Every Single Player in The Masters, Ranked Subjectively, From 96-1

It's the most wonderful time of the year: Major championship season.

To get you ready and excited for the Masters, I went ahead and ranked every single player in the field, using a highly sophisitcated algorithm known as one man's opinion. Use this to place some wagers, fill our your office pool, or simply be a more informed viewer.

Happy reading, and happy Masters week.

96. Hiroshi Tai (a)

Age: 23 Data Golf Ranking: N/A Masters appearances: Rookie

The No. 47 amateur in the world is a junior at Georgia Tech the reigning NCAA individual champion, which has come with a Masters invite since 2023 (Fred Biondi, who earned the exemption last year, turned professional and thus forfeited the spot). It’s not been a very good season thus far as he ranks No. 202 in the collegiate rankings.

95. Fred Couples

Age: 65 Data Golf Ranking: N/A Masters appearances: 39

Best Masters finish: WIN, 1992

Boom Boom’s getting up there in age now but does have two top-10 finishes on the PGA TOUR Champions this season. The course has passed him by, and he’ll be the first to tell you that. Missed the cut in five of the last six Masters but fans get a kick out of seeing him around Augusta and he’s an absolute mainstay of the Champions dinner.

94. Noah Kent (a)

Age: Data Golf Ranking: Masters appearances:

Best Masters finish:

The world’s No. 156-ranked amateur is a Florida sophomore and the No. 60 player in the collegiate rankings. He got into the field via a runner-up finish at the U.S. Amateur.

93. Jose Maria Olazabal

Age: Data Golf Ranking: N/A Masters appearances: 59

Best Masters finish: WON, 1994, 1999

One of the all-time short gamers is a popular practice round partner as younger players want his know-how. His goal this week is to make the cut and after missing five in a row from 2015-2020. He’s made in two of the past four years, including a very respectable T45 last time out.

92. Mike Weir

Age: 54 Data Golf Ranking: N/A Masters appearances: 25

Best Masters finish: WON, 2003

Weir plays full time on the Champions Tour but this is a different beast, and the course has gotten much longer since he won it 22 years ago. He’s made the weekend once in his last 10 tries.

91. Zach Johnson

Age: 49 Data Golf Ranking: 170 Masters appearances:

Best Masters finish: WIN, 2007

The last player to win the Masters with an over-par score, he surely has one eye fixed on the PGA TOUR Champions given he’s eligible in March of next year. Johnson is still playing a full schedule on the PGA TOUR, and fighting an uphill battle regarding distance.

90. Vijay Singh

Age: 62 Data Golf Ranking: N/A Masters appearances: 31

Best Masters finish: WON, 2000

An all-time player who toppled Peak Tiger to reach world No. 1 on the strength of nine PGA TOUR victories in 2024. He’s still playing a full schedule on the PGA TOUR Champions but time stops for no one. Made the cut at last year’s Masters for the first time since 2018.

89. Justin Hastings (a)

Age: 21 Data Golf Ranking:N/A Masters appearances: Rookie

Hastings is a senior at San Diego State and holds the lowest scoring average in program history, knocking off a guy by the name of Xander Schauffele. He won the Latin America Amateur Championship to get into the field, and is ranked No. 30 in the collegiate rankings.

88. Evan Beck (a)

Age: 34 Data Golf Ranking: N/A Masters appearances: Rookie

There’s a new mid-am in town! After years of Stewart Hagestad dominance in this category there’s a new heir apparent, and it’s a 34-year-old associate portfolio manager for Baltimore-based Brown Advisory. He played collegiately at Wake Forest, enters as the No. 15 amateur on the planet and is a good bet to be the lone mid-am on the Walker Cup team.

87. Rafael Campos

Age: 36 Data Golf Ranking: 201 Masters appearances: Rookie

I didn’t even know he’d qualified for the Masters when he won the Butterfield Bermuda Championship last year. Spent many years oscillating between the PGA and Korn Ferry Tour so that win was massive for job security. He's missed the cut in eight of his last 10 starts. First-ever start in a major championship for the Puerto Rican at the age of 36.

86. Jhonattan Vegas

Age: 40 Data Golf Ranking: 152 Masters appearances: T38, 2018

The four-time winner on TOUR got back in the win column for the first time in seven years at last summer’s 3M Open. He made the cut in just 6 of his 15 appearances in a major and has yet to post a top 20. He missed cuts in his last two starts.

85. Angel Cabrera

Age: 55 Data Golf Ranking: N/A Masters appearances: 29

Best Masters finish: WIN, 2009

He returns to the Masters having served two-plus years in prison for domestic assault in South America (and somehow, fresh off a win on the Champions TOUR this week). Cannot imagine what it will feel like to drive up Magnolia Lane given the depths he’s seen in recent years, and what I’d give to be a fly in the wall at that champions dinner. One of the stranger careers in modern history—he’s won three PGA TOUR events, two of them major championships, and lost to Adam Scott in a playoff at the 2013 Masters or he would’ve had three.

84. Jose Luis Ballester (a)

Age: 21 Data Golf Ranking: N/A Masters appearances: Rookie

The world’s No. 4-ranked amateur is a senior at Arizona State and the reigning U.S. Amateur champion, becoming the first Spaniard to win the Havemeyer trophy when he beat Noah Kent at Hazeltine last summer. Currently ranked No. 13 in the country in the collegiate rankings. I got a kick out of this quote I found from his college coach, Matt Thurmond, who said this about the experience of recruiting him: “It’s just a man amongst boys. He’s just a big silverback gorilla, and all these are little cubs around him.” That, obviously, isn’t the case this week.

83. Patton Kizzire

Age: 39 Data Golf Ranking: 218 Masters appearances: 2

Best Masters finish: T18, 2019

The Auburn graduate will be a keen observer as the Tigers chase a national championship on Monday night. Kizzire won the Procore Championship in the fall to get into the field and followed it up with a T11 at the Sanderson Farms but has struggled mightily outside the fall/opposite-field events. Seven consecutive missed cuts coming into this week. No bueno.

82. Danny Willett

Age: 37 Data Golf Ranking: 316 Masters appearances: 10

Best Masters finish: WON, 2016

Willett suffered a serious loss of form almost immediately after his shock victory over Jordan Spieth in 2016. He’s battled admirably and there have been some great moments since—a DP World Tour Championship win, a BMW PGA at Wentworth, and a Dunhill—but there tend to be long barren spells mixed in. He’s got one top 10 finish since September 2022.

