Masters Week is a lovely time for just about everyone. Key words: just about. The Masters Tournament is an invitational at its core and has been ever since its inception, which is just a reminder that it’s still very hard to get into. The field is just 89 strong this year, and a number of well-known players are on the outside looking in.
Rickie Fowler
After playing in 10 straight Masters from 2021 to 2020, making the cut every time, Fowler has missed out the last two years. In 2023, he has flipped the script a bit and climbed all the way up to 55th in the world ranking. Unfortunately, that keeps him just on the outside of the OWGR top 50 exemption.
Nick Taylor
No one in this list was closer to earning a Masters berth this year than Taylor. He went toe-to-toe with Scottie Scheffler at the Phoenix Open, beating Jon Rahm in the process. Taylor has been rock-solid all year and ranks 24th in the FedEx Cup. He’s well on his way to designated event status for 2024, but just won’t be involved this week.
Ian Poulter
There are 18 LIV golfers competing at Augusta National this week but Poulter will not be one of them. The 47-year-old last played the Masters in 2021 finishing T26. At the moment, without LIV events getting OWGR points, Poulter’s chances at future Masters opportunities are shrinking.
Daniel Berger
The 2021 Ryder Cupper has battled injuries in the last year and has dropped out of the top 100 in the world. His Ryder Cupper status helped him into the field last year but not here in 2023.
Paul Casey
Ranked as the 28th best golfer by DataGolf, Casey’s status was similar to Berger’s: dropping down the world ranking, battling back injuries and using his RC exemption into the 2022 Masters but not 2023.
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Webb Simpson
The 2018 Players Champion has fallen on harder times of late, going eight months without a top-50 finish and dropping outside the top 140 in the world. He carded a T24 at Bay Hill and a T7 at the Valspar in the last month, so things may be looking up.
Lee Westwood
One of the best Masters players to never win the tournament has, like Poulter and Casey, dropped down the world ranking too much in the last year to qualify.
Matt Kuchar
Kuchar nearly played his way into the Masters on Sunday with a final-round 68 in San Antonio. His three-straight birdies to finish left him two shots shy of a playoff with Corey Conners.