2024 Masters Tournament Guide

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Augusta National Golf Club

Thomas Ehlers

Chris Gay Johnathan McGinty

Stephen Delaney Hale

David Westin

Simon Bruty/Augusta National Golf Club

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15 TICKET PUNCHED

Kipp Madison is on his way to Drive, Chip & Putt at Augusta National Golf Club. – Thomas Ehlers

69 THE COURSE

The world-renowned holes at Augusta National Golf Club.

– Aimee Serafin

Illustrations by Jennifer & Joann Keller

21 A NEW DRIVE

Epic final round buoys young careers of 2023 Augusta National Women’s Amateur playoff competitors. – Johnathan McGinty

77 SPANISH CHAMPIONS

Four Spanish golfers have brought home six Masters wins for Spain. – Stephen Delaney Hale

27 2024 WOMEN’S AMATEUR CONTENDERS

Profiles of the 2024 Women’s Amateur Contenders. – anwagolf.com

88 EUROPEAN HONORS

The golf stars were aligned for Jon Rahm at the 87th Masters Tournament.

– David Westin

45 ONES TO WATCH/DARK HORSES

Augusta magazine’s annual effort to predict the winner of the 2024 Masters Tournament.

– Stephen Delaney Hale

99 2024 MASTERS CONTENDERS

Profiles of the 2024 Masters Contenders.

– Chris Gay

Courtesy of The Augusta Chronicle

PUNCHED TICKET

By Thomas Ehlers

Photo courtesy of Lori Jordan Madison

Photo by Isaiah Vazquez/Getty Images

ipp Madison may only be 13 years old, but he’s no stranger to the camera. Eleven years ago, he made a brief appearance on the Golf Channel when personality Michael Breed showcased a video of the then 24-month-old with his clubs.

In a few weeks, Madison will make his second appearance on the network, but there’s a bit more riding on this trip in front of the cameras. The 13-year-old Augusta resident qualified for the 10th annual Drive, Chip & Putt National Finals after winning at a regional qualifying event at The Golf Club of Tennessee to secure his spot, becoming one of 80 junior golfers to receive the prestigious invitation. The honor marks a milestone in his young career.

“It was probably the biggest moment since I've played golf,” Madison said, who birdied on the No. 17 at the Tournament Players

Club Sawgrass. “Everyone was high-fiving me, and I was super thankful.”

Held the Sunday before the Masters at Augusta National Golf Club, Drive, Chip & Putt is a joint initiative between the Masters Tournament, the United States Golf Association and the Professional Golfers’ Association of America. Young golfers compete in local, sub-regional and regional qualifying events before making it to the finals. During the competition, golfers are scored in the three categories, as reflected in the event's name.

First, competitors take three drives into a 40-yard-wide fairway, with longer drives in the fairway scoring more points. Next, golfers take three 10- to 15-yard chip shots onto a green, with shots closer to the pin scoring more points. The final three shots are putts from 6, 15, and 30 feet, with more accurate putts scoring higher point values.

Madison advanced through competitions at Legends Golf Resort and Fort Jackson Golf Club, both in South Carolina, before his regional qualifying event in Kingston Springs, Tenn. He qualified with the secondhighest score in his age group, and his experiences in those earlier stages helped him realize the gravity of each swing during competition.

"Since there are only nine shots, I learned that the mistakes in Drive, Chip & Putt can be more costly than mistakes on the regular course,” Madison said. “You get 72 shots normally, and if you make one bad swing, you can normally make up for it in a hole or two. In Drive, Chip & Putt, you really can’t make any mistakes unless you’re on fire.”

It’s not Madison’s first experience with these events — he entered in his first local tournament as a 6-year-old — but it is the furthest he’s ever advanced. His mother,

Lori, has watched him grow as a golfer, and she’s witnessed and calmed the nerves the seventh-grader has felt through his years of competition.

“During the process, he’s learned that it’s not nervousness, but it’s excitement,” Lori said. “We’ve always told him that if you’re nervous, you’re fearful because you haven’t prepared. The emotion is more excitement because he does prepare.”

Typically, Madison plays in 30 to 40 tournaments per year, but he’s taking a bit of a break, aiming to compete in 25 to 30 during the 2024 season. With a tournamentheavy schedule, Madison opts for more practice on the links than the range, playing 18 holes a day weekly and flexing to 27 holes on some weekends. When Madison opts for drills, he prefers working on his short game, an important part of his skill set.

“I'm going to have 30 to 35 shots around

the green because I’m not going to hit every green,” he said. “That’s where all of the shots are; if you can just minimize those shots around the green, you’ll be set.”

While Madison wants to minimize the short game, he seeks to maximize his impact. After competitions, Madison gives each of his partners a card with a note that thanks them for their time, encourages them to never give up and wishes them good luck in their next round of golf. Along with the card, he gives a ball marker inscribed with Romans 12:2 — a token to lead others toward the young man’s positivity and faith.

Madison’s efforts off the course are perhaps more impactful. Last year, he and his brother, Zane, used leftover sponsorship funds to help fellow golfers pay for competition fees and even bought an electric scooter for a man they met at a local restaurant that lacked reliable transportation. The brothers share a heart of service.

“That’s something they are focusing on in 2024 — helping other junior golfers and helping people that have nothing to do with golf but have [a] need in the community," Lori said. "It's something that has been on the boys' hearts for over a year now. They're doing it to give back to the community and help grow the game of golf."

For Madison, Drive, Chip & Putt represents a journey of growth. When he takes the course in a few weeks, it won’t be the first time; Zane made the national finals in 2022. But this time, he won’t be cheering on his brother or simply making a cameo. He’ll be competing for a chance at a national title on a course that lives and breathes golf history.

“It’s going to be a mixture of nerves and excitement,” Madison said. “I can’t wait to be there. I’m going to be where so many PGA TOUR players have been, and I’m so excited. Riding down Magnolia Lane is going to be super special. I rode down Magnolia Lane one time for my brother in Drive, Chip & Putt, so to go down it again is going to be incredible.”

NEW DRIVE A

Epic final round buoys young careers of 2023 Augusta National Women’s Amateur playoff competitors

By Johnathan McGinty | Photos courtesy of Augusta National Golf Club

As patrons rushed to find the perfect vantage point for the first playoff hole of the 2023 Augusta National Women’s Amateur (ANWA), Jenny Bae and Rose Zhang couldn’t have imagined the impact the final round would make on their careers.

At the time, both golfers were rounding out their collegiate careers: Zhang, a Stanford University sophomore whose amateur achievements and acknowledgements outnumber the number of clubs in her bag, and Bae, a fifth-year senior at the University of Georgia who would receive the Juli Inkster Award, given to the top female collegiate golfer in her final season of eligibility.

After dueling for 20 holes on a blustery Saturday, both would advance to rapid success in their respective tours, and the two will compete together in 2024 as Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) Tour members. Their paths to the professional ranks were different, but both can be retraced to the tournament and an iconic finish.

AN ICONIC FINISH

Just hours before the playoff, a tie between the competitors looked all but impossible.

Zhang was the favorite heading into the tournament, a golfer who had held the No. 1 ranking for 133 straight weeks and had captured the 2020 U.S. Women’s Amateur, the 2021 U.S. Girls’ Junior and the 2022 individual National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) title. She broke the tournament record for 36 holes, shooting a two-day total of 131 heading into the final day, to take a 6-stroke lead over Bae.

“It’s always difficult to have such a big lead, especially on such a prestigious stage,” Zhang said. “When things matter the most and you have a big lead but the job’s not done, it definitely puts a lot of things into perspective. I tried to stay as composed as possible, but I felt a little tight on those first couple holes.”

And the first nine gave Zhang fits in the final round. She double bogeyed No. 1 before

Erica Shepherd

finishing 1-over-par on No. 4, No. 6 and No. 7. In the meantime, Bae was quietly doing enough to stay in the contest. The Suwanee, Ga. native played even par golf on the first nine, posting birdies on No. 3 and No. 9.

An approaching storm caused the horn to sound and play to cease for more than three hours; players rested as the rains continued. When the horn sounded again to resume play, competitors returned to the course and Bae looked to continue a comeback. The crowds stuck around to see a finish, and the gallery of patrons left an impression on Bae’s rounds from the start.

“I couldn’t even see my own family members because there were 10,000 or 15,000 or 20,000 people just right there staring at me,” Bae said. “I honestly froze a little bit. That feeling, back then, was on another level.”

After the break, both golfers claimed a birdie on No. 13, but Zhang’s bogey on No. 15 shrunk her lead to a single stroke. She changed grips to get out of her slump, but her thin approach shot on No. 15 opened the door for Bae.

“It wasn’t the smartest decision, but at that time I felt like any sort of lead needs to kind of be maintained,” Zhang said. “And I really trusted in the shot that I was going to hit. Unfortunately, it did not happen that way. And I really made things more interesting in terms of the leaderboard.”

Bae shot a birdie on No. 17, tying Zhang on the leaderboard with a hole to go. Both players parred to finish the round, but there would be more golf on the agenda.

In sudden death, both players parred No. 18 for the second time of the day, sending the match to another hole. On No. 10, Bae was the first to blink after her approach found the bushes and subsequent chip shot found the bunker. Zhang’s par would win the playoff and tournament.

Despite the loss, Bae nearly accomplished an improbable comeback. Zhang’s victory proved she was worth the pre-tournament hype.

“With everyone watching, with all the expectations, it was a little difficult to do so,” Zhang said, “but I’m really proud of how I handled everything.”

A PATH DIVERGED

As successful as her amateur career ended — backto-back NCAA Individual Championships, back-to-back ANNIKA Awards and the 2023 ANWA title — Zhang’s professional career began with the same rhythm.

She made her LPGA debut in June 2023, competing in the Mizuho Americas Open in Jersey City, N.J. Similar to her ANWA title, she played below-par golf leading up to the final round, where she shot 2-overpar and found herself in a playoff over fellow American Jennifer Kupcho.

But again, in a playoff, she prevailed.

The 20-year-old became the first player to win while making their professional debut since Beverly Hanson in 1951, capturing the title on a second playoff hole. The victory would be her only of the 2023 LPGA tour, but it doesn’t cast doubt on the success of her rookie campaign. Zhang made the cut in 12 of the 13 tournaments in which she competed, totaling $1,389,794 in prize money and cracking the top 10 on six occasions. She went on to represent the United States during the 2023 Solheim Cup.

While Zhang’s ANWA victory might have overshadowed Bae’s comeback, the Bulldog alumna took a different route. Bae joined the Epson Tour, a developmental tour for the LPGA Tour, taking advantage of the opportunity that came with her Juli Inkster Award.

After being cut in her debut, Bae played three stellar rounds in the Hartford HealthCare Women’s Championship but found herself tied for the lead with

Minji Kang and Ssu-Chia Cheng. What followed was a 7-hole playoff, but this time, she was able to draw from the memories and moments from ANWA to guide her through the biggest point of her career to that point.

“Obviously there’s not as many spectators on tour compared to the Augusta National Amateur,” Bae said. “But the feeling was so surreal it stuck with me for quite a while.”

The feeling must have been enough, as Bae equaled her peers in the first half-dozen playoff holes before hitting an approach shot on the seventh that would lead to a birdie and a title.

A week later, Bae claimed the Twin Bridges Championship in Guilderland, N.Y., although it wouldn’t come without its own fair share of drama. Once again she found herself in a playoff, this time beating out Natasha Andrea Oon in five holes of free golf. The two tour victories capped a successful season, one that saw two additional top-10 finishes and 9 of 11 cuts made.

Cayetana Fernández García-Poggio

Rose Zhang and Andrea Lignell

A NEW OUTLOOK

In 2024, Bae will make the jump to the LPGA ranks. Her year with the Epson Tour and interactions with future LPGA players have given her a new awareness of the industry. It’s not mere points on the line, but instead rankings, money and making a career of the game.

“In college, everything is planned,” Bae said. “All you have to do is get a cart, get another player and go out and play the best you can. In your professional career, you have to follow everything up, make sure everything goes perfectly, and I think that is one of the most stressful things that I’ve had to deal with out here.”

But as Zhang and Bae compete and deal with the troubles of professional play, they both can trace their careers back to the 2023 ANWA and a final round that gives them perspective. While not every stage is as grand as Augusta National Golf Club, Bae still remembers the roars of the crowd from that pivotal point in her young career.

“I would put it in a way that it’s like a once-in-alifetime feeling that you’ll ever have,” Bae said. “To me on 17, when I stopped my perfect shot with about two feet and all I saw and heard was people screaming and roaring from left and right, I was happy, I guess for them to scream and yell that loud. I got chills down my back.”

Rose Zhang

Jenny Bae

Women’s The 2024 CONTENDERS

QUALIFICATIONS FOR 2024 AUGUSTA NATIONAL WOMEN’S AMATEUR

The field for the 2024 Championship will consist of the following players based on the following qualifications:

9. The 30 highest ranked players from the United States of America based on the prior year’s (2023) final Women’s World Amateur Golf Ranking, not otherwise qualified

10. After qualifications 1-8 above, the 30 highest ranked players not otherwise qualified, as listed on the prior year’s (2023) final Women’s World Amateur Ranking

11. Players receiving special invitations from the Augusta National Women’s Amateur Committee

Julia Lopez Ramirez

Reigning U.S. Women’s Amateur Champion

Reigning Women’s Amateur Champion

Reigning Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific Champion

Profiles courtesy of Augusta National Women’s Amateur

Age: 18

Hometown: Kumamoto, Japan

ANWA

Appearance: Second

2023 ANWA Finish: T-9

Yuna Araki (Japan)

In 2023, Araki won three World Amateur Golf Ranking events, including victories in the Women’s Australian Master of the Amateurs and the Adam Scott Junior Championship in the United States. Araki also recorded top-10 finishes in the Australian Women’s Amateur, Queen Sirikit Cup in the Philippines, Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific in Singapore and the Japan Girls’ Junior Championship last year. In 2022 at Kasumigaseki Country Club’s East Course, she won the Girls age 15-17 division of the Japan Girls’ Junior Championship in a playoff.

Age: 23

Hometown: Tranas, Sweden

Education: San Jose State University

ANWA

Appearance: Second

2023 ANWA

Finish: MC

Kajsa Arwefjäll (Sweden)

Arwefjäll started her 202324 collegiate season last fall by finishing runner-up in the Molly Collegiate Invitational and T-9 in the ANNIKA Intercollegiate. Also in 2023, she earned Second Team All-America honors as a senior, finished runner-up in an LET Access Series event in Sweden, reached the quarterfinals of the Women’s Amateur Championship in England and represented Sweden in the Women’s World Amateur Team Championship in Abu Dhabi. In 2022, she earned her first individual collegiate win in the USF Intercollegiate, was a member of the winning International team in the Arnold Palmer Cup in Switzerland and finished T-12 in the European Ladies’ Amateur in France.

Age: 20

Hometown: Riverside, Calif.

Education: University of Southern California

ANWA Appearance: Fourth

2023 ANWA Finish: T-29

Age: 18

Hometown: Stuttgart, Germany

ANWA Appearance: Second

2023 ANWA

Finish: MC

Last August, Briem defeated Spain’s Martina Navarro in the final by a record 12&10 margin to become Germany’s first winner in the 104-year history of the R&A Girls’ Amateur. She won the Portuguese Women’s Amateur in January by four strokes. Also in 2023, she recorded top-five finishes in the Italian Women’s Amateur, German Girls’ Open and European Ladies’ Amateur in Sweden and represented her country in the Junior Solheim Cup, Junior Ryder Cup and the Women’s World Amateur Team Championship. In 2022, she won both the European Nations Cup and the Italian Women’s Amateur; she shared low individual honors in the Women’s World Amateur Team Championship with Rose Zhang and Meja Ortengren.

Age: 21

Hometown: Wilmington, Del.

Education: Duke University

ANWA

Appearance: Third

2023 ANWA

Finish: MC

Brinker started her 2023-24 collegiate season last fall with four top 25s, finishing as co-medalist in the ANNIKA Intercollegiate and T-5 in the Landfall Tradition. Also in 2023, she earned Honorable Mention All-America honors in her junior season and finished runner-up in the Atlantic Coast Conference Women’s Individual Championship and T-9 in the Canadian Women’s Amateur. In 2022, she won the ACC Women’s Individual Championship and recorded top-four finishes in both the ANNIKA Intercollegiate and the Tar Heel Invitational. Prior to her collegiate career, she was a two-time junior All-American and represented the United States in the 2019 Junior Solheim Cup.

Age: 20

Hometown: Valencia, Calif.

Education: University of California — Los Angeles

Appearance: Third

2023 ANWA Finish: DNP

Amari Avery

Avery started her 2023-24 collegiate season by winning the Leadership and Golf Invitational at Chambers Bay. Also in 2023, she helped Southern California reach the final of the NCAA Division I Women’s Golf Championships, represented the United States in the Arnold Palmer Cup for the second consecutive year and made the cut in both the Chevron Championship and U.S. Women’s Open. In 2022, she earned First Team All-America honors as a freshman, won four collegiate events for Southern California and went 8-1-0 while representing the United States in the Curtis Cup and the Arnold Palmer Cup.

In the inaugural championship in 2019 at the age of 16, Campos shared the opening-round lead and shot a final-round 72 at Augusta National to finish T-5. Last December, she was among 12 players invited to participate in the 2024 U.S. Curtis Cup practice session at Seminole Golf Club. She started her 202324 collegiate season with two top 15s, finishing T-4 in the Windy City Collegiate Classic and T-14 in the Stanford Intercollegiate. Also in 2023, she earned First Team All-America honors, won two events for UCLA, represented the United States in the Arnold Palmer Cup and competed in both the Chevron Championship and U.S. Women’s Open. Prior to her collegiate career, Campos was a four-time junior All-American in 201720 and represented the United States in the 2019 Junior Solheim Cup.

Phoebe Brinker

Zoe Antoinette Campos

Helen Briem (Germany)

Age: 22

Hometown: Columbia, S.C.

Education: University of Kentucky

ANWA

Appearance: Third

2023 ANWA

Finish: T-26

Jensen Castle

Castle has advanced to the final round at Augusta National in each of the past two years, finishing T-12 in 2022 and T-26 in 2023. Her best finish so far in the 2023-24 collegiate season is T-20 in the Cougar Classic. Also in 2023, she earned Honorable Mention AllAmerica honors as a senior and reached the Round of 64 in both the Women’s Amateur Championship and the U.S. Women’s Amateur. In 2022, she was a member of the winning U.S. Curtis Cup team at Merion Golf Club and competed in both the U.S. Women’s Open and Amundi Evian Championship. Castle won the 2021 U.S. Women’s Amateur at Westchester Country Club. She won despite not playing in any tournaments in weeks leading up to the championship due to a stress fracture in her rib. Later that same month, she was a member of the winning U.S. Curtis Cup team.

Age: 24

Hometown: Montgomery, Texas

Education: University of Texas/Texas A&M University

ANWA Appearance: First

2023 ANWA Finish: DNP

Hailee Cooper

Cooper was scheduled to compete in the 2021 championship but had to withdraw after testing positive for Covid-19. In her final collegiate season, she helped Texas A&M reach match play in the 2023 NCAA Division I Women’s Golf Championships and had three top-10 finishes, including runner-up in last year’s Silverado Showdown. Earlier in 2023, she finished T-6 in the Mexican Women’s Amateur. As a freshman for the University of Texas in 2018-19, she earned First Team All-America honors, won two events and represented the United States in the 2019 Arnold Palmer Cup. Other notable accomplishments include winning the 2016 U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball with future University of Texas teammate Kaitlyn Papp and representing the United States in the 2015 Junior Solheim Cup and the 2016 Junior Ryder Cup.

Age: 18

Hometown: Irvine, Calif.

Education: Stanford University (Commit)

ANWA

Appearance: First

2023 ANWA Finish: DNP

Leigh Chien

In 2016, Chien was a Drive, Chip & Putt National Finalist and finished fourth in the Girls 10-11 age division at Augusta National. In 2023, the Stanford University commit earned First Team junior All-America honors, reached the semifinals of the U.S. Girls’ Junior, recorded top-10 finishes in the AJGA’s Fortinet Girls Invitational at Stanford and Mizuho Americas Open and represented the United States in both the Junior Solheim Cup and the Junior Ryder Cup. In 2022, Chien won the Mariah Stackhouse Girls Invitational, finished runner-up in both the Dye Junior Invitational and the AJGA’s Rolex Tournament of Champions and reached the quarterfinals of the U.S. Women’s Amateur. Other notable accomplishments include winning the 2020 California Women’s Championship and the 2021 Dye Junior Invitational.

Age: 20

Hometown: Bonnyrigg, Scotland

Education: University of South Carolina

ANWA

Appearance: Third

2023 ANWA Finish: MC

Hannah Darling (Scotland)

Darling started her 2023-24 season with three top 20s, including finishing T-7 in the Jackson T. Stephens Cup. She earned First Team All-America honors for the second consecutive year, reached the Round of 32 in the Women’s Amateur Championship, finished T-8 in the European Ladies’ Amateur and represented Scotland in the Women’s World Amateur Team Championship. In 2022, she reached the semifinals of the Women’s Amateur Championship and represented her country in both the Curtis Cup and the Women’s World Amateur Team Championship. In the summer of 2021, she won the R&A Girls’ Amateur at Fulford Golf Club and the St. Rule Trophy. Other notable accomplishments include representing Europe in the Junior Solheim Cup in 2019.

Age: 15

Hometown: Estero, Fla.

ANWA Appearance: Second 2023 ANWA Finish: T-14

Clemente advanced to the final round in her debut last year at the age of 15, finishing T-14. In 2017, she was a Drive, Chip & Putt National Finalist and finished seventh in the Girls 7-9 age division at Augusta National. Last August, Clemente won the Girls’ Junior PGA Championship by three strokes to join a list of champions that includes Cristie Kerr, Inbee Park, Lexi Thompson, Ariya Jutanugarn, Lucy Li and Rose Zhang. She started 2024 with a runnerup finish in the South Atlantic Women’s Amateur in Florida. In December, she was among 12 players invited to participate in the 2024 U.S. Curtis Cup practice session at the Seminole Golf Club. Also in 2023, she became a four-time junior All-American, and teamed up with fellow past Drive, Chip & Putt National Finalist Avery Zweig to win the U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball, reached the semifinals of the U.S. Girls’ Junior and represented the United States in both the Junior Solheim Cup in Spain and the Junior Ryder Cup in Italy.

Age: 17

Hometown: Spring Valley, Calif.

