14th and Clark recorded a birdie, the lead expanded to three shots with four holes to play. While Clark bogeyed Nos. 15 and 16, he made two clutch pars on the final two holes to secure a oneshot victory for his first Major championship. At the 2024 Masters, Clark recorded seven bogeys in the second round en route to 78 and an early exit from the tournament.
Fred Couples
The 1992 Masters Champion, Couples will forever be remembered for saving par at No. 12 in the final round, his tee shot landing short of the green but not rolling into the water. He chipped us close and saved par, a clutch turn of events that led to his first Green Jacket. A World Golf Hall of Fame member, Couples owns 64 professional wins, including 15 on the PGA Tour. Couples added his 14th Champions Tour victory in 2022, when he won the SAS Championship in October of that year. He posted rounds of 68-68-60 for a six-shot victory. Couples has missed the Masters cut five of the past six years.
Qualification: 13, 17
Age: 30
Residence: Seattle, Wash. Masters Appearance: Third 2024
T-12
Cameron Davis (Australia)
Davis is making his third Masters appearance in four years thanks to his play at the Rocket Mortgage Classic. After winning that tournament in 2021, Davis posted an 18-under-par 270 to win the 2024 event by one stroke. He earned more than $4 million in the 2024 season, and the year could’ve been even better. He opened the 2024 Masters with 69 and sat five shots back of the lead entering the final round. He opened round four with a bogey at No. 1, another bogey at No. 5 and fell far out of contention.
Qualification: 19
Age: 37
Residence: Forest Lake, Queensland, Australia; Columbus, Ohio
Masters Appearance: 14th
2024 Masters
Qualification: 2, 13, 16, 19
Age: 31
Residence:
Jason Day (Australia)
Day earned an invitation to this year’s Masters due to his play in the 2023 AT&T Byron Nelson — his first PGA Tour victory in five years. Because of that win, Day climbed to No. 20 in the world rankings. While he didn’t win in 2024, Day played well enough to end 2024 ranked No. 38 in the world. One of his highlights came when he tied for 13th place at the British Open — his best Major finish in 2024. At the 2024 Masters, Day opened with rounds of 75-73-76 before closing with a 3-under-par 69.
Ninth
T-6
Bryson DeChambeau
One of the most entertaining golfers with his popular YouTube channel, DeChambeau proved to be one of the game’s elite golfers in 2024. He posted three top-6 finishes in the Major tournaments, including his second career win at the U.S. Open. The victory came after he rolled in a seven-foot putt on the final hole for a one-shot victory. What wasn’t talked about last year was DeChambeau’s breakthrough in Augusta. After missing the cut in 2022 and 2023, he posted his best-ever Masters finish. DeChambeau turned heads when he birdied the first three holes on his way to an opening 65. Despite following with rounds of 73-75, DeChambeau entered the final round just four shots back. He opened his Sunday play with bogeys at Nos. 1 and 3, detouring a Green Jacket run.
Qualification: 16, 17
Age: 32
Residence: Dubai, UAE
Masters
Appearance: First
2024 Masters
Finish: DNP
Thomas Detry (Belgium)
Detry will be teeing it up for the first time in Augusta. He qualified for the Masters with his play in the 2024 PGA Championship. He closed with birdies at Nos. 16 and 18 to finish with a 15-under-par 269 total to tie for fourth place. The finish marked his best showing in a Major. Detry recorded three top-five finishes on the PGA Tour in 2024 and ended the year ranked No. 62 in the world after starting the year ranked outside the top 100.
Qualification: 19
Age: 21
Residence:
Jupiter, Fla.
Masters
Appearance: Second
2024 Masters
Finish: MC
Nick Dunlap
Dunlap has posted an impressive run in recent years. The No.1-ranked junior golfer in 2022, Dunlap found himself in elite company after he won the U.S. Amateur in August. Dunlap not only won the U.S. Amateur, but he became just the second golfer to also win the U.S. Junior Amateur. The first? Tiger Woods. In 2024, Dunlap won his first PGA Tour event when he rolled in a six-foot par putt on the final hole to win The American Express Championship, becoming the first amateur to win on the PGA Tour since Phil Mickelson in 1991. After the victory, he turned professional and continued to make strides. Later in the year, he won the Barracuda Championship — his second PGA Tour win of the year. At the 2024 Masters, Dunlap posted rounds of 77-74 that included three double bogeys to miss the cut.
Qualification: 17
Age: 30
Residence:
Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.
Masters
First 2024 Masters
DNP
Qualification: 17, 19
Age: 26
Residence:
Edmond, Okla.
Masters
Appearance: Second
2024 Masters
Finish: MC
Austin Eckroat
Eckroat was a late entrant into the 2024 Masters after winning for the first time on the PGA Tour. He opened the Cognizant Classic with 65 and followed with three more rounds in the 60s for a three-shot victory. In his first Masters appearance, the former Oklahoma State golfer bookended his opening round with double bogeys at Nos. 1 and 18 for 74. He followed with 77 in the second round to miss the cut. Eckroat made the cut in the other three Major events, posting a top-20 finish at the U.S. Open. He earned more than $5 million for the 2024 season.
Qualification: 17
Age: 46
Residence: Orlando, Fla.
Masters
Appearance: Sixth
2024 Masters
Finish: T-22
Nicolás Echavarria (Colombia)
Echavarria played his collegiate golf at the University of Arkansas and later obtained his PGA Tour card for the 2022-23 season. In March 2023, he won his first PGA Tour event, the Puerto Rico Open, by two shots. Because the tournament was an opposite-field event, Echavarria wasn’t able to qualify for the Masters. In October 2024, he entered the ZOZO Championship having missed the cut in three of his previous four events. He opened with consecutive rounds of 64 and finished with a one-shot victory. This win qualified him for an April trip to Augusta.
Harris English
English returns to the Masters after recording his fifth career PGA Tour victory in late January. The former University of Georgia golfer posted rounds of 68-73-66-73 to claim the Farmers Insurance Open by one shot, making par on the final 12 holes to secure the title. Harris played in 26 tournaments in 2024, recording 11 top-25 finishes. He finished seventh in the Genesis Invitational, earning a $700,000 payout. He recorded three other top-10 finishes and won more than $3.4 million. In 2024, English made the cut in all four majors, a tie for 18th at the PGA Championship, his best major finish.
Qualification: 14, 18, 19
Age: 35
Residence:
Lehi, Utah
Masters
Appearance: Eighth
2024 Masters
Finish: T-55
Tony Finau
Finau failed to record a win on the PGA Tour in 2024, but he still posted a remarkable year. Finau finished in the top-20 13 times, including a tie for third place in the U.S. Open. The finish marked his 11th top-10 showing in a Major event. The golfer made his seventh consecutive cut last year at the Masters, but he posted his worst finish in Augusta. After making the cut on the number, he closed with rounds of 72-80. Finau’s tournament was derailed by six 3-putts. The six-time PGA Tour winner will be seeking his first Major win when he tees it up in his eighth Masters appearance.
