We’re all waking up this Tuesday morning to a new reality after the 148th Open Championship. No, not Shane Lowry being a Major champion. Rather, we just saw the last men’s Major of 2019.
The change to the US PGA Tour calendar that helped shift the PGA Championship from August to May means that we all have to wait nearly nine months – 262 days to be very specific – to experience the glorious rush of the first round of Major championship again. (Say it ain’t so!)
If you’re as dirty as us about just how long a wait we’re in for, hopefully this will help. We’ve compiled a list of everybody who has qualified thus far to compete in the 2020 Masters. This includes all living past champions, as well as any player who is expected to get an invitation through Augusta National’s various traditional qualification criteria.
When you discount past champions who no longer compete in the tournament, 52 golfers are currently in the field for next year’s event, including two new players based on their performances at Royal Portrush. Lowry, the new Open champion, had not yet earned an invitation but now will be getting one until 2024 (Open champs are exempt into the Masters for five years). Nor had Lee Westwood, whose T-4 finish at Portrush means he is headed to Augusta for the 19th time in his career but the first since 2017 (top-four finishers and ties at The Open get an invite).
Here is the list of expected invitees, with the qualification criteria listed below. Suffice it to say, there are several ways for golfers to still get in the Masters: All those who qualify for the Tour Championship, top 50 on the World Ranking at the end of 2019, winners of any PGA Tour event with full FedEx Cup points, US Amateur and runner-up, etc. It’s expected that this list will nearly double before the calendar turns to April and we’re driving down Magnolia Lane once again.
Tommy Aaron, 1*
Jack Burke Jnr, 1*
Angel Cabrera, 1
Patrick Cantlay, 12, 15, 16
Charles Coody, 1*
Fred Couples, 1
Ben Crenshaw, 1*
Jason Day, 4, 12
Nick Faldo, 1*
Rickie Fowler, 12
Tony Finau, 12, 14
Raymond Floyd, 1*
Dylan Frittelli, 16
Sergio Garcia, 1
Bob Goalby, 1*
Justin Harding, 12
Max Homa, 16
Trevor Immelman, 1
Dustin Johnson, 2, 12, 15
Zach Johnson, 1, 3
Sung Kang, 16
Si Woo Kim, 5
Brooks Koepka, 2, 4, 12, 13, 14, 15
Matt Kuchar, 12
Bernhard Langer, 1
Nate Lashley, 16
Shane Lowry, 3, 14, 16
Sandy Lyle, 1
Rory McIlroy, 5, 16
Larry Mize, 1
Phil Mickelson, 1
Francesco Molinari, 3, 12
Kevin Na, 16
Jack Nicklaus, 1*
Jose Maria Olazabal, 1
Mark O’Meara, 1*
C.T. Pan, 16
Gary Player, 1*
Ian Poulter, 12
Jon Rahm, 12, 13
Chez Reavie, 13, 16
Patrick Reed, 1
Justin Rose, 13
Xander Schauffele, 12, 13
Charl Schwartzel, 1
Adam Scott, 1
Jason Segrue (a), 8
Webb Simpson, 5, 12
Vijay Singh, 1
Jordan Spieth, 1, 2, 3, 15
Craig Stadler, 1*
Henrik Stenson, 3
Justin Thomas, 4, 12
Jimmy Walker, 4
Matt Wallace, 15
Bubba Watson, 1, 12
Tom Watson, 1*
Mike Weir, 1
Lee Westwood, 14
Danny Willett, 1
Matthew Wolff, 16
Gary Woodland, 2, 13, 16
Tiger Woods, 1, 12
Ian Woosnam, 1
Fuzzy Zoeller, 1*
*Retired past champion
Qualification categories (* = already finished qualifying)
1: Masters champions (lifetime)* 2: US Open champions (five years)* 3: Open champions (five years)* 4: PGA champion (five years)* 5: Players champion (three years) 6: Current Olympic gold medallist (one year)* 7: Current US Amateur champion and runner-up (one year) 8: Current British Amateur champion (one year)* 9: Current Asia-Pacific Amateur champion (one year) 10: Current US Mid-Amateur champion (one year) 11: Current Latin America Amateur champion (one year) 12: First 12 players, including ties, in the previous year’s Masters* 13: First four players, including ties, in the previous year’s US Open* 14: First four players, including ties, in the previous year’s Open Championship* 15: First four players, including ties, in the previous year’s PGA Championship* 16: Winners of PGA Tour regular-season and playoff events that award at least a full allocation of FedEx Cup points 17: Qualifiers from the previous year’s season-ending Tour Championship (top 30 in FedEx Cup) 18: 50 leaders on the final Official World Golf Ranking for the previous calendar year 19: 50 leaders on the Official World Golf Ranking published during the week prior to the current Masters.