81. Thriston Lawrence

Age: 28 Data Golf Ranking: 268 Masters appearances: Rookie

There was a hot second at Royal Troon last summer where it looked like we might be in store for a genuine shock Open Championship winner. He faded a bit down the stretch but still got it in the house in solo fourth, good for his first Masters berth. Lawrence earned his PGA TOUR card through the DP World Tour, but has found zero success so far with seven missed cuts, a T54 and a T59 in nine starts. It’s a new country and a new level of competition.

80. Bernhard Langer

Age: 67 Data Golf Ranking: N/A Masters appearances: 40

Best Masters finish: WON, 1986, 1993

The ageless wonder added to his legend by returning from an achilles tear in three months and then winning his 47th PGA TOUR Champions title at the year-ending Charles Schwab Cup Championship last fall. He’ll be making his 41st and final Masters appearance this year, as he’s decided to hang it up while still very much competitive. Langer last made the cut in 2020, but we like his chances to do it this year and go out with a bang.

79. Bubba Watson

Age: 46 Data Golf Ranking: 327 Masters appearances: 16

Best Masters finish: WON, 2012, 2014

Was relegated from LIV Golf last season only to be re-signed, which shined a light on some pretty curious league regulations. Bubba’s been one of the poorer players on LIV so far this year again, and has been open about seeing a point in the not-so-distant future that he’s a full time captain and perhaps not playing full time on LIV. He missed the cut in his last two Masters. All that said, he’s a lefty—and a two-time winner. And this is Augusta National.

78. Max Homa

Age: 34 Data Golf Ranking: 179 Masters appearances: 5

Best Masters finish: T3, 2024

Struggle Bus. There’s no other way to put it. Contended at a major for the first time at last year’s Masters, which seemed like a breakthrough and confidence-builder. He’s had precisely one top 10 finish since, and has been an unbridled mess this year. He parted ways with longtime swing coach Mark Blackburn before the Presidents Cup last year, put in a whole new bag of Cobra clubs this year after being a Titleist staffer, and split with caddie Joe Greiner after the Players. Whether those are the reasons or not, it’s been a very poor year—he hasn’t made a cut in a tournament that has one this year. He’s working as hard as anyone to try to get out of it, but this game owes you nothing.

77. Austin Eckroat

Age: 26 Data Golf Ranking: 95 Masters appearances: 1

Best Masters finish: CUT, 2024

Now a two-time winner on TOUR after his victory at the World Wide Technology Championship. But he’s had a bit of a struggle this year—no top 10s and six missed cuts in 10 starts. That’s mainly due to poor iron play, and it is simply impossible to play good major championship golf with poor iron play.

76. Adam Schenk

Age: 33 Data Golf Ranking: 259 Masters appearances: 1

Best Masters finish: T12, 2024

He is not having a good season so far—began the year with a top 10 at the Sony Open but followed with four missed cuts heading into Valero. Nonetheless, Schenk gets to return to the Masters via his T12 last year. (His also remains an all-time name for a professional golfer. )

75. Cameron Young

Age: 27 Data Golf Ranking: 147 Masters appearances: 3

Best Masters finish: T7, 2023

There’s so much talent here—he already has five top-10 finishes in majors and had legitimate chances to win the 2022 PGA Championship and 2022 Open Championship. But he’s in the Homa/Fitzpatrick category right now—struggling a lot and looking pretty peeved while doing it. He lost ground to the field on approach in all but one start this year and that’s just not going to cut it. The man doesn’t say much on the golf course—or on the indoor golf course at TGL.

74. Davis Riley

Age: 28 Data Golf Ranking: 230 Masters appearances: Rookie

Swing nerds will be very familiar with his silky action. (Your fun fact of the day is that it's Fat Perez’s favorite swing on TOUR.) Riley won in Texas last year to get into his first Masters and has two top-10 finishes in his last four starts, albeit against less-than-stellar fields.

73. Matthieu Pavon

Age: 32 Data Golf Ranking: 220 Masters appearances: 1

Best Masters finish: T12, 2024

Pavon enjoyed a great rookie season on the PGA TOUR after a long chunk of his career spent as a good-but-not-great DP World Tour player. He won at Torrey Pines, finished T12 at the Masters and played alongside Bryson DeChambeau when he won the U.S. Open at Pinehurst. Those are lifelong memories. The golf game has been a struggle this year as his best finish in nine starts is a T42 at the Cognizant Classic.

72. Charl Schwartzel

Age: 40 Data Golf Ranking: 165 Masters appearances: 15

Best Masters finish: WON, 2011

He won the first-ever LIV Golf event (and this tournament once) but has slowly faded from relevance since. Schwartzel’s in the stage of his career where he’s now only exempt into the Masters of the four major championships, and it’s players like him who I’m super curious about once the PGA TOUR and Saudi Public Investment Fund finally come to a deal.

71. Matt McCarty

Age: 27 Data Golf Ranking:111 Masters appearances: Rookie

The Santa Clara graduate was last year’s player of the year on the Korn Ferry Tour and won in just his second start as a PGA TOUR member in the fall. A rough start to the year but he’s bounced back with a top 20 at the Players and another at the Valspar. Another lefty at Augusta National.

70. Brian Campbell

Age: 32 Data Golf Ranking: 136 Masters appearances: Rookie

His victory over Aldrich Potgieter in Mexico was something of a David-over-Goliath—statistically the shortest player on the PGA TOUR, and a journeyman pro, beating the longest player on the TOUR, a hugely talented youngster. Enters off three consecutive missed cuts and this will mark his first start in a major outside the U.S. Open, which he’s played three times. Augusta is long these days. It’s a lot of golf course for him.

69. Matt Fitzpatrick

Age: 30 Data Golf Ranking: 88 Masters appearances: 10

Best Masters finish: T7, 2016

There’s not much Good to report here. Fitz’s last worldwide top 10 was at the Memorial and his best finish this year is a T22 in the limited-field Arnold Palmer Invitational. He recently parted ways with longtime caddie Billy Foster, and has been struggling for essentially a year now. His iron play has been very poor and he’s in serious danger of missing the Ryder Cup. The good news, then, is that he’s never missed the cut at the Masters as a pro and tends to putt extremely well on Augusta’s greens.

