This article is part of our Major Power Rankings series.
Below you will find RotoWire's rankings for the 2023 Masters.
This list is an asset for any fantasy or gaming format, including wagers, season-long fantasy leagues, DFS -- even office pools.
The 87th Masters consists of a field of 88 players, among them Tiger Woods, who will be playing only his second tournament of the year. He made the cut at the Genesis Invitational in February, and also at last year's Masters.
The field includes seven amateurs and seven "legacy" champions, long-ago Masters winners who don't play on the PGA Tour anymore. There's a small chance some of them could reach the weekend, but come Sunday, their effect on the tournament will likely be non-existent. That leaves 74 others, with the top 50 and ties making the cut. In other words, more than two-thirds of them will play the weekend.
Among those 74 are 18 golfers now with LIV Golf. They qualified in at least one of five ways: as a former Masters winner, recent major winner, top-12 finisher in last year's Masters, qualifier for last year's Tour Championship -- despite being ineligible to play -- or being top-50 in the world rankings. They all have played very little golf this year, with only three LIV tournaments and maybe a few other events outside of LIV. It has been particularly challenging to gauge their ranking, but they are interspersed throughout and not lumped together like the amateurs and legacy champions.
Augusta National is a par-72 that has been lengthened to a scorecard yardage of 7,545 yards. The increase comes entirely on the par-5 13th hole, which is now 545 yards after the tee was moved back 35 yards. The change will put a whole new complexion on "Azalea," which annually has been the easiest hole on the course. Two years ago, the tee at the par-4 11th was moved back 15 yards, making the hole play 520, and the tee at the par-5 15th was moved back 20 yards, making it 550. There were zero eagles on No. 15 last year.
The early weather forecast indicates there could be some rainy days ahead, beginning with the weekend before the tournament, plus the practice rounds and into the tournament itself. The better news for the golfers is that temperatures will be in the 70s and 80s and the wind is expected to be mostly single-digit light.
These rankings were determined before the completion of the Valero Texas Open, which took place the week before the Masters and included 11 golfers already qualified for Augusta. The Texas Open winner, if not already in the Masters field, would get the final berth. The 18 LIV golfers were also playing the week before in a 54-hole tournament in Orlando.
Any field changes or important news will be noted in the comments section below.
And with that, here are our rankings for the 87th Masters, broken down into seven groups:
- Favorites
- Contenders
- Making the Cut
- Borderline
- Long Shots
- Amateurs
- Legacy Champions
FAVORITES
1) Scottie Scheffler
Scheffler had a near-repeat of last spring, when he rode a stretch of three wins in five starts into Augusta, where he memorably made it four of six with his first major victory. This year, Scheffler had won two of his previous four starts heading into the defense of his WGC-Match Play title two weeks ago. He made it to the semifinals and had good friend Sam Burns on the ropes, but let it get away. Still, he remains the No. 1 player in the world and the Masters favorite. In Scheffler's past nine majors, he has finished among the top-8 six times. His worst finish in his past 10 majors is 21st. No one else can touch that recent majors history.
2) Rory McIlroy
So close. So much about McIlroy is close. He's been close to winning twice in the past month at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and the Match Play. He's been close to winning the Masters so many times, finishing in the top-10 in seven of the past nine years. He's been close to winning a fifth career major, with nine top-5s since 2014. McIlroy is also close to turning 34. Next month, in fact. His window isn't closing yet – that's not even, um, close to happening – but it ain't getting any more open, either. He did everything in last year's majors but win: 2-9-T5-3. Here we go again. The annual drama of McIlroy needing a Masters win to complete the career grand slam is upon us. It has to happen eventually, right? Right?
3) Jon Rahm
A month ago at Bay Hill, after shooting an opening-round 65 on the heels of winning three times already this year, Rahm looked poised to not only win again but take a stranglehold on the No. 1 ranking in the world. He shot 76 the next day, fell far off the pace, then didn't come close at THE PLAYERS or WGC- Match Play. Not only is he not No. 1 in the world, he's now No. 3. But don't discount Rahm, who had four Masters top-10s in a row before tying for 27th last year. He did not have a top-10 in a major at all last year.
4) Jordan Spieth
A little earlier than usual, we've come to the first perplexing player in the rankings. Spieth's Masters record is hard to beat: a win, two runners-up and two third-place finishes in the past nine years. But those are mostly front-loaded, and he's had only one Augusta top-20 in the past four years. Spieth is ranked 16th in the world for a reason – there are now more than a dozen golfers better than him. He hasn't won in almost a year, since the RBC Heritage 51 weeks ago, and coughed up two Sunday leads in the past month. But it's hard to think of Spieth and Augusta without remembering all those great results, and the potential for another.
