Augusta National Golf Club announced Wednesday morning that Ryo Hisatsune, Joaquin Niemann and Thorbjørn Olesen have all accepted special invitations to compete in the upcoming 2024 Masters. Niemann will make his fifth Masters appearance, Olesen his fourth, and Hisatsune will make his debut.
“The Masters Tournament has a long-standing tradition of inviting leading international players who are not otherwise qualified,” said chairman Fred Ridley. “Today’s announcement represents the Tournament’s continued commitment towards developing interest in the game of golf across the world. We look forward to welcoming each player to Augusta National this spring.”
Olesen won the Ras Al Khaimah Championship last month for his eighth DP World Tour victory and third in as many years. Over his last seven starts he has five top-10 finishes.
Denmark’s Thorbjørn Olesen, Japan’s Ryo Hisatsune and Chile’s Joaquin Niemann have accepted invitations to compete in the 2024 Masters Tournament. pic.twitter.com/2O6yAncMIb
— The Masters (@TheMasters) February 21, 2024
Hisatsune became the first Japanese player to win Rookie of the Year on the DP World Tour last year following a season that featured a win at the French Open, his first on the tour. He’s recently finished T-11 at the American Express on the PGA Tour and also logged a T-8 and T-13 late last year at the Australian Open and Australian PGA Championship, respectively.
Niemann has been on a quest to reach the top 50 in the Official World Golf Ranking to play his way into the Masters field over the last few months. He has top-five finishes in three DP World Tour starts this season and won the Australian Open back in December. The Chilean also won LIV Golf’s season-opener in Mexico via a playoff with Sergio Garcia.
As of the announcement, 83 players have been invited to compete in the first men’s major of the year. With seven weeks until the Masters, players can still play their way into the field by either winning a PGA Tour event or finishing inside the top 50 of the OWGR the week prior to the tournament.