Qualification: 2, 19
Age: 30
Residence:
Sheffield, England
Masters
Appearance: 11th
2024 Masters Finish: T-22
Qualification: 13, 18, 19
Age: 34
Residence:
Dubai, UAE
Masters
Appearance: Ninth
2024 Masters
Finish: T-3
Tommy Fleetwood (England)
Fleetwood recorded his best Masters finish last year. He birdied Nos. 7-9 in the first round to move to 3 under, before falling back and finishing with 72. He entered the final round 1 under overall. His three-birdie, 15-par performance led to his best Major finish since 2019. Fleetwood, who won the DP World Tour’s Dubai Invitational in January 2024, made the cut in 17 of 19 PGA Tour starts, including four top-10 finishes in 2024. With his 2024 Masters finish, Fleetwood recorded his fifth top-10 Major finish in the past three years. The silver medalist at the 2024 Olympic Games, Fleetwood entered 2025 seeking his first Major victory.
Qualification: 1
Age: 45
Residence: Crans-Montana, Switzerland; Austin, Texas; Orlando, Fla.; Borriol, Spain.
Masters Appearance: 26th
2024 Masters Finish: MC
Matthew Fitzpatrick (England)
Fitzpatrick is in the third year of his five-year Masters exemption after winning the 2022 U.S. Open. He began 2024 ranked inside the top 10 in the World Golf Rankings. He ended the year ranked No. 43. Fitzpatrick entered 2025 having last won on the PGA Tour 2023 at the RBC Heritage; he added a win later in the year at the DP World Tour’s Alfred Dunhill Links Championship. In 2024, Fitzpatrick posted a pair of fifth-place finishes on the PGA Tour. At the 2024 Masters, Fitzpatrick posted bogey at the 18th hole each day and finished with a 4-over-par 292 total.
Sergio García (Spain)
García finished third in the LIV Golf tour’s individual standings in 2024 after winning the Andalucía event. García also led his Fireballs GC team to victory in his home country. At the 2024 Masters, García shot 72-79 to miss the cut for the fifth time since 2018. He finished the second round with three bogeys and a double bogey on the final four holes to miss the cut by one shot. In the 2017 Masters, García won the Green Jacket after rolling in a 14-foot eagle putt at No. 15 in the final round to eventually make a sudden-death playoff with Justin Rose. The golfer rolled in a birdie putt at No. 18 — the first extra hole — to win the Masters, his first Major championship.
Qualification: 19
Age: 45
Residence: Tequesta, Fla.
Masters
Appearance: 11th
2024 Masters Finish: T-20
Lucas Glover
Glover is back in the Masters thanks to his play in the final full-field event of 2024. At The RSM Classic, Glover tied for 30th place to hold onto his No. 50 World Golf Ranking at the end of 2024. He actually fought his way back to Augusta with a pair of third-place finishes at the Sanderson Farms Championship and Black Desert Championship in the fall. Those consecutive finishes helped him climb from No. 60 in the world to No. 44. Glover, the 2009 U.S. Open champion, tied for his best finish in the Masters last year, his first tie for 20th place coming in 2007. Last year, he was 1 under through seven holes in the final round. Then, he doubled the par-5 8th, bogeyed No. 9 and added another double bogey at the par-5 13th.
Qualification: 19
Age: 29
Residence: Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.
Masters Appearance: First
2024 Masters Finish: DNP
Max Greyserman
In his first season on the PGA Tour, Greyserman finally settled in late in the year. He posted back-to-back, runner-up finishes at the 3M Open and Wyndham Championship. Three tournaments later, the golfer tied for second at the ZOZO Championship. He followed with a fourth at the World Wide Technology Championship. With his strong play, Greyserman climbed from No. 126 in the world to No. 37. The former Duke University golfer will be making his third career Major start in April. In 2024, he tied for 21st in the U.S. Open.
Qualification: 3, 19
Age: 38
Residence:
St. Simons Island, Ga.
Masters Appearance: Seventh
2024 Masters Finish: MC
Brian Harman
Harman missed his third consecutive cut at the 2024 Masters. He closed the first round with a triple bogey, double bogey, double bogey finish for an opening 81. While Harman has missed the cut in four of his six Masters appearances, he’ll always have the Royal Liverpool Golf Club course. In the 2023 British Open, Harman opened with rounds of 67-65 and cruised to a six-shot victory for his first Major title. Harman became just the third left-handed golfer to win the British Open. He finished the 2022-23 season with more than $9 million in earnings, due to three runner-up finishes and three additional top-10 showings. Last year, Harman posted three top-10 finishes in 23 PGA Tour events and earned more than $5 million.
Qualification: 10
Age: 21
Residence: Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands
Masters
Appearance: First
2024 Masters Finish: DNP
Justin Hastings (Cayman Islands)
A senior at San Diego State University, Hastings entered the 2024-25 season as one of 25 golfers on the Haskins Award watch list — the award given to the top male collegiate golfer at the end of the season. He proved to be one of the top young golfers when he made his mark in January in Buenos Aires, Argentina. In the Latin America Amateur Championship, Hastings shot 64 in the third round — the morning round of a wild 36-hole, one-day finale. Hastings closed with 72 in the final round for a one-shot win. He becomes the first golfer from the Cayman Islands to play in the Masters.
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Qualification: 13, 19
Age: 33
Residence:
Marlow, Buckinghamshire, England
Masters Appearance: Ninth
2024 Masters Finish: T-9
Tyrrell Hatton (England)
Hatton got back to his winning ways in late 2024. In October, he posted a third-round 61 and went on to claim his third career Alfred Dunhill Links Championship by one shot. In January 2025, he claimed his eighth career DP World Tour title at the Heron Dubai Desert Classic. At the 2024 Masters, Hatton posted five birdies in the final round before closing with bogeys at Nos. 17 and 18. He shot 9 over on holes Nos. 15-18 in the tournament.
Qualification: 18, 19
Age: 36
Residence: Columbus, Ga.
Masters
Appearance: Ninth
2024 Masters Finish: T-38
Qualification: 18
Age: 35
Residence:
Fargo, N.D.
Masters
Appearance: Third
2024 Masters
Finish: DNP
Tom Hoge
Hoge returns to Augusta after making two Masters appearances in 2022 and 2023. He recorded four top-10 finishes in 2024, including a tie for third at the Travelers Championship. That finish helped Hoge solidify his spot in the FedExCup playoffs. With his tie for 13th in the BMW Championship, Hoge qualified for the TOUR Championship and punched his ticket to Augusta. Hoge entered 2025 with one PGA Tour title win — the 2022 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. He also owns one top-10 finish in a Major — a tie for ninth at the 2022 PGA Championship.