Education: Auburn University

ANWA

Appearance: Third

2023 ANWA Finish: MC

Last December, Davis was among 12 players invited to participate in the 2024 U.S. Curtis Cup practice session at the Seminole Golf Club. In 2023, she became a three-time First Team junior All-American; won both the Girls’ Junior Orange Bowl and the Girls’ Junior Invitational; finished runner-up in both the AJGA’s Mizuho Americas Open and the Toyota Junior World Cup; reached the quarterfinals of the U.S. Women’s Amateur; and the Round of 16 in the U.S. Girls’ Junior. She competed in the Junior Solheim Cup, Junior Ryder Cup, Women’s World Amateur Team Championship and Pan American Games. In 2022, Davis made the the cut in five of her seven LPGA Tour starts. In 2021, she won the Girls’ Junior PGA Championship by seven strokes and was named to the U.S. Junior Solheim Cup and Junior Ryder Cup teams.

Gianna Clemente

Anna Davis

Age: 21

Hometown:

Austin, Texas

Education: Stanford University

ANWA

Appearance: Second

2023 ANWA Finish: DNP

Sadie Englemann

Englemann started her 2023-24 collegiate season by winning the East Lake Cup at the Atlanta Athletic Club and finishing T-10 in the Jackson T. Stephens Cup. Also in 2023, she earned Second Team All-America honors, competed in the U.S. Women’s Open and finished runner-up in the Women’s Western Amateur and third in the Canadian Women’s Amateur. In 2022, she helped Stanford win the NCAA Division I Women’s Golf Championship, recorded top-15 finishes in 11 World Amateur Golf Ranking events and reached the Round of 16 in the North and South Women’s Amateur. Prior to her collegiate career, she was a four-time junior All-American in 2015, 2017-18 and 2019 and represented the United States in the 2019 Junior Solheim Cup.

Age: 18

Hometown: Madrid, Spain

Education: Texas A&M University

ANWA

Appearance: Second

2023 ANWA

Finish: Fourth

Cayetana Fernández GarcíaPoggio (Spain)

García-Poggio started her 2023-24 collegiate season with top-12 finishes in both the Carmel Cup and the Jackson T. Stephens Cup. She was second individual in the Women’s World Amateur Team Championship, reached the Round of 16 in the Women’s Amateur Championship and recorded top-10 finishes in both the Portuguese Women’s Amateur and Spanish Women’s Amateur. In 2022, she won the Spanish Women’s Amateur and both individual and team titles in the Toyota Junior World Cup and the World Junior Girls Championship. She also finished runner-up in the R&A Girls’ Amateur at Carnoustie, recorded top fives in two Ladies European Tour events and represented her country in the Women’s World Amateur Team Championship in France.

Age: 18

Hometown: Rome, Italy

Education: University of California — Los Angeles (Commit)

ANWA Appearance: First

2023 ANWA Finish: DNP

Francesca Fiorellini (Italy)

In 2023, Fiorellini won the Italian Women’s Amateur and Italian Women’s Match Play; recorded top 10s in the Portuguese Women’s Amateur, Spanish Women’s Amateur, European Ladies’ Amateur and World Junior Girls Championship; and reached the Round of 16 in the Women’s Amateur Championship. She represented Italy in the Junior Solheim Cup, Junior Ryder Cup and the Women’s World Amateur Team Championship. In 2022, she won four World Amateur Golf Ranking events, including the Portuguese Women’s Amateur and the ANNIKA Invitational Europe. Fiorellini represented her country in the Women’s World Amateur Team Championship. Other notable accomplishments include representing Europe in the Junior Solheim Cup in 2021.

Age: 21

Hometown: Nicholasville, Ky.

Education: University of Kentucky

ANWA

Appearance: Second

2023 ANWA Finish: MC

Laney Frye

Last December, Frye was among 12 players invited to participate in the 2024 U.S. Curtis Cup practice session at the Seminole Golf Club. She started her 2023-24 collegiate season last fall with four top 12s, including a fourth-place finish in the Tar Heel Invitational. Also in 2023, she earned Second Team All-American honors as a junior, finished runner-up in the Sea Island Women’s Amateur for the third consecutive year and reached the Round of 32 in the U.S. Women’s Amateur for the second consecutive year. In 2022, she reached the quarterfinals of the U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball with Kentucky teammate Maria Villanueva and competed in the U.S. Women’s Open.

Age: 22

Hometown: Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.

Education: University of Florida ANWA Appearance: Second

2023 ANWA Finish: MC

Filler started her 2023-24 collegiate season by winning both the Tar Heel Invitational and The Ally and finishing runner-up in the Glass City Invitational. Also in 2023, she finished T-5 in the Canadian Women’s Amateur, recorded top 20s in both the North and South Women’s Amateur and Women’s Western Amateur and competed in the LPGA Tour’s ShopRite LPGA Classic. In 2022, she recorded eight top-25 finishes in World Amateur Golf Ranking events, including runner-up finishes in both the Florida Women’s Amateur and the “Mo” Morial Invitational in Texas. She also made the cut in the LPGA Tour’s ShopRite LPGA Classic.

Age: 17

Hometown: Chiang Mai, Thailand

Education: University of South Carolina (Commit)

ANWA Appearance: Second

2023 ANWA Finish: MC

Eila Galitsky (Thailand)

In March 2023 in Singapore, Galitsky won the Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific by five strokes over Minsol Kim and joined 2018 champion Atthaya Thitikul as winners representing Thailand. Also last year, she won a team gold medal in the Asian Games in China and both team gold and individual silver medals in the Southeast Asian Games; earned low amateur honors in the Chevron Championship; finished in the top 12 in both the Women’s World Amateur Team Championship and the Women’s Australian Open; and reached the Round of 64 in the Women’s Amateur Championship in England. In 2022, Galitsky won a team gold medal in the Southeast Asian Games and reached the quarterfinals of the R&A Girls’ Amateur at Carnoustie in Scotland.

Maisie Filler

Age: 19

Hometown: Holmdel, N.J.

Education: Stanford University

ANWA

Appearance: Fourth

2023 ANWA

Finish: T-9

Megha Ganne

Ganne was a four-time Drive, Chip & Putt National Finalist at Augusta National, competing in 2015 and 2017-19. She was runner-up in the Girls 12-13 division in 2017 and the Girls 14-15 division in 2019. She started her 2023-24 collegiate season by winning the Carmel Cup at Pebble Beach and finishing runner-up in the East Lake Cup. Ganne also earned Honorable Mention All-America honors and reached the Round of 64 in the U.S. Women’s Amateur. She was a member of the winning U.S. Curtis Cup team at Merion Golf Club. Prior to her collegiate career, she was a threetime junior All-American in 2019-2021 and the AJGA Girls Player of the Year in 2021. Also in 2021, Ganne finished T-14 as low amateur in the U.S. Women’s Open and was named to both the U.S. Junior Solheim Cup and Junior Ryder Cup teams.

Age: 22

Hometown:

Tenn. Education:

Rachel Heck

Heck started her 2023-24 collegiate season with a T-22 finish in the Carmel Cup at Pebble Beach. She also reached the semifinals of the U.S. Women’s Amateur and represented the United States in the Pan American Games. In 2022, Heck helped Stanford win the NCAA Division I Women’s Golf Championship, earned low amateur honors in the Amundi Evian Championship and represented the United States in the Curtis Cup, Arnold Palmer Cup and Women’s World Amateur Team Championship. In 2021, she won the Pac-12 Conference Women’s Championship, NCAA Stanford Regional and NCAA Division I Women’s Golf Individual Championship to win the Annika Award as the top female collegiate golfer of the year. She reached the semifinals of the U.S. Women’s Amateur and represented the United States in the Curtis Cup later that year.

Age: 22

Hometown: Medina, N.Y.

Education: University of South Florida

ANWA

Appearance: First

2023 ANWA Finish: DNP

Melanie Green

After starting her 2023-24 collegiate season last fall with four top-four finishes, Green closed 2023 with a runner-up performance in the Patriot All-America Invitational in December. As a junior in 2022-23, she earned Honorable Mention All-America honors with top-20 finishes in each of her 11 starts, including four top fives. In 2022, Green was co-medalist for South Florida in the Trinity Forest Invitational, reached match play in both the North and South Women’s Amateur and U.S. Women’s Amateur and competed in the U.S. Women’s Open.

Age: 22

Hometown: Yorkshire, England

Education: Florida State University ANWA

Appearance: Second

2023 ANWA Finish: 25th

Age: 22

Hometown: Perth, Australia

Education: Oklahoma State University

ANWA

Appearance: First

2023 ANWA Finish: DNP

Maddison Hinson-Tolchard (Australia)

Hinson-Tolchard started her 2023-24 collegiate season with three top-20 finishes, including T-7 in the Schooner Fall Classic and T-9 in the Carmel Cup. She also earned First Team All-America honors as a junior, won the Big 12 Conference Women’s Championship, finished fourth in the NCAA Division I Women’s Golf Individual Championship, competed in the U.S. Women’s Open, was a member of the International Arnold Palmer Cup team and, for the second consecutive year, represented Australia in the Women’s World Amateur Team Championship. Hinson-Tolchard was a recipient of the 2023 Karrie Webb Scholarship from Golf Australia.

Age: 21

Hometown: Munich, Germany

Education: Mississippi State University

ANWA

Appearance: First

2023 ANWA Finish: DNP

Charlotte Heath (England)

Heath started her 2023-24 collegiate season with two top-20 finishes, including a T-12 in the Schooner Fall Classic. She also earned First Team All-America honors, finished as low amateur in the AIG Women’s Open in England, was a member of the International Arnold Palmer Cup team and represented England in the Women’s World Amateur Team Championship for the second consecutive year. In 2022, Heath won the Landfall Tradition for Florida State, finished runner-up in the European Ladies’ Amateur and represented Great Britain and Ireland in the Curtis Cup for the second consecutive year. In last year’s Augusta National Women’s Amateur, she was one of three English golfers to advance to the final round with Caley McGinty and Florida State teammate Lottie Woad.

Chiara Horder (Germany)

Last June, Horder defeated Annabelle Pancake of the United States, 7&6, to join a list of champions that includes Babe Zaharias, Louise Suggs, Anna Nordqvist, Georgia Hall, Celine Boutier and Leona Maguire. She defeated World No. 1 Ingrid Lindblad in the semifinals to advance to the final. The competitor started her 2023-24 collegiate season with an eighth-place finish in the Blessings Collegiate Invitational. As the reigning Women’s Amateur champion in 2023, she competed in the Amundi Evian Championship, AIG Women’s Open and CPKC Women’s Open and represented Germany in the Women’s World Amateur Team Championship. With her victory in England, she became Germany’s third Women’s Amateur champion in the past six years, joining Leonie Harm in 2018 and Aline Krauter in 2020.

Age: 18

Hometown: Mito-shi, Japan

ANWA

Appearance: First

2023 ANWA Finish: DNP

Saori Iijima (Japan)

Last June, Iijima defeated two players by one stroke to join a list of champions that includes former World No. 1 Ai Miyazato, LPGA Tour winner Mika Miyazato and Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific champion Yuka Yasuda. She also won both the JHGA Spring Championship and Kanto Women’s Amateur, finished runner-up in the Royal Junior, Japan Girls’ Junior Championship and Kanto Girls’ Junior Championship and represented Japan in the Toyota Junior World Cup. In her efforts to become stronger, she has played baseball and, inspired by Olympic Silver Medalist and LPGA Tour winner Mone Inami, taken up kickboxing.

Age: 20

Hometown: Kobe, Japan

Education: Seminole State College

ANWA

Appearance: Third

2023 ANWA Finish: MC

Tsubasa Kajitani (Japan)

Kajitani’s victory was the start of a historic year for golf in Japan with other fellow country champions: Hideki Matsuyama (Masters champion), Mone Inami (Oylmpic silver medalist), Keita Nakajima (Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship and the Mark H. McCormack Medal) and Mizuki Hashimoto (Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific). Last October, Kajitani won the Mercer Invitational by seven strokes and she closed 2023 by finishing T-11 in the Patriot All-America Invitational. Other notable accomplishments include finishing runner-up in the Australian Women’s Amateur and earning low amateur honors in the Japan Women’s Open with a T-9 performance in 2019 and competing in the U.S. Women’s Open, Amundi Evian Championship and AIG Women’s Open in 2021.

Age: 17

Hometown: Yongin-si, South Korea

ANWA Appearance: Second

2023 ANWA Finish: MC

Minsol Kim (Korea)

In 2023, Kim won both the Dream Park Cup and National Sports Festival in South Korea, earned a team gold medal in the Women’s World Amateur Team Championship and team silver medal in the Asian Games in China and recorded top-six finishes in the Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific, Korea Women’s Open and Korea Women’s Amateur. In 2022, Kim won both the Korea Girls’ Junior Championship and Song Am Cup, recorded top-10 finishes in the Korea Women’s Amateur, National Sports Festival and the LPGA Tour’s BMW Ladies Championship and competed in both the U.S. Women’s Open and Women’s Australian Open.

Age: 17

Hometown: Cerritos, Calif.

Education: University of Southern California (Commit)

ANWA

Appearance: First

2023 ANWA Finish: DNP

Last July, Koo defeated Sadie Englemann in the final, 4&2, to join a list of champions that includes Patty Berg, Louise Suggs, Nancy Lopez, Beth Daniel, Stacy Lewis and Ariya Jutanugarn. Also in 2023, the University of Southern California commit became a three-time junior AllAmerican, won the AJGA Girls’ Invitational and represented the United States in both the Junior Solheim Cup in Spain and the Toyota Junior World Cup in Japan. In 2022, Koo recorded top-10 finishes in six World Amateur Golf Ranking events with three wins, including the Girls’ Junior Americas Cup.

Age: 18

Hometown: Surrey, Canada

Education: University of Texas

ANWA

Appearance: First

2023 ANWA Finish: DNP

Lauren Kim (Canada)

Last August, Kim defeated Brooke Rivers by one stroke to join a list of champions that includes Alexa Stirling Fraser, Glenna Collett Vare, Ariya Jutanugarn, Brooke Henderson and Jennifer Kupcho. She started her 2023-24 collegiate season by winning the Jackson T. Stephens Cup. Kim also earned Second Team junior All-America honors, reached the quarterfinals of the U.S. Girls’ Junior and the Round of 32 in the U.S. Women’s Amateur, represented Canada in the Women’s World Amateur Team Championship and competed in both the U.S. Women’s Open and the CPKC Women’s Open. She recorded top10 finishes in the Girls’ Junior Orange Bowl, Hilton Grand Vacations ANNIKA Invitational, Canadian Women’s Amateur and World Junior Girls Championship and represented Canada in the Women’s World Amateur Team Championship.

Age: 22

Hometown: Asheville, N.C.

Education: Wake Forest University

ANWA Appearance: Fourth

2023 ANWA Finish: MC

Last December, Kuehn was among 12 players invited to participate in the 2024 U.S. Curtis Cup practice session at the Seminole Golf Club. She started her 2023-24 collegiate season with four top-12 finishes, including T-3 in the Schooner Fall Classic and T-6 in the East Lake Cup. Also in 2023, she helped Wake Forest win the NCAA Division I Women’s Golf Championship, represented the United States in her fourth consecutive Arnold Palmer Cup and her second consecutive Women’s World Amateur Team Championship and finished T-15 in the ANNIKA driven by Gainbridge at Pelican on the LPGA Tour. In 2022, she earned the winning point for the U.S. Curtis Cup team for the second consecutive year. Her mother, Brenda Corrie Kuehn, earned the winning point for the U.S. Curtis Cup team in 1998. Other notable accomplishments include being a three-time junior AllAmerican in 2017-2019 and winning the North and South Women’s Amateur in 2020.

Jasmine Koo

Rachel Kuehn

Age: 23

Hometown: Gothenburg, Sweden

Education: University of Mississippi

ANWA Appearance: Second

2023 ANWA Finish: Third

Andrea Lignell (Sweden)

Lignell started her collegiate season last fall with three top 20s, including a T-9 finish in the Mason Rudolph Women’s Championship. She also earned First Team All-America honors as a senior and reached the Round of 64 in the U.S. Women’s Amateur. In 2022, Lignell finished T-9 in the European Ladies’ Amateur in France and closed her year with five consecutive top-three finishes for Mississippi, including victories in both the Cougar Classic and The Ally. In the 2021 NCAA Division I Women’s Golf Championships, Lignell finished T-15 in the individual competition and went 3-0-0 in match play to help Ole Miss win its first women’s national team championship in any sport.

Age: 23

Hometown: Halmstad, Sweden

Education: Louisiana State University

ANWA

Appearance: Fourth

2023 ANWA Finish: MC

Age: 20

Hometown: Malaga, Spain

Education: Mississippi State University

ANWA

Appearance: Second

2023 ANWA Finish: MC

Julia López Ramirez (Spain)

Last July, Ramirez won by two strokes over Carla Bernat and joined a list of champions that includes Carlota Ciganda, Celine Boutier and Ingrid Lindblad. Ramirez started her 2023-24 collegiate season with top-three finishes in both the Carmel Cup and the Blessings Collegiate Invitational. She also earned First Team All-America honors, won two events for Mississippi State, made the cut in the AIG Women’s Open, was a member of the International team in the Arnold Palmer Cup and represented Spain in the Women’s World Amateur Team Championship. In 2022, she earned Honorable Mention AllAmerica honors, won three events for Mississippi State, reached the Round of 64 in the Women’s Amateur Championship and was a member of the winning International team in the Arnold Palmer Cup.

Ingrid Lindblad (Sweden)

Two years ago, Lindblad’s final-round 68 was the low round of the 2022 championship and included eagles at Nos. 8 and 15 and birdies at Nos. 3, 7 and 14. Lindblad started her 202324 collegiate season by earning her 12th and 13th wins for LSU with victories in the Cougar Classic and Illini Women’s Invitational. She also reached the semifinals of the Women’s Amateur Championship, finished third in the European Ladies’ Amateur, represented Sweden in the Women’s World Amateur Team Championship and received the Mark H. McCormack Medal as the top-ranked female amateur in the world. She is the seventh woman to receive the Mark H. McCormack Medal, joining Lydia Ko, Minjee Lee, Leona Maguire, Jennifer Kupcho, Andrea Lee and Rose Zhang.

Age: 21

Hometown: Johannesburg, South Africa

Education: University of Mississippi

ANWA

Appearance: Third

2023 ANWA Finish: T-9

Caitlyn Macnab (South Africa)

In 2022, Mcnab’s finished with a final-round 72 at Augusta National. She started her 2023-24 collegiate season with four top-seven finishes, including a win in the Mason Rudolph Women’s Championship. She also earned Honorable Mention All-America honors, was a member of the International team in the Arnold Palmer Cup and, for the second consecutive year, represented South Africa in the Women’s World Amateur Team Championship. Prior to her collegiate career, she won the 2019 South Africa Girls’ Championship, the 2020 and 2021 South Africa Women’s Amateur and the Sunshine Ladies Tour’s Jabra Ladies Classic in 2021. In 2021, she won the South Africa Women’s Amateur with an 11&9 victory in the final and won the Jabra Ladies Classic by eight strokes.

Age: 20

Hometown: Madrid, Spain

Education: Wake Forest University

ANWA

Appearance: Fourth

2023 ANWA Finish: MC

Carolina LopezChacarra (Spain)

Lopez-Chacarra started her 2023-24 collegiate season with five top 15s, including third-place finishes in both the Jackson T. Stephens Cup and Schooner Fall Classic. She also helped Wake Forest win the NCAA Division I Women’s Golf Championship and, for the second consecutive year, earned Second Team All-America honors. In 2022, she won two events for Wake Forest, finished runner-up in the World University Golf Championships, reached the Round of 64 in the Women’s Amateur Championship, was part of the winning International team in the Arnold Palmer Cup and represented Spain in the Women’s World Amateur Team Championship. Prior to her collegiate career, she notably reached the quarterfinals of the 2019 R&A Girls’ Amateur and the semifinals of the 2020 Spanish Women’s Amateur.

Age: 16

Hometown: Quezon City, Philippines

Education: Duke University (Commit)

ANWA

Appearance: First

2023 ANWA Finish: DNP

Rianne Malixi (Philippines)

The 2023 U.S. Girls’ Junior runner-up will make her Augusta National Women’s Amateur debut. Last year, Malixi advanced to the final before finishing runner-up to Kiara Romero, 1 down. In January, she won the Women’s Australian Master of the Amateurs and finished T-8 in the Australian Women’s Amateur. She also finished third in both the Queen Sirikit Cup and the Royal Junior, reached match play in both the Women’s Amateur Championship and the U.S. Women’s Amateur and represented the Philippines in the Asian Games and the Women’s World Amateur Team Championship. In 2022, Malixi earned First Team junior All-America honors, won World Amateur Golf Ranking events and finished runner-up in the Girls’ Junior PGA Championship and T-3 in the Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific.

Age: 17

Hometown: Cali, Colombia

Education:

University of Arkansas

ANWA Appearance: Second

2023 ANWA Finish: T-14

Maria José Marin (Colombia)

The University of Arkansas freshman started her 2023-24 collegiate season with a win in the Blessings Collegiate Invitational and a runner-up in the Carmel Cup. Also in 2023, she won seven other World Amateur Golf Ranking events, including a four-stroke victory in the Mexican Women’s Amateur. In 2022, Marin won 11 World Amateur Golf Ranking events, including the South American Girls’ Junior Championship and Girls’ Junior Orange Bowl. Marin also finished runner-up in both the World Junior Girls Championship in Canada and the Women’s Amateur Latin America and reached the semifinals of the U.S. Girls’ Junior. In 2021, she won eight World Amateur Golf Ranking events, including the South American Girls’ Junior Championship.

Age: 22

Hometown: Surprise, Arizona

Education: Arizona State University

ANWA Appearance: Third

2023 ANWA Finish: MC

Ashley Menne

In 2014, Menne participated in the inaugural Drive, Chip & Putt National Finals and finished T-3 in the Girls 1213 age division at Augusta National. She has two top-10 finishes for Arizona State, including runner-up in the Match in the Desert in January. Also in 2023, she became a three-time All-American, won the Arizona Women’s Amateur for the third time, reached the Round of 16 in the North and South Women’s Amateur and represented the United States in the Arnold Palmer Cup. Prior to her collegiate career, Menne was a four-time junior All-American in 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2020 and in 2019, she won the Pro-Junior competition in a PGA Tour Champions event at Pebble Beach with Tom Lehman.

