How to Qualify for the Masters

Curious about the world of high-level golfing? Qualifying for the Masters is no easy feat, but it’s definitely not impossible, either. We’ve outlined every possible way that someone can get an invite to one of the most exclusive golf tournaments in the world, even if they haven’t made a name for themselves as a pro golfer just yet. We’ve even walked you through how to qualify at the amateur level, so your golf dreams can be one step closer to becoming reality.

Method 1
Method 1 of 2:

Getting a Masters Invitation

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    Win a previous Masters tournament. Golf players who win the Masters automatically get an invitation for the rest of their golfing careers. If you spot any previous Masters champions on the roster, they’re probably attending and playing thanks to their lifetime invitation.[1]
    • For example, famous players like Tiger Woods and Jordan Spieth can always compete at the Masters since they’ve won the competition in the past.
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    Get first place in the British Open Championship. The most recent winner of the British Open Championship automatically gets an invite to the tournament, along with any player who’s won the British Open in the past 5 years.[2]
    • Players don’t have to attend the Masters if they receive an invitation.
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    Win the US Open Championship. Just like with the British Open, the most recent champion of the US Open earns a spot in the Masters roster. Any golf players who have won the US Open in the past 5 years are also eligible to compete.[3]
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    Place first at the PGA Championship. In terms of Masters invitations, the PGA Championship carries the same weight as the British and US Open. The current winner of the PGA Championship is allowed to compete at the Masters, as well as any other PGA Champion from the past 5 years.[4]
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    Achieve first place at The Players Championship. The most recent winner of The Players Championship is eligible to compete in the Masters. Any other players who won this championship within the past 3 years are also allowed to compete.[5]
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    Earn a spot as the current Olympic gold medalist. This qualification is a bit tricky—a person has to win the Olympic gold medal in golfing the year before the Masters. Unlike competitions like the US Open and PGA Championships, an Olympic medal only gets you a single invitation to the competition.[6]
    • The Summer Olympics happen once every 4 years, so this isn’t a very consistent way to qualify for the Masters.
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    Win first or second place at the US Amateur Championship. Amateur Championships allow skilled amateur players to compete against their colleagues and vie for a spot at the Masters.[7] Any player with a golf handicap of 2.4 or lower can qualify, as long as you submit an official application form and entry fee.[8]
    • This is the only Amateur Championship that extends a Masters invite to both the winner and the runner-up.
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    Get first place in the US Mid-Amateur Championship. The US Mid-Amateur competition is pretty similar to the regular US Amateur competition, but you have to be at least 25 to compete in it.[9] Regardless, the winner of the competition receives an automatic invite to the Masters.[10]
    • The skill level at the US Amateur is super high, making it difficult for older players to have an equal chance at winning. The US-Mid Amateur is designed to provide a fairer, more balanced field of competition for older players.[11]
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    Place first at the British Amateur Championship. Just like the US and US-Mid Amateur Championships, the British Amateur Championship also offers a Masters invitation to the first-place winner.[12]
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    Win the Latin America Amateur Championship. The best, most skilled players from the 29 countries and territories in the Latin American region all get an invitation to play in the Latin America Amateur Championship.[13] The player who wins this competition then gets an invitation to the Masters tournament.[14]
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    Achieve first place at the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship. There are 42 official organizations registered with the Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation (APGC). Each year, the highest-ranking players from these organizations get invited to the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship.[15] The winner of this competition then gets invited to the upcoming Masters tournament.[16]
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    Place 12th or higher at the previous Masters tournament. Do you ever notice how a lot of similar faces seem to show up at the Masters? That’s because the top 12 competitors from the previous competition automatically qualify for the Masters the next year.[17]
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    Get 4th place or higher at last year’s Open, US Open, or PGA Championship. Once you establish yourself in the pro golfing world, it’s easy to qualify for the Masters in future years. The 9 players who get 2nd, 3rd, and 4th place at the US Open, Open, and PGA Championships all get an automatic invite.[18]
    • This invitation only applies to the next Masters tournament, not the next 3-5 tournaments.
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    Win a PGA tour event after last year’s Masters. Just like the PGA Championship, a PGA Tour victory also earns someone a spot at the Masters. Given the nature of the PGA tour, multiple golfers can qualify for the tournament this way.[19]
    • A PGA Tour win has to fall within 1 year after the most recent Masters competition, or else it won’t count.
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    Be eligible for the PGA Tour Championship. The Tour Championship comes at the end of the PGA Tour. It’s one of the biggest competitions of the tour, so anyone who qualifies for it also qualifies for the Masters.[20]
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    Place as one of the top 50 players in the official golf ranking system. Anyone who lands in the top 50 of the Final Official World Golf Ranking of the past golfing season secures a spot at the Masters. Invitations also go out to the top 50 players of the current golfing season.[21]
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    Get specifically invited as an international player. Some skilled international players don’t get the chance to win a major competition, so they don’t qualify for the Masters by conventional means. In this case, the Masters Committee personally invites specific players so they can compete.[22]
    • You probably won’t get an invitation this way if you live in a country with a well-established golf presence like the US or UK.
    • There isn’t a set number of spots in the Masters roster. Anyone who meets these qualifications can choose to play in or abstain from the competition.
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Method 2
Method 2 of 2:

