THREE South Africans in the field for 90th Masters
· The South African
A field of 91 players will tee off at Augusta National from 9 to 12 April for the 2026 Masters, with Rory McIlroy returning as defending champion after last year’s dramatic playoff victory over Justin Rose.
McIlroy’s triumph in 2025 saw the Northern Irishman finally complete the career Grand Slam, cementing his place among golf’s all-time greats after years of near misses at Augusta.
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Scottie Scheffler leads strong field
World No 1 Scottie Scheffler heads into the tournament as the pre-event favourite, looking to claim his third Masters title in four years.
The field also includes several major champions and contenders, with Bryson DeChambeau and Jon Rahm among the players from the LIV Golf League aiming to add another major title to their careers.
The competition promises another strong international line-up, featuring players from across the PGA Tour, LIV Golf and global circuits.
Tiger Woods to miss tournament
Five-time Masters champion Tiger Woods will not compete this year after stepping away from professional golf to focus on treatment and recovery following a recent car crash in Florida.
Woods had already been struggling with injuries, having undergone Achilles surgery last March and back surgery in October, and has not played competitive golf since missing the cut at The Open in July 2024.
His absence means Augusta will once again be without one of its most iconic figures.
Phil Mickelson also withdraws
Six-time major champion Phil Mickelson confirmed on 2 April that he would also miss the tournament.
The veteran golfer said he would be out of action for an extended period as his family continues to deal with a personal health matter.
Mickelson had already missed most of the LIV Golf League events this season for the same reason.
— Phil Mickelson (@PhilMickelson) April 2, 2026
Late qualifiers confirmed
The final group of players secured their Masters invitations following the Texas Children’s Houston Open, where Gary Woodland claimed a five-shot victory – his first PGA Tour win since the 2019 US Open.
Daniel Berger, Jake Knapp, Nicolai Højgaard and Matt McCarty also confirmed their places by remaining inside the top 50 of the Official World Golf Ranking.
The final place available went unclaimed at the Valero Texas Open after JJ Spaun – already exempt – earned a one-shot win last Sunday.
Global field at Augusta
Players qualify for The Masters through several pathways, including world ranking positions, recent major victories, PGA Tour wins and amateur championships.
Past champions hold a lifetime exemption, while the tournament committee also retains the option to extend special invitations to international players.
The 2026 field features several former champions, rising stars and amateur talents, ensuring another highly competitive edition of one of golf’s most prestigious events.
With McIlroy aiming to defend his historic title and Scheffler chasing another Green Jacket, the stage is set for another memorable week at Augusta National.
South African representation
The field also includes three South Africans, namely 2011 Masters champion Charl Schwartzel, current South African Open champion Casey Jarvis, and big-hitting Aldrich Potgieter.
Jarvis will be playing in his first Masters, while Potgieter missed the cut in 2023 in his only appearance to date.
Schwartzel will be making his 17th start at Augusta National.
Who has qualified for The Masters?
(x) denotes amateurs; # is a debutant; ^ received a special invitation
Ludvig Åberg (SWE)
Daniel Berger
Akshay Bhatia
Keegan Bradley
# Michael Brennan
Jacob Bridgeman
Sam Burns
Angel Cabrera (ARG)
Brian Campbell
Patrick Cantlay
Wyndham Clark
Corey Conners (CAN)
Fred Couples
Jason Day (AUS)
Bryson DeChambeau
Nicolas Echavarria (COL)
Harris English
# Ethan Fang (x)
Matt Fitzpatrick (ENG)
Tommy Fleetwood (ENG)
Ryan Fox (NZL)
Sergio Garcia (ESP)
# Ryan Gerard
# Chris Gotterup
Max Greyserman
# Ben Griffin
# Harry Hall (ENG)
Brian Harman
Tyrrell Hatton (ENG)
Russell Henley
# Jackson Herrington (x)
Rasmus Hojgaard (DEN)
Nicolai Hojgaard (DEN)
# Brandon Holtz (x)
Max Homa
Viktor Hovland (NOR)
# Mason Howell (x)
Sungjae Im (KOR)
# Casey Jarvis (RSA)
Dustin Johnson
Zach Johnson
# Naoyuki Kataoka (JPN)
# Johnny Keefer
Michael Kim
Si Woo Kim (KOR)
Kurt Kitayama
Jake Knapp
Brooks Koepka
# Fifa Laopakdee (x) (THA)
Min Woo Lee (AUS)
Haotong Li (CHN)
Shane Lowry (IRL)
Robert MacIntyre (SCO)
Hideki Matsuyama (JPN)
Matt McCarty
Rory McIlroy (N.IRE)
# Tom McKibbin (N.IRE)
Maverick McNealy
Collin Morikawa
# Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen (DEN)
Alex Noren (SWE)
# Andrew Novak
Jose Maria Olazabal (ESP)
Carlos Ortiz (MEX)
# Marco Penge (ENG)
Aldrich Potgieter (RSA)
# Mateo Pulcini (x) (ARG)
Jon Rahm (ESP)
Aaron Rai (ENG)
Patrick Reed
# Kristoffer Reitan (NOR)
Davis Riley
Justin Rose (ENG)
Xander Schauffele
Scottie Scheffler
Charl Schwartzel (RSA)
Adam Scott (AUS)
Vijay Singh (FIJ)
Cameron Smith (AUS)
JJ Spaun
Jordan Spieth
# Sam Stevens
Sepp Straka (AUT)
Nick Taylor (CAN)
Justin Thomas
# Sami Valimaki (FIN)
Bubba Watson
Mike Weir (CAN)
Danny Willett (ENG)
Gary Woodland
Cameron Young
Which past champions won’t play?
Along with Woods and Mickelson, Tommy Aaron, Charles Coody, Ben Crenshaw, Sir Nick Faldo, Raymond Floyd, Trevor Immelman, Bernhard Langer, Sandy Lyle, Larry Mize, Jack Nicklaus, Mark O’Meara, Gary Player, Craig Stadler, Tom Watson and Ian Woosnam are not set to feature.
Who would you like to see don the Green Jacket late on Sunday afternoon?
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