5) Collin Morikawa
Morikawa has not won on the PGA Tour since his second major at the 2021 Open Championship almost two years ago. But he was fifth at both the Masters and U.S. Open last year, and he's had a couple of near misses already in 2023. Morikawa has fallen out of the top-10, at No. 11, but he's still one of the favorites this week.
6) Xander Schauffele
Schauffele's big-time run of getting two top-10s in majors four years in a row ended in 2022. He wasn't bad by any means – three top-15s. The fourth major was his first MC at the Masters, after finishing second in 2019 and third in 2021. Schauffele has been so-so in 2023, and he hasn't contended for a title (he was T3 at the Amex but needed a Sunday 62 to get there). Along with his good buddy Patrick Cantlay, Schauffele needs to win a major soon because they are duking it out for the dreaded Best Player Who's Never Won a Major.
7) Patrick Cantlay
Cantlay went almost three full years' worth of majors – from the middle of 2019 into 2022 – without so much as one top-10. He was playing well and winning elsewhere. But majors are a different animal. Cantlay finally showed signs with a T14 at the 2022 U.S. Open and then a tie for eighth at the Open Championship, results we had expected to see from him all along. Cantlay still does not have a major; that can end at any time. It's hard to remember, but in the 2019 Masters, Cantlay was actually leading with three holes to go but bogeyed 16 an 17 to tumble to ninth place while Tiger won.
8) Cameron Smith
When Smith left for LIV last year, he arguably was the best golfer in the world, having just won the Open Championship and also THE PLAYERS Championship earlier in the year. No one knows how the LIV guys will play, whether their sporadic starts in small and largely inferior fields will cost them this week and in all the majors. Last August, when the RotoWire golf season preview package came out, Smith was the pick here to win the Masters. We're not feeling as confident right now, but rest assured that Smith and all the other 17 LIV guys will be highly motivated to show their league can compete.
9) Jason Day
What is the 33rd-ranked player in the world doing here at No. 9? At age 35, Day is experiencing a career renaissance. Ranked 150th in the world last summer, he's shot up thanks to four top-10s and two other top-20s already in 2023. Only Scheffler and Rahm have better strokes-gained numbers during that time. Day used to be great at the Masters, with a runner-up, a third and a T5 as recently as 2019. He missed the cut the next two years, then didn't even qualify in 2022. But we've seen enough to determine that, while Day might not be as good as his former dominating No. 1 self, he is good enough to be ranked this high.
10) Justin Thomas
The superstar partnership between Thomas and caddie Jim "Bones" Mackay has not met expectations, even though they won the PGA Championship together a year ago. A major is a major, but Thomas was fortunate that everyone ahead of him was inexperienced and collapsed. That's his lone win in more than two years. Thomas, however, has been very good at the Masters, with three top-12s in the past four years, including T8 a year ago. He might be the best greenside player in the game today, but he'll need to do better on the greens to truly contend.
CONTENDERS
11) Sungjae Im
Im finished second behind Dustin Johnson in his Masters debut in 2020. When he missed the cut in 2021, it was fair to wonder whether his runner-up was the benefit of playing in totally different conditions in November. But then Im tied for eighth at Augusta a year ago, putting those concerns to rest. He has had three top-6 finishes already in 2023, all in big-time events – the Farmers, Phoenix and THE PLAYERS. He could be a sneaky contender this week.
12) Tony Finau
Finau flamed out at the Match Play two weeks ago. But then again, he always does. Before that, he had run off a top-25 in all seven of his 2023 starts. He has been playing well and, most notably, has been putting well. Finau tied for 35th at last year's Masters but had three top-10s in four years before that. He's had 10 top-10s in 26 major starts.
13) Will Zalatoris
Zalatoris has shown he can deliver at the Masters, finishing runner-up two years ago and T6 last year, and in majors in general. He was also second at both the PGA and U.S. Open last year. And all that was before he became a much better putter this year. But all that also came before his season-ending back injury last August. While Zalatoris has returned with some good results, he crashed out of the Match Play and we just don't know how much his back is affecting his play.
14) Max Homa
This is a pivotal week for Homa. Now considered one of the top-five golfers in the world despite what the rankings say, his major history has been abysmal. He had missed seven of nine cuts entering last year, then finally made three cuts in 2022 with a career-best T13 at the PGA Championship. He finished way back at the Masters and U.S. Open. In other words, zero career top-10s in majors. Another face-plant at a major would be akin to a team or a player that always does well in the regular season but doesn't deliver in the playoffs.