Age: 18

Hometown: Madrid, Spain

Education: Stanford University

ANWA

Appearance: First

2023 ANWA Finish: DNP

Paula Martín Sampedro (Spain)

Sampredro started her 2023-24 collegiate season last fall with four top-seven finishes, including T-4 in the Jackson T. Stephens Cup. Also in 2023, she recorded top-five finishes in both the Portuguese Women’s Amateur and the Esmond Trophy and reached the Round of 32 in the Women’s Amateur Championship. In 2022, Sampedro recorded top-five finishes in seven World Amateur Golf Ranking events, reached the Round of 32 in the R&A Girls’ Amateur and represented Spain in both the Toyota Junior World Cup in Japan and the Women’s World Amateur Team Championship.

Age: 21

Hometown: San Antonio, Texas

Education: Xavier University/Duke University ANWA Appearance: First

2023 ANWA Finish: DNP

Emma McMyler

McMyler started her 2023-24 collegiate season with three top-25 finishes, including T-4 in the Windy City Collegiate Classic. Also in 2023, she earned Big East Conference Women’s Golfer of the Year honors at Xavier University for the third consecutive season, won three World Amateur Golf Ranking events and reached the quarterfinals of the North and South Women’s Amateur. In 2022, McMyler won three World Amateur Golf Ranking events, including a successful title defense in the Women’s Texas Amateur, and competed in the U.S. Women’s Open. In 2021, she won three World Amateur Golf Ranking events and reached the Round of 16 in the U.S. Women’s Amateur.

Age: 24

Hometown: Cary, N.C.

Education: Wake Forest University

ANWA

Appearance: Fifth

2023 ANWA Finish: T-29

Emilia Migliaccio Doran

Three years ago, Migliaccio closed with a final-round 70 at Augusta National before losing in a playoff to Japan’s Tsubasa Kajitani. In 2023, she helped Wake Forest win the NCAA Division I Women’s Golf Championship in her fifth and final season on the team, became a four-time All-American, represented the United States in her fifth Arnold Palmer Cup and was both a competitor and a commentator during the U.S. Women’s Open at Pebble Beach. In 2022, Migliaccio was a member of the winning U.S. Curtis Cup team for the second consecutive year and won the North and South Women’s Amateur to join a list of champions that includes Glenna Collett Vare, Louise Suggs, Babe Zaharias, Peggy Kirk Bell, Morgan Pressel, Danielle Kang and Wake Forest teammate Rachel Kuehn.

Age: 22

Hometown: Spartanburg, S.C.

Education: Furman University

ANWA Appearance: Third

2023 ANWA Finish: MC

Last July at Pinehurst No. 2, Morgan defeated Madelyn Gamble in the final, 5&3 , to join a list of champions that includes Glenna Collett Vare, Louise Suggs, Babe Zaharias, Peggy Kirk Bell, Morgan Pressel, Danielle Kang, Rachel Kuehn and Emilia Migliaccio Doran. She started her fifth and final season at Furman University last fall with three top-five finishes, including victories in both the Lady Paladin Invitational and Landfall Tradition. In 2023, Morgan won a total of five World Amateur Golf Ranking events and earned her second consecutive Southern Conference Female Athlete of the Year award. In 2022, she earned Second Team All-America honors as a junior, represented the United States in the Arnold Palmer Cup and competed in the U.S. Women’s Open.

Anna Morgan

Age: 21

Hometown:

Saitama, Japan

Education: Nihon

Wellness Sports University

ANWA

Appearance: Third

2023 ANWA

Finish: T-22

Hinano Muguruma (Japan)

In 2023, Muguruma competed in nine professional events in Japan, finishing T-5 in the LPGA of Japan’s Step Up Tour’s Twinfields Ladies Tournament. Other notable accomplishments include winning the Kanto Girls’ Junior Championship in 2019 and recording top-20 finishes in both the Women’s Australian Master of the Amateurs and the Avondale Women’s Amateur in 2020. Before making her Augusta National Women’s Amateur debut in 2022, Muguruma said that she believed that she could win because Tsubasa Kajitani won in 2021.

Age: 18

Hometown: Yamaguchi, Japan

ANWA

Appearance: First

2023 ANWA

Finish: DNP

Kokoro Nakamura (Japan)

Last August on Kasumigaseki Country Club’s West Course, Nakamura made nine birdies in her closing 64 to turn a four-stroke deficit into a fourstroke victory over Japan Women’s Amateur champion Saori Iijima. She joined a list of winners that includes former World No. 1 Ai Miyazato and 2021 Augusta National Women’s Amateur champion Tsubasa Kajitani. Also in 2023, Nakamura finished third in both the Royal Junior and the LPGA of Japan’s Step Up Tour’s Kyoto Ladies Open and earned low amateur honors in the Japan Women’s Open with a T-14 performance. In 2022, she finished third and one stroke out of a playoff in the Japan Girls’ Junior Championship.

Age: 20

Hometown: Seattle, Wash.

Education: Northwestern University

ANWA

Appearance: First

2023 ANWA Finish: DNP

Age: 18

Hometown: Austin, Texas

Education: University of Texas

ANWA

Appearance: First

2023 ANWA

Finish: DNP

O’Keefe started her 202324 collegiate season last fall with three top-12 finishes, including a runner-up in the Windy City Collegiate Classic and T-5 in the ANNIKA Intercollegiate. Also in 2023, she reached the quarterfinals of the U.S. Girls’ Junior, finished 12th in the Canadian Women’s Amateur and competed in both the Women’s Amateur Championship in England and the U.S. Women’s Open at Pebble Beach. Prior to her collegiate career, O’Keefe made the cut in an LPGA Tour event in Texas in 2021 and reached the Round of 64 in the U.S. Girls’ Junior in 2022.

Age: 19

Hometown: Linkoping, Sweden

Education: Stanford University (Commit)

ANWA

Appearance: Third

2023 ANWA

Finish: MC

Meja Örtengren (Sweden)

In 2023, Örtengren won the Esmond Trophy, reached the semifinals of the R&A Girls’ Amateur and represented Sweden in the Junior Solheim Cup, Junior Ryder Cup and the Women’s World Amateur Team Championship. In 2022, Örtengren won an LET Access Series event, successfully defended her title in the AJGA’s Rolex Tournament of Champions and was part of the gold medal-winning Swedish team in the Women’s World Amateur Team Championship. In addition to being on the winning team, she tied for low individual score with Helen Briem of Germany and Rose Zhang of the United States. In 2021, Örtengren won both the ANNIKA Invitational Europe and the German Girls Open and was part of the winning European team in the Junior Solheim Cup.

Age: 21

Hometown: Zionsville, Ind.

Education: Clemson University

ANWA

Appearance: First

2023 ANWA Finish: DNP

Lauryn Nguyen

Nguyen started her 2023-24 collegiate season with three top 10s, including a win in the Windy City Collegiate Classic. Also in 2023, she closed her sophomore season at Northwestern with five top-15 finishes and reached the Round of 32 in the Women’s Western Amateur.In 2022, she won the Pacific Northwest Women’s Amateur and finished third in the Washington State Women’s Amateur. Prior to her collegiate career, Nguyen earned junior All-America honors in 2020 and finished T-9 in the Girls’ Junior PGA Championship in 2021.

Annabelle Pancake

Last June at Prince’s Golf Club, Pancake advanced to the final before finishing runner-up to Germany’s Chiara Horder. The Clemson University senior started her 2023-24 season last fall with three top-20 finishes, including a runner-up in the Landfall Tradition. Also in 2023, she won the Clemson Invitational, reached the Round of 16 in the North and South Women’s Amateur and made the cut in the LPGA Tour’s Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational team event with Clemson teammate Savannah Grewal. In 2022, she finished runner-up in the Women’s Western Amateur and reached the Round of 16 in the U.S. Women’s Amateur.

Farah O’Keefe

Age: 22

Hometown: Irvine, Calif.

Education: University of Oregon

ANWA

Appearance: First

2023 ANWA Finish: DNP

Ashleigh Park

Park started her 2023-24 collegiate season last fall with a win in the Molly Collegiate Invitational in September. Also in 2023, she finished T-4 in the Darius Rucker Intercollegiate and represented the United States in the Arnold Palmer Cup. In 2022, Park finished T-9 in both the California Women’s Amateur and the Southern California Golf Association Women’s Amateur Championships and recorded three top-12 finishes for Oregon, including runner-up in the Pac-12 Preview.

Age: 19

Hometown: Irvine, Calif.

Education: University of Southern California

ANWA

Appearance: First

2023 ANWA Finish: DNP

Age: 17

Hometown: Bengaluru, India

ANWA Appearance: Second

2023 ANWA Finish: T-21

Last year in the Philippines, Prashanth won the individual title in the Queen Sirikit Cup by 10 strokes to join a list of champions that includes Yani Tseng, So Yeon Ryu, Hyo Joo Kim and Atthaya Thitikul. She was also runner-up in the Women’s Australian Master of the Amateurs to Rianne Malixi and finished T-11 in the Australian Women’s Amateur. Prashanth also won an LET Access Series professional event, recorded top-15 finishes in Ladies European Tour events in Kenya, India and Spain and represented India in both the Asian Games in China and the Women’s World Amateur Team Championship. She won six World Amateur Golf Ranking events, reached the Round of 16 in the R&A Girls’ Amateur at Carnoustie and represented India in the Women’s World Amateur Team Championship.

Catherine Park

Last December, Park was among 12 players invited to participate in the 2024 U.S. Curtis Cup practice session in January at Seminole Golf Club in Florida. She started her 2023-24 collegiate season last fall by winning the Stanford Intercollegiate and finishing runner-up in the Leadership and Golf Invitational. Also in 2023, Park earned Honorable Mention All-America honors as a freshman, finished runner-up to Rose Zhang in the NCAA Division I Women’s Golf Individual Championship, helped Southern California reach the final of the NCAA Championships and reached the Round of 16 in the Women’s Western Amateur. In 2022, she reached the Round of 64 in the U.S. Girls’ Junior and competed in the U.S. Women’s Open.

Age: 23

Hometown: Dallas, Texas

Education: Texas A&M University

ANWA Appearance: Second

2023 ANWA Finish: T-9

Jennie Park

Park started her 2023-24 collegiate season last fall with three top-25 finishes, including a runner-up in the East Lake Cup at Atlanta Athletic Club. Also in 2023, she earned Second Team All-America honors as a senior, represented the United States in the Arnold Palmer Cup in Pennsylvania and finished runner-up in the Mexican Women’s Amateur. In 2022, Park earned Honorable Mention AllAmerica honors as a junior and had five top-five finishes in World Amateur Golf Ranking events, including T-3 in the NCAA Division I Women’s Golf Individual Championship. Prior to her collegiate career, she earned junior All-America honors in 2018.

Age: 17

Hometown: Madrid, Spain

Education: Stanford University (Commit)

ANWA

Appearance: First

2023 ANWA Finish: DNP

Andrea Revuelta (Spain)

In 2023, Revuelta recorded top-10 finishes in the Portuguese Women’s Amateur, Esmond Trophy in France, World Junior Girls Championship in Canada and the Ladies European Tour’s Spanish Open, reached the Round of 16 in both the Women’s Amateur Championship and R&A Girls’ Amateur and represented Spain on winning teams in both the Junior Solheim Cup and Junior Ryder Cup. In 2022, she shared low individual honors in the Toyota Junior World Cup in Japan with Cayetana Fernández GarcíaPoggio and reached the semifinals of the Spanish Women’s Amateur and the Round of 32 in the R&A Girls’ Amateur. In 2021, Revuelta was a member of the winning European team in the Junior Solheim Cup in Ohio.

Age: 17

Hometown: San Jose, Calif.

Education: University of Oregon

2023 ANWA Finish: DNP

At the United States Air Force Academy’s Eisenhower Golf Club, Romero defeated Rianne Malixi in the final, 1 up, to join a list of champions that includes Mickey Wright, Hollis Stacy, Nancy Lopez, Inbee Park, Lexi Thompson, Minjee Lee, Rose Zhang and Yana Wilson. She was among 12 players invited to participate in the 2024 U.S. Curtis Cup practice session at the Seminole Golf Club. The University of Oregon freshman started her 202324 collegiate season last fall by finishing as co-medalist in the ANNIKA Intercollegiate in her first start. Also in 2023, Romero became a four-time junior All-American and recorded top-10 finishes in the Hilton Grand Vacations ANNIKA Invitational, Fortinet Girls Invitational at Stanford, Girls’ Junior Invitational at Sage Valley and the Mizuho Americas Open.

Kirara Romero

Avani Prashanth (India)

Age: 22

Hometown: Varnamo, Sweden

Education: University of South Carolina

ANWA

Appearance: First

2023 ANWA

Finish: DNP

Louise Rydqvist (Sweden)

Rydqvist started her 202324 collegiate season by finishing as co-medalist in the ANNIKA Intercollegiate and recording top 12s in the Mason Rudolph Women’s Championship, Blessings Collegiate Invitational and Jackson T. Stephens Cup. Also in 2023, she earned Honorable Mention All-America honors as a sophomore and made the cut in the ANNIKA driven by Gainbridge at Pelican on the LPGA Tour. In 2022, Rydqvist finished runner-up to Jess Baker in the Women’s Amateur Championship and was part of the gold medalwinning Swedish team with Ingrid Lindblad and Meja Ortengren in the Women’s World Amateur Team Championship in France.

Age: 21

Hometown: Pinehurst, N.C.

Education: University of Virginia

ANWA

Appearance: Fourth

2023 ANWA Finish: T-14

Amanda Sambach

Sambach was among 12 players invited to participate in the 2024 U.S. Curtis Cup practice session at the Seminole Golf Club. She started her 2023-24 collegiate season by winning the Glass City Invitational and finishing runner-up in the Stanford Intercollegiate. Also in 2023, she earned Second Team All-America honors as a sophomore, represented the United States in the Arnold Palmer Cup and reached the Round of 64 in the U.S. Women’s Amateur. In 2022, Sambach earned Honorable Mention All-America honors as a freshman, won the ANNIKA Intercollegiate and reached the semifinals of the North and South Women’s Amateur. Prior to her collegiate career, she was a two-time junior All-American, represented the United States in the 2019 Junior Solheim Cup and won the 2020 North and South Girls’ Junior Amateur.

Age: 16

Hometown: Kanagawa, Japan

ANWA Appearance: Second

2023 ANWA

Finish: MC

Mamika Shinchi (Japan)

In January, Shinchi won the Australian Women’s Amateur by two strokes. She joined a list of champions that includes Lydia Ko and Minjee Lee. In 2023, she won the Girls 15-17 age division of the Kanto Girls’ Junior Championship, recorded top-10 finishes in the Women’s Australian Master of the Amateurs, Australian Women’s Amateur, Royal Junior, Japan Women’s Amateur and Asian Games and represented Japan in the Women’s World Amateur Team Championship in Abu Dhabi. In 2022, Shinchi won the Girls 12-14 age division of the Kanto Girls’ Junior Championship and finished T-4 in the Girls 12-14 age division of the Japan Girls’ Junior Championship, fifth in the Japan Women’s Amateur and T-9 in the Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific in Thailand.

Age: 19

Hometown: Dade City, Fla.

Education: University of Southern California

ANWA

Appearance: Third

2023 ANWA

Finish: MC

Bailey Shoemaker

In 2018, Shoemaker was a Drive, Chip & Putt National Finalist and finished runner-up in the Girls 12-13 age division at Augusta National. She started her 2023-24 collegiate season last fall with three top 15s, including T-7 in the Stanford Intercollegiate and 10th in the East Lake Cup at the Atlanta Athletic Club. Also in 2023, she reached the Round of 16 in the U.S. Women’s Amateur and the Round of 64 in both the Women’s Amateur Championship in England and the U.S. Girls’ Junior. In 2022, Shoemaker successfully defended her title in the Kathy Whitworth Invitational, finished runnerup in the U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball with Kaitlyn Schroeder, reached the semifinals of the U.S. Women’s Amateur and made the cut in each of her three LPGA Tour starts, including the U.S. Women’s Open.

Age: 22

Hometown: Monticello, Fla.

Education: Auburn University

ANWA Appearance: Fourth

2023 ANWA Finish: T-14

Megan Schofill

Last August, Schofill defeated Latanna Stone in the final, 4&3 , to join a list of champions that includes Alexa Stirling Fraser, Glenna Collett Vare, Patty Berg, Babe Zaharias, Juli Inkster, Morgan Pressel, Lydia Ko and Rose Zhang. In December, she was among 12 players invited to participate in the 2024 U.S. Curtis Cup practice session at the Seminole Golf Club in Florida. The fifth-year student at Auburn University started her 202324 season last fall with two top-10 finishes, including a fourth-place finish in the Mason Rudolph Women’s Championship. Also in 2023, Schofill earned First Team All-America honors as a senior and represented the United States in both the Arnold Palmer Cup in Pennsylvania and the Women’s World Amateur Team Championship in Abu Dhabi.

Age: 22

Hometown: Riverview, Fla.

Education: Louisiana State University ANWA

Appearance: Third

2023 ANWA Finish: Eighth

In 2014, Stone participated in the inaugural Drive, Chip & Putt National Finals and finished T-8 in the Girls 12-13 age division at Augusta National. She finished runner-up in the U.S. Women’s Amateur to Megan Schofill. Before advancing to the final, Stone won matches against Amari Avery, Rachel Kuehn, Yana Wilson and Rachel Heck. In December, she was among 12 players invited to participate in the 2024 U.S. Curtis Cup practice session at Seminole Golf Club in Florida. The fifth-year student at LSU started her 2023-24 collegiate season last fall with four top-20 finishes, including a win in the Illini Women’s Invitational. In 2023, she won three collegiate events for LSU, earned Second Team All-America honors as a senior and reached the Round of 64 in the Women’s Amateur Championship in England.

Lantana Stone

Age: 18

Hometown: Djursholm, Sweden

Education: Stanford University (Commit)

ANWA

Appearance: First

2023 ANWA Finish: DNP

Nora Sundberg (Sweden)

In 2023, Sundberg won the Spanish Women’s Amateur, recorded top-five finishes in both the German Girls Open and World Junior Girls Championship in Canada, reached the Round of 16 in both the Women’s Amateur Championship and R&A Girls’ Amateur in England and was a member of winning European teams in both the Junior Solheim Cup in Spain and Junior Ryder Cup in Italy. In 2022, she won six World Amateur Golf Ranking events and finished runner-up in the ANNIKA Invitational Europe. In 2021, Sundberg won three World Amateur Golf Ranking events, finished runner-up in the ANNIKA Invitational Europe and was a member of the winning European team in the Junior Solheim Cup in Ohio.

Age: 14

Hometown: Chowchilla, Calif.

ANWA

Appearance: First

2023 ANWA

Finish: DNP

Asterisk Talley

Talley is a two-time Drive, Chip & Putt National Finalist, finishing runner-up in the Girls 7-9 age division in 2018 and fifth in the Girls 12-13 age division in 2022 at Augusta National. In January, Talley finished T-9 in the Hilton Grand Vacations ANNIKA Invitational in Florida. Last year, she won three World Amateur Golf Ranking events, including the Seri Pak Desert Junior and Rolex Girls Junior Championship. She also represented the United States in the Junior Solheim Cup in Spain and reached the Round of 32 in the U.S. Girls’ Junior.In 2022, Talley had three fifth-place finishes in World Amateur Golf Ranking events and reached the Round of 16 in the U.S. Girls’ Junior.

Age: 17

Hometown: Castellon, Spain

Education: Louisiana State University (Commit)

ANWA

Appearance: First

2023 ANWA Finish: DNP

Age: 21

Hometown: Osaka, Japan

ANWA

Appearance: Second

2023 ANWA

Finish: MC

Sayaka Teraoka (Japan)

Entering that week as 1,479th in the Women’s World Amateur Golf Ranking, Teraoka went on to hold at least a share of the lead after all four rounds and win by six strokes. With her victory, she moved up 1,236 places in her ranking and joined a list of champions that includes her favorite golfer, former World No. 1 Ai Miyazato. In 2023, Teraoka finished T-10 in the Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific in Singapore and T-15 in the LPGA of Japan Tour’s Ai Miyazato Suntory Ladies Open. She also made the cut in the Japan Women’s Open. In addition to winning the Japan Women’s Amateur in 2022, she also won the Kansai Women’s Amateur and finished T-8 in the LPGA of Japan’s Step Up Tour’s Kyoto Ladies Open.

Age: 18

Hometown: Miri, Malaysia

Education: Florida State University

Mirabel Ting

2023 ANWA

In January, Ting won the Women’s Orlando International Amateur in Florida by three strokes. Last year as a Freshman with Augusta University, she earned Second Team All-America honors with six top-seven finishes, including a win in the Moon Golf Invitational in her first collegiate start. In the NCAA Athens Regional, Ting shot a final-round 67 to move Augusta University into the fifth and final qualifying spot for the team’s first appearance in the NCAA Division I Women’s Golf Championships. In the months following her first collegiate season, she was a member of the International team in the Arnold Palmer Cup in Pennsylvania and won three World Amateur Golf Ranking events, including the Vietnam Women’s Amateur Open.

Age: 21

Hometown: Pembroke Pines, Fla.

Education: Auburn University

ANWA

Appearance: First

2023 ANWA

Finish: DNP

Rocio Tejedo (Spain)

In 2023, Tejedo won five World Amateur Golf Ranking events, including both the Portuguese Women’s Amateur and the German Girls’ Open. Also last year, she reached the quarterfinals of the R&A Girls’ Amateur, finished T-6 in the European Ladies’ Amateur in Sweden and was a member of winning European teams in both the Junior Solheim Cup in Spain and Junior Ryder Cup in Italy. In 2020, Tejedo won four of her six World Amateur Golf Ranking starts and finished runner-up in the other two events.

Weidenfeld started her 2023-24 collegiate season last fall with runner-up finishes in both the Mason Rudolph Women’s Championship and Tar Heel Invitational. Also in 2023, Weidenfeld reached the quarterfinals of the Women’s Western Amateur, the Round of 16 in the North and South Women’s Amateur and the Round of 32 in the U.S. Women’s Amateur. In 2022, she reached the Round of 16 in both the Women’s Western Amateur and North and South Women’s Amateur and the Round of 64 in the U.S. Women’s Amateur. Prior to her collegiate career, she was a two-time junior All-American and in both 2019 and 2021, she and good friend Jillian Bourdage finished runner-up in the U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball.

Casey Weidenfeld

Age: 17

Hometown: Henderson, Nev.

Education: University of Oregon (Commit)

ANWA

Appearance: Third

2023 ANWA

Finish: T-26

WIlson was the Girls 12-13 champion in both the 2019 and 2021 Drive, Chip & Putt National Finals at Augusta National. In December, she was among 12 players invited to participate in the 2024 U.S. Curtis Cup practice session in January at Seminole Golf Club in Florida. In 2023, Wilson was named the AJGA Girls Player of the Year, joining a list of recipients that includes Cristie Kerr, Paula Creamer, Inbee Park, Morgan Pressel, Ariya Jutanugarn, Rachel Heck, Rose Zhang and Megha Ganne. Last year, she won three World Amateur Golf Ranking events, including the AJGA’s Mizuho Americas Open. She also finished runner-up in the Girls’ Junior PGA Championship, reached the quarterfinals of the U.S. Women’s Amateur, represented the United States in both the Junior Solheim Cup and Junior Ryder Cup and competed in the U.S. Women’s Open.

