AUGUSTA, Ga. — More amateurs will be making their way down Magnolia Lane next year.
Fred Ridley, chairman of Augusta National Golf Club and the Masters Tournament, announced Wednesday that the winners of the individual men’s and women’s NCAA Championships will earn exemptions into the Masters and Augusta National Women’s Amateur beginning in 2024.
Vanderbilt sophomore Gordon Sargent, the winner of the 2022 NCAA individual title, is playing this week’s 2023 Masters via a rare special invitation, the first in more than 20 years. The last player to earn a special invitation as an amateur was Aaron Baddeley in 2000.
Masters 2023 leaderboard: Get the latest news from Augusta
The Masters currently invites the following amateurs: U.S. Amateur champion and runner-up, British Amateur champion, U.S. Mid-Amateur champion and winners of the Asia-Pacific and Latin American amateurs.
Stanford sophomore Rose Zhang, winner of the 2022 NCAA individual, won the 2023 Augusta National Women’s Amateur on Saturday to complete her amateur grand slam.
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