15) Sam Burns
Burns is coming off the biggest win of his career at the WGC-Match Play, his fifth PGA Tour title. After a couple of months of so-so play, he tied for sixth at the Valspar the week before winning the Match Play. So he is peaking at the right time. Burns missed the cut in his Masters debut a year, then proceeded to do better in the other three majors, making every cut highlighted by a T20 at the PGA. On paper, he has a game well suited for Augusta National. The biggest issue in his game may be inconsistency.
16) Corey Conners
Connors has improved from T10 to T8 to T6 in his past three Masters. Since last April, he's continued to compile top-25s, but had only two top-10s – T6 at the Canadian Open in June and T5 at the BMW Championship in August. Accordingly, Conners' world ranking has slipped into the 40s. He had missed only two of his past 17 cuts, but one of them was three weeks ago at THE PLAYERS. Conners was one of 11 Masters entrants playing in the Valero Texas Open.
17) Dustin Johnson
Johnson will always be a Masters champion, but many are quick to point out it was the November Masters in 2020. Still, he's had a very good track record in April, with four top-10s before last year's T12. He also tied for sixth at the Open Championship last July. But those two 2022 results were bright spots in a year that saw Johnson fall out of the top-15 in the world rankings even before leaving for LIV. He was the best LIV golfer in their debut 2022 season but has been invisible so far in 2023.
18) Hideki Matsuyama
Matsuyama won in 2021. He's obviously more than capable of another high finish. Except he's been bothered by a neck injury for more than a year, one that seems to come and go but is seemingly coming more often than going. He withdrew from the Match Play two weeks ago and also missed cuts at Riviera and Bay Hill. In between all that, he tied for fifth at THE PLAYERS. Presumably, Matsuyama is doing everything to be at his healthiest this week, though he did play in the Valero Texas Open. He tied for 14th last year in his title defense.
19) Cameron Young
Young is a very aggressive player, which served him quite well two weeks ago in finishing runner-up at the WGC-Match Play. But too much aggression at Augusta National is a recipe for disaster. He missed the cut in his Masters debut a year ago. Young then tied for third at the PGA and for second at the 150th Open, with another missed cut at the U.S. Open in between. Young had had only one PGA Tour top-10 all year heading into the Match Play. But that's when he debuted a new caddie, Paul Tesori, who spent years with Webb Simpson. The veteran bagman could be just what Young needs to negotiate Augusta.
20) Justin Rose
At age 42, you never know when Rose will have played his final Masters. As of two and a half months ago, he wasn't in the field, but then won at Pebble Beach to secure a berth and return to the top-50 OWGR. Rose has had two Augusta runners-up, most famously in 2017 when he lost in a playoff to Sergio Garcia. He came close to winning again in 2021, leading for a good chunk of the tournament before finishing T7. He missed the cut last year.
21) Viktor Hovland
Hovland did not have a top-10 in a major till last year's solo fourth at the 150th Open Championship. The Old Course helped him mask his scrambling deficiencies, something that Augusta National will be quick to expose. So we're are reluctant to move Hovland anywhere near his No. 9 world ranking. His short game is getting better, but it's not ready for what he'll face this coming week.
22) Tommy Fleetwood
Fleetwood has had some decent results at the Masters – three top-20s – but it's been his worst major. He has at least one top-10 in all the others. His best finish at Augusta came last year with a T14, giving him five straight made cuts after missing in his 2017 debut. Fleetwood is coming off a tie for third at the Valspar three weeks ago, a tournament he was in position to win but didn't because he never wins on the PGA Tour.
23) Shane Lowry
Lowry finally showed that his game is a match for Augusta National with his tie for third last year, by far his best showing there. It was his third straight Masters top-25. Later in the year, he won for the first time since the 2019 Open, capturing the BMW PGA Championship, the signature event on the DP World Tour. But since the fall, Lowry's game has been sporadic. There was a caddie switch a couple months ago that netted a pair of good results, including a T5 at the Honda. But his game is not where it was a year ago at this time.
24) Patrick Reed
The 2018 champion has made four straight Masters cuts since then, two of them top-10s. Reed made all four major cuts last year, though none of them saw a top-30 finish. As such, his world ranking had slipped to around 40th by the time he left for LIV. He's been perhaps the most active LIV golfer outside of LIV. In a pair of DP World Tour events, he tied for fifth at the BMW PGA Championship last fall and finished runner-up behind McIlroy at the Dubai Desert Classic in January.
25) Si Woo Kim
Kim has already won this year, at the Sony Open in January, to move into the top-50 in the world. And he's played pretty well since then, making five of six cuts with three top-25s and just missing another at THE PLAYERS (T27). Further, Kim has good recent form at Augusta, making five straight cuts with three top-25s, including a best of T12 in 2021. He also was playing in the Valero Texas Open.