Age: 19

Hometown: Claremont, Calif.

Education: Stanford University

ANWA

Appearance: First

2023 ANWA

Finish: DNP

In 2014, Xu was the Girls 7-9 champion in the inaugural Drive, Chip & Putt National Finals at Augusta National. She was also a national finalist in 2015. She started her 2023-24 collegiate season last fall with four top15 finishes, including third in the Stanford Intercollegiate and sixth in the Jackson T. Stephens Cup. Also in 2023, Xu helped Stanford reach the semifinals of the NCAA Division I Women’s Golf Championships, reached the semifinals of the Women’s Western Amateur and the Round of 32 in the U.S. Women’s Amateur and competed in the U.S. Women’s Open. Prior to her collegiate career, Wu was a four-time junior All-American in 2019-2022, represented the United States in the 2021 Junior Solheim Cup and won the 2022 Ladies National Golf Association Amateur.

Age: 20

Hometown: Farnham, England

Education: Florida State University

Appearance: Second 2023 ANWA Finish: 13th

Lottie Woad (England)

Woad started her 2023-24 collegiate season with three top-six finishes, including co-medalist in the ANNIKA Intercollegiate. She also earned First Team All-America honors, finished runner-up in the South American Women’s Amateur and represented England in the Arnold Palmer Cup and the Women’s World Amateur Team Championship. In 2022, Woad won the R&A Girls’ Amateur at Carnoustie with a 7&6 victory over Spain’s Cayetana Fernández García-Poggio, joining a list of champions that includes Suzann Pettersen, Anna Nordqvist and Georgia Hall. Also in 2022, she recorded top-five finishes in the European Ladies’ Amateur, Portuguese Women’s Amateur and Welsh Ladies’ Open Stroke Play and represented England in the Women’s World Amateur Team Championship in France.

Age: 20

Hometown: Sakura, Japan

ANWA

Appearance: First

2023 ANWA Finish: DNP

Suzuna Yokoyama (Japan)

The 20-year-old will make her Augusta National Women’s Amateur debut. In 2023, Yokoyama finished seventh in the Japan Women’s Amateur and made the cut in three of her four starts on the LPGA of Japan Tour, including the Japan Women’s Open. She has also finished fifth in the 2022 Kanto Women’s Amateur and T-9 in the 2021 Japan Girls’ Junior Championship. In 2016-2019, she won eight junior events recognized by the Japan Golf Association, including a victory in the 2017 JJGA Japan Junior Players Championship.

Age: 19

Hometown: Tainan City, Chinese Taipei

ANWA

Appearance: First

2023 ANWA

Finish: DNP

Chun-Wei Wu (Chinese Taipei)

In February, Wu won the Women’s Amateur AsiaPacific by two strokes over Korea’s Hyosong Lee. She set new championship records for lowest score for 72 holes, 54 holes, first-36 and middle-36 holes and for largest lead after three rounds. She also joined 2018 champion Atthaya Thitikul as the only players to win while holding at least a share of the lead after all four rounds. Wu started 2024 by finishing T-6 in a professional event in Chinese Taipei and T-11 in the Australian Women’s Amateur. She also won three World Amateur Golf Ranking events with victories in both the National Autumn and National Winter Tournaments as well as individual and team gold medals in the National Sports Games. Wu also finished T-4 in the Girls 1518 age division of the Junior World Championships in San Diego.

Age: 19

Hometown: Chiba, Japan

ANWA

Appearance: Third

2023 ANWA

Finish: MC

Rin Yoshida (Japan)

In 2023, Yoshida recorded three top-25 finishes in professional events in Japan and reached the Round of 32 in the U.S. Women’s Amateur. In 2022, she recorded three top-30 finishes in professional events in Japan and finished T-26 in the Japan Women’s Amateur. Other notable accomplishments include finishing T-4 in the 2021 Japan Women’s Amateur. Her older sister, Yuri Yoshida, is ranked inside the top 100 in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings, has won three times on the LPGA of Japan Tour and earned her 2024 LPGA Tour card with a T-7 finish in Q-Series last December.

Yana Wilson

Kelly Xu

McCORMICK

EDGEFIELD

MAKE IT HERE. SEND IT ANYWHERE.

Western SC has the resources companies need to get their products where they need to go. Our Region’s healthy workforce, central infrastructure, and cooperative government form opportunities unlike anywhere else.

With a skilled and growing workforce, companies locate here because they know we have the resources they need. Highways, rail lines, and air service all converge in our region making it easy to get your products where they need to go. We’re centrally located between major cities and a 2.5-hour drive from two international airports and two ports. With available industrial sites and buildings and extensive infrastructure services, we’re ready to accommodate you. Add in local governments that are committed to economic development and a great quality.

Diversified global manufacturer Milliken & Company operates more than 70 facilities globally, including the Johnston Plant in Edgefield County. This plant maintains Milliken’s rich heritage of materials science expertise to manufacture technical textiles for the building and infrastructure markets.

Amick is one of the area’s largest poultry producers employing more than 1,500 team members at their South Carolina facility. Their vertically integrated system incorporates many family farmers in South Carolina and supports the local agricultural community.

Bridgestone is committed to delivering the highest quality products to its customers, whether they are across town or around the globe. The company’s two tire plants in Aiken County, South Carolina, employ more than 2,000 people.

The Aiken Passenger and Light Truck Tire Plant, which celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2023, produces passenger and light truck tires for original equipment manufacturers and retail and plays a vital role in the local community today by employing more than 1,700 people.

Bridgestone also has operated its Aiken County Off Road Tire Plant in since 2013, producing large and ultra large off-road radial tires. This plant is the company’s first giant off road radial tire manufacturing plant in North America.

As an active member of the local community, these two

Bridgestone plants offer a variety of programs through an onsite learning center in Aiken County where it provides free community outreach and training as part of Bridgestone Environmental Education Program, which has received state and national recognition.

Shaw Industries Group, Inc. supplies carpet, resilient, hardwood, tile and stone flooring products and synthetic turf to residential and commercial markets worldwide. Shaw’s $500 million expansion of its Aiken fibers facility is a key part of the company’s strategy to further elevate its products and innovate its carpet portfolio.

At the forefront of food manufacturing technology, Palmetto Gourmet Foods has been investing and creating jobs in Saluda. Palmetto is the innovative company behind Chef Woo, the world’s first high-protein ramen, and the ever popular Ramen Express noodles. People can find these products throughout the U.S. in Walmart and Aldi grocery stores, as well as on Amazon.

Located in McCormick County, Stella Jones is one of the areal largest producers of Railway Ties and Utility Poles.

SubAir manufactures and installs moisture removal and hydronics systems used on some of the county’s top golf courses such as the Augusta Nationals as well as all types of turf based sports fields.

SC Pet Food Solutions is a provider of specialty, value-added pet food ingredients. Today, they are the leading manufacturer of protein ingredients used to make premium pet food.

US Fibers produces high quality regenerated PET staple fiber. With products serving in the automotive, filtration, non-woven, furniture, and geo-textile industries. US Fibers continues to grow, invest, and create new jobs in Edgefield County.

Trantech offers engineering, or re-engineering, for any type of transformer cooling system solution internationally. We provide cooling products and services to a wide range of global industries including transformer manufacturers, fossil fuel & nuclear power generating facilities, as well as petrochemical sites.

defense applications to advanced manufacturing and hazardous operations, engineered fluids are engineered to provide unsurpassed reliability in the most challenging environments and conditions. The business is rounded out by cutting-edge fluorochemical solutions focused on driving advances in computing power and energy storage for automotive and consumer electronics.

Located in the Verenes Industrial Park, Carlstar offers one of the broadest portfolios of specialty tires and equipment for Lawn and Garden, Construction, Agriculture, ATV and UTV, Trailers and Hauling, Automotive Wheels.

AmbioPharm is a full-service peptide manufacturing company headquartered in North Augusta, South Carolina. Including our USA headquarters. We provide products and services to Pharmaceutical and Biotech Companies, Clinical Research Laboratories, Universities, and more.

Generac produces home standby generators and associated energy technologies In February 2021, The company purchased a 421,000-square-foot manufacturing, distribution, and office facility located in Trenton. Since this time Generac has become one of Edgefield’s flagship industries.

Located in Beech Island, Halocarbon delivers innovative performance to a broad range of industries. Halocarbon is a leader in high-purity fluorochemistry for use in pharmaceutical, biotechnology, personal care, and agricultural applications. From aerospace and

Kimberly-Clark is proud to be one of Aiken’s legacy manufacturers. The Beech Island manufacturing site produces and distributes essential everyday hygiene products under well-known brands such as Huggies®, Kleenex®, Scott® and Cottonelle®.

Leading manufacturer of hydro-entangled and thermal bonded nonwoven fabrics used in the medical, electrical, and home furnishing markets. Bondex is in the process of expanding capabilities with close to a 20 million investment in Edgefield County.

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2024 MASTERS TOURNAMENT | ONES TO WATCH

2024

By Stephen Delaney Hale

Every era of golf seems to have a dominant few — a small band of golden boys who define their age.

Even though the immortal Bobby Jones was too ill to contend while playing the first few Augusta Invitationals, he would have had contenders. Gene Sarazen, Horton Smith and Jimmy Demaret ruled the two decades before World War II. A few years later came a flashy group out of Texas. Byron Nelson, Ben Hogan and Sam Snead out of the mountains of western Virginia. Then came golf’s Big Three: Arnold Palmer, Gary Player and Jack Nicklaus.

Nicklaus’ career overlapped with Tom Watson, plus Johnnie Miller and Tom Weiskopf, neither of whom won a Green Jacket, but they gave Nicklaus a hard time in 1975. Watson’s two victories coincided with two from Seve Ballesteros and very popular wins by Ben Crenshaw, Fred Couples, Bernhard Langer and Nick Faldo.

Seve Ballesteros and very popular wins by Ben Crenshaw,

WORLD GOLF RANKING

The next year opened the door for the five tournament run over 22 years by Tiger Woods. The Woods decades were shared by the three victories of Phil Mickelson. A dozen years of worthy champions followed, especially in 2015 with Jordan Spieth, until the formation of the latest “big three,” (not just at the Masters but worldwide) Scottie Scheffler, Jon Rahm and Rory McIlroy have dominated the world number one label among themselves for exactly the last 48 months.

GOLF NAME HERE

Hovland may be gaining ground, and he’s got a convoy

Open Champion Wyndham Clark, Tommy Fleetwood, Collin Morikawa, Tom Kim and Tyrrell Hatton.

Our prediction? One of the current “big three” for today’s generation will win. But we’ll add a secondary prediction since a new strong group is forming. Viktor Hovland may be gaining ground, and he’s got a convoy of talent behind him: Xander Schauffele, Patrick Cantlay, Max Homa, Matt Fitzpatrick, Brian Harman, Current U.S. Open Champion Wyndham Clark, Tommy Fleetwood, Collin Morikawa, Tom Kim and Tyrrell Hatton.

With that formation of talent inexorably moving up the ladder, the future of world golf and the Masters Tournament is primed.

World Golf Rankings as of February 12, 2024

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Xander Schauffele

WORLD GOLF RANKING

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER 1

If he weren’t so good and playing so well at any given tournament, you’d think Scottie Scheffler was overly cautious. It was news on a recent broadcast when Jim Nantz pointed out that he was smiling. A close-up camera shot confirmed the brief gesture. By all accounts, Scheffler is the nicest guy, but his iron-clad personal discipline waits for the rounds to be over before showing his emotions. Golf tournaments are often lost by premature confidence. But, anybody would be happy with a game like Scheffler’s. He is among the top 15 in most driving distances and among the very best on the greens. When the putts drop, Scheffler is likely your winner.

RORY MCILROY

Rory McIlroy is arguably the best on the planet at driving a golf ball. He is invariably the longest on all the tours, and when compared to others, he is consistently and frequently in the fairway. When the putts drop (sound familiar?) you should have already put your money on McIlroy. He’s also the most fun to watch since Seve Ballesteros and Masters’ fans are crazy about the “cute kid” from Ireland. At 34, he still has a boyish charm. For any student of the game, McIlroy is a masterful study. He examines every shot and considers several of them before choosing his club. Most great golfers tend to be intelligent (Nicklaus, Woods, etc.) and to paraphrase the Caddy Shack groundhog nemesis, Carl Spackler, “... he’s got that going for him.”

Thomas Lovelock/Augusta National Golf Club

JON RAHM

Jon Rahm is prodigious off the tee. He is considered among the best iron players in the game, but he has the same weakness as his two major rivals — sporadic putting. His game, like his robust physical appearance, can be dominating. Like Scheffler, Rahm’s Masters victory was his fourth victory in the young season. His putting was spectacular in his two major championship victories, last year’s Masters Tournament and the 2021 U. S. Open. With a six-shot lead after three rounds of the 2021 Memorial Tournament, Rahm was forced to withdraw after a positive Covid-19 test. Later that month, Rahm made putts all day to maintain standing with the leaders. Tied with Louis Oosthuizen at the 17th tee, Rahm sank 25- and 18-foot putts on the last two holes to defeat the South African by one stroke for his first major title. The following month, after a 3rd place finish in The Open Championship, Rahm was preparing to leave for the Tokyo Olympics when his third and final Covid test, again, turned positive and he was forced to withdraw from the games. We expect to see him in or near the lead Sunday afternoon at the Masters.

Simon Bruty/Augusta National Golf Club

Stacey@tournamenthousing.net

Stacey@tournamenthousing.net

2024 MASTERS TOURNAMENT | ONES TO WATCH

WORLD GOLF RANKING

VIKTOR HOVLAND

Like so many of the best players, the young Norwegian had a great long game and iron play, but his chipping and putting often let him down. Reflecting strong optimism and ambition, Hovland hired a coach for his short game and his scoring around the greens has been world-class the past two years. Hovland was low amateur in both the 2019 Masters Tournament and the 2019 U.S. Open. He broke the record for low amateur score in the U.S. Open, a record that stood since Jack Nicklaus’ in 1960. After some time as No. 1 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings, he turned pro and soon won at the 2010 Puerto Rico Open. In December that same year, he secured a second win on the PGA Tour at the Mayakoba Golf Classic and followed that up by becoming the first Norwegian to win on the European Tour at the 2021 BMW International Open. He shot a final round course record of 61 to win the BMW Championship, the second event in the 2023 FedExCup Playoffs. Showing off his remodeled putting stroke, his scorecard featured numerous birdies and pars. The following week Hovland won the TOUR Championship and the FedExCup. Last fall, Hovland was a leader of the European Ryder Cup team. He went 3-1-1 and defeated Collin Morikawa in singles matches. Always smiling, always polite and humble, if his game gets any better it won’t be fair.

Thomas Lovelock/Augusta National Golf Club

2024 MASTERS TOURNAMENT | ONES TO WATCH

XANDER SCHAUFFELE

Xander Schauffele has won seven times since joining the PGA Tour in 2015 — but that doesn’t include the Olympic gold medal he won at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. In 2017, he finished 5th in the U.S. Open, and three weeks later, he was awarded his first PGA Tour trophy at The Greenbrier Classic. Subsequent good play won him an invitation to the TOUR Championship. He returned the favor by making birdie on the 72nd hole, winning by one shot over Justin Thomas and becoming the first rookie to secure the season championship. Schauffele’s World Golf Ranking rose 267 spots from the end of the previous year and made him PGA Tour Rookie of the Year. With three wins in 2022 that included the Zurich Classic of New Orleans in partnership with Patrick Cantlay, the Travelers Championship and the Genesis Scottish Open, his name has become a fixture on leaderboards throughout the world. He is a formidable threat whenever he steps up to the tee.

WYNDHAM CLARK

At 30, Wyndham Clark won his first PGA Tour tournament in 2023 at the Wells Fargo Championship by four shots over Xander Schauffele. A month later, Clark defeated Rory McIlroy by one stroke at the U.S. Open at the Los Angeles Country Club. He earned $3.6 million for his first major tournament win. His steely resolve earned him a place on the U.S. Ryder Cup team in Rome, where he produced a score of 1-1-1. He is currently ranked No. 6 in the world.

Chris Trotman/Getty Images

WORLD GOLF RANKING

2024 MASTERS TOURNAMENT | ONES TO WATCH

PATRICK CANTLAY

GOLF NAME HERE

Patrick Cantlay, 32, of Long Beach, Calif., had a spectacular amateur career at the University of California, Los Angeles. When he finished runner-up in the 2011 U.S. Amateur, he was invited to the 2012 Masters Tournament, where he was the low amateur after finishing 47th. He turned professional at the 2012 Travelers Championship and claimed his first professional win at the Web.com Tour’s Columbia Championship. His success on the developmental tour earned him his PGA Tour card, but he played sparingly for the next three seasons with a back injury. Returning to the game in 2018, he earned his first PGA Tour event in November at the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open. In 2021, Cantlay won several tournaments, including the TOUR Championship, the FedExCup and was voted PGA Tour Player of the Year. He has nine professional wins.

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Chris Trotman/Augusta National Golf Club

MAX HOMA

Max Homa, 33, was named to the All-America Team as a senior at the University of California, Berkeley. He turned pro after playing on the 2013 U.S. Walker Cup team. After an inconsistent four years as a pro, Homa won the 2019 Wells Fargo Championship. With more frequent victories, he earned spots on the national team events. That included a 4-0-0 record in the 2020 Presidents Cup and 3-1-1 as one of the bright spots on the U.S. Ryder Cup matches outside Rome, Italy, where he defeated Matt Fitzpatrick in the Sunday singles, 1 up. In 2024, Homa hit a 477-yard drive at The Sentry tournament — the longest drive ever measured in the shot-link era beginning in 2003. He currently sits at No. 8 on the World Golf Rankings. Homa, a Burbank, Calif. native, lives with his wife and child in Scottsdale, Ariz.

MATTHEW FITZPATRICK

Born in Sheffield, England, Matt Fitzpatrick was the low amateur in the 2013 Open Championship, won the 2013 U.S. Amateur and later that year played on the European Walker Cup team. He won his first tournament in the 2015 British Masters, finishing 12th place in the final Order of Merit that same year. In 2016, Fitzpatrick competed in his first Masters Tournament, tying for seventh. He won the 2016 Nordea Masters, which earned him a spot on the 2016 Ryder Cup team. Later that year, Fitzpatrick won the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai for his third career victory. He won the 2022 U.S. Open for his first major tournament victory. He played in the 2023 Ryder Cup, going 1-2-0, which included losing a Sunday singles match with Max Homa. Fitzpatrick currently sits 9th in the World Golf Rankings.

WORLD GOLF RANKING

BRIAN HARMAN

The reigning Open champion Brian Harman attended the University of Georgia where he was a threetime second-team all-American. The Savannah, Ga. native won his first PGA Tour tournament at the 2014 John Deere Classic; his next win came at the 2017 Wells Fargo Championship. Harman had to make a 28-foot putt on the 72nd green to claim victory over Dustin Johnson and Pat Perez. He won the 2023 Open Championship at Royal Liverpool by six strokes in a spectacular, if surprising, demonstration of great golf. He was in command from the second round when his score of 65 beat the field scoring average by eight strokes. The British bookies had tagged him as a 125-to-1 longshot! He went 2-2-0 in The Ryder Cup last fall, losing to Tyrrell Hatton in the Sunday singles match. He is ranked No. 10 in the world.

Sam Greenwood/Augusta National Golf Club

2024

By Stephen Delaney Hale

We hope you bring our list of Ones to Watch to your Calcutta party during Masters Week, so here’s some more information regarding your pick in the auction this year. We could all be surprised like in 2016 with the win by Danny Willett; or even in 1987 with the miraculous chip-in by Augusta’s own, Larry Mize. Or who could forget Brian Harman of Savannah last year, who went off at 125 to 1 and then won the British Open by six shots? So, the following golfers may be dark horses, but not too dark.

World Golf Rankings as of February 12, 2024

Tommy Fleetwood

16

WORLD GOLF RANKING

tyrrell hatton

Tyrrell Hatton is popular to watch, partly because of his remarkable accuracy with his iron shots, and partly for his profanity following a poor shot. The Englishman has six victories on the European Tour, four of them coming in the prestigious Rolex Series events. He has one PGA Tour victory at the 2020 Arnold Palmer Invitational and he has played on three Ryder Cup teams, winning twice. Hatton has not cracked the top-10 in seven Masters starts. He has five top-10 finishes in the other major championships. Hatton is ranked No. 16 in the world.

13

WORLD GOLF RANKING

collin morikawa

An American from Los Angeles, Morikawa, 27, now lives in Las Vegas with his wife, Katherine Zhu. He won five times in college at the University of California, Berkeley. Turning professional in 2019, Morikawa fashioned his first PGA Tour win at the Barracuda Championship in July. A year later, he defeated Justin Thomas in a playoff to win the Workday Charity Open. The following month, Morikawa won the 2020 PGA Championship in just his second start in a major tournament. He posted another major championship win at the Open Championship at Royal St. George’s Golf Club in Kent, England, by two strokes over Jordan Spieth. The win made him the first player since Bobby Jones, 95 years earlier, to win two majors in eight or fewer starts. Last October, Morikawa ended a 27-month winless stretch with a victory in the ZOZO Championship. He has seven professional wins and is ranked No. 13 in the world.

Sam Greenwood/Augusta National Golf Club

Chris Trotman/Augusta National Golf Club

WORLD GOLF RANKING

jordan spieth

Jordan Spieth is definitely among the game’s most popular players. He turned pro at age 19 and won the John Deere Classic on the fifth hole of a three-way playoff, becoming the fourth-youngest Tour winner and the first teenager to win since Ralph Guldahl in 1931. Spieth was named the 2013 Rookie of the Year, having reached 10th place on the PGA Tour money list. He began 2014 with a second-place finish in the Masters. He played in The Ryder Cup, the youngest American to do so since Horton Smith in 1929, and started on a streak of victories and high finishes that captured the imagination of the golfing world. He opened the 2015 Masters with a record-tying 64 and broke the 36-hole record with a 66 on Friday. In the middle of an epic year on the PGA Tour, Spieth won the U.S. Open by a stroke over Dustin Johnson. He became the sixth player to win the Masters and the U.S. Open in the same year — a group comprised of Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Ben Hogan and Craig Wood — as well as being the youngest winner of the U.S. Open since Bobby Jones in 1923. Spieth has 13 PGA Tour wins and three major championships, lacking only the PGA Championship to accomplish the mythical Grand Slam. In 10 starts at the Masters, Spieth has six top-10 finishes.

