There are now more ways to earn a Masters invite. You just need to win the right tournament.
Augusta National and the R&A released a joint statement Tuesday further aligning the various means by which competitors can qualify for their respective major championships. For example, the winners of such national opens as the Spanish Open and Australian Open will now automatically qualify for the following year’s Masters.
The decision was made in conjunction with the R&A because it mimics the R&A’s commitment to awarding places in The Open through a global qualifying series. Twenty-four players in the field at Royal Portrush last month qualified via strong performances in, for example, the New Zealand Open or the International Series Macau or the Arnold Palmer Invitational. In essence, it takes the existing structures of pro golf across the world and dishes out major championship tee times, during a time when there has been less reliance on the old standard of using the Official World Golf Ranking.
The Masters will now award invites to players not previously qualified who win the following tournaments:
Scottish Open — Chris Gotterup
Spanish Open — Held Oct. 9-12
Japan Open — Held. Oct. 16-19
Hong Kong Open — Held Oct. 30-Nov. 2
Australian Open — Held Dec. 4-7
South African Open — Held Feb. 26-March 1
“The Masters Tournament has long recognized the significance of having international representation among its invitees,” Augusta National Chairman Fred Ridley said in the press release. “We, along with The R&A, have a shared commitment to the global game and are proud to work together. Today’s announcement strengthens our organizations’ collective vision of rewarding top talent around the world who rise to the top of historic national open championships. We hope this formal recognition shines a bright light on these players and the events they will represent at the Masters and The Open, beginning next year.”
That last sentence should ring true. Roughly 90-99 players receive Masters invites annually, many of which go to players on the PGA Tour. But Augusta National has long maintained a commitment to inviting international players, particularly those who may not be playing regularly on the PGA Tour. Both governing bodies have been inviting the top international amateur tournament winners for years now, paving a path for more players from Asia and South America to play the biggest golf tournament in the world.
These moves, though, do lead to a constriction of alleyways to the Masters via the PGA Tour. Winners of the Tour’s fall events will no longer receive automatic invites to the ensuing Masters. It was just nine months ago that Rafael Campos won the Butterfield Bermuda Championship and earned a bid to his first Masters. Same for Maverick McNealy, who won the RSM Classic in November, ultimately tying for 32nd at the Masters in April. That fall victory pathway no longer exists, though wins, of course, still help bolster a player’s world ranking. The top 50 players at the end of 2025 all will receive invites to the 2026 Masters.
If golf fans recognize this commitment to national opens, it’s because it has been endorsed most publicly by Rory McIlroy, conveniently the reigning Masters champion. McIlroy wishes modern pro golf would prioritize national opens. He thinks the pro game should go even further by adding events like the Irish Open to the PGA Tour schedule, if only on occasion, to get the best players in the world to some of the sport’s most avid countries.
While that remains a decision for executives on the PGA Tour, this decision by Augusta National taps into the golf administrations of four different continents, strengthening the bonds of pro golf across the world.
The move also creates a slightly better path for LIV golfers who have seen their world ranking depreciate over the last three years without receiving points. Numerous LIV players have competed in DP World Tour and Asian Tour events in recent years. Patrick Reed won the Hong Kong Open last fall, for example. In second place, one spot out of this new type of qualification, was Ben Campbell, a member of Bubba Watson’s Range Goats team.