MAKING THE CUT
26) Tyrrell Hatton
Hatton excelled in the Florida Swing with a top-5 at Bay Hill, then a runner-up at THE PLAYERS. But then warming up before his first match at the WGC-Match Play, he injured his right hand. Hatton, who normally advances out of group play, lost all three of his matches. But he played them, so how bad could the injury have been? Further, he didn't withdraw from the Valero Texas Open. Hatton has top-10s in every major but the Masters, at which he's never done better than T18 in 2021 in six tries. He's had nothing else inside the top-40.
27) Tiger Woods
Woods made the weekend last year with a 71-74 start, only to tumble down the leaderboard with twin 78s on the weekend. He finished 47th. A month later, he withdrew after three rounds of the PGA, and then missed the cut at the 150th Open. In his only tournament since then, at the Genesis Invitational in February, Woods entered the final round tied for 25th, ended up T45. There's no question Woods' golf game is good enough for a top-25 or even a top-10; it's the four days of walking that's the biggest issue – and why he's been better at the start of tournaments than at the end. He said at Riviera that his right leg and ankle were better than at any point since his 2021 auto accident. Maybe the Sunday fade can be avoided this year, or minimized.
28) Kurt Kitayama
Kitayama has played in eight career majors, but this will be his first Masters. He was on target to qualify even before slaying an elite field to win the Arnold Palmer Invitational. He then made it into the quarterfinals at the Match Play. In those eight majors, Kitayama has missed five cuts with no finish inside the top-50. He's a far better player than that now.
29) Matt Fitzpatrick
The reigning U.S. Open champion has not been the same in 2023 as in 2022. Fitzpatrick has been slowed by a neck injury and, while he's not making a big deal of it, his results have been way off: four missed cuts in eight starts. If healthy, he would be ranked much higher. The Englishman finished in the top-25 of every major last year: 14th at the Masters, fifth at the PGA and 21st at the Open Championship. His one bright spot this season has been a T14 at the Arnold Palmer, offering some hope for this week.
30) Abraham Ancer
Ancer is the only LIV golfer other than Smith to win a non-LIV event since heading to the breakaway league. But that was the February tournament in Saudi Arabia that featured mostly LIV guys and lesser others -- as well as Young, who finished runner-up. Ancer missed the Masters cut last year, then tied for ninth at the PGA and for 11th at the 150th Open.
31) Sahith Theegala
The 25-year-old will be making his Masters debut in his fourth career major. He's made one cut – a T34 at last year's 150th Open. Theegala is still looking for his first PGA Tour win but has had some very good results in 2023, with a tie for fourth at the Farmers, a T6 at Riviera and then a T14 at Bay Hill.
32) Kevin Na
Na's next birthday will be his 40th. He has played the Masters at a high level the past three years, all top-15s, while falling off at all the other majors. Now with LIV, Na missed the cut last year both Opens, then in his one non-LIV event since then, also missed the cut at Saudi Arabia.
33) Seamus Power
A late bloomer, Power made his major debut last year at 35. He looked like he'd been playing them all his life. He finished T27 at the Masters, T9 at the PGA and T12 at the U.S. Open before a missed cut at the Open Championship. Power then won his second career PGA Tour event at Bermuda in the fall. The Irishman began 2023 in good form, opening with five straight top-25s, including T14 at Riviera.
34) Tom Kim
Kim burst upon the scene last year at age 19, winning the Wyndham Championship to get a last-minute berth into the FedExCup playoffs. He then won again at the Shriners in the fall. Now 20, Kim has not been the same golfer in 2023. He had a pair of top-6s in January but since then has been mediocre. This will be his Masters debut and fifth career major. He's made two of four cuts with a best of T23 a year ago at the U.S. Open.
35) Talor Gooch
Gooch has played in just one Masters, and he made quite a debut last year with a tie for 14th. He then was 20th at the PGA, missed the cut at the U.S. Open and was 34th at the Open Championship. All in all, a good majors season. Now Gooch is with LIV. He's played three DP World Tour events since leaving the PGA Tour: He finished fourth in September at the BMW PGA, missed the cut in October at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship and then tied for 12th in February at the Saudi Arabia tournament.
36) Joaquin Niemann
Niemann was a late arrival at LIV, playing the PGA Tour season through the Tour Championship. That's why he stayed in the top-25 OWGR for so long, only falling out in the past few weeks. Still only 24, the Chilean won the Genesis Invitational in 2022, the biggest win of his career. He made all eight major cuts across 2021 and 2022. But there was only one top-25 – at last year's PGA (T23).