Qualification: Special Invitation
Age: 24
Residence: Aarhus, Denmark
Masters
Appearance: Second
2024 Masters Finish: T-16
Russell Henley
Henley, a Georgia native and former Georgia Bulldog, had his best year in the Majors in 2024. He finished fifth in the British Open, tied for seventh at the U.S. Open, tied for 23rd at the PGA Championship and tied for 35th at the Masters. In Augusta, Henley birdied No. 18 to make the cut on the number. Henley played in just 19 PGA Tour events, but he made the cut in 18 tournaments, with 11 top-25 showings. He earned more than $5 million for the year.
Nicolai Højgaard (Denmark)
Højgaard qualified for the 2024 Masters by finishing 2023 ranked No. 50 in the World Golf Rankings. This year, he received a special exemption and will join his brother, Rasmus, as the first set of twins to play in the same Masters. Højgaard played in 18 PGA Tour events and finished No. 108 in the FedExCup standings to retain his exempt status on tour. Højgaard opened the 2024 Masters with 67 and later birdied Nos. 8-10 to move to 7 under for the tournament, taking the lead. He followed with five consecutive bogeys to fall out of contention. Højgaard had an up-anddown final round that included six birdies, four bogeys, a double bogey and a quadruplebogey 7 at the par-3 12th hole.
Ben Carr (‘23)
BEYOND THE DRIVE
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Georgia Southern Men’s Golf Team Competitor at the 2023 Masters Tournament
Qualification: 19
Age: 24
Residence:
Aarhus, Denmark
Masters
Appearance: First
2024 Masters
Finish: DNP
Rasmus Højgaard (Denmark)
Højgaard qualified for the 2025 Masters by finishing 2024 ranked No. 50 in the World Golf Rankings. Rasmus won the Amgen Irish Open to climb 25 spots to No. 63 in the world. He also became the youngest player to win five career DP World Tour events in 35 years. At the DP World Tour Championship in November, Rasmus finished two shots behind Rory McIlroy. With the runner-up finish, Rasmus climbed 13 spots to No. 45 in the world.
Qualification: 13, 19
Age: 34
Residence: Scottsdale, Ariz.
Masters
Appearance: Sixth
2024 Masters
Finish: T-3
Qualification: 15, 18, 19
Age: 38
Residence: Jacksonville, Fla.
Masters
Appearance: 10th
2024 Masters
Finish: DNP
Billy Horschel
After playing in six consecutive Masters between 2018-23, Horschel missed last year’s event. Now he’s back because of his play two weeks after the 2024 Masters. At last April’s Corales Puntacana Championship, Horschel closed with 63 in the final round for a two-shot victory. With that momentum, he continued his strong play with a top-10 finish at the PGA Championship. At the British Open, the golfer closed with three consecutive birdies in the final round to finish in a tie for second place. In September, he returned to England to win his second career BMW PGA Championship title.
Qualification: 16, 18, 19
Age: 27
Residence:
Stillwater, Okla.
Masters
Appearance: Sixth
2024 Masters
Finish: MC
Max Homa
After winning six PGA Tour events from 201923, Homa finally broke through last year in Augusta. He opened with 67 and later found himself in the final pairing on Sunday. After firing his approach close to the pin at No. 10 for a kick-in birdie, Homa sat one shot off the lead. At the par-3 12th, though, Homa missed long and left, carded a double bogey and fell out of contention. In the 2024 PGA Tour season, Homa posted eight top-25 finishes and earned more than $3.8 million.
Viktor Hovland (Norway)
Hovland had a disappointing year in 2024 by his lofty standings, especially considering he won three times and earned more than $14 million the previous season. While he recorded two top-three finishes and earned more than $4.6 million in 2024, Hovland also missed the cut three times — at the Masters, U.S. Open and British Open. Hovland’s first missed cut in Augusta came as a shock, especially after he opened the 2024 tournament with 71. He opened the second round with a bogey, pulled his tee shot at No. 2 into the left trees for a triple bogey, added a double bogey two holes later and then recorded another double bogey at the par-5 15th en route to 81.
Qualification: 18, 19
Age: 27
Residence:
Jeju, South Korea
Masters
Appearance: Fifth
2024 Masters
Finish: MC
Sungjae Im (Korea)
After posting three top-20 finishes in his previous four Masters appearances, Im shot 77-74 to slam his trunk late Friday and make an early road trip to Hilton Head, S.C. The missed cut sparked a hot run by Im. After finishing tied for 12th at the RBC Heritage, Im recorded six top-10 showings in his next nine events. Im recovered from a first-round 76 at the British Open to eventually finish tied for seventh. He finished the 2024 season with 14 top-25 finishes and more than $6.2 million in winnings.
Qualification: 1
Age: 40
Residence: Jupiter, Fla.
Masters
Appearance: 15th
2024 Masters
Finish: MC
Qualification:
1
Age: 49
Residence:
St. Simons Island, Ga.
Masters
Appearance: 21st
2024 Masters
Finish: MC
Zach Johnson
Johnson owns 12 career PGA Tour victories and has accumulated more than $49 million in earnings. Johnson is the owner of two Major titles, the 2007 Masters and the 2015 British Open. In 2007, Johnson closed with 69 to win the Green Jacket by two shots, his first Major victory. In 2015, he rode a five-week hot stretch during the summer to his second Major championship. During that run, he posted four top-six finishes, including a victory at the British Open. At the 2024 Masters, Johnson missed the cut for the third time in the past four years. When he tees it up in April, Johnson will be less than a year from being able to play on the Champions Tour.
Qualification: 7-B
Age: 19
Residence: Naples, Fla.
Masters Appearance: First
2024 Masters
Finish: DNP
Dustin Johnson
Johnson became another high-profile player who left the PGA Tour for the LIV Golf tour in 2022. Last year, he won the February LIV Golf Las Vegas event, his third career LIV Golf title. In the four Majors, Johnson’s best finish was a tie for 31st place at the British Open. At the 2024 Masters, the golfer shot 78-79 and exited early. He hit just 15 of 36 greens in regulation in his two rounds. In November 2020, the South Carolina native set the Masters Tournament’s 72-hole scoring record at 20-under (65-70-65-68) to win a rare fall Green Jacket. Johnson, the 2016 U.S. Open champion, is halfway to the career Grand Slam.
Noah Kent
Kent had quite an eventful 2024. As a freshman golfer at the University of Iowa, Kent led the team with a 72.8-stroke average in the spring, recording five top-25 finishes in seven events. After opening the U.S. Amateur with 77, he rallied in the second round with six birdies en route to 64 to make the match play portion. Kent rolled all the way through match play to the championship match, where he found himself down 4 holes with seven to play. He made a furious comeback to trail 1-down with one hole to play only to make bogey on the final hole. Kent returned to Iowa for his sophomore season, posting four top-13 finishes. He hit the transfer portal after the fall, the Naples, Fla. native returning to Florida.
