It’s one of professional golf’s greatest feelings – when that precious envelope with the Augusta National logo comes through the door.
It signals an invite to the Masters Tournament and a precious chance to tee it up at the year’s first major among the pine trees and azaleas.
Though the Masters is an invitational event, there are a number of different criteria to qualify – and the early spring often becomes a race as players try to book their spots.
Much like the other three major championships, Augusta National hasn’t restricted the playing rights of those who have moved to LIV Golf.
The US Open and The Open did quite the opposite. In 2025 and 2026, the highest-ranked player in the LIV standings who wasn’t already exempt by a certain point was eligible to play in these two majors.
The Masters and the PGA Championship haven’t added a LIV Golf category yet. The Masters can invite who they like.
Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, Charl Schwartzel, Sergio Garcia, Bubba Watson, and the 2023 champion Jon Rahm are among a handful of players eligible for the tournament from the LIV Golf roster, and they also attend the Champions Dinner as well.
Rory McIlroy completed the Grand Slam in 2025 after one of the most dramatic Masters tournaments ever. He went to his knees after holing a birdie putt, winning the Masters on his 17th attempt and the grand slam of all four majors on the 11th attempt. In 2026, he became only the fourth player to win the tournament back-to-back, and will be seeking an unprecedented three-peat in 2027.
McIlroy has two Green Jackets and will be allowed to play in the Masters for as long as he likes. So, what we can do now is look ahead to 2027 and build the Masters field in our own countdown to next year’s event.
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Using the current criteria for Masters qualification that was used in 2026, we have the current Masters field for 2027 and will gradually add to it based on the various ways you can make it into the field.
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On August 26, 2025, it was announced that the winners of the Scottish Open, Spanish Open, Japan Open, Hong Kong Open, Australian Open and the South African Open would earn a spot at the Masters. Augusta National also offer various exemptions to winners of worldwide amateur championships, provided the winner remains an amateur prior to the tournament.
2027 Masters field – These are the players eligible to play next in 2027
Akshay Bhatia
Michael Brennan
Jacob Bridgeman
Sam Burns
Angel Cabrera
Patrick Cantlay
Bud Cauley
Wyndham Clark
Fred Couples
Jason Day
Ethan Fang (must remain an amateur)
Alex Fitzpatrick
Matt Fitzpatrick
Tommy Fleetwood
Ryan Fox
Ryan Gerard
Chris Gotterup
Stuart Grehan (must remain an amateur)
Tyrrell Hatton
Russell Henley
Viktor Hovland
Zach Johnson
Si Woo Kim
Tom Kim
Jake Knapp
Jackson Koivun
Min Woo Lee
Robert MacIntyre
Keith Mitchell
Jose Maria Olazabal
JT Poston
Aaron Rai
Patrick Reed
Kristoffer Reitan
Justin Rose
Xander Schauffele
Matti Schmidt
Charl Schwartzel
Vijay Singh
Alex Smalley
J.J. Spaun
Preston Stout (must remain an amateur)
Michael Thorbjornsen
Bubba Watson
Mike Weir
Jack Whaley (must remain an amateur)
Danny Willett
Gary Woodland
Cameron Young
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Past champions invited who are unlikely to play:
Ian Woosnam
Bernhard Langer
Tiger Woods
Tom Watson
Craig Stadler
Gary Player
Mark O’Meara
Jack Nicklaus
Larry Mize
Sandy Lyle
Trevor Immelman
Raymond Floyd
Nick Faldo
Ben Crenshaw
Charles Coody
Tommy Aaron
Phil Mickelson
How do you qualify for the Masters?
An invitation to play at Augusta National Golf Club is a dream come true for any golfer. But how do you qualify for the Masters and what are the rules behind Masters qualification? The Masters Committee don’t just hand these out for fun, you know?
There are, in fact, 26 exemptions to qualify for the Masters – and we’ve broken them all down right here.
1. Masters Tournament Champions (Lifetime)
2. U.S. Open Champions (Five years)
3. The Open Champions (Five years)
4. PGA Champions (Five years)
5. Winners of the Players Championship (Three years)
6. Current Olympic Gold Medalist (One Year)
7. 2026 U.S. Amateur Champion (Honorary, non-competing after one year) and the Runner-up to the current U.S. Amateur Champion
8. 2026 The Amateur Champion (Honorary, non-competing after one year)
9. 2026 Asia-Pacific Amateur Champion (One year)
10. 2026 Latin America Amateur Champion (One year)
11. 2026 U.S. Mid-Amateur Champion (One year)
12. 2026 NCAA Division I Men’s Individual Champion (One year)
13. The first 12 players, including ties, in the 2026 Masters
14. The first 4 players, including ties, in the 2026 U.S. Open
15. The first 4 players, including ties, in the 2026 The Open Championship
16. The first 4 players, including ties, in the 2026 PGA Championship
17. Individual winners of PGA Tour events between the 2026 and 2027 Masters
18. Those qualifying and eligible for the 2026 Tour Championship
19. 2026 Scottish Open Champion (One year)
20. 2026 Spanish Open Champion (One year)
21. 2026 Japan Open Champion (One year)
22. 2026 Hong Kong Open Champion (One year)
23. 2026 Australian Open Champion (One year)
24. 2026 South African Open Champion (One year)
25. The 50 leaders on the final Official World Golf Ranking by the end of 2026
26. The 50 leaders on the final Official World Golf Ranking published during the week prior to the 2027 Masters
Now have your say
What do you make of this year’s Masters field? Who might be donning the Green Jacket in April? Let us know by leaving a comment on X.
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