With the conclusion of the PNC Championship on Sunday, the outdoor golf season is officially over. And with New Year’s Day on the horizon, attention has inevitably turned to the 2026 Masters.
And not only because it is the most anticipated event of the next season (and every). It’s a hot topic right now because a bunch of pros got their 2026 Masters invitations yesterday.
The list includes multiple PGA Tour 2025 winners, a member of the European Ryder Cup winning team and one of the most recognized professionals in the game today.
Here’s what you need to know.
Masters invitations are provided on Sunday through OWGR
The Masters features the smallest field of the four major golf championships. It is definitely the most sought after tournament invitation in the game and the hardest to earn.
A straight path Augusta National is to finish the previous year ranked in the top 50 e Official World Golf Ranking.
The DP World Tour’s Mauritius Open, the final 2025 world ranking points tournament, concluded at Heritage Golf Club on Sunday. This means that the list of the best 50 at the end of the year is closed.
Of the top-50 players, 37 had previously qualified for the 2026 Masters for various reasons. But 13 players on the roster did not already have invitations to Augusta National in April. Now, they do.
Some of the names on the list may surprise you. Take it Sami Valimaki (No. 38) and Michael Brennan (No. 34), for example. Both players won PGA Tour events this fall. While players receive Masters invitations for most PGA Tour wins, not all tour wins come with Augusta tee times.
The 2025 RSM Classic (won by Valimaki) and the 2025 Utah Bank Championship (won by Brennan) did not offer invitations to the 2026 Masters. No matter, they have now punched their tickets to Magnolia Lane.
So, too, there is Michael Kim. The 32-year-old Tour veteran is one of the most popular golfer accounts on X.com. Although he did not capture his second PGA Tour victory in 2025, he won the DP World Tour’s Open de France in September.
He will finish the year ranked 36th in the Official World Golf Ranking and will make it to the 2026 Masters as a result, his third appearance at the event.
Ryan Gerard famously traveled the world to play last week’s Mauritius Open in a distant bid to break into the top 50 and earn a Masters invite. He grabbed a runner-up finish that moved him from 57th to 46th on the OWGR.
The most surprising player on the list might be the highest ranked player. Despite being ranked 11th in the OWGR, Alex Noren had not previously qualified for next year’s Masters before Sunday. Now he is.
;)
10,000 miles from home, the pro earns a Masters seat. And you see a miracle
Nick Piastowski
Also among those earning invitations to the Masters on Sunday were four-time winners of the tournament inventsfellow tournament winner TOUGH and the 2025 European Ryder Cup Rasmus Hojgaard.
The addition of 13 players on Sunday boosted the 2026 Masters field in about 86. One thing that could change this number is former champions who may or may not play. This includes Tiger Woods.
Players on the outside looking in still have a chance to make it to the 2026 Masters. Anyone who breaks into the top 50 by the end of March 2026 will also earn a Masters invitation, as will the winners of PGA Tour events early next season.
You can view the full list of new Masters 2026 invitations below.
2026 Field Masters: New additions
Ryan Gerard
Max Greyserman
Alex Noren
Aaron Ray
Christopher Reitan
Michael Brennan
Michael Kim
Sami Valimaki
Rasmus Hojgaard
TOUGH
invents
Johnny Keefer
Sam Stevens
