We’re little more than a week away from the 2026 Masters tournament, and this year’s field is shaping up to be one as exciting as usual. Already, 93 golfers have earned a spot in the tournament and there is only one more avenue to earn your way into the field: winning this week’s Valero Texas Open in San Antonio.
The latest invitation was sent out to former U.S. Open champion Gary Woodland. The 41-year-old earned his spot after winning the Texas Children Houston Open this past weekend, just 2½ years after undergoing brain surgery. The emotional victory in Houston allowed Woodland to withdraw form the Valero Texas Open without fear of missing out on Augusta.
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Last year, there were 95 golfers playing in the Masters. So, who is in the field this year? Who are the golfers that will compete for the coveted green jacket this time around? And how did they earn their invitations?
How to qualify for the Masters
There are a few ways to get invited to the Masters. The most notable is winning the prestigious even tat some point. Any past winner will always be invited to the tournament for the remainder of their lives. Several golfers well past their primes have competed in the tournament before. Just last year, 65-year-old Fred Couples (1992 winner) and 67-year-old Bernhard Langer (1985, 1993 winner) competed in the tournament.
Golfers can also qualify for the Masters by winning another major tournament as well within the past five years. Woodland may have won the 2019 U.S. Open, but his exempt status had run out. But golfers who have won PGA Tour events (that offer FedEx Cup points) since the 2025 Masters also qualify, so Woodland’s victory at the Houston Open earned him a new invitation.
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Winners at the Players Championship (golf’s unofficial fifth major) earn a three-year exempt status where they automatically qualify for the Masters. There are also major international and amateur events that can qualify golfers for the Masters despite them not playing professionally on the PGA Tour.
Finally, anyone who ranked within the top-50 World Golf Rankings at the end of the previous calendar year or the week leading up to the Masters qualify as well.
Is Tiger Wood competing this year?
While Tiger Woods is listed in the 2026 Masters field, his status for the event is up in the air after the 15-time major winner was involved in a rollover crash Friday, March 27 and subsequently arrested and charged with DUI and property damage
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Despite recent injuries to his back and recovery from an Achilles injury, Wood had not ruled out participating in this year’s tournament. He indicated March 24 during the TGL finals of his desire to play at Augusta, saying, “I want to play. I love the tournament. I love being there since I was 19 years old. I’m going to be there either way.”
President Trump, who is close with Woods, had told Fox News before the car accident and arrest that the Woods would not compete. “I love Tiger, but he won’t be there,” the president said. “Well, he’ll be there, but he won’t be playing in it.”
Now, the recent accident and arrest has put his availability in question, and Woods has not commented since.
2026 Masters field
(A) – denotes amateur
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Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Golfers in 2026 Masters field. Is Tiger Woods playing at Augusta?
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