With the 2013 international golf schedule now completed, the field for the 2014 Masters has largely been decided, with 90 players having earned invitations.
The final two spots from the top 50 in the World Rankings were not decided until the completion of the final week of tournament action for the year. The Netherlands’ Joost Luiten and South Africa’s Brendan Grace finished the year 49th and 50th in the rankings, with South Africa’s Richard Sterne bumped out of the 50th spot the last week of the year.
The only remaining methods of invitation for the 2014 Masters is a PGA Tour victory prior to the tournament, or a spot in the top 50 of the World Rankings after the Texas Open, which is played two weeks before the Masters.
The 2014 Masters field currently includes 10 players with ties to Georgia, including former champions Larry Mize, Zach Johnson and Bubba Watson. Major champions Lucas Glover and Stewart Cink are in the last year of their five-year exemptions for their victories in 2009.
Matt Kuchar returns to the Masters field along with four players who played their college golf in the state and will be making their initial appearances in the event.
Former Georgia Bulldogs Harris English and Chris Kirk earned spots in the field with PGA Tour victories in 2013 along with Patrick Reed, who helped lead Augusta State to back-to-back NCAA Championships. Former Georgia Tech golfer Roberto Castro earned an invitation to Augusta by finishing in the top 30 in the 2013 FedExCup standings. Reed is the only member of the group who did not grow up in Georgia and still resides in the state.
Five players ranked between 51 and 60 ended the year without a Masters invitation, including Sterne (51), PGA Tour members Scott Piercy (55) and Bo Van Pelt (57) and Kiradech Aphibarnrat (59), the second-ranked Asian player and a possible candidate for a special invitation from tournament officials.
Top international players yet to qualify for the 2014 Masters include Nicolas Colsaerts, Ryo Ishikawa and Paul Casey. Americans not yet qualified include Augusta’s Charles Howell, Macon’s Russell Henley and David Toms.
The 2014 current Masters field, listed by their primary category of qualification:
Masters champions: Adam Scott, Bubba Watson, Charl Schwartzel, Phil Mickelson, Angel Cabrera, Trevor Immelman, Zach Johnson, Tiger Woods, Mike Weir, Vijay Singh, Jose Maria Olazabal, Mark O’Meara, Ben Crenshaw, Bernhard Langer, Fred Couples, Ian Woosnam, Sandy Lyle, Larry Mize, Craig Stadler, Tom Watson.
U.S. Open champions, 2009-13: Justin Rose, Webb Simpson, Rory McIlroy, Graeme McDowell, Lucas Glover.
British Open champions, 2009-13: Ernie Els, Darren Clarke, Louis Oosthuizen, Stewart Cink.
PGA champions, 2009-13: Jason Dufner, Michael Bradley, Martin Kaymer, Y.E. Yang.
Players champions, 2011-13: Matt Kuchar, K.J. Choi.
Top 12, 2013 Masters: Jason Day, Marc Leishman, Thorbjorn Olesen, Brandt Snedeker, Sergio Garcia, Lee Westwood, John Huh, Tim Clark.
Top 4, 2013 U.S. Open: Billy Horschel, Hunter Mahan.
Top 4, 2013 British Open: Henrik Stenson, Ian Poulter.
Top 4, 2013 PGA: Jim Furyk.
PGA Tour winners, 2013 (post-Masters): Derek Ernst, Sang Moon Bae, Boo Weekley, Harris English, Ken Duke, Bill Haas, Jonas Blixt, Jordan Spieth, Patrick Reed, Jimmy Walker, Ryan Moore, Chris Kirk.
Top 30, 2013 FedExCup points list: Graham DeLaet, Steve Stricker, Nick Watney, Gray Woodland, Kevin Streelman, Roberto Castro, Brendon de Jonge, Luke Donald, D.A. Points, Dustin Johnson.
Top 50, World Rankings 2013: Hideki Matsuyama, Thomas Bjorn, Jamie Donaldson, Victor Dubuisson, Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano, Miguel Angel Jimenez, Rickie Fowler, Francisco Molinari, Matteo Manassero, David Lynn, Thongchai Jaidee, Peter Hanson, Brendan Grace, Joost Luiten.
Amateurs: Jordan Niebrugge, Garrick Porteous, Matthew Fitzpatrick, Oliver Goss, Mike McCoy, Lee Chang-woo.