One of the most popular players on the PGA Tour, Tom Kim, 21, always looks like he’s having a great time. The son of a golf professional, Kim turned pro at the age of 16 on the Philippine Golf Tour. He got his first win at the age of 17 at the PGM ADT Championship in Malaysia, leading the field by six strokes. Kim’s nickname Tom comes from Thomas the Tank Engine, a children’s television show that he loved as a toddler. He has 12 professional wins, including three on the PGA Tour: the 2022 Wyndham Championship (by five strokes) and the 2022 and 2023 Shriners Children’s Open, by three strokes over Patrick Cantlay and Matthew NeSmith and then by one over Adam Hadwin. Kim finished second in the 2023 Open Championship. He is currently 17th in the World Golf Rankings. 12 17

WORLD GOLF RANKING

Tom Kim

Logan Whitton/Augusta National Golf Club

Thomas Lovelock/Augusta National Golf Club

tommy fleetwood

Tommy Fleetwood, 33, seems to have trimmed his mullet haircut, and it is doing him some good. But it is in character when you realize he was born in Merseyside, England, the metropolitan county claiming home to The Beatles. Tommy won the 2009 Scottish Amateur Stroke Play Championship and the 2010 English Amateur, turning professional shortly thereafter. There is no beaten path to the Kazakhstan Open, but that is where Tommy carved out his first win on the European Challenge Tour, earning a card on the major tour.

Fleetwood got his first major tour win at the prestigious Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles in a three-man playoff. He won another prominent tournament at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship in 2017. In June that same year,

Fleetwood finished fourth in the U.S. Open and won the Open de France the next month. To top off a great year, he won the season-long Race to Dubai and the $1.25 million that came with it. In one year, he had risen from 99th in the World Golf Rankings to inside the top 20. Fleetwood came in second in the 2018 U.S. Open by a stroke to Brooks Koepka after tying the championship’s low round of 63. Paired with Francesco Molinari in the 2018 Ryder Cup, Fleetwood and his partner became the first to win all four of their matches. In the same event two years later, Fleetwood went 0-2-1, falling to Jordan Spieth in the singles. Now a Ryder Cup stalwart, he went 3-1-1 in 2023, including a Sunday win against Rickie Fowler. Fleetwood has not fared well in seven Masters starts.

WORLD GOLF RANKING

Sam Greenwood/Augusta National Golf Club

Masters 2024

By Aimee Serafin

by Jennifer & Joann Keller

Tea Olive

Par 4 • 445 yards

Originally the 10th hole when the Masters opened in 1934, the nines were flipped the following year making Tea Olive the No. 1 since 1935.

Pink Dogwood

Par 5 • 575 yards

Pink Dogwood is the longest hole, with deep greenside bunkers requiring attention on the second shot. The front of the green was widened by eight feet in 2010.

Illustrations

Martin Miller/Augusta

HOLE 2

Flowering Peach Flowering Crab Apple

Par 4 • 350 yards

In 1955, a spectator vantage point was created for No. 3 so fans were able to then simultaneously view tee shots at No. 4. This hole is a classic par 4.

Par 3 • 240 yards

Far Eastern varieties with more flowers than native forms, the flowering crab apple trees at Augusta National Golf Club bloom in late March and early April. Play challenges for this hole include a sloped green and deceptive winds.

Par 4 • 495 yards

No. 5 was inspired by the legendary Road Hole at the Old Course at St. Andrews. In 2019, the tee was moved back

Juniper

Par 3 • 180 yards

A lumber salesman and amateur golfer named Billy Joe Patton was the first player to ace this hole in the final round of the 1954 Masters.

Pampas

Par 4 • 450 yards

In 1938, changes to the green were paid for by a club member and done with a tractor borrowed from the county.

Yellow Jasmine

Par 5 • 570 yards

Yellow Jasmine, a twining vine, is native to the Southeast with trumpet-shaped blooms appearing in early spring. Which golfer scored the second double eagle here in the tournament’s history in 1967? Bruce Devlin.

9

Carolina Cherry

Par 4 • 460 yards

Tiger Woods’ stretch of seven consecutive birdies in 2005, including one at No. 9, positioned him to win his fourth Green Jacket.

10

Camellia

Par 4 • 495 yards

Historically, No. 10 is ranked as the course’s most challenging hole. Among the misfortunes are Bubba Watson’s miraculous escape from the trees and Rory McIlroy’s crushing mishap near the cabins.

Azalea

Par 5 • 545 yards

Part of the famous trio that comprises Amen Corner, No. 13 is flanked by approximately 1,600 azaleas. In 2023, the tees were moved back 35 yards.

Par 4 • 520 yards

Augusta native Larry Mize made a chip-in on this hole in the 1987 Masters to defeat Greg Norman in a playoff. Thirty-six pine trees were added to the right of the fairway in 2004.

Par 3 • 155 yards

It’s been 36 years since a player made a hole in one on No. 12. Curtis Strange was the last player to ace the hole in 1988.

Chinese Fir

Par 4 • 440 yards

The No. 14 is the only hole at Augusta National without a bunker.

Firethorn

Par 5 • 550 yards

Significant past changes made to No. 15, whose game shots include the “one heard around the world,” involved a new tee location and fairway contouring.

In 2011, Charl Schwartzel won his first Green Jacket with an impressive consecutive birdie run on Nos. 15, 16, 17 and 18. This hole was once home to the Eisenhower Tree, which was removed after sustaining damage from an ice storm in 2014.

16

Redbud

Par 3 • 170 yards

During the 2022 Masters, Stewart Cink delivered the tournament’s first hole in one at Redbud. It was even more memorable since his son Reagan was on the bag and it happened to be his 25th birthday.

The No. 18 is one of the most famous finishing holes in golf with the green being uphill and having two distinct tiers.

Par 4 • 465 yards

Par 4 • 440 yards Nandina

Qualification: 17, 18

did Morikawa follow up in 2022? While he had another solid season on the PGA Tour, Morikawa punctuated his year by getting married to his longtime girlfriend, Katherine, in November. He also fared well on the golf course during the 2021-22 season. While Morikawa didn’t post a victory, he did record eight top-10 finishes for more than $4.8 million. One of those top-10 finishes came at the 2022 Masters, where he failed to get much going until a final-round 67 helped him finish six shots behind champion Scottie Sheffler. Morikawa later added a tie for fifth at the U.S. Open.

to resign from the PGA Tour to join the

Where Excellence is Par for the Course!

Qualification: 18

Age: 39

Residence: Las Vegas, Nev.

Masters

Appearance: 12th

2022 Masters Finish: T14

Golf tour. Captain of the Iron Heads team, Na played in seven tournaments, his best finish a tie for 11th at Boston. At the 2022 Masters, Na entered the weekend six shots behind hole leader Scottie Scheffler. Na went bogeytriple-bogey on Nos. 15-17 in the third round en route to 79 to fall out of contention. He qualified for this year’s Masters by finishing 2022 ranked No. 49 in the world rankings.

SPANISH CHAMPIONS

By Stephen Delaney Hale

When Jon Rahm Rodriguez putted out for a score of -12, (276), to win his fi rst Masters and second major championship, along with the 2021 U.S. Open, he had dominated the field with a four-stroke victory over Brooks Koepka and Phil Mickelson. Rahm was second in the British Open last year and won three other tournaments in the U.S.

It was a significant day in Masters Tournament history, for the win placed Spain as the second-most successful country at the event, behind only the United States. Rahm’s success moved Spain past other more “golf-famous” countries including England, Scotland and South Africa. His Green Jacket was the sixth won by his country, since Seve Ballesteros secured the fi rst one in 1980, and it gave Spain its fourth champion.

Courtesy of The Augusta Chronicle

Whitton/Augusta

Thomas Lovelock/Augusta

1980

Seve Ballesteros

B“This one’s for Seve,” said an emotional Rahm after donning his own Green Jacket last year. “He was up there helping, and help he did.”

– JON RAHM

allesteros electrified the patrons with an amazing display as he burst on the world golf scene at age 23 (although he had just won the British Open the year before). The swashbuckling Ballesteros with the thick Beatle haircut looked more like he was fighting a bull than playing a quiet “gentlemen’s game.”

Three years later, he brought the same flamboyant style back to Augusta for a second win in 1983.

That day was electrifying at Augusta National Golf Club. Ballesteros punched the air with a solid right, flashed a charismatic grin, and took off on a spontaneous, arm-raised, enamelflashing jog for several yards each time his ball vanished into the cup.

He then strode swiftly to the next tee, much like the way Rory McIlroy does today when he is on the way to victory. And like a winning McIlroy, Ballesteros would lift his arms, palms pointing to the sky, exhorting the already roaring galleries to give him more.

All three of those who followed his lead credit Ballesteros for the inspiration that made their wins possible. “This one’s for Seve,” said an emotional Rahm after donning his own Green Jacket last year. “He was up there helping, and help he did,” Rahm told the media.

“I remembered Seve’s quote,” said the new champion with a smile of victory. After Rahm had taken a four-putt double bogey on the tournament’s first hole he was asked what happened there. The new champion said he thought about the answer Ballesteros gave a reporter explaining the same setback, “I miss, I miss, I miss, I make.”

The parallels continued. After Rahm got a late start registering for the tournament last year — the 49th player to sign in — his caddie, Adam Hayes, was given the number 49 to wear on his bright white caddie overalls. Sunday’s final round was held on April 9 (4/9). Ballesteros’ birthday was 4/9, it would have been his 66th, and it was the 40th anniversary of his second victory in Augusta.

Courtesy of The Augusta Chronicle

All four of the Spanish champions excelled at the short game. According to one of the many legends about Ballesteros’ play, early in his career at a Spanish tournament, he was faced with a nearly impossible bunker shot. Deep in a trap, the green sloped sharply away from him and the pin.

To avoid a 20-foot par putt, a strong one out of the bunker would be a great shot. His caddie asked him how he was going to get it to stop. The always flamboyant Ballesteros smiled and took two sweeping practice strokes followed by a mighty blast from the sand. He watched as the ball went straight into the hole as fast as it could.

“See,” said Ballesteros to the astonished caddie, “when in trouble, I always look for the easiest way out.”

Despite his famous narration of how to make a double bogey, Ballesteros’ misses were fewer than the makes. In his first victory at the Masters, he came out roaring from the start with an excellent -6 (66), tied with twotime major champion David Graham, who would contend all week, and Jeff Mitchell, who finished 59th.

With a second-round three under 69,

Ballesteros had the lead to himself by four strokes over Graham and Rex Caldwell, and nobody came close to taking it back over the weekend. By the end of the third round, 68 (-13) and a seven-shot lead over Ed Fiori, everybody knew the fresh young Ballesteros as “Seve!”

An even-par 72 on Sunday would bring him in at -13, four strokes clear of Gibby Gilbert and Jack Newton. Ballesteros’ knees and hair kept bouncing as he accepted the Masters trophy behind the majestic clubhouse, and the roars for a new hero kept echoing across the historic grounds.

“See, when in trouble, I always look for the easiest way out.”

The third year after Ballesteros’ first victory brought some of the tournament’s worst weather and perhaps its greatest leaderboard. The top six finishers were Ballesteros; Ben Crenshaw and Tom Kite (both tied for second, four strokes behind); past champions Raymond Floyd and Tom Watson tied for fourth; and future champion Craig Stadler tied for sixth with multiple major championship winner Hale Irwin. But it was Ballesteros who started the first four holes on Sunday at -4 (birdie, eagle, par, birdie) and posted a -3 69 for another nearly uncontested 4-stroke victory.

Courtesy of The Augusta Chronicle

Courtesy of The Augusta Chronicle

1994

AOlazábal made par as he customarily scrambled off the green and finished with a twostroke victory. Ballesteros, his best friend and mentor, stayed for the Green Jacket ceremony.

José María Olazábal

fter his miracle chip-in from 20 yards right of the 11th green to win in 1987, during a playoff with Greg Norman (and an already eliminated Ballesteros), Larry Mize hoped to secure his legacy as a two-time Masters Champion with a second Green Jacket in 1994. He led after the first two rounds, by one over Tom Lehman and by two over José María Olazábal. An even par 72 left him a stroke behind Olazábal (69) and by two back of Lehman after three rounds.

Turning to the back nine on Sunday, the three were tied at the top after both Olazábal and Mize tied Lehman with birdies on No. 8 and they headed to the back nine deadlocked. Mize soon made three bogeys and fell out of contention. He would finish 3rd in the championship, two strokes back.

Olazábal made five straight pars and took a one-shot lead when Lehman made a bogey at the treacherous No. 12. Lehman and Olazábal reached the par-5 No. 15 in two, and with putts for eagle. Lehman missed, and his birdie put him at -8, now two shots behind Olazábal, who had sunk his putt to reach -10. Olazábal gave one back with a three-putt bogey at No. 17 and they reached the final hole with the Spaniard ahead by one.

Lehman pulled his one-iron tee shot into the fairway bunker and made a bogey, falling to -7. Olazábal made par as he customarily scrambled off the green and finished with a two-stroke victory. Ballesteros, his best friend and mentor, stayed for the Green Jacket ceremony.

Courtesy of

The Augusta Chronicle

1999 2017

José María Olazábal

Ready to party like it was in 1999, the patrons arrived in a festive mood. It looked like the party was on with a four-way tie for the lead among Brandel Chamblee, Georgia native Davis Love III, South African Nick Price and Scott McCarron.

After a blistering six-under 66, Friday put Olazábal in the lead by one over McCarron, who had a fine 68. Even though Olazábal still had an impressive list of party crashers behind him, his lead was now three over Lee Janzen and Greg Norman, and two ahead of Love and Price at -3.

Even with an unspectacular one-over 73 on Saturday, the Spaniard still had a stroke lead over Norman (71) and another over Love and Steve Pate, who shot the low round of the tournament at that point with a minus-seven 65. Late winds had scattered most of the other contenders.

Olazábal’s not-spectacular one-under 71 was enough for a two-stroke victory over Love and by three over Norman. The round gave the chasers hope when Olazábal made three consecutive bogeys from No. 3 through No. 5, but he took control from there with nine pars and four birdies the rest of the way.

Sergio García

Eighteen years after Olazábal’s victory, Sergio García defeated Justin Rose in a playoff for his first major victory. With a rained-out Par-3 Contest on Wednesday, Charley Hoffman was the only player in the field to take full advantage of the wet course. One over after five holes, Hoffman then unleashed eight birdies over the next twelve holes and finished with an excellent -7 (65).

That put Hoffman four ahead of second place William McGirt and five in front of Lee Westwood. Eight players tied for fourth at -1, including Mickelson, Rose and García. Hoffman shot a pedestrian 75 on Friday and was tied at -4 by Rickie Fowler (67), Thomas Pieters (68) and García (69).

Two Europeans would hold form on Saturday — Rose with a -5 (67) and García after a -2 (70). Fowler was one back after a -5 (71) and three Americans were one more back at -4: Hoffman (72), Ryan Moore (69)

and Jordan Spieth (68).

On Sunday, the field stayed crowded, but García jumped out to a two-stroke lead with birdies on Nos. 1 and 3. After three consecutive birdies from Nos. 6 through 8, Rose caught García at -8, with only Fowler within sight at -5.

García handed two back with bogies at Nos. 10 and 11 while Rose held steady with five pars in a row. He would break up that peaceful stretch with a roaring birdie at No. 14 and then a pine-shaking roar by dropping his eagle putt on No. 15! Rose would keep the patrons roaring with a goahead birdie on No. 16 but brought them back with a bogey at No. 17, tying García at -9. They would stay deadlocked after two final pars and headed for the first playoff hole, No. 18. Rose missed a 14-foot par putt and García followed by sinking his 12-foot birdie for the championship.

Courtesy of The Augusta Chronicle

Courtesy of The Augusta Chronicle

2023

If the play of Mickelson at the Masters surprises you, you haven’t been paying much attention for 30 years.

Jon Rahm

Like both of Ballesteros’ victories, Rahm won the 2023 Masters Tournament by four strokes and was rarely pressured. Most of the world’s greatest golfers were there and all but one of them thought they would have to go it alone. However, the eventual champion thought all along, and especially at the end, that he had somebody on the inside. The spirit of his hero, Ballesteros, was with him all 72 holes and he could feel his presence.

In the real world, Rahm would shoot a threeunder 69 in the final round to win by four strokes ahead of Koepka and Mickelson. Koepka was after his fifth major championship and led by two strokes with one round to go. But the magic was gone, and a dreary 75 dropped him to 280. Way ahead of that group on the course, Mickelson shot a remarkable -7 65 to jump up the leaderboard where he eventually tied Koepka for second. The brilliant round made Mickelson the oldest player in Masters history to finish inside the top five! If the play of Mickelson at the Masters surprises you, you haven’t been paying much attention for 30 years.

ROUND 1

Viktor Hovland, Koepka and Rahm started out the gate like it was a sprint. They each shot -7 (65) for just a two-shot lead over Cameron Young and Jason Day. And they were just one stroke ahead of a group of seven that included frequent World No. 1 (and 2022 Masters Champion) Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele and former British Open Champion Shane Lowry. That would leave 12 of the world’s best separated by three shots.

Chris Trotman/Augusta National Golf Club

Simon Bruty/Augusta National Golf Club

ROUND 2

Koepka (67) for -12 and Rahm (69) for -10 seemed to have already begun shaping the tournament into their private game. As the two burly golfers marched up and down the fairways, it looked as if two linebackers had escaped from the Green Bay Packers. Sam Bennett stayed in sight, four back, after a fine 68 and two of the pretournament favorites, Hovland (73) and Collin Morikawa (69) were two more back.

ROUND 3 ROUND 4

Heavy rain and flooded greens forced the postponement of the third round, with Rahm and Koepka on the seventh green, Koepka leading by four.

Early Sunday morning both leaders shot 73 to keep their places, two strokes apart. Hovland posted a 70 to get within three of Koepka and Patrick Cantlay shot up the board with a rather wet 68. He was five behind.

Rahm began the day two behind the leader Koepka, but when they shook hands after the 18th, he had shot 69, a gain of six strokes on his playing partner’s 75 and became the 2023 Masters Champion.

Mickelson’s brilliant 65 tied him with Koepka for second. The three-time Masters Champion started the day 10 shots out of Koepka’s lead. He also became the oldest player over the age of 50 to finish in the top five, moving aside the 1962 record of Jimmy Demaret. Spieth finished in a three-way tie for fourth place with Russell Henley and Patrick Reed. Spieth’s nine birdies on Sunday set the record for the lowest final-round score.

Rahm began the day two behind the leader Koepka, but when they shook hands after the 18th, he had shot 69, a gain of six strokes on his playing partner’s 75 and became the 2023 Masters Champion.

Logan Whitton/Augusta National Golf Club

Logan Whitton/Augusta National Golf Club

THE SPANISH CONNECTION

TAfter Rahm’s 2023 victory at the Masters, the Spanish record in Augusta stands at 6 and 4. That’s six Masters victories claimed by four Spanish champions.

here is more than even winning the Masters that connects the four great Spanish golfers. It was the inclusion of continental Europe, in addition to Great Britain and Ireland, that would transform The Ryder Cup from a quaint American romp to the most vibrant scene in worldwide golf and among the elite events in global sports.

The addition of Ballesteros and Bernhard Langer of Germany, Englishman Nick Faldo, Ian Woosnam of Wales and Scotsman Sandy Lyle turned a forlorn European team into a world force — so much so that the United States has not won the cup in Europe in 31 years.

During its glory days, the other force that made the difference was the leadership — the nearly mad devotion to victory — and the brilliant play and rallying personality of Ballesteros that changed everything.

Ballesteros made it his own. He had a course built in Spain specifically to host The Ryder Cup. When the event got there, he was now the non-playing captain, and he was even more a European weapon than if he had that sand wedge in his hand. Ballesteros infected Olazábal and García with the same Ryder Cup fever, and they kept making miracle shots seem almost mundane.

Even the much younger Rahm caught the fever from Ballesteros. Rahm’s father took his eight-year-old son to a Ryder Cup match where he stood next to Ballesteros. That day Rahm resolved to become a professional golfer and play for Spain in The Ryder Cup.

After Rahm’s 2023 victory at the Masters, the Spanish record in Augusta stands at 6 and 4. That’s six Masters victories claimed by four Spanish champions.

Courtesy of Iberostar Real Novo Sancti Petri Golf Club

European HONORS

By David Westin

The golf stars were aligned for the PGA Tour’s Jon Rahm over Augusta National Golf Club at the 87th Masters Tournament.

The Spaniard just didn’t realize it until he won by four shots over a pair of players from LIV Golf, the Saudi-funded rebel circuit that Rahm would shockingly join eight months later.

Omens that he would win were everywhere for Rahm, then 28 years old and the No. 3-ranked player in the world (he would move to No. 1 after the victory).

The fi rst one came the day he stepped on the Augusta National property in the days preceding the opening round, starting when he registered at Tournament Headquarters.

Participants are given their player badge number (which is also displayed on the front on their caddie’s jumpsuit) based on the order in which they register.

Rahm was the 49th player to register. Broken down into month (April) and day (the ninth) that was the birthday of trail-blazing Spaniard Seve Ballesteros, who won the Masters twice.

That wasn’t all.

That would be the beginning of multiple Spanish connections involving Ballesteros and even another Spaniard, Sergio García.

The fi nal round would also fall on the 40th anniversary of Ballesteros’ last Masters victory. And like Rahm, Ballesteros won by four shots that year.

Also, the last time the Masters fi nished on April 9, it was won by García, in 2017.

Thomas Lovelock/Augusta National Golf Club

“There’s so many things that made it special in that sense.”

– Jon Rahm

Jon Rahm of Spain crosses Nelson Bridge on No. 12 during the final round of the 2023 Masters

“There’s so many things that made it special in that sense,” Rahm said after the victory.

Rahm is the fourth Spaniard to win the Masters. In all, Spain has won 10 Green Jackets, second-most of any country other than the United States. South Africa has nine.

“There’s got to be something here about having a Spanish passport, I don’t know, there’s something about the grounds that transmits into all of us,” Rahm said.

He also became the first European to have won both the U.S. Open and the Masters.

“I find it hard to believe,” said Rahm, who was unaware of the feat until it was brought up at his post-victory press conference. “If there’s anything better than accomplishing something like this, it’s making history. So the fact that you tell me that, to be the firstever — first European ever to do that, hard

to explain. Out of all the accomplishments and the many great players that have come before me, to be the first to do something like that, it’s a very humbling feeling.”