37) Min Woo Lee
The younger brother of LPGA star Minjee Lee is really starting to make a name for himself. He played in the final pairing at THE PLAYERS last month and wound up tied for sixth. Lee made his Masters debut last year and impressively tied for 14th, then went on and tied for 27th at the U.S. Open and for 21st at the Open Championship. The Aussie's signature win was the 2021 Scottish Open in which he beat Fitzpatrick and Thomas Detry in a playoff.
38) Keegan Bradley
It's a little hard to believe that Bradley, now ranked in the top-25 in the world, has played in only one Masters the past six years. That was a T43 in 2019. Lifetime, he's made five of six cuts with one top-25. Bradley won the ZOZO in the fall and is now firmly entrenched on the majors scene, at least for this year. He was seventh at last year's U.S. Open. Recently, he was runner-up at the Farmers and 10th at Bay Hill.
39) Charl Schwartzel
The 2011 champion has enjoyed a rebound at Augusta National in recent years. While he gets an automatic invite every year, his T10 from last year also would've sufficed. And he was T25 an T26 the two years prior. Schwartzel is now with LIV, and he won their first-ever tournament in 2022. Hel has played in three Asian Tour events outside of LIV in 2023, and has finished in the top-15 twice, albeit in very weak fields.
40) Tom Hoge
The 33-yar-old Hoge played in his first Masters last year and tied for 39th. Then he had a top-10 at the PGA before missing the cut at both Opens. He's shown over the past year that he belongs in the majors – he's ranked 25th in the world and was third at both The PLAYERS and Tournament of Champions this year.
41) Adam Scott
The 2013 Masters champion, now approaching age 43, impressively has made the cut 13 straight years and 19 of 21 times overall. Scott's results have tailed off, however, with only one top-30 in the past five years. He made a renewed commitment to the PGA Tour this season, getting an earlier start to the year, but so far has not played well with just one top-25 is six starts.
42) Mackenzie Hughes
Hughes has made the Masters cut the past two years and got a return invite by winning the Sanderson Farms in the fall. He finished the year at No. 46 in the world, but then tumbled into the 60s after a terrible start to 2023. Two weeks ago at the Match Play, Hughes took down Homa for the second straight year and made it to the knockout stage for the second time in three years.
43) Keith Mitchell
Mitchell is back for his second Masters after finishing T43 in 2019, which is the only year he's played all four majors. He was in two last year, tying for 34th at the PGA and missing the cut at the 150th Open. Mitchell played his way into this year's field with not much time to spare, using top-5s at Pebble Beach and Riviera to get inside the top-50. He then added a top-25 at Bay Hill and a T35 at THE PLAYERS.
44) Russell Henley
Until a top-20 at THE PLAYERS a few weeks back, Henley was enduring a brutal start to 2023. He had made only four starts, two of them were missed cuts with nothing better than a T30 (in the 39-man Tournament of Champions). Henley has played in six Masters and made five cuts. He was T30 last year with three prior top-25s.
45) Brooks Koepka
The four-time major winner was runner-up to Tiger at the 2019 Masters and tied for seventh in 2020. He has missed the cut the past two years. Koepka excelled in the other three majors in 2021 (T2, T4, T6), but 2022 was a total disaster (two T55s, two MCs). And then he left for LIV. Koepka played two Asian Tour events outside of LIV in 2023, tying for 46th in Saudi Arabia and missing the cut in Oman.
46) Billy Horschel
This will be Horschel's ninth Masters. The good news is, he's made six of eight cuts. The bad news is, he's had only one top-35, and that was seven years ago. Horschel has also endured a subpar start to 2023. Before the Match Play two weeks ago, he had missed the cut in four of seven starts, with a best showing of T30 -- and that came in the 39-man Tournament of Champions.
47) Bubba Watson
The 2012 and 2014 champion has made the cut in 13 of his 14 Masters. Watson will soon turn 45 and underwent major knee surgery last year, then left for LIV. His final Tour event was the PGA Championship last May (T30). He also played in Saudi Arabia earlier this year and missed the cut.
48) Cameron Champ
It's hard to argue with Champ's Masters finishes over the past three years: T19, T26 and last year's T10, which earned him a return invite. But just about everywhere else, in majors and non-majors, Champ does an about-face. He's ranked 194th in the world, has missed three of four PGA Tour cuts in 2023 and missed 23 total cuts across calendar 2021 and '22. Just not at the Masters.