68. Kevin Yu

Age: 26 Data Golf Ranking: 90 Masters appearances: Rookie

The Arizona State graduate won his first PGA TOUR event at the Sanderson Farms. Top 20 finishes in his last two starts and four of his last six suggest he’s feeling good about his game. Making the weekend would be a good showing in his first major appearance outside the U.S. Open.

67. Nick Dunlap

Age: 21 Data Golf Ranking: 151 Masters appearances: 1

Best Masters finish: CUT, 2024

There’s a huge gap between his world ranking and his Data Golf ranking—in the OWGR he’s being rewarded for his two very-real PGA TOUR victories, the first of which famously broke a 30-plus year streak of no amateurs winning on tour. The advanced stats see an inconsistent player who has struggled on punishing layouts. Missed the cut at Bay Hill, The Players, Houston and all five of his major championship starts thus far. It goes without saying that he’s 21 and would be a junior in college at the moment, so there is more than enough time.

66. Max Greyserman

Age: 29 Data Golf Ranking: 55 Masters appearances: Rookie

He had a great rookie season last year on TOUR, stringing together back-to-back runner-up finishes in the heat of summer and finishing inside the top 50 to get into all the signature events. Posted three top 25 finishes in a row at Genesis, Cognizant and Bay Hill, but missed the cut at both the players and Houston. In his short time on tour he has emerged as one of the best putters and hits it long but often crooked.

65. Chris Kirk

Age: 39 Data Golf Ranking: 109 Masters appearances: 5

Best Masters finish: T16, 2924

Making his third straight Masters appearance after getting to the TOUR Championship last season. That year began with a bang as he won the season-opening Sentry at Kapalua. With just two top-19 finishes since, he’s tumbled down the world rankings. Kirk went to Georgia and still lives in Athens.

64. Christiaan Bezuidenhout

Age: 30 Data Golf Ranking: 68 Masters appearances: 3

Best Masters finish: T38, 2020

He’s a short-game specialist who can compete on the right style of golf course, but he hasn’t proven he has the firepower to even semi-contend in a major championship. It hasn’t been for a lack of attempts—this will be his 18th start in a major and he’s yet to post a finish better than T30. Bezuidenhout enters off back-to-back missed cuts at the Players and Valspar. His three Masters finishes sum up his major career nicely: T38, T40, T44. Better than 50% to make the cut but I’m not huge on his chances.

63. Nicolai Hojgaard

Age: 24 Data Golf Ranking: 122 Masters appearances: 1

Best Masters finish: T16, 2024

I was very surprised he got a special invitation over, say, Luke Clanton. Nicolai got his TOUR card this year through the DP World Tour and has two top-20 finishes but comes in off three consecutive missed cuts. He showed well in his first Masters a year ago, and gets to play alongside his twin.

62. Cam Davis

Age: 30 Data Golf Ranking: 134 Masters appearances: 2

Best Masters finish: T12, 2024

A well-timed top 5 at last year’s BMW Championship bumped him up to No. 36 in the FedEx Cup rankings, inside the magic top 50 that qualified him for this year’s signature events. A great finish at Pebble Beach has been tempered by four consecutive missed cuts, though he does have last year’s impressive T12 at the Masters to draw back on. A big lad but doesn’t hit it particularly far and ranks near the absolute bottom on tour in strokes gained off the tee.

61. Joe Highsmith

Age: 24 Data Golf Ranking: 59 Masters appearances: Rookie

He made the cut on the number then caught fire over the weekend at the Cognizant Classic to win his first PGA TOUR event. A Pepperdine graduate, he has Joe LaCava III, son of Tiger’s legendary former caddie, on the bag. He’s a lefty, and we know lefties’ rich history at Augusta National. It’s just his second-ever start in a major.

60. Nick Taylor

Age: 36 Data Golf Ranking: 73 Masters appearances: 2

Best Masters finish: T29, 2020

He was heartbroken not to make the Presidents Cup team in his native Canada last year. And he’s among the best closers on TOUR—he takes his chances when he gets one and added another victory (his fifth on the PGA TOUR) by beating Nico Echavarria in a playoff in Hawaii. He has a serious major championship problem, however, having missed the cut in each of his last eight appearances.

59. Harris English

Age: 35 Data Golf Ranking: 54 Masters appearances: 5

Best Masters finish: T21, 2021

Georgia born, bred and educated, he picked up his first win in nearly four years at the Farmers Insurance Invitational at Torrey Pines. At 35, he’s creeping up toward the latter half of his prime years. Has played his major championship golf at the U.S. Open. Steady player with an extremely calm demeanor.

58. Tom Hoge

Age: 35 Data Golf Ranking: 100 Masters appearances: 2

Best Masters finish: T39, 2022

Quite a streaky player, he can go really low when he’s on and his iron play is as good as anyone’s. But he’s been struggling considerably off the tee and around the greens and the putting hasn’t been that great, either. Add it all up and it hasn’t been a great start. BUT, and it’s a sizable but, he did finish T3 in the biggest tournament of the year so far at the Players.

57. Rasmus Hojgaard

Age: 24 Data Golf Ranking: 98 Masters appearances: Rookie

The Dane has been a consistent force on the European Tour—he’s already a five-time winner!—but is now battling much stiffer competition stateside. There’s not much major success to speak of in his career with three missed cuts and a best finish of T60 in six attempts thus far. If you can tell him and Nicolai apart, you’re doing better than I.

56. J.T. Poston

Age: 31 Data Golf Ranking: 41 Masters appearances: 3

Best Masters finish: T30, 2024

A consistent performer on TOUR added his third win in the fall and sits inside the top 50 of the world rankings. Hasn’t quite taken that step at a major championship, with his best finish in 16 tries coming at last year’s Masters. A card-carrying member of the Sea Island mafia.

55. Brian Harman

Age: 38 Data Golf Ranking: 85 Masters appearances: 6

Best Masters finish: T12, 2021

His play had dropped a level this year leading into Valero with a best finish of T17 in nine starts, but tough conditions once again lent themselves well to the waggling lefty and he walked away with a timely win this week. Given his relative lack of length, he needs his short game to be dialed to compete at Augusta, though. Another Georgia born, Georgia bred guy on TOUR but he hasn’t had much success to speak of in the Masters with four missed cuts in six appearances. Still, you’ll never be able to take Hoylake away from him.