Qualification: 19
Age: 22
Residence: Dallas
Masters
Appearance: Third
2024 Masters Finish: T-30
Tom Kim (Korea)
Kim had a phenomenal 2022-23 season, winning twice, adding seven more top-10 finishes and earning more than $7.7 million. While he didn’t win in 2024, Kim had another successful year. He recorded seven top-25 finishes and earned more than $4 million. At the 2024 Masters, Kim opened with rounds of 72-78 to make the cut on the number. After posting 77 in the third round, he birdied six holes during an eight-hole stretch in the final round for a closing 66 — his best round in Augusta. Kim posted three top-30 finishes in four Majors starts in 2024.
Qualification: 18
Age: 39
Residence:
Athens, Ga.
Masters
Appearance: Sixth
2024 Masters
Finish: T-16
Qualification: 17
Age: 39
Residence:
St. Simons Island, Ga.
Masters
Appearance: Third
2024 Masters
Finish: DNP
Patton Kizzire
Kizzire is making his first Masters appearance in six years. This will be his first Major appearance since 2022. He played 33 events in the 2022-23 season and eventually lost his fully-exempt status for 2024.
Kizzire began the year with six missed cuts in his first seven events. In September, Kizzire opened the Procore Championship with rounds of 66-65 and rolled to a fiveshot victory for his first PGA Tour win in six years. The golfer returns to Augusta where he finished tied for 18th place in the 2019 Masters.
Qualification: 4
Age: 34
Residence: Jupiter, Fla.
Masters
Appearance: 10th
2024 Masters Finish: T-45
Chris Kirk
Kirk opened the 2024 season with a win at The Sentry tournament, adding four more top-25 finishes and earning more than $6 million. With his strong play, the former Georgia Bulldog golfer qualified for the TOUR Championship. At the 2024 Masters, Kirk opened the tournament with 74 and proceeded to bogey five of the first six holes in the second round to move to 7 over. He recovered with birdies on four of the next six holes to make the cut. Kirk was 8 under on holes Nos. 8-10 during the tournament and a collective 10 over on the remaining 15 holes. Kirk posted three top-31 finishes in his four 2024 Major starts.
Brooks Koepka
Koepka is playing in the second year of a five-year Masters exemption after winning the 2023 PGA Championship. The five-time Major champion made the cut in all four Major tournaments in 2024, but his best finish was a tie for 26th. He was ranked No. 1 in the world for 47 weeks between 2018 and 2020. By mid-January 2025, he had fallen outside of the top 100. The reason? His move to the LIV Golf tour in 2022. Last year, Koepka won twice on the LIV Golf tour, pushing his career win total to five on that tour. Koepka is seeking his first Green Jacket after posting runner-up Masters finishes in 2019 and 2023.
Qualification:
1
Age: 67
Residence:
Boca Raton, Fla.
Masters
Appearance: 41st
2024 Masters Finish: DNP
Bernhard Langer (Germany)
Langer stated the 2024 Masters would be his final one as a competitor, but earlier in the year he tore his Achilles tendon and had surgery. He returned to competition later in the year, winning his 47th career Champions Tour event — the Charles Schwab Cup Championship in November. The first player to be officially ranked No. 1, Langer won the Masters in 1985 and 1993. The World Golf Hall of Fame enshrinee has proven to be a top contender at the Masters even as he’s become one of the elder statesmen in the field. In 2014, he birdied seven holes in the final round for 68 to finish tied for eighth in the event. He was in the thick of contention in 2016 after making birdies at Nos. 13-15 in the third round and sitting at even-par 216 with one round to play. Langer trailed 54-hole leader Jordan Spieth by three shots entering the final round when he ran out of steam and posted 79.
Qualification: 15, 19
Age: 28
Residence:
Mbombela, South Africa
Masters
Appearance: First
2024 Masters Finish: DNP
Thriston Lawrence (South Africa)
Lawrence has quietly put himself on the worldwide golf radar in recent years. At the conclusion of the 2022 DP World Tour season, Lawrence was named the Rookie of the Year. In June 2023, he won the BMW International Open, his fourth career DP World Tour victory. Last year, he posted five runnerup finishes on the DP World Tour. He also tied for fourth at the British Open, a final-round 68 helping secure an exemption to the 2025 Masters. Also, he finished third in the Race to Dubai standings last year to earn a PGA Tour card for the 2025 season.
Qualification: 19
Age: 26
Residence:
Perth, Australia
Masters
Appearance: Fourth
2024 Masters Finish: T-22
Min Woo Lee (Australia)
Lee played in 25 events around the world in 2024, making the cut in all but three of them. He posted a pair of runner-up showings on the PGA Tour and added six other top-25 finishes. In late 2023, he won his third DP World Tour event when he shot an opening 64 at the Fortinet Australian PGA Championship for an eventual three-shot victory. Lee recorded two eagles during the 2024 Masters for his second top-25 finish in three years in Augusta. He finished tied for 26th at the PGA Championship, tied for 21st at the U.S. Open and missed the cut at the British Open in the other Major tournaments.
Qualification: 18, 19
Age: 38
Residence: Jupiter, Fla.
Masters
Appearance: Ninth
2024 Masters Finish: T-43
Shane Lowry (Ireland)
In 2024, Lowry played out the final year of his five-year Masters exemption for winning the 2019 British Open. Lowry, however, continues to be a force on golf’s highest level. He recorded two top-10 finishes in the 2024 Majors (tie for sixth at the PGA Championship; sixth at the British Open). He added a tie for eighth at the TOUR Championship and then followed with six consecutive finishes of 13th or better on the DP World Tour, finishing the year ranked inside the top 30 of the World Golf Rankings. At the 2024 Masters, Lowry recorded 19 bogeys for his worst Augusta finish since missing the cut in 2019.
Qualification:
17, 18, 19
Age: 28
Residence:
Oban, Scotland
Masters
Appearance: Third
2024 Masters
Finish: DNP
Robert MacIntyre (Scotland)
MacIntyre is making his third Masters appearance, first since 2022. In his previous times in Augusta, he finished tied for 12th and tied for 23rd. MacIntyre had a big year in 2024, starting outside the top 50 in the world rankings and finishing at No. 14. The golfer won twice on the PGA Tour in 2024, but not in the United States. In June, he fired four rounds in the 60s and won the RBC Canadian Open. Six weeks later, he won his homeland tournament, the Genesis Scottish Open. He birdied the final hole to claim victory and become the second Scottish golfer to win twice in a PGA Tour season, joining Sandy Lyle.
