With just over three weeks until the Masters, players have few opportunities left to qualify for a tournament invitation.
Currently, 84 players have earned invitations via various qualifying criteria set by Augusta National Golf Club.
There are still three ways to get into the season’s first major.
How can golfers still get a Masters invite?
Those not currently qualified for Augusta can still snag an invitation. Here are the three ways to make it happen:
- Win the Valspar Championship, March 16-19 in Palm Harbor, Florida
- Be among the 50 leaders on the Official World Golf Ranking published during the week prior to the Masters Tournament
- Win the Valero Texas Open, March 30 – April 2
Is Rickie Fowler invited to the Masters?
Rickie Fowler missed the 2022 Masters, but he can still qualify to play in April. Though Fowler was 71st on the Official World Golf Ranking going in last week’s Players Championship, a T-13 finish propelled him to the No. 59 spot.
Fowler is not playing in the Valspar Championship but is expected to play in the WGC Match Play event, where a good showing could get him into the top 50.
If he doesn’t make the top 50, he’ll need to win the Valero Texas Open in Houston for a chance at a green jacket.
Has Rickie Fowler won the Masters?
Fowler has not won the Masters, but he has come close. In eight Masters appearances, Fowler has two top-5 finishes, including second place in 2018. He missed the cut once, in 2016.
What are the qualifications for making the 2023 Masters field?
There are 19 ways for golfers to earn an invitation to play in the Masters.
- Masters Tournament Champions (Lifetime)
- US Open Champions (Honorary, non-competing after five years)
- The Open Champions (Honorary, non-competing after five years)
- PGA Champions (Honorary, non-competing after five years)
- Winners of The Players Championship (Three years)
- Current Olympic Gold Medalist (One year)
- Current US Amateur Champion (7-A) (Honorary, non-competing after one year) and the runner-up (7-B) to the current US Amateur Champion
- Current The Amateur Champion (Honorary, non-competing after one year)
- Current Asia-Pacific Amateur Champion (One year)
- Current Latin America Amateur Champion (One year)
- Current US Mid-Amateur Champion (One year)
- The first 12 players, including ties, in the previous year’s Masters Tournament
- The first 4 players, including ties, in the previous year’s US Open
- The first 4 players, including ties, in the previous year’s The Open Championship
- The first 4 players, including ties, in the previous year’s PGA Championship
- Individual winners of PGA Tour events that award a full-point allocation for the season-ending Tour Championship, from previous Masters to current Masters
- Those qualifying for the previous year’s season-ending Tour Championship
- The 50 leaders on the Final Official World Golf Ranking for the previous calendar year
- 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.
2023 Masters field: Players invited to compete
Here are the players who have qualified for an invite to the 2023 Masters Tournament:
- Abraham Ancer
- Sam Bennett
- Keegan Bradley
- Sam Burns
- Patrick Cantlay
- Ben Carr
- Cameron Champ
- Corey Conners
- Fred Couples
- Harrison Crowe
- Bryson DeChambeau
- Mateo Fernandez de Oliveira
- Tony Finau
- Matthew Fitzpatrick
- Tommy Fleetwood
- Ryan Fox
- Sergio Garcia
- Talor Gooch
- Brian Harman
- Tyrrell Hatton
- Russell Henley
- Kazuki Higa
- Tom Hoge
- Max Homa
- Billy Horschel
- Viktor Hovland
- Mackenzie Hughes
- Sungjae Im
- Dustin Johnson
- Zach Johnson
- Si Woo Kim
- Tom Kim
- Chris Kirk
- Kevin Kisner
- Kurt Kitayama
- Brooks Koepka
- Jason Kokrak
- Bernhard Langer
- Kyoung-Hoon Lee
- Shane Lowry
- Sandy Lyle
- Hideki Matsuyama
- Matthew McClean
- Rory McIlroy
- Adrian Meronk
- Phil Mickelson
- Larry Mize
- Francesco Molinari
- Collin Morikawa
- Kevin Na
- Joaquin Niemann
- Alex Noren
- Jose Maria Olazabal
- Louis Oosthuizen
- Mito Pereira
- Thomas Pieters
- J.T. Poston
- Aldrich Potgieter
- Seamus Power
- Jon Rahm
- Patrick Reed
- Justin Rose
- Gordon Sargent
- Xander Schauffele
- Scottie Scheffler
- Charl Schwartzel
- Adam Scott
- Vijay Singh
- Cameron Smith
- Jordan Spieth
- Scott Stallings
- Sepp Straka
- Adam Svensson
- Sahith Theegala
- Justin Thomas
- Harold Varner III
- Bubba Watson
- Mike Weir
- Danny Willett
- Aaron Wise
- Gary Woodland
- Tiger Woods
- Cameron Young
- Will Zalatoris
Will the Masters allow LIV players?