54. Stephan Jaeger

Age: 35 Data Golf Ranking: 44 Masters appearances: 1

Best Masters finish: CUT, 2020

He’s completely remade his swing and added tons of length in the last few years and it’s elevated him from fringe tour player—he’s won six times on the Korn Ferry Tour, which means he’s played a lot on the Korn Ferry Tour—to an outside chance of playing in a Ryder Cup. He’d fit the Sepp Straka mold of a guy who went to high school and college in the U.S. and speaks with no accent but represents the blue and gold.

53. Sahith Theegala

Age: 27 Data Golf Ranking: 78 Masters appearances: 2

Best Masters finish: 9th, 2023

Theegala became a star in the game last year with great play, charisma and humility (calling a penalty on himself at the TOUR Championship when no one else would’ve seen it). He ran into a rough patch of form in 2025, with a best finish of T17 in 10 starts. His ball striking can get a bit squirrely and he needs to control his foul balls a bit better. That said, he’s a feel-first player who loves to move the ball around, and that plays well at Augusta.

52. Nicolas Echavarria

Age: 30 Data Golf Ranking: 110 Masters appearances: Rookie

The Colombian is playing the finest golf of his career and won his second PGA TOUR event in the fall in Japan. He put himself in good positions numerous times after three rounds but has struggled recently on Sundays—that was the case both at the Valspar and Houston. He made his first trip to Augusta after he was second alternate at Bay Hill and didn’t get in. A nice reward to himself for waiting around.

51. Laurie Canter

Age: 35 Data Golf Ranking: 64 Masters appearances: Rookie

The Brit became the first former LIV player to compete in a PGA TOUR event at the Players Championship, which he qualified for via his world ranking given strong play on the DP World Tour. He took the same route to get into his first Masters, earning one of the last invites by being inside the top 50 in the OWGR by the March 31 deadline. He made the cut in five of his six career major appearances and has two wins in the last 10 months in Europe.

50. Cameron Smith

Age: 31 Data Golf Ranking: 77 Masters appearances: 8

Best Masters finish: T2, 2020

Still the only player to ever shoot all four rounds in the 60s at the Masters, though it deserves a major asterisk alongside Dustin Johnson’s scoring record, given how soft The One in November was. I always love watching him carve his way around Augusta National—he’s a shotmaker with an all-world short game and Augusta brings out the best in him. He’s got five top-10 finishes in his last seven tries including a T6 last year. Not the best driver of the ball on the planet but it doesn’t hurt him around here.

49. Davis Thompson

Age: 25 Data Golf Ranking 38 Masters appearances: Rookie

Impressive young player and yet another Georgia Bulldog in the field. Won his first PGA Tour event at last summer’s John Deere Classic and having a solid but unspectular year thus far. Not sure I’ve ever seen him smile on the golf course, but maybe his first Masters will do the trick.

48. Thomas Detry

Age: 32 Data Golf Ranking: 56 Masters appearances: Rookie

An elegant player from Belgium gets his first Masters start by way of a dominant victory at the WM Phoenix Open. He hasn’t had a top-20 finish in his five starts since, however, and he’ll need to get back on his horse if he’s to make the Ryder Cup team. When he’s on, he looks a world-class player, and he’s been T14 or better in his last three major championship starts.

47. Tom Kim

Age: 22 Data Golf Ranking: 40 Masters appearances: 2

Best Masters finish: T16, 2023

A very solid start to his major championship career with two top-10s already, and still just 22 years of age. Just one top-10 finish in 2025, however, and that came the first week in February. He’s constantly at work at his craft and the ball striking numbers have been solid, he’s just putted pretty poorly. Two top-30 finishes in his two Masters suggests some level of comfort with the golf course.

46. Maverick McNealy

Age: 29 Data Golf Ranking: 46 Masters appearances: Rookie

Maverick is finally delivering on the all-world potential he flashed at Stanford, where he tied Tiger Woods and Patrick Rodgers’ win record. He won his first PGA TOUR event in the fall at the RSM Classic and nearly stole another with a final-round 63 at the Genesis at Torrey Pines. He struggled on the Bermuda in Florida with missed cuts at Bay Hill and the Players and while that wouldn’t historically have hit our radar, he’s now in the Ryder Cup mix and those high-profile trunk slams are tougher to swallow. Masters rookie.

45. Aaron Rai

Age: 30 Data Golf Ranking: 25 Masters appearances: Rookie

Rai grew up in a working-class family in Wolverhampton—that’s why he keeps covers on his irons, to remind of the time when he couldn’t afford to let his clubs bang against each other—so finally making the drive up Magnolia Lane will feel incredible. He’s had no trouble adjusting to life on the PGA TOUR and picked up his first win last summer at the Wyndham. T11 at Bay Hill, T14 at the Players, T19 at last year’s U.S. Open. Rai might be a fringe Ryder Cup contender.

44. Sam Burns

Age: 28 Data Golf Ranking: 32 Masters appearances: 3

Best Masters finish: T29, 2022

He’s played on the last three Team USAs (two Presidents Cup, one Ryder Cup) despite posting just one top-10 finish in a major in 18 tries, which came at last year’s U.S. Open. It hasn’t been a great year for the Louisiana boy—began with a top 10 at the Sentry but really struggled throughout the Florida swing. Two missed cuts in three career Masters starts.

43. Byeong Hun An

Age: 33 Data Golf Ranking: 49 Masters appearances: 5

Best Masters finish: T16, 2024

The former U.S. Amateur champion had to drop back to the Korn Ferry Tour after a loss of form, most notably on the greens, but has surged back to relevance under the tutelage of Sean Foley. Foley also deserves serious credit for giving him the nickname “The Weapon.” He qualified for the Tour Championship in 2024 in what might’ve been the best season of his career, but is still searching for his first PGA TOUR victory after 211 starts. Posted his best-ever Masters finish last year with a T16 and made the cut in three of four majors.

42. Denny McCarthy

Age: 32 Data Golf Ranking: 22 Masters appearances: 1

Best Masters finish: T45, 2024

He’s taken a step as a professional over the last 24 months as he’s grown out of being known exclusively as a putting specialist. He does, however, remain perhaps the finest putter on the planet and I for one cannot wait to watch him lag putt across Augusta’s ski-slope greens. (I am a nerd). Some hip issues that plagued him toward the end of last year are behind him and he posted four top-20 finishes in his last 5 starts heading into Valero.