Qualification: 1, 17, 18, 19
Age: 33
Residence: Sendai, Japan
Masters
Appearance: 14th
2024 Masters
Finish: T-38
Hideki Matsuyama (Japan)
Matsuyama became the first Japanese winner of the Masters Tournament in 2021 when he opened with rounds of 69-71-65 and held on to win his first Green Jacket. Matsuyama was in contention midway through the 2022 Masters before turning in a third-round 77. In the 2024 Masters, Matsuyama posted four rounds in the 70s and posted his worst finish since 2014 in Augusta. While Matsuyama made just one top-finish in the Majors last year, he added two more PGA Tour titles — he won the Genesis Invitational in February before adding the FedEx St. Jude Championship title six months later. Matsuyama added his 11th PGA Tour career victory when he opened 2025 by winning The Sentry tournament with a 35-under-par total at Kapalua.
Qualification: 19
Age: 32
Residence: Jupiter, Fla.
Masters
Appearance: Second
2024 Masters
Finish: T-45
Denny McCarthy
It’s been a slow and steady climb in the world rankings for McCarthy, who ended 2021 ranked No. 179. He recorded five top-10 finishes in 2022, including a tie for seventh at the U.S. Open, which helped him end the year ranked No. 80. He continued to progress in 2023, posting eight top-10 showings, including a solo second at the Memorial Tournament. With more than $6.6 million in winnings last season, he finished 2023 ranked No. 34 in the world. McCarthy posted another solid season in 2024 with eight top-25 finishes, including a runner-up showing at the Valero Texas Open, for more than $4 million.
Qualification: 17, 19
Age: 27
Residence:
Scottsdale, Ariz.
Masters
Appearance: First
2024 Masters Finish: DNP
Qualification:
14, 17, 18, 19
Age: 35
Residence:
Holywood, Northern Ireland
Masters
Appearance: 17th
2024 Masters
Finish: T-22
Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland)
McIlroy enters Augusta as one of the game’s top golfers, seeking his first Green Jacket to complete the career Grand Slam. His 2024 was nothing short of remarkable. He won twice on the PGA Tour, pushing his career victory total to 26. He won twice on the DP World Tour, pushing his career victory total on that tour to 18. He even finished runner-up at the U.S. Open, marking his 16th consecutive year with at least one top-10 finish in a Major tournament. McIlroy will look to make a run in Augusta, where he’s missed the cut two of the past four years. In 2024, he opened with 71, but saw his hopes of winning derailed after carding a disappointing 77. He recorded just 10 birdies in the tournament, an unsatisfying number for someone looking to cement his place in golf history.
Qualification: 17, 19
Age: 29
Residence: Las Vegas
Masters
Appearance: First
2024 Masters Finish: DNP
Matt McCarty
A lot of people are going to ask this question during Masters week: Who the heck is Matt McCarty and how did he get here? McCarty, an Arizona native, started 2024 ranked outside of No. 400 in the world. He played the majority of the season on the Korn Ferry Tour, winning three times. He earned Korn Ferry Player of the Year honors and fully-exempt status on the PGA Tour. In just his second PGA Tour start, McCarty opened the Black Desert Championship with 62 and rolled to a three-shot victory. He finished the year ranked inside the top 50 in the world rankings.
Maverick McNealy
McNealy is arguably one of the smartest golfers in the field, graduating in 2018 from Stanford with a degree in Management Science and Engineering. He played his way into a Masters invitation by winning the final PGA Tour event of 2024. At The RSM Classic in November, he opened with 62 and held on for a one-shot victory. McNealy recorded five other top-10 finishes in 2024 and earned more than $4.7 million.
Qualification:
1, 4
Age: 54
Residence:
Rancho Santa Fe, Calif.
Masters Appearance: 32nd
2024 Masters
Finish: T-43
Phil Mickelson
After not playing in the 2022 Masters amidst the LIV Golf controversy and his eventual membership on the new tour, Mickelson roared back in vintage Augusta style in 2023. The three-time Masters Champion birdied five of the final seven holes for a closing 65, the lowest round on Sunday, for his best finish since tying for second in 2015. Mickelson couldn’t replicate his success in 2024, posting four rounds at 73 or worse. In 2021, Mickelson recorded his 45th career win on the PGA Tour when he brought home the PGA Championship, becoming the oldest player to win a Major tournament. Mickelson later added wins in October and November on the Champions Tour to cap off his 2021. Mickelson’s 2022 was highlighted by the news of him joining the LIV Golf tour for a reported $200 million.
Qualification: 3, 4, 13, 16, 18, 19
Age: 28
Residence: Las Vegas Masters
Appearance: Sixth
2024 Masters
Finish: T-3
Qualification:
Special Invitation
Age: 26
Residence:
Santiago, Chile
Masters
Appearance: Sixth
2024 Masters
Finish: T-22
Joaquín Niemann (Chile)
For the second year in a row, Niemann received a special invitation to play in the Masters. Niemann, who plays on the LIV Golf tour, won two LIV Golf tour events last year. Niemann finished 2024 with a flurry, finishing tied for seventh at the DP World Tour Championship and tied for fifth at the ISPS HANDA Australian Open. He closed the year winning the Asian Tour’s PIF Saudi International powered by SoftBank Investment Advisers, the victory vaulting him 50 spots in the world rankings to No. 74. Niemann opened the 2024 Masters with 70 before falling out of contention with a second-round 78.
Qualification: 1
Age: 59
Residence:
Fuenterrabía, Spain
Masters
Appearance: 36th
2024 Masters
Finish: T-45
Collin Morikawa
Morikawa capped off a stellar 2024 campaign with his play at the TOUR Championship. After posting seven top-10 finishes on the PGA Tour, Morikawa outplayed Scottie Scheffler in the final tournament of the season, but Scheffler finished first thanks to starting out at 10-under total, while Morikawa started six shots back. Morikawa finished the year with more than $8.8 million in earnings. At the 2024 Masters, Morikawa found himself in contention in the final round until making double bogeys at Nos. 9 and 11. He owns three consecutive top-10 finishes at the Masters.
José María Olazábal (Spain)
The winner of the 1994 and 1999 Masters, Olazábal has posted eight top-10 showings in Augusta. In 1999, Olazábal made a triumphant comeback after what was initially thought to be a foot injury (later treated as a lower back injury) forced him to miss many months from the game. The golfer birdied three holes on the final nine, including a decisive birdie at No. 16, for a two-shot victory over Davis Love. Olazábal last contended in the Masters in 2006, with a tie for third place. He hasn’t won a tournament since 2005. Olazábal captained the European Ryder Cup team to a one-point victory over the United States in 2012.
Qualification: 13, 18, 19
Age: 32
Residence:
Encamp, Andorra
Masters
Appearance: Second
2024 Masters Finish: T-12
Matthieu Pavon (France)
Pavon continued his hot play from the fall of 2023 into 2024. In October 2023, he won the Acciona Open de España on the DP World Tour. With his 15th place in that tour’s Road to Dubai, he earned PGA Tour status for 2024. In his third tournament, he won the Farmers Insurance Open. The following week, he finished third at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. Then in April, he played well in his first start in Augusta. Pavon posted his first top-10 Major finish at the U.S. Open, when he finished fifth.
