How to Get to Play in the Masters Tournament

The Masters at Augusta National Golf Club is one of golf's four major tournaments and only about 100 players are invited to play every year. The Masters has the smallest number of participants of the four majors. Only players invited by the Masters Committee are eligible to take part in the tournament. There are 19 different ways for a player to earn one of the coveted invitations to the prestigious event, which was staged for the first time in 1934 and has been held every year since with the exception of 1943 to 1945, when the club was closed due to World War II.

Instructions

  1. Criteria for Invitation

    • 1

      Win a previous Masters tournament. Any golfer who wins the event at the Augusta National Golf Club is handed a lifetime exemption from qualification. Winning the U.S. Open, British Open and PGA Championship earns a player a five-year exemption from the Masters Committee, while winning The Players Championship results in a three-year exemption from qualification.

    • 2

      Earn an invitation to the Masters by being successful at the amateur level. The winner of the U.S. Amateur Championship is awarded a one-year exemption to the Masters, as is the competition's runner-up. The winners of the British Amateur Championship, the Asian Amateur Championship, the U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship and the U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship are also awarded invitations to the Masters.

    • 3

      Qualify for the Masters by finishing in the top 16 of the previous year's tournament. Players who finish in the top eight at the previous year's U.S. Open also earn an invitation to the tournament, as do the players who finished in the top four at the British Open and the PGA Championship.

    • 4

      Book your spot in the event by winning a PGA Tour event (between the previous Masters and the current one) that awards a full-point allocation for the end-of-season Tour Championship. Alternatively, you can earn an invite by qualifying for the previous year's season-ending Tour Championship.

    • 5

      Earn a place in the Masters field by performing well in the previous calendar year. The players who rank among the top 30 on the Final Official PGA Tour Money List from the previous year receive an invite to next year's tournament. In addition, finishing among the top 50 players in the Final Official World Golf Rankings also guarantees you an invitation to the Masters.

    • 6

      Qualify for the event by playing well during the current golf season. The players who are in the top 50 of the Official World Golf Rankings that are released a week in advance of the upcoming Masters earn an invitation to the tournament.