41. Phil Mickelson

Age: 54 Data Golf Ranking: 342 Masters appearances: 31

Best Masters finish: WON, 2004, 2006, 2010

Does he have one more magical run left in him? I wouldn’t have thought so at the beginning of the year, but he has, in his own words, searched for a “different way” to compete with men half his age. A.K.A. trying less to keep up in the speed department and more relying on his decades of guile and incredible set of hands. Phil finished T23 at Adelaide, third at Hong Kong and T19 at Singapore. It might not seem like much, but it’s a major improvement on his recent LIV form. Let’s not forget it was only two years ago that he finished second in this tournament and less than four that he became the oldest major winner in history. The patrons would relish in one more Sunday charge. Much stranger things have happened.

40. Patrick Reed

Age: 34 Data Golf Ranking: 57 Masters appearances: 11

Best Masters finish: WIN, 2018

Reed has certainly faded from day-to-day headlines since his move to LIV Golf, but posted his best finish since the move with a T4 at last year’s Masters. He said he went to LIV to play less golf but has added plenty of Asian Tour events to his schedule and found success with a win in Hong Kong last November, and a solo second at the International Series Macau event, which got him into the Open Championship. Reed is below the middle of the pack in the LIV standings so far this year.

39. Michael Kim

Age: 31 Data Golf Ranking: 28 Masters appearances: 1

Best Masters finish: CUT, 2019

There are a lot of similarities with Max Homa—both are excellent follows on X (or, Homa used to be, at least) and both have seen the depths of professional golf. Like Homa, he’s emerged from the abyss and is playing the best golf of his career. Pushed high enough in the world rankings to grab one of the last spots in the field thanks to five consecutive top-13 finishes running from Phoenix through Bay Hill. Kim’s approach play has been excellent this year.

38. Dustin Johnson

Age: 40 Data Golf Ranking: 166 Masters appearances: 14

Best Masters finish: WIN, 2020

D.J. has not been good at all in the last 12 months, and there are some questions as to his motivation level given he’s now on the wrong side of 40 and has accomplished so much in the game. He did show some signs of life in Singapore and surely pride kicks in when you’re driving up Magnolia Lane.

37. Keegan Bradley

Age: 38 Data Golf Ranking: 19 Masters appearances: 8

Best Masters finish: T22, 2024

Surely the busiest man in world golf at the minute given his top-player schedule and all that comes with being a Ryder Cup captain. I keep saying he should announce that he won’t play at Bethpage to focus on captaining but he’s playing so damn well—went T5/T20 at Bay Hill and the Players and remains inside the top 20 in the world rankings and Data Golf’s rankings. On the flip side, he has just one to-10 finish in a major since 2014 and no top-20s in the Masters in eight tries.

36. J.J. Spaun

Age: 34 Data Golf Ranking: 20 Masters appearances: 1

Best Masters finish: T23, 2022

He’s second on tour in strokes gained approach behind only Collin Morikawa, and this is a course that tests your control with your irons. It goes to show you just how real adrenaline is, because he hit that approach on the playoff at TPC Sawgrass a good 12 yards farther than he wanted to. Two runner-up finishes in Florida (at the Cognizant and the Players) have catapulted him higher than he’s ever been in the game. He played solid in his only Masters appearance in 2022.

35. Akshay Bhatia

Age: 23 Data Golf Ranking: 21 Masters appearances: 1

Best Masters finish: T35

Now inside the top 25 in the world rankings at just 23 years old. He took a ton of heat when he eschewed college golf to turn professional, and even more so when his professional career got off to such a rough start, but it’s all paying off now. He posted three top-10 finishes in his four starts—including a T3 at the Players, where he shared the 36-hole lead and hung tough on Sunday—heading into his title defense at Valero. Remember it was there last year that he won in a playoff and secured the last Masters spot, becoming the first Drive, Chip and Putt participant to return to Augusta for the Masters. Putting has historically been his Achilles heel but he’s gained ground on the greens in eight of his last nine starts and ranks ninth in strokes gained this year. Hugely impressive turnaround.

34. Taylor Pendrith

Age: 33 Data Golf Ranking: 27 Masters appearances: Rookie

The long-hitting Canadian gets his first Masters appearance on the strength of really good play on the PGA TOUR in the last year. He’s third on tour in strokes gained off the tee and 22nd in strokes gained tee to green, but can sometimes struggle closer to the hole. He was college teammates with countrymen Correy Conners and Mackenzie Hughes at Kent State.

33. Lucas Glover

Age: 45 Data Golf Ranking: 24 Masters appearances: 10

Best Masters finish: T20, 2024

Glover’s playing really nicely deep into his 40s—went T3/T8 at the Players and the Valspar. The broomstick putter has resurrected his career and he remains a flusher’s flusher. But he’s got no top-10 finishes in majors since the year of his U.S. Open triumph in 2009.

32. Justin Rose

Age: 44 Data Golf Ranking: 96 Masters appearances: 44

Best Masters finish: 2, 2017

That loss to Sergio Garcia still haunts him, and he’s very open about that. It’s very hit or miss these days—his last six results leading into San Antonio were T18/MC/T3/MC/T8/MC. Played the elder statesman role at the last Ryder Cup and he’ll be desperate to get one more go at it later this year. Comes in off a very good major season last year with a T6 at Valhalla and a T2 at the Open, where he hung around near the top of the board all week. Plenty of Augusta success to draw back on with two runner-ups and four other top 10s in his career even if he did miss the weekend in 2022 and 2024.

31. Corey Conners

Age: 33 Data Golf Ranking: 14 Masters appearances: 7

Best Masters finish: T6, 2022

A top-10 machine and an ATM on the PGA TOUR with two wins in his career, both in the Valero Texas Open, which historically falls right before the Masters. Entered his favorite week in San Antonio (we assume it’s his favorite week…) off three straight top-10 finishes and went solo third/T6 at Bay Hill and the Players. Had a run of three straight top 10s at the Masters from 2020-22 but missed the cut in 2023 and 2024. His consistent ball striking and favored draw fare well here, though you question if he has the internal dog to win a major championship.

30. Sungjae Im

Age: 27 Data Golf Ranking: 33 Masters appearances: 5

Best Masters finish: T2, 2020

Sungjae started the year well with a solo third at Kapalua and a T4 at Torrey Pines, but didn’t have much throughout the rest of the west coast swing or in Florida. His approach play has been the pain point, losing ground to the field in six of his last seven starts with his irons. A very high-spin player who prefers a fast and bouncy golf course, and Augusta typically fits that bill.