49) Chris Kirk
The 37-year-old Kirk will be back at Augusta for the first time since 2016, when he missed the cut, and only the fourth time in his career. He tied for 20th in his 2014 debut. Kirk played in only two majors last year, but one of them was a T5 at the PGA. He won the Honda in February to qualify for Augusta, and that followed two other third-place finishes in January.
50) Adam Svensson
The 29-year-old Canadian won the RSM Classic to close the fall season and thus earn his first major start. The closest Svensson has come to a major was THE PLAYERS Championship last month, and he impressively tied for 13th. That made it four straight made cuts on the season, three of which were top-25s, including a top-10 at the Genesis Invitational. Svensson has better than average stats across the board and is eighth on Tour in scrambling, which could come in very handy around Augusta's diabolical green complexes.
BORDERLINE
51) Harold Varner III
Varner made his Masters debut last year with a tie for 23rd, his best result in 12 career majors, then made the cut at the PGA and Open Championship. Varner didn't leave for LIV until after the PGA Tour playoffs. He's played one non-LIV event since then, tying for 46th at Saudi Arabia.
52) Jason Kokrak
The 37-year-old Kokrak didn't get into his first Masters till three years ago. He's finished MC-T49-T14, with the latter result being his best major finish last year by far. In fact, that's his best major ever in 22 starts. Now with LIV, Kokrak had good finishes in two non-LIV starts this year, top-20s in weak fields at both Saudi Arabia and Oman.
53) Harris English
It's been only recently that English has shown glimpses of his prior top-20 form after losing five months to hip surgery in early 2022. He was 12th at Riviera, then runner-up at Bay Hill, to return to the top-50 in the world just in time. But it hasn't been all good for English, who aside from those two good weeks had hadn't made a cut in seven starts since mid-January. He tied for 21st at the Masters in 2021.
54) Louis Oosthuizen
Oosthuizen has not played a PGA Tour event (other than majors) since the Valspar more than a year ago. Since then, he's joined LIV, turned 40 and had his worst year at the majors in a decade. He withdrew from the 2022 Masters, tied for 60th at the PGA and missed the cut at both Opens. Just the year before in 2021, he had two runners-up and a tie for third. But none of those were at Augusta. His playoff loss to Watson in 2012 remains his lone Masters top-10.
55) Ryan Fox
The 36-year-old New Zealander has played in 14 career majors – none of them the Masters. He had a monster 2022 on the DP World Tour, winning twice with four runners-up, to soar into the top-50 and higher. He finished the year at No. 28 to qualify for his first trip to Augusta. Fox has missed six of those 14 major cuts, with one top-25, a T16 at the 2019 Open Championship. He came to the States early and posted two good finishes: T14 at Bay Hill and T27 at THE PLAYERS.
LONG SHOTS
56) Brian Harman
Harman turned 36 in January and has had a brutal start to the year. He's missed four of seven cuts with nothing inside the top-30. He did win his group at the Match Play before losing to Cantlay in the Round of 16. Harman has played the Masters only four times. He tied for 12th in 2021, then missed the cut last year. He did make the cut in the three remaining 2022 majors, highlighted by a tie for sixth at the Open Championship.
57) Phil Mickelson
After a controversy-filled one-year hiatus from Augusta National, Mickelson returns to the scene of his greatest glory. This will be the 30th Masters for the three-time champion, and he's made 26 cuts. He tied for 21st in 2021. After also skipping the PGA following his inflammatory comments about Saudi Arabia, Mickelson played both Opens last year and missed both cuts. His only non-LIV start this year was a missed cut at Saudi Arabia. He has not played well in LIV tournaments, looking all of his 52+ years.
58) Bryson DeChambeau
It's very hard to judge someone by their play in LIV tournaments, but there is little doubt that DeChambeau has been terrible in them. He's played only one non-LIV event since the Open Championship and that was a missed cut in Saudi Arabia. Last year at the Masters, DeChambeau missed the cut for the first time in six tries. He's never had a top-20. His last "regular" PGA Tour event before heading to LIV was a missed cut at the Memorial. He then tied for 56th at the U.S. Open and eighth at the Open Championship.
59) Danny Willett
The 2016 champion is now 35, and until last year hadn't had much Augusta success since then. Willett missed the cut four of the next five years before a surprise tie for 12th last year. Even without his win seven years ago, that finish would've gotten him invited back this year (top-12 and ties). The Englishman has had some good results this season, finishing runner-up to Homa at the Fortinet, adding a top-20 at Riviera and then just missing a top-25 at THE PLAYERS (T27). He can be very good or the opposite of very good.