Qualification: 17, 18, 19
Age: 33
Residence: Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.
Masters
Appearance: First
2024 Masters Finish: DNP
Taylor Pendrith (Canada)
Pendrith posted a pretty spectacular season on the PGA Tour in 2024. He shot four rounds in the 60s to win The CJ Cup Byron Nelson event in May for his first career PGA Tour victory. He added six other top-10 finishes for more than $4.7 million in winnings. Pendrith played college golf at Kent State University alongside fellow Canadian golfers Corey Conners and Mackenzie Hughes.
Qualification: 17, 19
Age: 31
Residence:
St. Simons Island, Ga.
Masters Appearance: Fourth
2024 Masters Finish: T-30
J.T. Poston
Poston kicked off his 2024 campaign with top-11 finishes at The Sentry tournament, the Sony Open and the American Express events in three consecutive weeks. He added another top-10 finish a month later at the Genesis Invitational and another in April at the RBC Heritage. With those finishes alone he racked up more than $2.3 million in earnings. He capped off the year, though, by opening the Shriners Children’s Open with rounds of 64-65 for an eventual one-shot victory. With his third career PGA Tour win, Poston jumped from 64th to No. 40 in the world rankings.
Qualification: 1, 2, 19
Age: 30
Residence: Scottsdale, Ariz.
Masters
Appearance: Ninth
2024 Masters
Finish: T-45
Qualification: 17, 18, 19
Age: 30
Residence: Wolverhampton, England
Masters
Appearance: First
2024 Masters
Finish: DNP
Aaron Rai (England)
When the weather warmed up in 2024, so did Rai (pronounced “Rye”). He opened June with a pair of top-20 finishes on the PGA Tour, and then finished tied for second at the Rocket Mortgage Classic later in the month. In July, he added top-10 finishes at the John Deere Classic and Genesis Scottish Open. One month later, he finally broke through on the PGA Tour. At the Wyndham Championship, Rai opened with consecutive rounds of 65 for an eventual two-stroke victory. With his stellar play, he earned more than $4.6 million in PGA Tour winnings last year.
Qualification: 1, 13
Age: 34
Residence: Spring, Texas
Masters Appearance: 12th
2024 Masters
Finish: T-12
Jon Rahm (Spain)
After winning the Masters in 2023, Rahm couldn’t replicate his success last year. At the 2024 Masters, he failed to break par in any of his rounds and recorded just 10 birdies with 13 bogeys and three double bogeys. He recorded his worst finish in Augusta. At the end of 2023, Rahm signed on to play on the LIV Golf tour for 2024. He collected two LIV Golf tour wins during 2024, and he posted a top-10 finish at the British Open. Nonetheless, the former world No. 1 had fallen to No. 34 in the world rankings by early 2025.
Patrick Reed
Give Patrick Reed credit. He plays well in Augusta, as proven by his play the past seven Masters. In that span, he’s posted four top-10 finishes. He would’ve recorded a fifth top-10 finish if not for a bogey on the final hole last year. Reed played the final five holes at 8 over during the 2024 Masters, with zero birdies, six bogeys and one double bogey in that stretch. If he solves that problem, Reed could find himself in contention for a second Green Jacket. The 2018 Masters Champion, Reed joined the LIV Golf tour in June 2022. He posted two top-10 finishes in 13 events in 2024. In November, he won the Asian Tour’s LINK Hong Kong Open, the highlight being the 59 he shot in the third round. Reed, along with PGA Tour pro Henrik Norlander, helped Augusta University win back-to-back NCAA Division I championships in 2010 and 2011.
Qualification: 17
Age: 28
Residence: Hattiesburg, Miss.
Masters
Appearance: First
2024 Masters
Finish: DNP
Davis Riley
Riley, a former University of Alabama golfer, will be making his first appearance in Augusta. He qualified for the Masters by winning the Charles Schwab Challenge in May. Riley posted opening rounds of 66-64 en route to a dominant five-shot victory. The win marked his second career PGA Tour victory. He and Nick Hardy won the 2023 Zurich Classic of New Orleans, but they didn’t qualify for the 2024 Masters because it’s a team event. He made up for it in 2024 with just one top-10 finish, his lone victory during the season.
Qualification: 15, 19
Age: 44
Residence: London
Masters
Appearance: 20th
2024 Masters
Finish: MC
Qualification:
3, 4, 13, 18, 19
Age: 31
Residence:
Jupiter, Fla.
Masters
Appearance: Eighth
2024 Masters
Finish: Eighth
Xander Schauffele
Schauffele (pronounced Shaw-fa-lay) put his name in the hat for 2024 Golfer of the Year after his play in the Majors. Not only did he win the PGA Championship and British Open titles, he also finished tied for seventh at the U.S. Open and eighth at the Masters. Schauffele earned more than $18 million in 2024 thanks to his play in the Majors, along with 11 other top-10 finishes on the PGA Tour, including a runner-up finish at THE PLAYERS Championship. A nine-time winner on the PGA Tour, Schauffele entered 2025 halfway to the career Grand Slam, needing wins at the Masters and PGA Championship
Qualification:
1, 5, 6, 17, 18, 19
Age: 28
Residence:
Dallas, Texas
Masters
Appearance: Sixth
2024 Masters
Finish: Won
Justin Rose (England)
While he’s advancing into his mid-40s, Rose is still a force to be reckoned with on golf’s highest level. In 2024, he recorded two top-10 finishes in the Majors (T-6 at the PGA Championship, T-2 at the British Open). With those two finishes, he earned more than $3 million on the PGA Tour in 2024. At the 2024 Masters, he missed the cut for the third time in six years. Rose owns six top-10 finishes in Augusta, his last one coming in 2021 (seventh place). The golfer entered the 2025 season seeking his second career Major victory; his lone Major win came at the 2013 U.S. Open.
Scottie Scheffler
Scheffler entered 2024 with six career PGA Tour victories. He exited the year with 13 career titles, a second Major win and the No. 1 ranking in the world. Scheffler added his second Green Jacket last April thanks to an opening 66. In the third round, he ran into trouble with a double bogey at No. 10 and a bogey at No. 11. He recovered with a 31-foot eagle putt at the par-5 13th. He shot 68 in the final round to close out his second Masters victory in three years. If winning the Masters wasn’t enough, Scheffler also won the Arnold Palmer Invitational, THE PLAYERS Championship, the RBC Heritage, the Memorial Tournament, the Travelers Championship and the TOUR Championship. He made the cut in all 19 events in 2024, with 16 top-10 finishes. He won more than $29 million for the season.