29. Billy Horschel

Age: 38 Data Golf Ranking: 48 Masters appearances: 9

Best Masters finish: T17, 2016

He ended a curiously barren run in the majors last year—coming into 2024 he had just one top-10 finish in 40 tries as a professional, but he posted two in three chances last year, including a spirited runner-up to Xander Schauffele at Royal Troon. Billy Ho also took down Rory McIlroy to win the BMW PGA Championship for a second time last September at Wentworth. That takes stones, and there’s no doubt he relishes the big moment. We saw his personality come out in a huge way in TGL and he’s as motivated as ever to finally make it onto a Ryder Cup team. He took T4 in his last start at the Valspar but needs to be more consistent week-in and week-out.

28. Tony Finau

Age: 35 Data Golf Ranking: 36 Masters appearances: 7

Best Masters finish: T5, 2019

A season of change. He’s no longer working with his longtime swing coach Boyd Summerhays, instead going with Chris Como, who has done wonders with Xander Schauffele and Bryson DeChambeau. The puter remains his achilles heel, however, and not sure Como can help much in that department. He’s never missed the cut at the Masters and has three top-10 finishes in his seven starts. Finau certainly has enough firepower to make a ton of birdies out there. With six wins on his resume, a major would go a long way in cementing his legacy.

27. Will Zalatoris

Age: 28 Data Golf Ranking: 43 Masters appearances: 3

Best Masters finish: 2, 2021

He came damn close to winning the Masters in his first try and notched seven top-19 finishes in his first 11 major championship starts. He’s a proper ball striker and wears out the middle of the clubface, but the putting remains an issue. That said, he’s got great speed control and that’s part of the reason he’s played Augusta so well—hits his irons to the fat parts of the greens and then hits good lag putts. Finished between T12 and T48 in all eight starts so far this year.

26. Wyndham Clark

Age: 31 Data Golf Ranking: 37 Masters appearances: 1

Best Masters finish: CUT, 2024

Never one to hide his feelings, he sent a stray at LIV last year after a so-so opening round in his first Masters then missed the cut. It was not a good major season for the 2023 U.S. Open winner as he also missed the weekend at the PGA Championship and The Open. He notched his first top-10 of the season in his last start at the Texas Children’s Houston Open. He has fared very well in signature events but, outside his triumph at LACC, his best other finish in a major is a T33 and he’s missed the cut in seven of 12 tries. Plays a pretty significant fade off the tee and Augusta has long been thought to favor a right-to-left ball flight.

25. Jordan Spieth

Age: 31 Data Golf Ranking: 75 Masters appearances: 11

Best Masters finish: WON, 2015

It’s now officially been a full decade since his record-setting victory in 2015, which kicked off one of the greatest years in golf history. He should’ve won the tournament the following year, and has six T4 finishes in the Masters. All that said, he’s simply not the player he was back then. Spieth underwent wrist surgery this offseason and has two top 10s since his return, but is still prone to the wild mistake and missed the cut in two of his last four Masters. Perhaps returning to Augusta can spark something inside him.

24. Adam Scott

Age: 44 Data Golf Ranking: 47 Masters appearances: 23

Best Masters finish: WON, 2013

He’s got such tremendous longevity and seems to get faster and longer with each passing year. Has played in 92 consecutive major championships and making it to 100 in a row seems very attainable (he’s into all four this year after going T2-T4 in the final two FedEx Cup playoff events). It feels like his career deserves a second major championship, if only he was coming to these Masters in better form. He’s had no top 10s on the PGA TOUR so far this year.

23. Sepp Straka

Age: 31 Data Golf Ranking: 17 Masters appearances: 3

Best Masters finish: T16, 2024

Born in Austria but raised and educated in Georgia, he won his second PGA TOUR event in Palm Springs in January and has followed it up with five top-15 finishes since. A very, very consistent ball striker who ranks seventh in strokes gained tee to green. Figures to be a part of Luke Donald’s team at Bethpage this fall.

22. Hideki Matsuyama

Age: 33 Data Golf Ranking: 12 Masters appearances: 13

Best Masters finish: WON, 2021

Hideki seems to always be semi-battling a neck injury. He began the year with a victory in Hawaii, where he shot a breathtaking 35-under par, but hasn’t quite played to that same standard in his seven starts since. He returns to the site of his lone major triumph and again enters as one of the few higher-profile players to have teed it up the week before the Masters. Deki’s short game has been fantastic this year which has made up for a somewhat down year off-the-tee. His caddie Shota Hayafuji’s bow after his Masters win continues to grow more iconic as the years pass.

21. Jason Day

Age: 37 Data Golf Ranking: 30 Masters appearances: 13

Best Masters finish: T2, 2011

Nearly won the Masters in his first try and had four top-10s in his first nine tries at Augusta, but none since. Perhaps the best-dressed player on TOUR, he’s made a bunch of headlines for his sartorial choices, including the Malbon Championship vest that Augusta politely suggested he take off last year. He’s at the stage of his career where top-20 finishes don’t do much for him and he’s been open about how frustrating it is to have just one win since 2018. Still long enough, still hits it well enough—he’s anything but washed up but hasn’t been the same player since the glory days of the mid 2010s.

20. Min Woo Lee

Age: 26 Data Golf Ranking: 23 Masters appearances: 3

Best Masters finish: T14, 2022

Won his first PGA TOUR event in his last start in rather dramatic fashion. It was his career in a nutshell: remarkable talent, which is how you build a three-shot lead on the PGA TOUR…and the occasional wild miss, which reared its head on 16 and brought everyone back into the tournament. He’s a distinctly modern player who smashes it nine miles and crushes it on the internet, and he’s got seven top-30 finishes already in majors, including two at the Masters. Lee recently told me his confidence is sky high heading into this week on a course he loves. As he put it: “See you guys at the big dance.”

19. Viktor Hovland

Age: 27 Data Golf Ranking: 29 Masters appearances: 5

Best Masters finish: T7, 2023

Golf’s most interesting man. He was perhaps the best player on the planet in late 2023 but was fully in the wilderness not long ago—swing changes and a new coach seemingly every week. Then he won the Valspar by outperforming Justin Thomas out of nowhere. He said after that victory, his seventh on the PGA TOUR, that he was essentially hoping the ball would fly straight and still didn’t feel anywhere near his best. He’s had four finishes of T7 or better in his last nine major starts but missed the cut in three of four last year. You just don’t know what you’re getting with him these days. That’s part of the fun, I guess.