Once a Spaniard won the Masters, it was never long before it happened again. Ballesteros started it all in 1980. Three years later, he won again.

“This one’s for Seve,” said Rahm, who was 16 years old when Ballesteros died in 2011 at age 54. Rahm met Ballesteros once, when Rahm was 12 years old.

After José María Olazábal won in 1994, he did it again five years later. The latest break between Spanish wins was six years, from García in 2017 until Rahm in 2023.

“I think the main thing, something that gave me a lot of hope, and that kind of started when Sergio won in ‘17, is that pretty much every great-name Spanish player has won here,” Rahm said.

Above:

Olazábal and García both missed the cut in the 2023 Masters, and Olazábal stuck around on the weekend. He was there to congratulate Rahm after he came off the 18th green in the final round.

“I can’t quite remember what we said,” Rahm said. “He said he hopes it’s the first of many more. We talked about Seve. If it had been 10 seconds more, I think we both would have been crying.”

It was no surprise Rahm was among the leaders all tournament long, considering the way he’d been playing heading into the Masters.

He started the season with seven consecutive top-10 finishes, three of which were victories. Likewise, in 2022, Scottie Scheffler had three wins before the Masters and he went on to make the Masters his fourth win of the season.

Then there was Rahm’s Masters record.

In six previous Masters starts, Rahm had excelled almost every time. He was fourth in 2018, tied for ninth in 2019, tied for seventh in 2020 and even tied for fifth in 2021 despite arriving on Wednesday, the day before the tournament, after the birth of his first child the previous Saturday. He finished tied for 27th in his Masters debut in 2017, and had that same finish in 2022.

For all his success at Augusta National, though, Rahm had never been in the mix to win over the final few holes on Sunday.

“To come somewhere where I’ve been comfortable and how great I’ve done here in the past but never gave myself a chance to win … all I asked for was a chance, and I got it.”

He took full advantage of it, shooting 6569-73-69 to finish at 12-under 276. He had just one bogey in the final round.

It didn’t look like it was going to be Rahm’s week on the opening hole of the tournament

Above: Jon Rahm of Spain plays a stroke from the No. 3 tee during practice round #1 at Augusta National Golf Club

Chris Trotman/Augusta National Golf Club

Below: Masters champion Jon Rahm of Spain celebrates after winning the final round of the 2023 Masters

when he four-putted for double bogey. Only Sam Snead, in 1952, had gone on to win after making double bogey on the first hole of the opening round.

“It brings out the fight in you,” said Rahm’s caddie Adam Hayes, who helped Rahm play his final 17 holes that day in 9 under par for the 65.

As he made his way around the course during Sunday’s final round, Rahm had the gallery on his side. Word had trickled down about the Ballesteros’ connections.

“The support was pretty incredible all throughout, and I kept hearing, ‘Seve! Seve! Seve! Do it for Seve!’ I heard that the entire back nine,” Rahm said. “That might have been the hardest thing to control today, is the emotion of knowing what it could be if I were to win.”

Ballesteros, never the best driver, was famous for his scrambling style golf, including the birdie he made from a car park in the final round of the 1979 British Open, which he won.

Fittingly, Rahm closed out his Masters victory with what he called a “Seve par” on the 72nd hole. Off the tee on the par-4 18th

hole, Rahm hit his drive into the grove of trees left of the fairway. The ball hit a tree and bounced backward, into the fairway, leaving him 236 yards to the hole. He layed up to 68 yards, and followed that with a wedge shot to 4 feet from the hole.

Then came that famous walk up the hill to the 18th green. Rahm, in the final group of the day, led by four shots so the jacket was his on the first Easter Sunday final round at the Masters in 11 years.

“Obviously we all dream of things like this as players, and you try to visualize what it’s going to be like and what it’s going to feel like,” Rahm said. “And when I hit that third shot on the green, and I could tell it was close by the crowd’s reaction, just the wave of emotion of so many things just overtook me. Never thought I was going to cry by winning a golf tournament, but I got very close on that 18th hole. And a lot of it because of what it means to me, and to Spanish golf, right?”

Rahm held his emotions together long enough to knock in the 4-footer for par to cap off his round.

“It was an unusual par – a Seve par,” Rahm said. “I know he was pulling for me.”

“Congrats to Jon,” said Rahm’s finalround playing partner Brooks Koepka (75 on Sunday) who tied for second place with 52-year-old Phil Mickelson (65). “He’s been playing great; it was super awesome to see.

A Green Jacket is pretty special, so enjoy.”

Mickelson, a three-time Masters champion, came from way back in the pack to tie for second place, thanks to the 65, the low score of the final round. It was also the lowest final round by any golfer over 50 in Masters history.

Mickelson and Rahm both went to Arizona State, and Mickelson has been a mentor to Rahm. In fact, Mickelson’s current caddie, his brother Tim, was Rahm’s golf coach at Arizona State University.

“The first time I played with him we played Whisper Rock, and he shot 62,” Mickelson said of Rahm. “And I thought I played pretty

good, and he gave me a pretty good beatdown. So I am not surprised at his success. I mean, it was obvious to me at a very young age that he was one of the best players in the world even while he was in college. To see him on this stage is not surprising for anybody. It’s hard not to pull for Jon, too. He’s such a good guy. He has such a great heart and treats people so well. I think the world of him as a person. And as a player, that’s obvious, how good he is.”

Rain and cold was in the forecast before the tournament started, which would mean some long days between weather delays. That played into Rahm’s hands.

“I told him the most athletic and most adaptable guy will win this week,” his caddie, Hayes, had told his boss.

Indeed, because of weather delays in the first three days of the 2023 Masters, a marathon final round would be needed to get in 72 holes. On Sunday, Rahm spent more

the 2023 Masters

of Spain is greeted on No. 18 by his wife, Kelley, and son, Kepa, after winning during the final round of the 2023 Masters

Top Left: Jon Rahm of Spain celebrates on No. 18 with caddie Adam Hayes after winning

Top Right: Jon Rahm

Sam Greenwood/Augusta National Golf Club

Chris Turvey/Augusta National Golf Club

than seven hours on the Augusta National course. When it was over, he had completed 30 holes and rallied from two shots back of Koepka after 54 holes.

“I’m just witnessing what he’s capable of, what he wants,” said Hayes, who has been on Rahm’s bag since June 2016. “He’s not done. He’s going to win a lot of tournaments.”

After it was over, Rahm was so overcome he was almost in a daze during the winner’s news conference. An electronic scoreboard to his left in the media center showed the final leaderboard, hole by hole.

“Still really hasn’t sunk in yet,” Rahm said. “I’m looking at the scores, and I still think I have a couple more holes left to win.”

After that press conference, Rahm was surprised to learn that there is a traditional dinner for the champion and his guests with Augusta National members in the clubhouse. Rahm knew there was something with the members but had thought it was “just a cocktail party.”

The week after the Masters, Rahm earned even more respect from the golf world by honoring his commitment to play in the RBC Heritage in Hilton Head Island, S.C. He was the first Masters champion to play the following week since Jordan Spieth did it at the Heritage in 2015.

“It did cross my mind (to withdraw),” Rahm said. “But I made a commitment earlier in the year, and I want to honor that commitment. Talking to Kelley (his wife), I put myself in the shoes of not only the spectators, but the kids as well. If I was one of the kids, I would want to see the recent Masters champion play good or bad, just want to be there.”

Rahm made a point to say he was playing to win, not show up as the newly-crowned Masters champion. He had his Green Jacket with him and said he wanted to accomplish a “jacket double” by also winning the tartan jacket that goes to the Heritage winner. Only Bernhard Langer, in 1985, had pulled off that feat.

Joe Toth/Augusta National Golf Club

Above: Masters champion Jon Rahm of Spain speaks to members of the media during a press conference following the final round of the 2023 Masters

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Contenders Masters 2024

By Chris Gay

1. Masters Tournament Champions (Lifetime)

2024 QUALIFICATIONS

2. U.S. Open Champions (Honorary, non-competing after 5 years)

3. British Open Champions (Honorary, non-competing after 5 years)

4. PGA Champions (Honorary, non-competing after 5 years)

5. Winners of The Players Championship (Three years)

6. Current Olympic Gold Medalist (One year)

7. Current US Amateur Champion (7-A) (Honorary, non-competing after 1 year) and the runner-up (7-B) to the 2021 US Amateur Champion

8. Current British Amateur Champion (Honorary, non-competing after 1 year)

9. Current Asia-Pacific Amateur Champion

10. Current Latin America Amateur Champion

11. Current US Mid-Amateur Champion

12. Current NCAA Division I Men’s Individual champion

13. The first 12 players, including ties, in the previous year’s Masters Tournament

Tommy Aaron

Ángel Cabrera

Charles Coody

Ben Crenshaw

14. The first 4 players, including ties, in the previous year’s U.S. Open Championship

15. The first 4 players, including ties, in the previous year’s British Open Championship

16. The first 4 players, including ties, in the previous year’s PGA Championship

17. Winners of PGA Tour events that award a full-point allocation for the season-ending Tour Championship, from the previous Masters to current Masters

18. Those qualifying for the previous year’s season-ending Tour Championship

19. The 50 leaders on the Final Official World Golf Ranking for the previous calendar year

20. The 50 leaders on the Official World Golf Ranking published during the week prior to the Masters Tournament

The Masters Committee, at its discretion, also invites international players not otherwise qualified.

PAST CHAMPIONS NOT PLAYING IN 2024 MASTERS

Nick Faldo

Raymond Floyd

Trevor Immelman

Contenders as of February 30, 2024

Ludvig Åberg (Sweden)

Qualification: 17, 19

Age: 24

Residence: Lubbock, Texas

Masters

Appearance: First

2023 Masters

Finish: DNP

Bernard Langer

Sandy Lyle

Larry Mize

Åberg made golf history in 2023 by finishing first in the PGA Tour University Class of 2023, turning professional and joining the PGA Tour following the NCAA Division I Men’s Golf Championship. He became the first player to join the Tour directly from college via PGA Tour University. In his senior season at Texas Tech University, Åberg posted a 68.78 scoring average and was ranked the No. 1 collegiate golfer. Last fall, he was chosen to play for the European team in The Ryder Cup, where he won two points to help defeat the United States. Last November, Åberg closed The RSM Classic with weekend rounds of 61-61 for a four-shot victory, his first PGA Tour title.

Jack Nicklaus

Mark O’Meara

Gary Player

Qualification: 17, 18, 19

Age: 37

Residence: Jupiter, Fla.

Masters

Appearance: Eighth 2023 Masters

Finish: T-23

Keegan Bradley

Craig Stadler

Tom Watson

Ian Woosnam

Fuzzy Zoeller

Bradley, the 2011 PGA Championship winner, posted his greatest season on the PGA Tour during the 2022-23 campaign. Not only did he claim his fifth PGA Tour title in the ZOZO Championship in 2022, Bradley added career win No. 6 in June when he opened the Travelers Championship with rounds of 62-63 en route to a three-shot victory. He finished ninth in the FexExCup standings, earning more than $9 million, while also extending his fully-exempt status through 2026. At the 2023 Masters, Bradley recorded his secondlowest finish in Augusta with his tie for 23rd place.

Qualification: 18, 19

Age: 27

Residence:

Choudrant, La.

Masters

Appearance: Third

2023 Masters Finish: T-29

Sam Burns

Burns has been one of the tour’s top golfers the past three seasons. During that stretch, he’s played in 76 tournaments and earned more than $19 million. After winning twice in 2021 and winning twice again in 2022, Burns added PGA Tour victory No. 5 at the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play event, when he bested Cameron Young, 6 and 5, in the final match. Burns opened the 2023 Masters with rounds of 68-71 to find himself within striking distance of the leaders. A third-round 78, capped by a triple-bogey 7 at No. 18, led to Burns falling off the pace.

Qualification: 18, 19

Age: 32

Residence: Jupiter, Fla.

Masters

Appearance: Eighth

2023 Masters Finish: T-14

Qualification: 2, 14, 17, 18, 19

Age: 30

Residence:

Denver, Colo.

Masters

Appearance: First

2023 Masters Finish: DNP

Wyndham Clark

Clark is making his first Masters appearance after coming out of nowhere to win the 2023 U.S. Open in his seventh major appearance. Before that victory, he missed the cut twice at the U.S. Open, added two other missed cuts and never finished better than 75th in a major. Clark took a one-shot lead into the final round over Rory McIlroy. After McIlroy bogeyed the par-5 14th and Clark recorded a birdie, the lead expanded to three shots with four holes to play. While Clark bogeyed Nos. 15 and 16, he made two clutch pars on the final two holes to secure a one-shot victory for his first major championship.

Qualification: 19

Age: 35

Residence:

Tequesta, Fla.

Masters

Appearance: First

2023 Masters

Finish: DNP

Patrick Cantlay

During his 2022-23 PGA Tour campaign, Cantlay earned the most money he’s won in a season, collecting more than $10 million. And he did this without winning a tournament for the first time since 2020. So how did he earn more money than he did when he won four times in 2021? Cantlay finished runner-up twice, third twice and added six more top-10 finishes. One of those finishes was a fifthplace showing at the TOUR Championship, which earned him $3 million. At the 2023 Masters, Cantlay entered the final round in the next-to-last pairing, five shots off the lead. A short approach at No. 1 led to an opening bogey and an eventual 75. Cantlay went on to tie for ninth at the PGA Championship, while also tying for 14th place at the U.S. Open.

Eric Cole

Cole’s name might not sound familiar to the casual golf fan, but golf is in his blood. His mother, Laura Baugh, won the 1971 U.S. Women’s Amateur and played for almost three decades on the Ladies Professional Golf Assoication (LPGA) Tour. His father, Bobby Cole, won on the PGA Tour in 1977, capturing the Buick Open title. Cole played for years on the Minor League Golf Tour before making his way to the Korn Ferry Tour, where he finished tied for third at the 2022 TOUR Championship to earn his PGA Tour card. He entered 2023 ranked just inside the top 400 in the world, but his two runner-up finishes, two third and three other top-10 showings helped him climb all the way to No. 41 after The RSM Classic in November.

Qualification: 18, 19

Age: 32

Residence:

Listowel, Ontario

Masters

Appearance: Seventh

2023 Masters Finish: MC

Corey Conners (Canada)

After a string of three consecutive top-10 finishes at the Masters, Conners shockingly missed the cut after opening with rounds of 73-79. In the second round, he was one shot inside the cut line before shooting 6 over on his final five holes. Despite his Masters showing, Conners recorded his best season on the PGA Tour last season. He won for the second time at the Valero Texas Open, posted four other top-10 finishes and won more than $5.5 million.

Qualification: 1

Age: 64

Residence: Newport Beach, Calif.

Masters Appearance: 39th

2023 Masters Finish: T-50

Qualification: 16, 19

Age: 29

Residence: Seattle, Wash.

Masters Appearance: Second

2023 Masters

Finish: DNP

Cameron Davis (Australia)

Davis is making his second Masters appearance in three years thanks to his play at the 2023 PGA Championship. Davis posted a final-round 65 to climb into a tie for fourth-place with Kurt Kitayama and Bryson DeChambeau, finishing six shots behind champion Brooks Koepka. While he didn’t record a victory in the 2022-23 PGA Tour season, Davis finished in the top-10 eight times en route to earning more than $5 million, his most winnings in a PGA Tour season.

Qualification: 15, 17, 18, 19

Age: 36

Residence: Forest Lake, Queensland; Columbus, Ohio

Masters Appearance: 13th

2023 Masters Finish: T-39

Fred Couples

The 1992 Masters champion, Couples will forever be remembered for saving par at No. 12 in the final round, his tee shot landing short of the green but not rolling into the water. He chipped us close and saved par, a clutch turn of events that led to his first Green Jacket. A World Golf Hall of Fame member, Couples owns 64 professional wins, including 15 on the PGA Tour. Couples added his 14th Champions TOUR victory in 2022, when he won the SAS Championship in October. He posted rounds of 68-68-60 for a six-shot victory. He made the Masters cut last year for the first time since 2018.

Jason Day (Australia)

Day won on the PGA Tour for the first time since 2018 when he claimed the AT&T Byron Nelson event in May. Day closed the tournament with a final-round 62 to capture his 13th career PGA Tour title. After finishing 124th in the FedExCup standings one season earlier, Day recorded 13 top-25 finishes and earned more than $6.9 million en route to a top-30 finish in the FedExCup standings. Day sat at 3 under through three rounds of the 2023 Masters, but he recorded four double bogeys during a five-hole stretch in the final round on his way to a closing 80 which dropped him down the leaderboard.

Qualification:

10

Age: 22

Residence:

Houston, Texas

Masters

Appearance: First

2023 Masters

Finish: DNP

Santiago De La Fuente (Mexico)

De La Fuente is a senior golfer at the University of Houston. He became the second Mexican to win the Latin America Amateur Championship after posting a final-round 64 in January for a one-shot victory. The win earned De La Fuente a spot in the 2024 Masters, U.S. Open and British Open. In his junior season at Houston, he led the team with a 70.71 scoring average en route to winning All-America honors.

Qualification: 2, 16

Age: 30

Residence: Dallas, Texas

Masters

Appearance: Eighth

2023 Masters

Finish: MC

Qualification:

7-A, 17

Age: 20

Residence:

Tuscaloosa, Ala.

Masters

Appearance: First

2023 Masters

Finish: DNP

Nick Dunlap

After a successful freshman campaign at the University of Alabama when he led his team with a 70.35 stroke average and earned all-conference honors, Dunlap continued his success throughout the summer. The No. 1-ranked junior golfer in 2022, Dunlap found himself in elite company after he won the U.S. Amateur in August. Dunlap defeated Neal Shipley not only to win the U.S. Amateur, but he became just the second golfer to win the U.S. Junior Amateur Golf Championship. The first? Tiger Woods. In January, Dunlap rolled in a six-foot par putt on the final hole to win the American Express Championship, becoming the first amateur to win on the PGA Tour since Phil Mickelson in 1991.

Qualification: 19

Age: 34

Residence: Sea Island, Ga.

Masters

Appearance: Fifth

2023 Masters

Finish: T-43

Bryson DeChambeau

DeChambeau is playing on the fourth year of a five-year Masters Tournament exemption for winning the 2020 U.S. Open. Despite the strength and bulk he gained during the Covid pandemic in 2020, DeChambeau’s best finish at the Masters so far is a tie for 21st place in 2016 when he was an amateur. Last year, he missed the cut for the second time, posting consecutive rounds of 74-74 to miss the weekend by one shot. In 2022, DeChambeau joined the LIV Golf tour for a rumored sum of more than $125 million through the 2026 season. In 13 LIV Golf events in 2023, he recorded a pair of individual titles, including a win at The Greenbrier Classic, where he shot 58 in the final round for a six-shot victory.

Harris English

English underwent hip surgery in 2022 and missed five months on the PGA Tour. He rebounded with a fantastic season in 202223, recording five top-10 finishes and earning more than $5.6 million. English finished the year ranked No. 38 in the FedExCup standings. His tie for third at the Wells Fargo Championship moved him to No. 36 in the world, solidifying his spot in the top 50 for the rest of the year. English has made three cuts at the Masters, but he has yet to contend for a Green Jacket.

Qualification: 17, 18, 19

Age: 34

Residence:

Lehi, Utah

Masters

Appearance: Seventh

2023 Masters

Finish: T-26

Tony Finau

While Finau hasn’t found much success the past two years in Augusta, he has made his mark on the PGA Tour. Finau has won four PGA Tour tournaments the past two years, including wins at the Houston Open at the beginning of the 2022-23 season and at the Mexico Open in April. Finau has made the cut in each of his previous six Masters appearances, though he hasn’t made a top-10 showing since 2021. Last year, Finau opened with 69, but that was his only under-par round as he finished at even-par 288. Finau and his wife, Alayna, have five children: Jraice, Leilene Aiaga, Tony, Sage and Sienna-Vee.

Qualification: 2, 13, 17, 18, 19

Age: 29

Residence: Sheffield, England

Masters

Appearance: 10th

2023 Masters

Finish: T-10

Qualification: 18, 19

Age: 33

Residence:

Southport, England

Masters

Appearance: Eighth

2023 Masters

Finish: 33rd

Tommy Fleetwood (England)

In the 2022-23 season, Fleetwood made his most starts in a PGA Tour season since becoming a regular member in 2018. That extra play paid big dividends as Fleetwood made the cut in 18 of 21 events, finishing in the top-10 nine times. While he didn’t win a tournament, Fleetwood recorded a runner-up showing and two thirds en route to more than $6.5 million in winnings. In the fall, Fleetwood went 3-1-0 in the Ryder Cup, posting the clinching point by defeating Rickie Fowler, 3 and 1, in singles play for Team Europe’s victory over the United States.

Qualification: 17, 18, 19

Age: 35

Residence:

Jupiter, Fla.

Masters

Appearance: 11th

2023 Masters

Finish: DNP

Matthew Fitzpatrick (England)

Fitzpatrick continues to play exceptional golf on the PGA Tour after winning the 2022 U.S. Open. Last spring, he got hot in time to post his second career top-10 finish at the Masters. The following week, he birdied the third sudden-death playoff to defeat Jordan Spieth to win the RBC Heritage. Later, he placed runner-up at the BMW Championship, eventually finishing with more than $8 million in winnings. Fitzpatrick has found success in Augusta, making eight consecutive cuts. Last year’s finish was his best Masters showing since 2016, when he tied for seventh place.

Rickie Fowler

Fowler is back in Augusta, making his first Masters appearance since 2020. From 20142020, Fowler finished tied for 12th or better five times in the Masters. After finishing outside of the top 125 in the FedExCup standings in the previous two seasons, Fowler kicked off his 2022-23 season on the PGA Tour season with a tie for sixth place at the Fortinet Championship. One month later, he tied for second at the ZOZO Championship, climbing 54 spots to No. 106 in the world rankings. Fowler continued his solid play into late spring, when he kicked off a run of three consecutive top-10 finishes at the Charles Scwab Challenge. At the Rocket Mortgage Classic, Fowler birdied the first sudden-death playoff hole to defeat Collin Morikawa and Adam Hadwin for his first PGA Tour win since 2019.

Qualification:

19

Age: 37

Residence:

London; Auckland, New Zealand

Masters

Appearance: Second

2023 Masters

Finish: T-26

Ryan Fox (New Zealand)

Fox played a mix of golf tournaments around the world last season. While he didn’t find much luck in 13 PGA Tour starts, Fox continued his winning ways on the DP World Tour (formerly European Tour). At the BMW PGA Championship in September, Fox recorded four rounds in the 60s and defeated Tyrrell Hatton and Aaron Rai by one shot for his fourth DP World Tour victory, third in two years. In his first Masters appearance last year, Fox opened with rounds of 70-71, but he fell back after making three double bogeys in his final 21 holes. He made the cut in all four of his 2023 major tournament appearances.