60) Adrian Meronk
The best golfer ever to come out of Poland will become the first Pole to play in the Masters. This will be Meronk's third major, after a missed cut at the 2021 U.S. Open and a T42 last year at the Open Championship. Meronk used a runaway win at the Australian Open in December to secure a top-50 OWGR spot at year's end. He beat runner-up Scott by five shots, and others in the field were Smith, Lee, Fox and Lucas Herbert. Meronk recently made the cut at the Genesis and tied for 14th at the Honda.
61) K.H. Lee
Lee won the 2021 Byron Nelson to qualify for the 2022 Masters, then a few weeks after Augusta he repeated at the Nelson and here he is again. Lee has become a much better golfer since then. He reached the Tour Championship and also is ranked inside the top-50. He missed the cut in his first Masters last year, then made two of three major cuts the rest of the year. Lee is coming off a top-20 at THE PLAYERS.
62) Sergio Garcia
After winning his lone major here in 2017, Garcia proceeded to miss his next three Masters cuts before tying for 23rd last year. He then missed the next two major cuts before a T68 at the Open Championship. The LIV golfer made a non-LIV start at the BMW PGA Championship, where he made a big fuss about getting into the field, then withdrew after one round. Garcia made the cut at two non-LIV events in Saudi Arabia and Oman this year, tying for fifth at the latter.
63) Gary Woodland
Woodland continues to live off his 2019 U.S. Open victory and its five-year exemption, while his game has gone south. He's gone MC-T40-MC the past three years at the Masters. Woodland is ranked in the top-100 (barely), so it's not as if he's off in oblivion. He does turn in a good result here and there, such as a top-10 in last year's Open Championship and another at the Genesis Invitational in February – but that's his only top-40 finish all year.
64) Thomas Pieters
Pieters amazingly tied for fourth as a Masters rookie in 2017. He's been back only twice since and missed both cuts, including last year. He did make the cut in the other three majors in 2022. Now, he's gone to LIV. Pieters' last non-LIV event was in January at Dubai, where he tied for sixth.
65) Mito Pereira
Pereira joined LIV with the most recent wave of PGA Tour defections a couple of months ago. Being in the top-50 at year's end got him into his first Masters. He came oh-so-close to winning the PGA Championship last year before a 72nd-hole meltdown opened the door for Thomas to win in a playoff and Pereira wound up tied for third. That's his only made cut in four career majors, including both Opens last year. Pereira tied for sixth and 11th in two non-LIV events earlier this year at Saudi Arabia and Oman.
66) Kevin Kisner
Kisner has played the Masters seven times and made five cuts with a best finish of T21 in 2019. He then missed two straight cuts before a T44 last year. He's now 39 years old and his golf often shows his age. Normally a Match Play stalwart, Kisner bowed out in the group stage a couple of weeks ago. Otherwise, he's missed four of six cuts in 2023 with a best of T34 at Pebble Beach.
67) Sepp Straka
Straka made his Masters debut last year with a tie for 30th. He then made the cut at the PGA before missing at both Opens. Straka is ranked 32nd in the world, but the quality of his play so far in 2023 does not align with that. Aside from a top-5 in a weak field at the Honda, Straka has missed three of six worldwide cuts with no other top-20s.
68) Francesco Molinari
This could be the 40-year-old Molinari's final Masters. His five-year exemption for winning the 2018 Open Championship ends this year. He's gone MC-52-MC the past three years at Augusta and has made the cut in seven of his 11 appearances. Molinari famously collapsed and lost the lead when he went into Rae's Creek at No. 12 on Sunday in 2019, opening the door for Tiger to win. He really hasn't been the same golfer since, though he did turn back time with a T14 at Bay Hill last month.
69) Alex Noren
The soon-to-be 41-year-old Swede has not won anywhere in the world since 2018 in France, but he quietly strung together enough good weeks to finish last year in the top-50 OWGR and reach the Masters for the first time since 2019 (T62). Noren missed the cut in two prior trips to Augusta. He also missed all three of his major cuts across 2021 and '22. He has not started well in 2023, missing three of four cuts on the PGA Tour.
70) Taylor Moore
Moore was one of the last players to get into the field with his surprise win at the Valspar Championship. Now he gets to play in his first major. Moore had four top-10s on Tour last year, then had three top-15s in a row earlier this year at the Torrey Pines, Pebble Beach and Phoenix leading up to the Valspar.
71) Scott Stallings
The 38-year-old Stallings will play in his first Masters since 2014 (MC) and only second ever. He made a late-summer run last season to land in the Tour Championship and thus automatically get an invite to Augusta. Stallings has been decent in 2023, with three top-25s but also three missed cuts in seven stroke-play starts.