18. Tyrrell Hatton

Age: 33 Data Golf Ranking: 13 Masters appearances: 8

Best Masters finish: T9, 2024

He’s one of the very few players who’s said on the record he doesn’t like Augusta National, and feels like good shots aren’t properly rewarded there. He did, however, pick up his first top 10 in the Masters last year. He opted for LIV Golf and has a win there—that, plus wins at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship and Dubai Desert Classic to start the year prompted Rory McIlroy to dub him a lock to make the Ryder Cup team.

17. Daniel Berger

Age: 31 Data Golf Ranking: 31 Masters appearances:

Best Masters finish: T10, 2016

He loves staying under the radar. In typical fashion he’s quietly playing very solid this year and don’t be surprised if he’s at Bethpage. Entered Valero off five consecutive top-25 finishes and has seven top-25s, including two runner-ups, in his last nine starts. It’s been a balanced attack; he ranks inside the top 50 in all six key strokes gained categories including 12th in strokes gained overall. He missed the last two Masters amidst an 18-month layoff with a back injury so he’ll be chomping at the bit to get back. His best Masters finish came in his debut in 2016.

16. Sergio Garcia

Age: 45 Data Golf Ranking: 26 Masters appearances: 25

Best Masters finish: WIN, 2017

His initial comportment after moving to LIV can be described as “take ball and go home.” He refused to pay fines to the DP World Tour and accepted that his Ryder Cup future was over. That’s changed; he’s regained eligibility and has been open about wanting to be on Luke Donald’s team at Bethpage. He is the all-time points leader in that competition, after all, and he’s backed it up with some excellent play so far on LIV Golf, where he has a win and sits third in the points. He will need to play well in the majors to get a pick, however, and his results at the Masters since his career-defining win in 2017 don’t inspire confidence: CUT/CUT/CUT/T23/CUT/CUT. Something’s gotta give. Do we go by course history or form? I’ll take form all day. He wants one more Ryder Cup, badly.

15. Robert MacIntyre

Age: 28 Data Golf Ranking: 18 Masters appearances: 2

Best Masters finish: T12, 2021

After an initially difficult period adjusting to life on the PGA TOUR he has settled in beautifully. Bobby Mac comes in off three straight finishes of T11 or better and seems to have an extra confidence about him this year as he marches toward a second consecutive Ryder Cup appearance. He’s shown a flair for the dramatic moment with his two victories last year (the Canadian Open and his beloved Scottish Open) and has two top-25 finishes in two tries at Augusta National. All signs point toward a strong week.

14. Joaquin Niemann

Age: 26 Data Golf Ranking: 8 Masters appearances: 5

Best Masters finish: T16, 2023

Few have more to prove this major season. He’s in his prime, playing terrific golf—he’s got two wins this year on LIV and won two last year—but hasn’t quite cemented his place in the world game because he hasn’t performed in the majors. He knows that, he acknowledges that. His best finish in 22 major tries is a T16 at the Masters. Him making a run, or at least finishing in the top 10, would go a long way for himself personally and for LIV as a whole. Still just 26 years old, he first played this tournament as a 19-year-old amateur in 2018.

13. Patrick Cantlay

Age: 33 Data Golf Ranking: 9 Masters appearances: 8

Best Masters finish: T9, 2019

The world ranking has dropped a bit but the advanced stats love his consistency; he’s got 11 top-25s in his last 13 starts and picks up shots throughout the bag. Made the cut in 10 straight major championships and has three top 10s in that span but hasn’t properly contended for one, and that’s the next step he has to make in his career. Just a so-so history at Augusta with one top-10 finish in eight tries. One of the few top players who opted to play the week before in San Antonio. Had his plate full the last few years with PGA TOUR governance obligations.

12. Russell Henley

Age: 35 Data Golf Ranking: 7 Masters appearances: 8

Best Masters finish: T4, 2023

Calling him “steady” probably isn’t fair anymore given how good he’s been over the last few years. He won the biggest tournament of his career by outdueling Collin Morikawa at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. He made his Team USA debut at last year’s Presidents Cup, and given the deep respect his peers have for his consistency, he’s a good bet to make it to Bethpage, too. He’s seventh on TOUR in strokes gained overall and in the positive in all six key SG categories. He was born in Macon, lives in Columbus, went to school in Athens—winning Georgia’s major would be a dream come true.

11. Tommy Fleetwood

Age: 34 Data Golf Ranking: 6 Masters appearances: 8

Best Masters finish: T3, 2024

What a story he was at last year’s Masters, when he used local caddie Gray Moore en route to his best-ever Augusta finish. He’s got his bagman Ian Finnis back this year and has played very consistently good golf—his last finish outside the top 25 was at the Open, a span of 15 straight events. He’s done everything in his career except win in the United States and he would be an extremely popular first-time major winner. Enters in terrific form.

10. Xander Schauffele

Age: 31 Data Golf Ranking: 11 Masters appearances: 7

Best Masters finish: T2, 2019

The summer of his life yielded two major championships last go-round, but the start of 2025 has been rudely interrupted by a nagging rib injury that kept him out for over two months. Returned to competition at Bay Hill but wasn’t super convincing in his assessment of his health. More concerns surfaced after a 75-81 weekend at the Players but looked much better—including leading the field in strokes gained approach—en route to a T12 at the Valspar. He has been a remarkably consistent performer in the majors with six top-10 finishes in his last eight tries and 11 straight T18s or better. His health remains a very real concern.

9. Brooks Koepka

Age: 34 Data Golf Ranking: 45 Masters appearances:

Best Masters finish: T2, 2019, 2023

We always seem to forget about him at the majors, then he shoots six-under the first round and you’re left wondering how you were so foolish. Koepka returned to major championship glory in 2023 at the PGA Championship, and that came just a month after he lost a duel to Jon Rahm for the Masters. That loss still bothers him, and he knows just how significant a green jacket and a sixth major would be for his legacy. It wasn’t a good year in the majors last year for him—he made the cut in all four but his best finish was T26—and there’ve been rumblings that he wants back on the PGA TOUR. Or maybe that was just Fred Couples running his mouth. Either way, he hasn’t exactly thrown cold water on the rumor since. Asked about his future, he said he’s got contractual obligations on LIV and will see after the fact. Asked about the progress of the league last week in Miami, he said he wishes it would’ve been further along by now.