Qualification: 13
Age: 33
Residence:
Vincennes, Ind.
Masters
Appearance: Second
2024 Masters
Finish: T-12
Qualification: 1, 18, 19
Age: 44
Residence:
Crans-sur-Sierre, Switzerland
Masters
Appearance: 24th
2024 Masters
Finish: T-22
Adam Schenk
Schenk had some good showings in 2024, despite battling through a back injury that has continued to bother him into 2025. Last year, he made his first Masters appearance and played solid. With his 1-under stretch on the final five holes of the final round, Schenk finished tied for 12th to earn an invitation to this year’s Masters. In 2024, Schenk posted six top-25 finishes and earned more than $1.8 million. In 2023, Schenk recorded two runner-up finishes and five other top-10 finishes for almost $5 million in winnings.
Qualification: 1
Age: 40
Residence:
Vereeniging, South Africa
Masters
Appearance: 16th
2024 Masters
Finish: MC
Adam Scott (Australia)
Scott, the 2013 Masters Champion, extended his consecutive Masters cut streak to 15 last year despite posting a pair of double bogeys the first two rounds and making the cut on the number. Despite posting a triple bogey in the third round, he played the final two rounds in 2-under-par fashion. Scott made 11 top-25 finishes in 2024, playing solidly down the stretch. He finished runner-up at the Genesis Scottish Open before later tying for second at the BMW Championship and then tying for fourth at the TOUR Championship. He earned more than $4.7 million during the season. Scott won his only Major championship to date at the 2013 Masters. That year, he birdied the 18th hole in the final round to take a one-shot lead into the clubhouse. Ángel Cabrera later birdied No. 18 to force a playoff. On the second hole of their sudden-death playoff at No. 10, Scott rolled in a 12-foot birdie putt to claim the Green Jacket.
Qualification: 1
Age: 62
Residence:
Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.
Masters Appearance: 32nd
2024 Masters
Finish: T-58
Charl Schwartzel (South Africa)
Schwartzel, the 2011 Masters Champion, shot 74-81 to miss the cut at the 2024 Masters. After joining the LIV Golf tour in 2022, Schwartzel won the tour’s first event, his first victory in six years. Schwartzel added two other top-10 finishes in seven events on the LIV Golf tour. In 2023, the golfer recorded one top-10 finish in 13 LIV Golf events. In 2024, he posted two top-10 finishes in 13 events, a runner-up showing at LIV Golf’s Jeddah and a tie for third at Adelaide. He entered 2025 ranked outside the top 400 in the world.
Vijay Singh (Fiji)
Last year, Singh made his first Masters cut since 2018. The World Golf Hall of Fame player’s stellar career has included 34 PGA Tour wins, with two PGA Championship titles and a win at the 2000 Masters. Singh has earned more than $71 million in PGA Tour career earnings. In his seventh Masters appearance in 2000, Singh shot rounds of 72-67-70-69 to defeat Ernie Els by three shots. In 22 events on the Champions Tour in 2024, he posted seven top-10 finishes and earned more than $820,000.
Qualification: 3, 13
Age: 31
Residence: Jacksonville, Fla.
Masters
Appearance: Ninth
2024 Masters
Finish: T-6
Cameron Smith (Australia)
Smith, the 2022 British Open champion, continued his strong play in Augusta at the 2024 Masters. He posted rounds of 71-7272-71 to record his fourth top-10 finish in five years. Smith joined the LIV Golf tour in the fall of 2022. At the time, he was ranked No. 2 in the world. He had fallen to No. 30 by midJanuary 2024. Smith continued to plummet in the rankings throughout 2024, falling to No. 128. After a pair of runner-up finishes on the DP World Tour and Asian Tour late in the year, Smith climbed to No. 80. In 12 LIV Golf events in 2024, Smith recorded seven top-10 finishes.
Qualification: 1
Age: 31
Residence: Dallas Masters
Jordan Spieth
Which Jordan Spieth will show up this year at the Masters? The one who missed the cut in 2022 and 2024? Or the one who won in 2015, tied for third in 2021 and tied for fourth in 2023? Spieth started 2024 with two top-10 finishes in his first three events. The rest of the year was a struggle because of a wrist injury he had been playing through since 2023. In August, he finally had surgery to repair the issue. Now healthy, Spieth entered 2025 seeking his first PGA Tour in three years and his first Major win since 2017.
12th
MC
Qualification: 17, 18, 19
Age: 31
Residence: Birmingham, Ala.
Masters
Appearance: Fourth
2024 Masters Finish: T-16
Sepp Straka (Austria)
Straka kicked off the 2025 season in style by winning the third event of the year, The American Express Golf Tournament. He shot 65-64-64-70 for a two-shot victory, his third career PGA Tour victory. Straka, who graduated from the University of Georgia in 2016 with a business management degree, has made the cut in three consecutive Masters. In the 2024 PGA Tour season, Straka posted four top-10 finishes and earned more than $4.6 million. He made the cut in three of four 2024 Major tournaments after posting two top-10 showings in the 2023 Majors.
Qualification: 12
Age: 23
Residence: Singapore
Masters
Appearance: First
2024
Finish: DNP
Hiroshi Tai (Singapore)
Tai is making his first Masters appearance after winning the 2024 NCAA Division I Men’s Golf Championship. He posted a 3-underpar 285 total to win the tournament by one shot, despite making a triple bogey on his next-to-last hole. Tai is a junior at Georgia Institute of Technology majoring in Business Administration. In his freshman season, he became the fifth Yellow Jacket golfer to win two events in his first season.
Qualification: 17
Age: 36
Residence:
Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada
Masters Appearance: Third
2024 Masters Finish: MC
Nick Taylor (Canada)
Taylor kicked off his 2025 season with his fifth career PGA Tour victory. He shot 6668-65-65 to make a playoff with Nicolás Echavarria where he won on the second extra hole. Taylor won his third PGA Tour event in three years, winning all of them in a playoff. In 2024, he recorded five top-25 finishes on the PGA Tour and earned more than $3.2 million. Taylor is seeking his first top-10 finish in a Major. He has missed the cut in nine consecutive Major tournaments; his last made cut was a tie for 29th at the 2020 Masters.
Qualification: 18, 19
Age: 27
Residence: Spring, Texas
Masters Appearance: Third
2024 Masters Finish: T-45
Qualification: 4, 18, 19
Age: 31
Residence:
Jupiter, Fla.
Masters Appearance: 10th
2024 Masters
Finish: MC
Sahith Theegala
Theegala posted four rounds at 74 or higher last year to finish well out of contention at the 2024 Masters. His best Major finish was a tie for 12th place at the PGA Championship. While he failed to win a PGA Tour event in 2024, Theegala found plenty of success in the same year. In 26 events, he recorded nine top-10 finishes and earned more than $8.4 million. A California native, Theegala won the Haskins Award, Ben Hogan Award and Jack Nicklaus Award in 2020 as the top collegiate player playing for the No. 1 college team in the nation, Pepperdine University.
