With the conclusion of the PNC Championship on Sunday, golf’s offseason is officially over. And with New Year’s Day on the horizon, attention has inevitably turned to the 2026 Masters.
And not just because it is the most-anticipated event of next (and any) season. It’s a hot topic right now because yesterday a host of pros earned their 2026 Masters invites.
The list includes multiple 2025 PGA Tour winners, a member of the victorious European Ryder Cup team and one of the most popular pros in today’s game.
Here’s what you need to know.
The Masters features the smallest field of golf’s four major championships. It’s arguably the most sought-after tournament invite in the game, and the hardest to earn.
One pathway to Augusta National is to finish the prior year ranked in the top 50 of the Official World Golf Ranking.
On Sunday the DP World Tour’s Mauritius Open, the final tournament of 2025 that awards world ranking points, concluded at Heritage Golf Club. That means the year-ending top 50 list is locked in.
Of the top-50 players, 37 were previously qualified for the 2026 Masters for various reasons. But 13 players on the list did not already have invitations to Augusta National in April. Now, they do.
Some of the names on the list might surprise you. Take Sami Valimaki (No 38) and Michael Brennan (No. 34), for example. Both players won PGA Tour events this fall. While players receive Masters invites for most PGA Tour wins, not all of Tour wins come with Augusta tee times.
The 2025 RSM Classic (won by Valimaki) and the 2025 Bank of Utah Championship (won by Brennan) did not offer 2026 Masters invites. No matter, they’ve now punched their tickets to Magnolia Lane.
So, too, has Michael Kim. The 32-year-old Tour veteran is one of the most popular pro golfer accounts on X.com. Though he didn’t capture his second PGA Tour win in 2025, he did win the DP World Tour’s Open de France in September.
He’ll finish the year at 36th in the Official World Golf Ranking and tee it up at the 2026 Masters as a result, his third appearance in the event.
Ryan Gerard famously traveled across the world to play last week’s Mauritius Open in a long-shot bid to sneak into the top 50 and earn a Masters invite. He snagged a runner-up that moved him from 57th to 46th in the OWGR.
The most surprising player on the list might be the best-ranked player. Despite being ranked No. 11 in the OWGR, Alex Noren was not previously qualified for next year’s Masters before Sunday. Now he is.
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Also among those earning Masters invites Sunday were four-time Tour winner Si Woo Kim, fellow Tour winner Min Woo Lee and 2025 European Ryder Cupper Rasmus Hojgaard.
The addition of 13 players on Sunday increased the 2026 Masters field to approximately 86. One thing that could change that number are former champions who may or may not play. That includes Tiger Woods.
Players currently on the outside looking in still have opportunities to make it the 2026 Masters. Anyone who moves into the top 50 by the end of March 2026 will also earn a Masters invite, as will winners of PGA Tour events early next season.
You can check out the complete list of new 2026 Masters invites below.
Ryan Gerard
Max Greyserman
Alex Noren
Aaron Rai
Kristoffer Reitan
Michael Brennan
Michael Kim
Sami Valimaki
Rasmus Hojgaard
Min Woo Lee
Si Woo Kim
Johnny Keefer
Sam Stevens
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