Qualification: 1

Age: 44

Residence:

Crans-Montana, Switzerland

Masters

Appearance: 25th

2023 Masters

Finish: MC

Qualification: 17, 18, 19

Age: 44

Residence:

Tequesta, Fla.

Masters

Appearance: 10th

2023 Masters

Finish: DNP

Lucas Glover

After missing the Masters last year, Glover is back in the field coming off a hot stretch in August. He fired a third-round 62 in the third round of the Wyndham Championship for an eventual two-shot victory, his fifth PGA Tour win. One week later, he defeated Patrick Cantlay in a playoff. The back-to-back victories helped him accumulate more than $6.3 million in winnings last season. It also gave him fully-exempt status through 2026. Glover tied for 30th place in his previous Masters appearance in 2022.

Qualification: 17, 18, 19

Age: 31

Residence: San Diego, Calif.

Masters

Appearance: Fourth

2023 Masters

Finish: DNP

Sergio García (Spain)

García played in 13 LIV Golf events during the 2022-23 season, his best finish coming in late April in Singapore. He finished runnerup after falling to Talor Gooch in a playoff. García’s Fireballs GC team won twice on tour last season. At the 2023 Masters, García shot 74-77 to miss the cut for the fourth time since 2018. In the 2017 Masters, he won the Green Jacket after rolling in a 14-foot eagle putt in the final round and making a suddendeath playoff with Justin Rose. García rolled in a birdie putt at No. 18 to win the Masters, his first major championship.

Emiliano Grillo (Argentina)

Grillo is returning to the Masters for the first time since 2019. He played in 33 PGA Tour events in the 2022-23 season, making 23 cuts and recording eight top-10 finishes. Grillo captured his second career PGA Tour victory last season, first since 2015, but it wasn’t easy. He carried a two-shot lead into the final hole of the Charles Scwab Challenge, but his drive landed in a creek. He went on to make double bogey and faced Adam Schenk in a playoff. Grillo birdied the second extra hole for the victory. He finished the season with more than $5.4 million in winnings.

Qualification:

19

Age: 36

Residence:

Abbotsford, British Columbia

Masters

Appearance: Fourth

2023 Masters Finish: DNP

Adam Hadwin (Canada)

Hadwin is back in the Masters for the first time since 2020. He climbed 10 spots in the world rankings to No. 46 after his runner-up showing in the Shriners Children’s Open in late fall. He was able to end the year ranked No. 49, with the top 50 players in the world qualified for Augusta. Hadwin finished second three times in 2023 and added three other top-10 finishes to earn more than $4.7 million, his highest-earning season on the PGA Tour.

Qualification: 11

Age: 32

Residence:

Newport Beach, Calif.

Masters

Appearance: Third

2023 Masters

Finish: DNP

Qualification:

3, 18, 19

Age: 37

Residence:

St. Simons Island, Ga.

Masters

Appearance: Sixth

2023 Masters

Finish: MC

Brian Harman

While Harman has found little luck in his time playing the Masters, he found another major tournament suited his game well in 2023. At the British Open at Royal Liverpool, Harman opened with rounds of 67-65 and cruised to a six-shot victory for his first major title. Harman became just the third left-handed golfer to win the British Open. He finished the 2022-23 season with more than $9 million in earnings thanks to three runner-up finishes and three additional top-10 showings. At the 2023 Masters, Harman bogeyed four of the first seven holes en route to an opening 77 and his second consecutive missed cut at the Masters.

Qualification: 18, 19

Age: 32

Residence: Marlow, Buckinghamshire

Masters

Appearance: Eighth

2023 Masters

Finish: T-34

Stewart Hagestad

Hagestad won his third U.S. Mid-Amateur Golf Championship last summer when he defeated Evan Beck, 3 and 2, in the final match. He returns to Augusta for the first time since 2022, when he missed the Masters cut. In 2017, Hagestad became the first U.S. Mid-Amateur champion to make a Masters cut, earning low amateur honors with his tie for 36th place. He will celebrate his 33rd birthday during the Wednesday of the Par-3 Contest.

Tyrrell Hatton (England)

While Hatton failed to win on the PGA Tour in 2023, he still earned more than $8 million. Hatton played consistently good golf throughout the year, making the cut in 20 of 21 events. Of those 20 made cuts, he turned in seven top-10 finishes. Hatton finished solo second at THE PLAYERS Championship to take home $2.725 million. He made the cut in all four majors, posting top-20 finishes at the PGA Championship and British Open. At the 2023 Masters, Hatton opened with 71, his lone under-par round of the tournament.

Qualification: 13, 18, 19

Age: 34

Residence: Columbus, Ga.

Masters

Appearance: Eighth

2023 Masters Finish: T-4

Russell Henley

Henley, a Georgia native and former Georgia Bulldog, played his way to his best Masters finish yet, when he tied for fourth last year, finishing five shots behind champion Jon Rahm. After opening with 73, Henley rebounded with rounds of 67-71-70. While he found 50 of 56 fairways in the tournament and had zero three-putt greens, Henley could’ve contended for a Green Jacket had he been able to score better on the back nine. In the final two rounds, he recorded 17 pars and one birdie on holes 10-18. Still, he recorded his best finish in a major. Henley ended the 2022-23 season with more than $6.3 million in earnings, his best PGA Tour year to date.

Qualification: 17

Age: 28

Residence: Athens, Ala.

Masters

Appearance: First

2023 Masters Finish: DNP

Lee Hodges

Hodges made the most of his second full season on the PGA Tour in 2022-23. At the 3M Open, he opened with rounds of 63-64 and never looked back. He became that tournament’s first wire-to-wire winner, posting a seven-shot victory. He added two eagles in the final round as the exclamation point to his first PGA Tour victory. Hodges, a former University of Alabama golfer who lists duck hunting and sports card collecting as two of his hobbies, earned more than $3.7 million last year. He will be making his fourth major tournament appearance, first in Augusta.

Qualification: 19

Age: 23

Residence:

Aarhus, Denmark

Masters

Appearance: First

2023 Masters

Finish: DNP

Nicolai Højgaard (Denmark)

Højgaard qualified for the 2024 Masters by finishing 2023 ranked No. 50 in the World Golf Rankings. He began the year ranked outside of the top 100 and didn’t make a big move until late in the year while playing on the DP World Tour. After finishing second at the Nedbank Golf Challenge, he climbed to No. 70. The next week, Højgaard claimed his biggest victory to date. He closed the DP World Tour Championship with 64 for a two-shot victory. The win pushed him up 20 spots in the world rankings to No. 50 where he remained to end the year.

Qualification: 18, 19

Age: 33

Residence: Scottsdale, Ariz.

Masters

Appearance: Fifth

2023 Masters

Finish: T-43

Max Homa

Homa has been one of the PGA Tour’s hottest golfers lately. In the past three years, Homa has won five tournaments and earned almost $20 million. During the 2022-23 season, Homa won twice, added 11 more top-10 finishes and earned more than $10 million. He kicked off the 2023-24 season by winning the DP World Tour’s Nedbank Golf Challenge. Homa was even through three rounds of the 2023 Masters before closing with 78. Later in the year, he posted his best major finish when he tied for 10th place at the British Open.

Qualification: 13, 16, 17, 18, 19

Age: 26

Residence:

Stillwater, Okla.

Masters

Appearance: Fifth

2023 Masters

Finish: T-7

Viktor Hovland (Norway)

What a season it was in 2022-23 for Viktor Hovland. He not only finished tied for 13th or better in all four majors, Hovland also won three events. He made the cut in all 23 tournaments he entered, posted nine top-10 finishes and after winning the BMW Championship he traveled to the TOUR Championship with the No. 1 ranking. At East Lake, Hovland finished in first at 27-under for an $18 million payday. At the 2023 Masters, Hovland entered the final round three shots off the lead before recording a final-round 74. Hovland later finished tied for second at the PGA Championship. He enters this year’s Masters seeking his first major tournament victory.

Qualification: 18, 19

Age: 25

Residence:

Jeju, South Korea

Masters

Appearance: Fourth

2023 Masters

Finish: T-16

Qualification: 1

Age: 39

Residence:

Jupiter, Fla.

Masters

Appearance: 14th

2023 Masters

Finish: T-48

Dustin Johnson

Johnson became another high-profile player who left the PGA Tour for the LIV Golf tour in 2022. In 13 LIV Golf events in 2023, Johnson won the Tulsa event in a playoff and added two team victories. In 2020, the South Carolina native set the Masters Tournament’s 72-hole scoring record at 20-under (6570-65-68) to win a rare fall Green Jacket. Johnson, the 2016 U.S. Open champion, is halfway to the career Grand Slam. Last year, he tied for 10th at the U.S. Open, his best finish in a 2023 major. Johnson opened the 2023 Masters with rounds of 71-72 before closing with rounds of 78-75. The tie for 48th place was his worst four-round finish in Augusta.

Qualification: 1

Age: 48

Residence:

St. Simons Island, Ga.

Masters

Appearance: 20th

2023 Masters

Finish: T-34

Sungjae Im (Korea)

Im posted his third top-20 finish in the Masters last year, a second-round 76 preventing him from getting into contention. Despite his play in Augusta, Im had another solid year on the PGA Tour, with nine top-10 finishes for more than $6.6 million. At THE PLAYERS Championship, Im opened with 75 but rallied to finish tied for sixth. Despite failing to win on the PGA Tour last year, Im traveled to South Korea and won the Woori Financial Group Championship after shooting a final-round 68 for a one-shot victory.

Zach Johnson

Johnson owns 12 career PGA Tour victories and has accumulated more than $48 million in earnings. For the second consecutive year, Johnson failed to record a top-10 finish during a season. Despite finishing No. 154 in the FedExCup standings, Johnson received status this season by being in the top 50 in career money on tour. He is the owner of two major titles — the 2007 Masters and the 2015 British Open. In 2007, he closed with 69 to win the Green Jacket by two shots, his first major victory. In 2015, he rode a fiveweek hot stretch during the summer to his second major championship. During that run, Johnson posted four top-six finishes, including a victory at the British Open. He and his wife, Kim Barclay, have three children (Will, Wyatt and Abby Jane).

Qualification: 18, 19

Age: 28

Residence:

Dallas, Texas

Masters

Appearance: Eighth

2023 Masters Finish: T-29

Si Woo Kim

Kim recorded his fourth PGA Tour win last year when he shot four rounds in the 60s to take home the Sony Open title. He posted 11 top25 finishes throughout the 2022-23 season and won more than $5.5 million. He shot 63 in the final round of the AT&T Byron Nelson to tie for second place. After missing the cut in the 2017 Masters, Kim has posted four top30 finishes in Augusta. He is still seeking his first top-10 finish in a major.

Qualification: 15, 17, 18, 19

Age: 21

Residence: Dallas, Texas

Masters

Appearance: Second

2023 Masters Finish: T-16

Qualification: 17

Age: 38

Residence:

Athens, Ga.

Masters

Appearance: Fifth

2023 Masters

Finish: T-23

Chris Kirk

Kirk kicked off 2024 in the way every golfer wants — by winning the first tournament of the year. Kirk shot 67-65-66-65 to win The Sentry by one shot over Sahith Theegala. It was Kirk’s sixth PGA Tour victory, second in 11 months. In February 2023, he won the Honda Classic in a playoff over Eric Cole. Kirk finished the 2022-23 season with more than $4.1 million in winnings. Last year, he played in Augusta for the first time in seven years. Despite opening with two bogeys and a double bogey in the first five holes, Kirk rebounded to post 2-under-par 70 in the first round. He went on to post his second-best Masters finish.

Qualification: 16, 19

Age: 31

Residence: Henderson, Nev.

Masters

Appearance: Second

2023 Masters

Finish: MC

Tom Kim (Korea)

In less than two years, Kim has earned his PGA Tour card, collected three tour victories and recorded two top-10 finishes in the majors. And he won’t turn 22 until June. After shooting 24-under to win the Shriners Children’s Open to kick off the 2022-23 season, he turned around and won it again this past October. With those two wins, he earned more than $7.7 million in 2023. Kim played well in his first Masters appearance, posting rounds of 70-72-74-70. Later in the year, he tied for eighth at the U.S. Open before tying for second at the British Open.

Kurt Kitayama

Kitayama earned his first career PGA Tour victory in 2023. Despite closing the Arnold Palmer International with consecutive rounds of 72, he held on for a one-shot victory. Kitayama added a runner-up finish and two other top-10 showings for more than $6.8 million in earnings during the 202223 season. Kitayama fired a final-round 65 to surge into a tie for fourth at the PGA Championship, his first top-10 finish in a major. In his first Masters appearance last year, Kitayama posted rounds of 75-77 for an early exit.

Qualification:

4, 13, 19

Age: 33

Residence:

Jupiter, Fla.

Masters Appearance: Ninth

2023 Masters

Finish: T-2

Brooks Koepka

Last year marked a return to form for Koepka, who was ranked No. 1 in the world for 47 weeks between 2018 and 2020. He suffered his worst year in the major championships in 2022, failing to post a top-10 finish for the first time since 2013, and he plummeted out of the top 100 in the world rankings. Also in 2022, he joined the LIV Golf tour. On the major scene, he proved himself once again by almost winning his first Masters title before bringing home his fifth major title when he won the PGA Championship by two shots over Scottie Scheffler and Viktor Hovland. Koepka also added two titles on the LIV Golf tour in 2023. At the 2023 Masters, Koepka recorded his second runner-up showing in five years. He opened with rounds of 65-67 for a two-shot lead over Jon Rahm at the halfway mark. Both players shot 73 in the raindelayed third round, then Koepka entered the final round on top. After posting three bogeys on the first nine, Koepka slipped back and finished with 75.

Qualification: 19

Age: 25

Residence:

Perth, Australia

Masters

Appearance: Third

2023 Masters

Finish: MC

Qualification: 8

Age: 23

Residence:

Atlanta, Ga.

Masters

Appearance: First

2023 Masters

Finish: DNP

Min Woo Lee (Australia)

Lee splits his time playing around the world. He won his third DP World Tour when he shot an opening 64 at the Fortinet Australian PGA Championship for an eventual three-shot victory. In the 2022-23 season, he played in 14 PGA Tour tournaments, recording four top10 finishes. While Lee missed the cut at the 2023 Masters, he made the cut in the other three majors. He recorded his best major finish at the U.S. Open when he finished tied for fifth.

Qualification: 17

Age: 39

Residence: Augusta, Ga.

Masters

Appearance: Third

2023 Masters

Finish: DNP

Christo Lamprecht (South Africa)

Lamprecht, a senior golfer at Georgia Tech Institute of Technology, played his way to an invitation down I-20 by becoming the third South African in six years to win the British Amateur Championship with a 3 and 2 victory over Ronan Kleu. The 6-foot-8 Lamprecht entered 2024 as the No. 2 amateur in the world. He earned first-team, All-America honors after recording eight top-10 finishes during the 2022-23 college golf season.

Luke List

List, a native Georgian who played college golf at Vanderbilt University, will compete in the Masters for the second time in three years after making his first appearance in 2005 as an amateur. List, who lives in Augusta with his wife, Chloe, and their two children, won his second career PGA Tour event in two years in October. In a five-way playoff, List rolled in a long birdie putt to claim the title. In 32 events in the 2022-23 seasons, List recorded nine top-25 finishes and earned more than $3 million.

Qualification: 3, 19

Age: 37

Residence:

Jupiter, Fla.

Masters

Appearance: Eighth

2023 Masters

Finish: T-16

Shane Lowry (Ireland)

In 2023, Lowry recorded 11 top-20 finishes across the PGA Tour and DP World Tour. Three of those top-20 finishes came in major events. He opened the 2023 Masters with 68, but that was his only round under par in the tournament. Lowry is playing on the final year of his five-year exemption for winning the 2019 British Open. He also qualified by finishing in the top 50 in the world rankings, though he started 2023 ranked No. 20 and had fallen more than 20 spots by early January 2024.

Qualification: 1, 19

Age: 32

Residence:

Sendai, Japan

Masters

Appearance: 13th

2023 Masters

Finish: T-16

Qualification:

19

Age: 31

Residence:

Jupiter, Fla.

Masters

Appearance: First

2023 Masters

Finish: DNP

Denny McCarthy

It’s been a slow and steady climb in the world rankings for McCarthy, who ended 2021 ranked No. 179. He recorded five top-10 finishes in 2022, including a tie for seventh at the U.S. Open, which helped him end the year ranked No. 80. He continued to progress in 2023, posting eight top-10 showings, including a solo second at the Memorial Tournament. With more than $6.6 million in winnings last season, McCarthy finished 2023 ranked No. 34 in the world.

Qualification: 14, 17, 18, 19

Age: 34

Residence:

Holywood, Northern Ireland

Masters

Appearance: 16th 2023 Masters

Finish: MC

Hideki Matsuyama (Japan)

Matsuyama became the first Japanese winner of the Masters Tournament in 2021 when he opened with rounds of 69-71-65 and held on to win his first Green Jacket. Matsuyama was in contention midway through the 2022 Masters before turning in a third-round 77. Last year, he was six shots off the lead entering the final round, when he closed with 75. Matsuyama played in 26 PGA Tour events in the 2022-23 season. While he didn’t bring home a title after winning twice the previous season, the golfer posted two top-10 finishes, including a solo fifth at THE PLAYERS Championship. He earned more than $3.8 million.

Rory McIlory (Northern Ireland)

As McIlroy seeks his first Green Jacket to complete the career Grand Slam, the question is: which Rory will show up in Augusta? The one who contended from 201422, with seven top-10 Masters finishes? Or the one who missed the cut two of the past three years in Augusta? McIlroy remains one of the game’s best golfers. Despite having not won a major title since 2014, he recorded three top-10 major finishes in 2023. During his season, he won twice, finished second twice, placed third twice and earned more than $13.9 million, his highest-earning season ever on the PGA Tour. Now, the 24time PGA Tour winner is seeking to complete his major quest after winning the 2011 U.S. Open, the 2012 PGA Championship, the 2014 British Open and the 2014 PGA Championship titles.

Qualification: 19

Age: 30

Residence: Poland

Masters Appearance: Second

2023 Masters

Finish: MC

Adrian Meronk (Poland)

Meronk played in all four majors for the first time in 2023, a tie for 23rd at the British Open as his best major finish. Meronk won three times during the 2022-23 season on the DP World Tour to finish first in the Race to Dubai Rankings, which secured him a PGA Tour card for the 2023-24 season. He also received an exemption into THE PLAYERS Championship. More importantly, Meronk finished inside the top 50 in the world rankings to qualify again for Augusta. Meronk shot 4-over on the par-5 holes in his first Masters appearance to miss the cut by two shots. A double bogey at No. 13 and then a bogey at No. 15 led to a second-round 76 and a plane ticket out of Augusta.

Qualification: 1, 4, 13

Age: 53

Residence:

Rancho Santa Fe, Calif.

Masters Appearance: 31st

2023 Masters

Finish: T-2

Phil Mickelson

After not playing in the 2022 Masters amidst the LIV Golf controversy and his eventual membership on the new tour, Mickelson roared back in vintage Augusta style last year. The three-time Masters champion birdied five of the final seven holes for a closing 65, the lowest round on Sunday, for his best finish since tying for second in 2015. Mickelson recorded his 45th career win on the PGA Tour when he brought home the 2021 PGA Championship, becoming the oldest player to win a major tournament. He later added wins in October and November on the Champions TOUR to cap off his 2021. In 2022, he joined the LIV Golf tour for a reported $200 million. Through 13 LIV tournaments in 2023, Mickelson recorded just one top-10 finish.

Qualification: 18

Age: 30

Residence:

Dallas, Texas

Masters

Appearance: Second

2023 Masters

Finish: T-39

Taylor Moore

Moore was a late entry into the 2023 Masters after he claimed his first PGA Tour victory in March at the Valspar Championship. Moore closed with 67, including a five-foot par putt on the final hole, for a one-shot victory. Moore made three other top-10 finishes in 2023 and won more than $5 million. More importantly, he finished just inside the top 30 in the FedExCup standings to qualify for the TOUR Championship, which got him back into the Masters. In 2023, he was 1 under through three rounds at the Masters until posting a final-round 78.

Qualification: 3, 4, 13, 17, 18, 19

Age: 27

Residence: Las Vegas, Nev.

Masters

Appearance: Fifth

2023 Masters

Finish: T-20

Collin Morikawa

After winning four times in 2020 and 2021, Morikawa failed to post a victory in 2022. He returned to his winning ways, though, in 2023. He shot 66-63 on the weekend to close the ZOZO Championship with a six-shot victory. Morikawa finished the year with seven top-10 finishes for more than $7 million in winnings. He posted his only top-10 major finish of the season in the Masters, where he tied for fifth the previous year. In 2023, he opened the Masters with consecutive rounds of 69 and sat six shots off the lead before a third-round 74 dropped him out of contention.

Qualification: 17

Age: 30

Residence:

Raleigh, N.C.

Masters

Appearance: First

2022 Masters

Finish: DNP

Grayson Murray

Murray is making his first Augusta appearance after winning the Sony Open in January. He shot a career-low 63 in the second round and then needed some late magic for the victory. He fired a wedge to three feet for a birdie on the final hole of regulation to make a three-way playoff. On the first extra hole, Murray rolled in a 39-foot birdie putt for his second career PGA Tour victory. With his check for $1.49 million from his Sony Open victory, Murray won more than he had in the previous five seasons combined on the PGA Tour. In 2017, he won the Barbasol Championship, a win that didn’t qualify him for the Masters.

Qualification: 1

Age: 58

Residence:

Fuenterrabia, Spain

Masters

Appearance: 35th

2023 Masters

Finish: MC

José María Olazábal (Spain)

The winner of the 1994 and 1999 Masters, Olazábal has posted eight top-10 showings in Augusta. In 1999, he made a triumphant comeback after what was initially thought to be a foot injury (later treated as a lower back injury), forcing him to miss many months from the game. Olazábal birdied three holes on the final nine, including a decisive birdie at No. 16, for a two-shot victory over Davis Love III. The golfer last contended in the Masters in 2006, with a tie for third place, although he hasn’t won a tournament since 2005. He captained the European Ryder Cup team to a one-point victory over the United States in 2012. Olazábal missed the cut at the 2023 Masters after posting rounds of 77-77.

