There were 20 ways to qualify for the 2025 Masters, and while the Augusta National Golf Club has extended special invitations to some golfers in the past, and there have been modifications made to the qualification criteria over the years, many of the ways that players earn a “golden ticket” have not changed.
Players can qualify via multiple criteria. For example, Scottie Scheffler is exempt into the Masters for life as a past champion, but he would also be exempt into the 2026 Masters through other qualifications, like being one of the three most-recent Players Championship winners and being the current Olympic gold medalist.
1. Masters Tournament champions (Lifetime)
Angel Cabrera, Fred Couples, Sergio Garcia, Dustin Johnson, Zach Johnson, Hideki Matsuyama, Rory McIlroy, Phil Mickelson, Jose Maria Olazabal, Jon Rahm, Patrick Reed, Scottie Scheffler, Charl Schwartzel, Jordan Spieth, Bubba Watson, Mike Weir, Danny Willett, Tiger Woods. (Several living Masters champions chose to no longer compete in the tournament.)
2. U.S. Open champions (Honorary, non-competing after five years)
Wyndham Clark (2023), Bryson DeChambeau (2024), Matt Fitzpatrick (2022) and whoever wins the 2025 U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club in June.
3. The Open champions (Honorary, non-competing after five years)
Brian Harman (2023), Collin Morikawa (2022), Xander Schauffele (2024), Cameron Smith (2021) and whoever wins the 2025 British Open at Royal Portrush in July.
4. PGA champions (Honorary, non-competing after five years)
Brooks Koepka (2023), Justin Thomas (2022) and whoever wins the 2025 PGA Championship at Quail Hollow Golf Club in May.
5. Winners of the Players Championship (Three years)
6. Current Olympic Gold Medalist (One year)
7. Current U.S. Amateur Champion (7-A) (Honorary, non-competing after one year) and the Runner-up (7-B) to the current U.S. Amateur Champion
The 2025 U.S. Amateur will be played at the Olympic Club in San Francisco in August
8. Current The Amateur Champion (Honorary, non-competing after one year)
The Amateur Championship (also known as the British Amateur) will be played in at Royal St. George’s and Royal Cinque Ports in England in June.
9. Current Asia-Pacific Amateur Champion (One year)
The 2025 Asia Pacific Amateur will be played at the Emirates Golf Club’s Majlis Course in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE) in October.
10. Current Latin America Amateur Champion (One year)
The 2026 Latin America Amateur Championship will be played at the Lima Golf Club in Lima, Peru, in January 2026.
11. Current U.S. Mid-Amateur Champion (One year)
The 2025 U.S. Mid-Amateur will be played at Troon Country Club in Scottsdale, Arizona, in September.
12. Current NCAA Division I Men’s Individual Champion (One year)
The 2025 NCAA Men’s Golf Championship will be played at Omni La Costa’s North Course in Carlsbad, California, in May.
13. The first 12 players, including ties, in the previous year’s Masters Tournament
Justin Rose, Sungjae Im, Ludvig Aberg, Jason Day, Corey Conners, Harris English, Max Homa
14. The first 4 players, including ties, in the previous year’s U.S. Open
TBD
15. The first 4 players, including ties, in the previous year’s The Open Championship
TBD
16. The first 4 players, including ties, in the previous year’s PGA Championship
TBD
17. Individual winners of PGA Tour events that award a full-point allocation from previous Masters to current Masters
TBD
18. Those qualifying and eligible for the previous year’s season-ending Tour Championship
TBD
19. The 50 leaders on the final Official World Golf Ranking for the previous calendar year
TBD
20. The 50 leaders on the final Official World Golf Ranking published during the week prior to the current Masters Tournament
TBD
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Golfers already qualified for the 2026 Masters at Augusta National