With the conclusion of the PNC Championship on Sunday, the golf season is officially over. And with New Year’s Day on the horizon, attention has inevitably turned to the 2026 Masters.
And not just because this is the most anticipated event of next (and every) season. It’s a hot topic right now, as yesterday a host of professionals earned their 2026 Masters invitations.
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 the game today.
Here’s what you need to know.
Masters invitations secured on Sunday via OWGR
The Masters includes the four major championships on the smallest golf field. It’s perhaps the most coveted tournament invite in the game, and the hardest to earn.
One way to get to Augusta National is to finish in the top 50 the previous year Official world golf rankings.
The Mauritius Open of the DP World Tour, the 2025 final tournament that awards world ranking points, concluded at Heritage Golf Club on Sunday. This means that the top 50 list is finalized at the end of the year.
Of the top 50 players, 37 had previously qualified for the 2026 Masters for various reasons. But 13 players on the list did not yet have an invitation to Augusta National in April. Now they do.
Some of the names on the list may surprise you. To take Sami Valimaki (no. 38) and Michael Brennan (no. 34), for example. Both players won PGA Tour events this fall. Although players receive Masters invitations for most PGA Tour wins, not all Tour wins include 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 invitations. No matter, they’ve now punched their tickets to Magnolia Lane.
That’s true Michael Kim. The 32-year-old Tour veteran is one of the most popular professional golfer accounts on X.com. Although he fell short of his second PGA Tour victory in 2025, he did win the DP World Tour’s Open de France in September.
He will end the year ranked 36th in the Official World Golf Ranking and as a result will make the start at the 2026 Masters, his third appearance in the event.
Ryan Gerard traveled across the world to play last week’s Mauritius Open in an attempt to break into the top 50 and earn a Masters invitation. He took a second-place finish that took him from 57th to 46th in the OWGR.
Perhaps the most surprising player on the list is the top-ranked player. Despite being ranked #11 in the OWGR, Alex Noren had not previously qualified for next year’s Masters before Sunday. Now he is.
Four-time Tour winner were among those who earned Masters invitations on Sunday Trilico-Tour winner difficult and European Ryder Cupper 2025 Rasmus Hojgaard.
The addition of 13 players on Sunday expanded the 2026 Masters field to about 86. One thing that could change that number is former champions playing or not playing. That also includes Tiger Woods.
Players currently on the outside looking in still have chances to make it the 2026 Masters. Anyone who reaches 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.
Below you can view the full list of new Masters invitations for 2026.
Masters field 2026: new additions
Ryan Gerard
Max Greyserman
Alex Noren
Aaron Rai
Kristoffer Reitan
Michael Brennan
Michael Kim
Sami Valimaki
Rasmus Hojgaard
difficult
Trili
Johnny Keefer
Sam Stevens
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