72) J.T. Poston
Last year's winner of the John Deere, Poston has played in one Masters, missing the cut in 2019. He also missed in his lone major last year at the 150th Open. Poston had top-10s earlier this year at the Amex and Pebble Beach, but missed the cuts at the Waste Management, the Genesis and THE PLAYERS.
73) Kazuki Higa
The 27-year-old Japanese star won four times in Asia last year to earn one of the two Special Invitations given out by Augusta National this year. In the most recent of those wins in December, Higa beat runner-up Pereira by three strokes. In two PGA Tour events, he tied for 36th at the ZOZO last fall and then made the cut at the Sony Open in January. Higa also played in the Valero Texas Open. In his one career major, he missed the cut at the Open Championship last year.
74) Zach Johnson
The 47-year-old winner from way back in 2007 is set for his 19th Masters. Surprisingly, he's made barely half of those cuts (10), missing the past two years and four of the past seven. Johnson was in six majors across 2021 and '22 without making a cut. This Masters will be his 73rd major. He did get off to a good start in 2023, making his first five cuts, including T12 at the Honda. Johnson will soon switch his primary attention to captaining the U.S. Ryder Cup team in the fall.
AMATEURS
In order of predicted finish
Sam Bennett
The 22-year-old Texas A&M fifth-year senior won the 2022 U.S. Amateur to qualify for the Masters and the upcoming Open Championship. But this will not be his first major. Bennett went through qualifying for last year's U.S. Open, then made the cut and tied for 49th. He was a member of the 2021 and 2022 Arnold Palmer Cup teams.
Mateo Fernandez de Oliveira
the 23-year-old Arkansas senior won the 2023 Latin America Amateur Championship by four strokes to qualify after being runner-up the year before. He also will play in both Opens later this year. He became the first golfer from Argentina to play in the Arnold Palmer Cup in 2022 and went 4-0-0.
Gordon Sargent
The 19-year-old Vanderbilt sophomore and world No. 1 amateur received one of two special invitations given out by Augusta National -- and the first one given to an amateur since Aaron Baddeley in 2000. Sargent won the 2022 NCAA Division I individual championship, becoming the first freshman to do so since 2007, a rare feat also accomplished by Jack Nicklaus, Woods and Mickelson, among others.
Ben Carr
The 22-year-old Georgia Southern fifth-year senior qualified as the 2022 U.S. Amateur runner-up. Carr received a sponsor's invite into the Puerto Rico Open last month and shot 71-74 to miss the cut by two strokes.
Matthew McClean
The 29-year-old optometrist – yes, you read that right, your eyes are fine -- won the 2022 U.S. Mid-Amateur to qualify. The Northern Irishman also received exemptions into the U.S. Open, the U.S. Amateur and the British Amateur but does not appear to have any designs to turn pro.
Aldrich Potgieter
The 18-year-old South African won the 2022 British Amateur to qualify. He also played at the 150th Open Championship and missed the cut. Potgieter played a number of professional events afterward in 2022, tying for 28th at an Australasian event and making the cut at a DP World Tour event in South Africa.
Harrison Crowe
The 21-year-old Australian won the 2022 Asia-Pacific Amateur to qualify for both the Masters and the Open Championship.
LEGACY CHAMPIONS
In order of predicted finish
Bernhard Langer
The 1985 and 1993 champion will be making his 40th appearance at the Masters. Now 65, Langer has the best chance of the legacy champs to make the cut. He's made six of the past 10 cuts, but missed his past two. Three years ago he tied for 29th at age 63 to become the oldest player to ever make a Masters cut. He is still churning out victories on the Champions Tour, winning as recently as two months ago.
Mike Weir
The youngest of the legacy champions at age 52. the 2003 winner has missed the cut in seven of the past eight years, tying for 51st in 2020. This will be Weir's 24rd Masters.
Fred Couples
The 1992 champion had impressively made the cut almost in his 50s. But now, at age 63, he's missed the past four. This will be Couples' 38th Masters.
Vijay Singh
Now 60, the 2000 champion has made the cut only once the past seven years (2019). This will be Singh's 30th Masters.
Jose Maria Olazabal
The two-time champion (1994, '99) will tee it up for the 34th time. Now 57, the Spaniard made the cut two year ago, but that's his only weekend play in the past eight years.
Larry Mize
The 64-year-old Augusta native famously beat both Greg Norman and Seve Ballesteros in a playoff in 1987. Now back for his 40th Masters start, Mize last made the cut in 2017.
Sandy Lyle
This will be the 65-year-old Englishman's 42nd trip to Augusta. He won the Green Jacket in 1988. Lyle has made the cut only 17 times and hasn't done so since 2014.
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