Justin Thomas Davis Thompson
Thomas played in 20 PGA Tour events in 2024, recording six top-10 finishes. One of his main highlights came after the TOUR Championship when he finished runner-up at the ZOZO Championship in October. He followed with a third-place showing at the Hero World Challenge. Thomas earned more than $5.2 million in 2024. He posted one top10 finish in the Majors, tying for 8th place at the PGA Championship. At the 2024 Masters, Thomas was even through the 14th hole in his second round when disaster struck. He then double-bogeyed Nos. 15 and 16, bogeyed No. 17 and the double-bogeyed No. 18 to finish with 79 to miss the cut by one shot.
Qualification: 17, 19
Age: 25
Residence: St. Simons Island, Ga.
Masters Appearance: First
2024 Masters Finish: DNP
Thompson, a former University of Georgia golfer, is playing in the Masters for the first time after a breakthrough 2024 season on the PGA Tour. He played in 27 tournaments, recording 13 top-25 finishes. After tying for second at the Myrtle Beach Classic in May, Thompson tied for ninth at the U.S. Open a month later. Two weeks later, he tied for second at the Rocket Mortgage Classic. A week afterward, he opened the John Deere Classic with 63, added 62 in the third round and closed with 64 for a four-shot victory, his first PGA Tour win.
Qualification: 17
Age: 40
Residence: Houston Masters
Appearance: Fourth
2024 Masters
Finish: DNP
Jhonattan Vegas (Venezuela)
Vegas is back in the Masters after a sevenyear absence. Vegas had elbow and shoulder surgeries in recent years to help relieve his pain, but he still felt shoulder pain all throughout the 3M Open in July 2024. Vegas fired a third-round 63 and was able to hold on for his first PGA Tour victory in seven years. He entered the tournament playing on a Major medical exemption, but he secured his card for the following two years. Vegas posted seven top-25 finishes in 2024 and earned more than $2.3 million.
Bubba Watson
Watson will forever be remembered for hooking his pitching wedge around the trees at No. 10 to the green to set up his first Masters win in a two-hole, sudden-death playoff over Louis Oosthuizen. Watson, one of the longest hitters in the game, carved up Augusta National in the final round of the 2014 Masters to pull free for a three-shot victory. Watson joined José María Olazábal, Ben Crenshaw, Bernhard Langer, Seve Ballesteros, Tom Watson, Ben Hogan, Byron Nelson and Horton Smith as players with two Green Jackets. Watson, who joined the LIV Golf tour in 2022, is seeking his first Masters cut since 2022.
Residence:
17th 2024
MC
Mike Weir (Canada)
In 2003, Weir posted a career year with three victories. At the Masters that year, he closed with 68 and defeated Len Mattiace in a sudden-death playoff for his only Major victory. Weir brought home eight PGA Tour titles between 1999 and 2007. He posted 11 top-10 career Major finishes, his last top-10 showing (a tie for 10th) came in 2009 at the U.S. Open. Weir has seen a resurgence in his game on the Champions Tour. In 2024, he posted eight top-25 finishes for almost $800,000 in Champions Tour winnings. Weir is looking to make his first Masters cut since 2020.
Willett had little success in 2024. The reason? A shoulder injury he’s been battling. He got off to a fantastic start at the 2024 Masters, opening with 68. After making eagle at the par-5 8th hole and then a birdie at No. 10 in the second round, Willett moved to 5-under. He was cruising along until an errant tee shot at No. 18 led to a triple bogey that led to 75. Willett never recovered. Willett became the first Englishman in 20 years to win the Masters in 2016 after posting a final-round 67.
Danny Willett (England)
Qualification:
1
Age: 49
Residence:
Jupiter, Fla.
Masters
Appearance: 27th
2024 Masters Finish: 60th
Tiger Woods
Woods opened the 2024 Masters with solid rounds of 73-72. Then, he found just five fairways in the third round en route to 82. In 2019, Woods made a comeback for the ages at the Masters. Tiger shot 67 in the third round to pull within two of leader Francesco Molinari. He created more Masters memories with back-nine birdies at Nos. 13, 15 and 16. Despite carding a bogey on the final hole, Woods held on for his fifth Green Jacket, moving into second place behind only Jack Nicklaus (six) for most Masters titles. The winner of 15 Major championships, Woods tied Sam Snead for the most PGA Tour career wins (82) when he won the ZOZO Championship to start the 2019-20 campaign. Woods will be vying for his sixth Green Jacket to tie Jack Nicklaus when he tees it up this year in Augusta. He previously won Masters titles in 1997, 2001, 2002 and 2005.
Qualification: 13, 19
Age: 27
Residence: Jupiter, Fla.
Masters
Appearance: Fourth
2022 Masters Finish: T-9
Qualification: 17
Age: 26
Residence:
Scottsdale, Ariz.
Masters
Appearance: First
2024 Masters
Finish: DNP
Kevin Yu (Chinese Taipei)
Yu began the 2024 season with two top-10 finishes in his first three events. Then, the rest of the season was inconsistent. In the fall — after an almost two-month layoff — Yu finally found his winning way. Posting rounds of 6666-66-67, he then defeated Beau Hossler on the first hole of a sudden-death playoff. Yu, the former Arizona State golfer, finished the year with more than $3.2 million in winnings. He will be making his fourth Major tournament appearance in April, his first since 2020.
Qualification: 13
Age: 28
Residence: Dallas
Masters
Appearance: Fourth
2024 Masters Finish: T-9
Cameron Young
Young found himself in contention at the 2024 Masters, 4 under through 27 holes. A double bogey at No. 11 became the first of three double bogeys the next three rounds. He finished 11 shots behind champion Scottie Scheffler, Young’s second consecutive top-10 Masters finish. In 2024, Young recorded six top-10 finishes in 21 events, earning more than $4 million. One of his 2024 season highlights came when he shot 59 at the Travelers Championship. Young entered 2025 still seeking his first career PGA Tour victory.
Will Zalatoris
Zalatoris withdrew before the first round of the 2023 Masters and had back surgery two days later. In June 2024, he withdrew from the Rocket Mortgage Classic. Because of the injuries, he decided to add 20 pounds of muscle before the 2025 season, beefing up to 180 pounds. Zalatoris has three top-10 Masters finishes. He would’ve contended last year if not for shooting 77 in the second round. Zalatoris almost became the first player since Fuzzy Zoeller in 1979 to win the Masters in his first appearance in 2021. Entering the final round in the third-to-last pairing, Zalatoris birdied the first two holes. Despite a mid-round stumble, he birdied Nos. 15 and 17 and fell one shot short of Hideki Matsuyama.