Tournament Week Specials Available: April 8 - 15, 2024

Qualification: 17

Age: 31

Residence:

Encamp, Andorra

Masters

Appearance: First

2022 Masters

Finish: DNP

Matthieu Pavon (Andorra)

Pavon has made a meteoric rise in the golf ranks since the fall of 2023. In October, he won the Acciona Open de España on the DP World Tour. With his 15th place in that tour’s Road to Dubai, he earned PGA Tour status for 2024. After tying for seventh in the Sony Open, Pavon tied for 39th place at the American Express event. In his third tournament, he opened the Farmers Insurance Open with rounds of 69-65 and held on for a one-shot victory. Born in France, Pavon lives between Spain and France in the tiny country of Andorra.

Qualification: 19

Age: 30

Residence:

St. Simons Island, Ga.

Masters

Appearance: Third

2023 Masters

Finish: T-34

Qualification:

1, 2, 15, 17, 18, 19

Age: 29

Residence:

Scottsdale, Ariz.

Masters

Appearance: Eighth

2023 Masters

Finish: Won

Jon Rahm (Spain)

In 2023, Rahm won four PGA Tour events to push his career victory total to 11. More importantly, he finally broke through in Augusta. Despite opening with a double bogey on the first hole in the first round, Rahm rallied with seven birdies and an eagle for a first-round 65. Tied with Brooks Koepka entering the final round, Rahm shot 1 under on the front nine while Koepka jumped on the bogey train and couldn’t get off. Rahm clinched his first Green Jacket after making birdies on Nos. 13 and 14, cruising to a fourshot victory. He finished the season with more than $16 million in earnings. At the end of 2023, Rahm signed on to play on the LIV Golf tour for 2024, though he didn’t plan to resign from the PGA Tour or DP World Tour.

Qualification: 1, 13

Age: 33

Residence: Spring, Texas

Masters

Appearance: 11th

2023 Masters

Finish: T-4

J.T. Poston

Midway through 2023, Poston fell to No. 62 in the world rankings. He bounced back with four top-10 finishes over the next five weeks, including a tie for second place at the 3M Open. He closed the year ranked No. 43 in the world. Poston didn’t win in 2023, but thanks to eight top-10 finishes he earned more than $3.6 million. At the 2023 Masters, he extended his stay to the weekend thanks to his play down the stretch in the second round. On the wrong side of the cut line, Poston birdied No. 12, eagled No. 13, added another birdie at No. 15 and finished with 72 to make the cut by two shots. He closed with his best round of the tournament, a finalround 70.

Patrick Reed

The 2018 Masters champion, Reed continues to be a force in Augusta. After winning the Green Jacket, he has made the Masters cut five times since, recording three top-10 finishes. In 2023, Reed closed with 68 for his second-best Masters finish. He would’ve finished solo second if not for a double bogey at the par-5 second hole, which he birdied the previous three rounds. Reed departed the PGA Tour for the LIV Golf tour in 2022. He posted five top-five finishes in 13 events, his team (4 Aces GC) winning two events. Reed, along with PGA Tour pro Henrik Norlander, helped Augusta University win back-to-back NCAA Division I Championships in 2010 and 2011.

Qualification: 19

Age: 43

Residence:

London, England

Masters

Appearance: 19th

2023 Masters Finish: T-16

Justin Rose (England)

Rose captured his 11th career PGA Tour victory last season, first since 2019, when he won the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. He shot four rounds in the 60s for a three-shot victory. The 2013 U.S. Open champion, Rose had a mixed year in the majors in 2023. He opened the Masters with rounds of 69-71 before posting consecutive 73s to finish. The following month, he tied for ninth at the PGA Championship before missing the cut at the U.S. Open and the British Open. In 20 PGA Tour events in the 2022-23 season, Rose recorded five top-10 finishes and earned more than $4.6 million.

Qualification: 13, 18, 19

Age: 30

Residence:

Jupiter, Fla.

Masters

Appearance:

2023 Masters Finish: T-10

Qualification:

1, 5, 13, 14, 16, 18, 19

Age: 27

Residence:

Dallas, Texas

Masters

Appearance: Fifth

2023 Masters

Finish: T-10

Scottie Scheffler

After consecutive top-20 finishes at the Masters, Scheffler finally broke through in the 2023 Masters. The 6-foot-3 Texan won three times on the PGA Tour in the two months prior to the Masters and entered as the No. 1 player in the world. Scheffler opened with rounds of 69-67 to take a lead into the weekend. In the final round, he posted 71 for a three-shot lead over Cameron Smith entering Sunday. Scheffler’s lead quickly evaporated when he parred the first two holes and Smith birdied both to pull with one. Facing a potential bogey after leaving his second shot short at No. 3, Scheffler chipped in for birdie from below the hole. After Smith recorded bogey at No. 3, Scheffler’s lead returned to three and he never looked back. At the 2023 Masters, he opened with 68 before a second-round 75 dropped him out of contention for winning a second consecutive Green Jacket. Scheffler posted an unbelievable season on the PGA Tour, winning the WM Phoenix Open and THE PLAYERS Championship, adding two runner-up finishes, five third-place showings and eight more top-10 finishes for more than $21 million in winnings.

Xander Schauffele

Schauffele (pronounced Shaw-fa-lay) has been about as consistent as they come on the golf course. Not only did he make the cut in all 23 events he entered in 2022-23, he also extended his top-20 streak in the majors. After missing the cut for the first time in Augusta last year, Schauffele opened the 2023 Masters with 68. Unfortunately, his double bogey at the third hole in the second round led to 74 and bounced him out of contention before tying for 10th place. He also tied for 10th at the U.S. Open, tied for 17th at the British Open and tied for 18th at the PGA Championship. He enters this year’s Masters with seven consecutive top20 finishes in the majors. In the 2022-23 season, Schauffele finished second in the FedExCup standings with more than $8.4 million in earnings. Despite not winning last season on the PGA Tour, he recorded 11 top10 finishes.

Qualification: 18, 19

Age: 32

Residence: Vincennes, Ind.

Masters

Appearance: First

2023 Masters

Finish: DNP

Adam Schenk

Schenk is making his first Masters appearance thanks to his stellar play in 2023. While he didn’t record a win on the PGA Tour, Schenk recorded two runner-up finishes and five other top-10 finishes for almost $5 million in winnings. He began 2023 well outside the top 100 in the world rankings, but his secondplace finish at the Valspar Championship helped him climb from No. 143 to No. 91. His second-place finish at the Charles Schwab Challenge vaulted him 31 spots to No. 60. Schenk recorded four top-10 finishes in his final seven events of the season, including a tie for sixth at the TOUR Championship to climb to No. 42 in the world. He remained inside the top 50 at year’s end to receive his first Augusta invitation.

Qualification: 1

Age: 39

Residence:

Vereeniging, South Africa

Masters

2023 Masters Finish: T-50

15th

Charl Schwartzel (South Africa)

Schwartzel, the 2011 Masters champion, posted his best Masters finish since 2017 when opened the 2022 Masters with rounds of 72-69 and was in the final pairing Saturday. In the third round, he spun a 136-yard shot at the par-4 10th back into the hole for eagle to pull within five shots of Scheffler. Schwartzel bogeyed four of the final eight holes and fell out of contention. After joining the LIV Golf tour in 2022, Schwartzel won the tour’s first event, his first victory in six years. He added two other top-10 finishes in seven events on the LIV Golf tour. In 2023, Schwartzel recorded one top-10 finish in 13 LIV Golf events.

Qualification: 1, 19

Age: 43

Residence:

Crans-sur-Sierre, Switzerland

Masters

2023 Masters

T-39

23rd

Adam Scott (Australia)

Scott, the 2013 Masters champion, extended his consecutive Masters cut streak to 14 last year after opening with a 4-under-par 68, his only round under par. Scott recorded five top-10 finishes in 19 PGA Tour events during the 2022-23 season, earning more than $3.3 million. Scott won his only major championship to date at the 2013 Masters. That year, he birdied the 18th hole in the final round to take a one-shot lead into the clubhouse. Ángel Cabrera later birdied No. 18 to force a playoff. On the second hole of their sudden-death playoff at No. 10, Scott rolled in a 12-foot birdie putt to claim the Green Jacket. He and his wife, Marie Kojzar, have three children: Bo Vera, Byron and Bjorn.

Qualification:

7-b

Age: 22

Residence:

Pittsburgh, Pa.

Masters

Appearance: First

2023 Masters

Finish: DNP

Neal Shipley

The 6-foot-3 Shipley fought his way to a Masters invitation with his stellar play in the 2023 U.S. Amateur semifinals. Three down with eight holes to play in his match against John Marshall Butler, Shipley won five of the next seven holes for a 2-up victory and appearance in the U.S. Amateur Championship match, where he eventually fell to Nick Dunlap. Shipley helped his school team, Pittsburgh Central Catholic High School, to a pair of state championships before winning the 2020 Pittsburgh State Amateur title. Shipley played his first three years of college golf at James Madison University before transferring in 2022 to Ohio State.

Qualification: 1

Age: 61

Residence:

Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.

Masters

Appearance: 31st

2023 Masters

Finish: MC

Qualification: 3, 5, 14, 19

Age: 30

Residence: Jacksonville, Fla.

Masters

Appearance: Eighth

2023 Masters

Finish: T-34

Cameron Smith (Australia)

Smith, the 2022 British Open champion, joined the LIV Golf tour in 2022. At the time, he was ranked No. 2 in the world. He had fallen to No. 30 by mid-January 2024. In 13 LIV Golf events in 2023, Smith recorded two wins and added four top-10 finishes. He played in all four major tournaments last year, finishing fourth at the U.S. Open and tied for ninth at the PGA Championship. At the 2023 Masters, Smith finished outside of the top 10 for the first time since 2019. He opened with 70, but he finished with rounds of 72-75-75 to fall off the pace.

Qualification: 1, 13, 18, 19

Age: 30

Residence: Dallas, Texas

Masters Appearance: 11th

2023 Masters

Finish: T-4

Vijay Singh (Fiji)

Singh is seeking his first Masters cut since 2018. The World Golf Hall of Fame golfer’s stellar career has included 34 PGA Tour wins, including two PGA Championship titles and a win at the 2000 Masters. Singh has earned more than $71 million in PGA Tour career earnings. In his seventh Masters appearance in 2000, Singh shot rounds of 72-67-70-69 to defeat Ernie Els by three shots. At the 2023 Masters, he posted consecutive rounds of 75 to miss the cut by three shots. Both days, he opened with a bogey at No. 1. Singh recorded four 3-putt greens during his two rounds.

Jordan Spieth

After missing the Masters cut for the first time in 2022, Spieth reverted back to his old Augusta ways. He opened last year’s tournament with 69 despite making a double at the par-5 13th hole. He posted a second-round 70 and sat seven shots back of 36-hole leader Brooks Koepka. In nasty third-round conditions, Spieth recorded 76. It was vintage Spieth in the final round as he recorded nine birdies en route to a closing 66 for a tie for fourth, his sixth Masters finish of fourth or better. While Spieth didn’t record a victory in the PGA Tour in the 2022-23 season, he did post seven top-10 finishes for more than $7.2 million in winnings. He and his wife, Annie Verret, have a son, Samuel, and they welcomed their second child, Sophie, in September.

Qualification: 15, 17, 18, 19

Age: 30

Residence:

Birmingham, Ala.

Masters

Appearance: Third

2023 Masters

Finish: T-46

Sepp Straka (Austria)

Straka graduated from the University of Georgia in 2016 with a business management degree. He played his way into the 2022 Masters by winning the Honda Classic two months prior. Straka added his second career PGA Tour victory last year when he closed out the John Deere Classic with 62 for a two-shot victory. Building on that momentum, Straka finished tied for second behind fellow Bulldog Brian Harman at the British Open. Straka recorded two top-10 major finishes in 2023 to add to his victory for more than $5.2 million in winnings.

Qualification: 9

Age: 22

Residence: Australia

Masters

Appearance: First

2023 Masters Finish: DNP

Qualification: 17, 18

Age: 35

Residence:

Abbotsford, British Columbia

Masters

Appearance: First

2023 Masters

Finish: DNP

Nick Taylor (Canada)

Taylor is making his first Masters appearance thanks to his play in his home country. In July, at the RBC Canadian Open, Taylor rebounded from an opening 75 with rounds of 67-63-66 to force a playoff with Tommy Fleetwood. On the fourth playoff hole, Taylor rolled in a 72foot eagle putt to become the first Canadian to win his country’s national tournament since 1954. He also added two runner-up finishes during the 2022-23 season and earned more than $6.2 million a season after failing to earn $1 million on tour.

Qualification: 13, 17, 19

Age: 26

Residence: Spring, Texas

Masters

Appearance: Second

2023 Masters

Finish: Ninth

Jasper Stubbs (Australia)

Stubbs earned a Masters invitation by winning the 2023 Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship. Stubbs began the final day six shots off the pace. In windy conditions, though, the Australian who lives mere minutes from the Royal Melbourne Golf Club, where the tournament took place, used his home-course advantage to his advantage. He shot 2-under-par 69 to make his way into a sudden-death playoff with China’s Wenyi Ding and Sampson Zheng. On the second extra hole, Stubbs two-putted from 60 feet to claim the title. He received an invitation to Augusta’s Masters and another to the 2024 British Open at Royal Troon Golf Club.

Sahith Theegala

A California native, Theegala won the Haskins Award, Ben Hogan Award and Jack Nicklaus Award in 2020 as the top collegiate player playing for the No. 1 college team in the nation, Pepperdine University. In his first full season on the PGA Tour in 2021-22, Theegala recorded a runner-up finish, third-place showing and three other top-10 finishes en route to more than $3.1 million in earnings. As an encore, he posted eight top 10-finishes, including a win, during the 2022-23 season for more than $7.2 million in winnings. At the 2023 Masters, Theegala posted a strong ninth-place showing after shooting 10 under on the par-5 holes in the tournament. If he figures out how to play the par-4 17th hole (he recorded a par, two bogeys and a double bogey there during the tournament), Theegala might be one to watch.

Qualification:

4, 19

Age: 30

Residence:

Jupiter, Fla.

Masters

Appearance: Ninth

2023 Masters Finish: MC

Justin Thomas

Thomas was cruising along at 2 under for the 2023 Masters with eight holes left in the second round when his game suddenly went south. After making a double, he bogeyed four of the final seven holes, including Nos. 17 and 18, to miss the cut by one shot. It was his first missed cut in eight Masters appearances. He won 15 times in the previous seven years on the PGA Tour, including two major championships, but he failed to bring home a victory in 2023. Despite failing to win and falling all the way to 71st in the FedExCup standings after staying in the top 10 the previous six seasons, Thomas still earned more than $3.5 million.

Qualification: 17

Age: 33

Residence:

Johannesburg, South Africa

Masters

Appearance: Third

2023 Masters

Finish: DNP

Qualification: 17

Age: 42

Residence: Jupiter, Fla.

Masters

Camilo Villegas (Colombia)

Villegas is the comeback story of the 2024 Masters. When he tees it up in the first round, he will be playing in his first major tournament since 2015. Villegas (pronounced “Bee-JAYgus”) and his wife, Maria, suffered a tragic loss in July 2020 when their 22-month-old daughter, Mia, died after a four-month cancer battle. In December 2021, Maria gave birth to their son, Mateo. Villegas last finished inside the top 100 in the FedExCup standings in 2017. While he played a full slate of tournaments in the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons, he only played in 13 events last season and was well out of the FedExCup standings when he finished second at the World Wide Technology Championship. A week later, he closed the Butterfield Bermuda Championship with 65 for a two-shot victory, marking his first PGA Tour win since 2014 and his fifth overall.

Qualification: 1

Age: 45

Residence: Orlando, Fla.

Masters

Appearance: 16th

2023 Masters

Finish: MC

Erik van Rooyen (South Africa)

Van Rooyen saved his best for last in 2023. About to lose his fully-exempt status on the PGA Tour with mere weeks left in the season, van Rooyen closed out the World Wide Technology Championship event with a birdiebirdie-eagle finish for a final-round 63 and a two-shot victory. He earned his second PGA Tour in two years and a trip back to Augusta. In his inaugural visit to the Masters in 2020, he withdrew after the first round because of an injury. He missed the cut in the 2020 Masters. Van Rooyen is seeking his first top-10 finish in a major since the 2019 PGA Championship.

Bubba Watson

After winning three times in 2018 on the PGA Tour, Watson was still seeking his next victory entering 2023. During the 2021-22 season, Watson recorded one top-10 finish in 9 events, cutting his season short due to knee surgery. In 2022, the two-time Masters champion joined the LIV Golf tour. He posted one top-10 finish in 13 LIV Golf events in 2023. Watson will forever be remembered for hooking his pitching wedge around the trees at No. 10 to the green, to set up his first Masters win in a two-hole, sudden-death playoff over Louis Oosthuizen. Watson, one of the longest hitters in the game, carved up Augusta National in the final round of the 2014 Masters to pull free for a threeshot victory. He joined José María Olazábal, Ben Crenshaw, Bernhard Langer, Seve Ballesteros, Tom Watson, Ben Hogan, Byron Nelson and Horton Smith as players with two Green Jackets.

Qualification: 1

Age: 53

Residence:

Sandy, Utah

Masters

Appearance: 25th

2023 Masters

Finish: MC

Mike Weir (Canada)

In 2003, Weir posted a career year with three victories. At the Masters that year, he closed with 68 and defeated Len Mattiace in a sudden-death playoff for his only major victory. In 2015, he announced he was taking an indefinite leave of absence from golf. He spent that fall spending time with his daughters, Elle Marisa and Lili. Weir entered 2016 using a mixture of major and minor medical extensions to get into PGA Tour events after suffering a litany of ailments in recent years (elbow, ribs). He saw a resurgence in his game on the Champions Tour during the 2020-21 campaign, winning the Insperity Invitational, adding four runnerup finishes and earning more than $2 million. Last season, he posted three top-10 finishes in 19 starts on the Champions TOUR.

Qualification: 1

Age: 36

Residence: Sheffield, England

Masters

Appearance: 10th

2023 Masters

Finish: MC

Qualification: 2

Age: 39

Residence:

Delray Beach, Fla.

Masters

Appearance: 12th

2023 Masters

Finish: T-14

Gary Woodland

Woodland is playing in the Masters in the final year of his five-year exemption after he claimed his first major title when he broke through at the U.S. Open in 2019. Woodland opened with rounds of 68-65 and cruised to a three-shot victory. He is still seeking to break through in Augusta. Last year, Woodland opened with 68 but could not continue his momentum. His tie for 14th place was his best finish in Augusta. During the 2022-23 season, Woodland posted six top-25 finishes and won more than $2.2 million to finish 94th in the FedExCup standings. Woodland and his wife, Gabby, have three children (Jaxson Lynn, Maddox Jean and Lennox Lee).

Qualification: 1

Age: 48

Residence: Jupiter, Fla.

Masters Appearance: 26th

2023 Masters

Finish: Withdrew

Danny Willett (England)

Willett played his most PGA Tour events in a season in 2022-23, and the extra work paid off. He posted three top-25 finishes in 22 tournaments, posting his second-most winnings in a season on the PGA Tour with more than $1.7 million. Willett became the first Englishman in 20 years to win the Masters in 2016 after posting a final-round 67. One week before Willett teed it up in the 2016 Masters, Nicole Willett had their first of two sons, Zachariah James. He enters this year’s Masters seeking his first top-10 in a major since tying for sixth place at the 2019 British Open.

Tiger Woods

Woods tried to play through the nasty weather in the third round of the 2023 Masters. After making the cut on the number, he was 9 over for the tournament when he withdrew after seven holes. He later cited reaggravating his plantar fasciitis as the reason for the withdrawal. In 2019, the golfer made a comeback for the ages at the Masters. Tiger shot 67 in the third round to pull within two of leader Francesco Molinari. He created more Masters memories with back-nine birdies at Nos. 13, 15 and 16. Despite carding a bogey on the final hole, Woods held on for his fifth Green Jacket, moving into second place behind only Jack Nicklaus (six) for most Masters titles. The winner of 15 major championships, Woods tied Sam Snead for the most PGA Tour career wins (82) when he won the ZOZO Championship to start the 2019-20 campaign. He will be vying for his sixth Green Jacket to tie Jack Nicklaus when he tees it up this year in Augusta. Woods previously won Masters titles in 1997, 2001, 2002 and 2005.

Qualification: 13, 19

Age: 26

Residence:

Jupiter, Fla.

Masters

Appearance: Third

2023 Masters

Finish: T-7

Cameron Young

In his first two seasons on the PGA Tour in 2021-22 and 2022-23, Young didn’t post a victory. Instead, he recorded a combined six runner-up finishes, two thirds, and won more than $11.9 million. Also in the past two season, Young has made his presence known in the majors, with four top-10 finishes. He opened the 2023 Masters with 67 and sat two shots off the lead. Despite posting 72-75 in the second and third rounds, the golfer closed with 68. The finish marked the first of two top-10 major finishes in 2023. He later tied for eighth at the British Open.

Qualification: 19

Age: 27

Residence:

Dallas, Texas

Masters

Appearance: Third

2023 Masters

Finish: Withdrew

Will Zalatoris

Zalatoris withdrew before the first round of the 2023 Masters and had back surgery two days later. He missed the rest of the season, returning for his first action at the limitedfield Hero World Challenge in late November. He opened 2024 by playing in the Sony Open, where he missed the cut. Zalatoris almost became the first player since Fuzzy Zoeller in 1979 to win the Masters in his first appearance in 2021. Entering the final round in the third-to-last pairing, Zalatoris birdied the first two holes. Despite a mid-round stumble, he birdied Nos. 15 and 17 and fell one shot short of Hideki Matsuyama. Zalatoris followed up his Masters debut by posting a tie for sixth at the 2022 Masters before finishing runnerup at the PGA Championship and U.S. Open later in the year.

Jack Burke Jr., a former marine turned golf professional, was among golf’s greats in the 1950s. In 1956, the Texas native was named PGA Player of the Year and his winnings included the title of champion at the PGA Championship and a Green Jacket at the 1956 Masters. His Masters win has been chronicled as the biggest comeback in tournament history, overcoming an eight-shot deficit to beat Ken Venturi in the fi nal round.

In his professional career, Burke earned more than 19 professional titles. One of his biggest accomplishments came in 1957 when he, and fellow golfer Jimmy Demaret, founded Champions Golf Club in Houston. Burke was inducted into the PGA Hall of Fame in 1975 and the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2000.

Just seven years later, he received the PGA Distinguished Service Award, which honors outstanding individuals who display leadership and humanitarian qualities for the game of golf. Burke remained a fi xture at the Champions Golf Club, which has more than 900 members, until his death this past January in Texas at age 100.

Photo courtesy of PGA of America/Getty