8. Bryson DeChambeau

Age: 31 Data Golf Ranking: 15 Masters appearances: 8

Best Masters finish: T6, 2024

In hindsight, his strong play at last year’s Masters was the beginning of a remarkable run that saw him emerge as perhaps the biggest star in the sport outside of Tiger Woods. He hadn’t had much success at Augusta at all—his history with the Masters known more so for his naive “par 67” comments—but he owned up to those and hung around all week last year en route to a T6. Then came the near-miss at Valhalla and the Shakesperean drama at Pinehurst. Finished between T6 and T20 in his four LIV starts leading into Miami and perhaps some of that is due to some equipment questions. He’s got a new driver which he co-designed, and has been very frustrated in his search for a golf ball that performs to his exact specifications. One of the few bombers these days who primarily plays a draw. It’s a good course fit on paper.

7. Justin Thomas

Age: 31 Data Golf Ranking: 5 Masters appearances: 9

Best Masters finish: 4, 2020

JT is playing at a top-five level this year and sure looked back to his old self as he swaggered around Innisbrook in his last start only to get leapfrogged by Viktor Hovland. He missed the cut in his past two Masters, curiously, but has lived on the first page of leaderboards so far this year. Most encouraging has been the iron play, which is back to being world-class. Still chasing his first win since the 2022 PGA Championship and he’ll be fully confident it can come this week on the game’s biggest stage.

6. Shane Lowry

Age: 37 Data Golf Ranking: 10 Masters appearances: 9

Best Masters finish: T3, 2022

Lowry’s in terrific form and currently sits at No. 12 in the world rankings, equaling the best of his career. He’s been really consistent over the past 12 months and enters off a very busy and very fruitful Florida Swing: T11 at Cognaizant, seventh at Bay Hill, T20 at the Players and T8 at Valspar. He’s passionate about this game and his profession and tries to peak for this tournament every year. He’s only ever been in the mix once, though I like his chances to make a run this year. Few have more control over the ball with their irons than he does (he’s sixth in strokes gained approach). He gets to return to Royal Portrush, the site of his major triumph, later this summer.

5. Collin Morikawa

Age: 28 Data Golf Ranking: 3 Masters appearances: 5

Best Masters finish: T3, 2024

He’s a very popular pick this week and it’s easy to see why. Morikawa is the consensus No. 3 player in the world, he leads the tour in strokes gained approach, he’s got two runner-ups and three other top 20’s in five starts this season and he’s got top-10 finishes in each of his last three Masters. There’s a bit of concern over his performance down the stretch on Sundays, however. He’s had plenty of chances to win since his last victory in October 2023 and he hasn’t taken them—most recently being outdueled by Russell Henley at Bay Hill. He didn’t stop for a media interview that afternoon, which started a negative-press news cycle, but I get the sense he doesn’t care much. He certainly has an edge, and certainly believes he can win this tournament right now.

4. Jon Rahm

Age: 30 Data Golf Ranking: 4 Masters appearances: 8

Best Masters finish: WON, 2023

Few doubt his quality—or, at least, the smart people don’t, as he’s No. 75 in the world ranking but No. 4 in Data Golf’s—nor his desire, but he’s got a little extra motivation after something of a lost year in the majors last year. All eyes were on him as the defending champion last year in his first major start as a LIV player and he threw up a dud with a T45, then missed the cut at Valhalla, and then had to withdraw from the U.S. Open with a toe injury. Rahm did, however, finish that major season with a top 10 at the Open Championship. He’s also finished inside the top 10 in literally every LIV start he’s made but that’s not the barometer for him, and he surely didn’t think he’d still be shut out from PGA TOUR events more than 16 months after his monumental move.

3. Rory McIlroy

Age: 35 Data Golf Ranking: 2 Masters appearances: 16

Best Masters finish: 2, 2022

2025 marks another opportunity to become a true immortal in the game by becoming just the seventh man to win the career Grand Slam. He couldn’t have asked for a better lead-in: wins in signature events at Pebble Beach and TPC Sawgrass, plus a top-five in his final lead-in start in Houston. Rory raised some eyebrows when he said his right elbow’s been bothering him and that his game wasn’t where he wanted it yet, but beware the injured golfer. He’s been the best player on the planet this year and while there have been some high-profile Masters missed cuts (in 2021 and 2023) there have also been seven top-10 finishes since 2014. It will happen one day. Right. RIGHT?!

2. Scottie Scheffler

Age: 28 Data Golf Ranking: 1 Masters appearances: 5

Best Masters finish: WON, 2022, 2024

He’s been the game’s top dog for two-plus years now. Like Xander, he had a generational run interrupted by a freak accident that he suffered while making homemade ravioli. (Ravioli’s on his Champions Dinner menu too, but you’d assume someone else is handling the sharp edges). Scottie said recently he didn’t have full range of motion in the right hand when he returned, and perhaps that explains the (relative) drop in standard in 2025 compared to his all-time 2024. He nearly stole the victory in Houston with a four-birdie run late, and he absolutely adores this place with his two victories and three other top-20 finishes. He’s the betting favorite and rightfully so, but this is one man’s list and I predicted Ludvig early in the year. What’s a prediction if you come off it?

1. Ludvig Aberg

Age: 25 Data Golf Ranking: 16 Masters appearances: 1

Best Masters finish: 2

I know, I know. He’s coming in off back-to-back missed cuts. But I predicted him to win the Masters at the start of the year and I am not backing down now. His solo second last year was as good a Masters debut as we’ve seen since Fuzzy Zoeller won in his first try in 1979. Incredibly that was Aberg’s first major championship start. The first winner of the PGA TOUR U program to go straight to the TOUR has had a meteoric rise—he was picked for the Ryder Cup just four-ish months into his professional career. It’s been a steady progression since. He won his first PGA TOUR event in the fall of 2023, contended at the Masters last year, then won his first signature event at the Genesis Invitational at Torrey Pines after battling a nasty illness to start the year. That propelled him to a career-high world ranking of No. 4 and he became a very popular pick to win this tournament, but the results since—a T22 at Bay Hill, MC Hammers at the Players and Valero—have taken a bit of the shine off. There is no doubt there are major championships, plural, in his future, and it’d be zero shock if he got off the mark this week. Nothing but positive memories at Augusta National so far.