Qualifying as an Amateur

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    Join a golf club so you can get a Golf Handicap ID Number (GHIN). Handicap numbers are the official way for all golf players to be ranked professionally and compared against one another. Join an official golf club to get your own GHIN, which is required on the official Amateur Championship entry form.[23]
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    Get your GHIN to be lower than 2.4. The official entry form requires all amateur competitors to have a really, really good handicap score—a relatively low number like 3 or 4 won’t cut it. Once your GHIN is 2.4 or lower, you can apply for the Amateur Championship.[24]
    • Don’t be discouraged if your current GHIN isn’t quite up to snuff yet. The vast majority of golfers have a handicap between 8 and 20—only 3% have a handicap that’s smaller than 3.
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    Register for your region’s amateur golf tournament. There are 5 major Amateur Championships for golfers to compete in: US, British, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, and US Mid. Figure out which tournament is closest to you, and then submit your application form along with the entry fee.[25]
    • US and US Mid: https://champ-admin.usga.org/player#/apply
    • Latin American players need to be invited to enter the tournament.[26] An invitation is also required for the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship.[27]
    • The entry fee for the Amateur Championship in America is $180. In the UK, it’s £100.
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    Make it through the Qualifying round and into the Championship round. Since anyone with a low enough GHIN can enter the US Amateur Championship, a 36-hole qualifying round narrows the competition to 64 players. Do the very best you can during this qualifying round and see if you’re good enough to land in the top 64![28]
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    Place in first or second during the Championship round. Play your heart out and see how you fare against the other 63 players who made it to the final round. If you place in first or second, you’re in luck—you’ve just scored an invitation to the Masters![29]
    • Only the runner-up of the US Amateur Championship gets an invitation to the Masters. The other Amateur Championship runner-ups unfortunately don’t qualify.
    • Winning the US Amateur Championship also earns you an invitation to the US Open.
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References

  1. ↑ https://www.augusta.com/masters/qualifications
  2. ↑ https://www.augusta.com/masters/qualifications
  3. ↑ https://www.augusta.com/masters/qualifications
  4. ↑ https://www.augusta.com/masters/qualifications
  5. ↑ https://www.augusta.com/masters/qualifications
  6. ↑ https://www.augusta.com/masters/qualifications
  7. ↑ https://www.augustachronicle.com/story/sports/pga/2022/04/01/masters-invitation-qualifications-how-players-invite-augusta-national-tournament/7128814001/
  8. ↑ https://champ-admin.usga.org/bin/champadmin/common/championship/info/download?champId=2468017
  9. ↑ https://www.usga.org/content/usga/home-page/championships/2014/us-midamateur-champions-21474863159.html
  1. ↑ https://www.augusta.com/masters/qualifications
  2. ↑ https://www.usga.org/content/usga/home-page/championships/2014/us-midamateur-champions-21474863159.html
  3. ↑ https://www.augusta.com/masters/qualifications
  4. ↑ https://www.laacgolf.com/about/entries/
  5. ↑ https://www.augustachronicle.com/story/sports/pga/2022/04/01/masters-invitation-qualifications-how-players-invite-augusta-national-tournament/7128814001/
  6. ↑ https://www.aacgolf.com/about/entries/
  7. ↑ https://www.augustachronicle.com/story/sports/pga/2022/04/01/masters-invitation-qualifications-how-players-invite-augusta-national-tournament/7128814001/
  8. ↑ https://www.augusta.com/masters/qualifications
  9. ↑ https://www.augusta.com/masters/qualifications
  10. ↑ https://www.augusta.com/masters/qualifications
  11. ↑ https://www.augusta.com/masters/qualifications
  12. ↑ https://www.augusta.com/masters/qualifications
  13. ↑ https://www.augusta.com/masters/qualifications
  14. ↑ https://champ-admin.usga.org/bin/champadmin/common/championship/info/download?champId=2468017
  15. ↑ https://champ-admin.usga.org/bin/champadmin/common/championship/info/download?champId=2468017
  16. ↑ https://champ-admin.usga.org/bin/champadmin/common/championship/info/download?champId=2468017
  17. ↑ https://www.laacgolf.com/about/entries/
  18. ↑ https://www.aacgolf.com/about/entries/
  19. ↑ https://collegeofgolf.keiseruniversity.edu/best-amateur-golf-tournaments-play/
  20. ↑ https://collegeofgolf.keiseruniversity.edu/best-amateur-golf-tournaments-play/
  21. ↑ https://collegeofgolf.keiseruniversity.edu/good-average-round-professional-golfer/
  22. ↑ https://www.pga.com/story/how-to-find-the-right-tournament-for-your-game

About This Article

Michael Metz
Co-authored by:
Michael Metz
Golf Instructor
This article was co-authored by Michael Metz and by wikiHow staff writer, Janice Tieperman. Michael Metz is a Golf Instructor and the Director of Instruction at Simi Hills Golf Course. With more than 15 years of experience, Michael is adept at coaching all facets of Golf. Mike uses technology, such as Flightscope, V1 Swing Suite, Blast Motion, and BodiTrak pressure mapping, to provide advanced golf training with quick results. This article has been viewed 3,773 times.
1 votes - 100%
Co-authors: 3
Updated: December 3, 2022
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Categories: Golf
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