LIV players were allowed to play in the 2022 U.S. Open and British Open, and the Masters Tournament followed suit by extending invitations to eligible players for 2023.
Currently, 17 LIV golfers have been invited to play in the 2023 Masters:
- Abraham Ancer
- Bryson DeChambeau
- Sergio Garcia
- Talor Gooch
- Dustin Johnson
- Brooks Koepka
- Jason Kokrak
- Phil Mickelson
- Kevin Na
- Joaquin Niemann
- Louis Oosthuizen
- Thomas Pieters
- Patrick Reed
- Charl Schwartzel
- Cameron Smith
- Harold Varner
- Bubba Watson
Who won the 2022 Masters?
Scottie Scheffler won the 2022 Masters with a score of 10-under-par, after rounds of 69, 67, 71 and 71.
Along with the coveted green jacket, he won a silver replica of the Masters trophy, a gold medal and $2,700,000.
Is Tiger Woods playing in the 2023 Masters?
Tiger Woods is expected to play in the Masters. While the five-time Masters champion hasn’t confirmed he’s playing, he’s not currently on the tournament’s list of past champions not playing.
Living Masters winners not playing in the 2023 tournament
A Masters win comes with a lifetime invitation and players are encouraged to use their own discretion to make the often difficult decision of when to stop playing.
Ian Woosnam, who suffers from ankylosing spondylitis, an inflammatory condition that affects the spine, retired from competition in 2022.
“Thought long and hard about playing the Masters again this year and in the future but it’s time for me to watch the young guys play,” he wrote in a Tweet.
In 2020, Trevor Immelman announced he’d stop competing to become an analyst for CBS Sports. The 2008 Masters champ had missed the cut at Augusta from 2014 to 2018 before finishing 51st in 2019.
“Do I regret not playing?” said Immelman. “No, not really. Well, I do a little – maybe 5 percent.”
1991 champion Ian Woosnam, then 59, walked off the course in 2017 after shooting 82-81 and announced his retirement from Masters competition.
Tom Watson played his final competitive round at Augusta National in 2016 at age 66. He said the course is too long for him.
Ben Crenshaw retired from competition in 2015.
“I’ve thought long and hard, and it’s the right time,” said Crenshaw, then 63 years old.
Gary Player retired in 2009 after his 52nd Masters start at age 73. Nick Faldo walked away in 2013 when he was only 48.
Six-time Masters champion Jack Nicklaus got talked into coming back in 2005 by then-Chairman Hootie Johnson and called it quits after a rain-delayed Saturday finish.
Nicklaus, Player and Watson are now honorary Masters starters and strike ceremonial tee shots at hole No. 1 to kick off the tournament.
Past champions not playing in 2023:
- Tommy Aaron
- Jack Burke Jr.
- Angel Cabrera
- Charles Coody
- Ben Crenshaw
- Nick Faldo
- Raymond Floyd
- Trevor Immelman
- Jack Nicklaus
- Mark O’Meara
- Gary Player
- Craig Stadler
- Tom Watson
- Ian Woosnam
- Fuzzy Zoeller