What's In The Bag Database & Tour Stats
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What's In The Bag Database & Tour StatsAugusta National Golf Club · April 9-12, 2026
Unlike the U.S. Open or The Open Championship which have fixed fields of 156 players, the Masters has no set field size. Augusta National invites every player who meets at least one of its qualifying criteria, so the field varies each year depending on how many players qualify and how much overlap exists between categories.
Players qualifying through multiple categories appear under their first listed pathway. Look for “Also:” tags showing additional qualifying paths.
Augusta National expanded its qualifying criteria from 20 to 26 categories starting with the 2026 Masters, adding six national open champion invitations. Here is every path to an invitation.
All former Masters champions receive a lifetime invitation to compete. Many past champions beyond competitive age choose not to play but remain eligible.
U.S. Open champions from 2021–2025 receive a five-year invitation. Honorary, non-competing thereafter.
The Open champions from 2021–2025 receive a five-year invitation. Honorary, non-competing thereafter.
PGA champions from 2021–2025 receive a five-year invitation. Honorary, non-competing thereafter.
Winners of The Players Championship from the last three years are invited. The 2026 Players (March 12-15) winner will also qualify.
The current Olympic gold medalist in men's golf is invited for one year. VACANT for 2026 — Scottie Scheffler (Paris 2024) used this exemption for the 2025 Masters. The next Olympic golf event is Los Angeles 2028.
The reigning U.S. Amateur champion (7-A) and runner-up (7-B) are invited, provided they remain amateur. Honorary, non-competing after one year.
The reigning Amateur Championship (R&A) winner is invited. Honorary, non-competing after one year.
The reigning Asia-Pacific Amateur champion earns a one-year Masters invitation.
The reigning Latin America Amateur champion earns a one-year Masters invitation.
The reigning U.S. Mid-Amateur champion is invited to compete at the Masters.
The reigning NCAA Division I men's individual champion is invited, provided they remain amateur. VACANT for 2026 — Michael La Sasso forfeited his invitation in January 2026 when he turned professional and signed with LIV Golf's HyFlyers team.
Players who finished in the top 12 (and ties) at the 2025 Masters at Augusta National.
Players who finished in the top 4 (and ties) at the 2025 U.S. Open.
Players who finished in the top 4 (and ties) at the 2025 Open Championship.
Players who finished in the top 4 (and ties) at the 2025 PGA Championship.
Individual winners of PGA Tour events that award a full-point allocation (500 minimum) applied to the season-ending Tour Championship. New for 2026: FedEx Cup Fall event winners no longer qualify — only full-point events count.
Players who qualified for and were eligible to compete in the 2025 Tour Championship at East Lake.
The reigning Scottish Open champion earns a Masters invitation. This is one of six new national open qualifying categories added for 2026.
The reigning Spanish Open champion earns a Masters invitation. New qualifying category for 2026.
The reigning Japan Open champion earns a Masters invitation. New qualifying category for 2026.
The reigning Hong Kong Open champion earns a Masters invitation. New qualifying category for 2026.
The reigning Australian Open champion earns a Masters invitation. New qualifying category for 2026.
The reigning South African Open champion earns a Masters invitation. New qualifying category for 2026.
Players ranked in the top 50 of the Official World Golf Ranking as of December 28, 2025.
Players ranked in the top 50 of the Official World Golf Ranking as published the week before the Masters (~March 30, 2026). This is the final opportunity to qualify via rankings — players currently ranked 40-60 with strong March results could still earn a spot.
The official masters.com website and Masters app offer free live streaming with features no TV broadcast can match:
Geo-restricted to the US. Outside the US? Use a VPN (~$11/mo) to unlock all free streams from anywhere. Get NordVPN →
Thursday & Friday (Rounds 1-2)
Amazon Prime Video — 1:00-3:00 PM ET (new for 2026)
ESPN — 3:00-7:30 PM ET
Saturday & Sunday (Rounds 3-4)
Paramount+ — 12:00-2:00 PM ET (streaming)
CBS — 2:00-7:00 PM ET
ESPN+ — Featured Groups, Amen Corner, and dedicated hole streams all four days
2026 features a record 27 hours of broadcast coverage — 50% more than 2024.
Sky Sports Golf — Exclusive live coverage of all four rounds, plus Amen Corner and Featured Groups feeds
NOW — Streaming option without a Sky subscription
Australia — Fox Sports, Kayo Sports
Canada — TSN (all rounds), CTV (simulcast Sat-Sun), TSN+ (streaming)
Japan — TBS
Europe — Sky Sport (Germany, Italy, Austria), Canal+ (France), Movistar+ (Spain)
Scandinavia — Viaplay
Asia — Golf TV / GolfNetwork+ (various territories)
South Korea — JTBC Golf
Latin America — ESPN Latin America
South Africa — SuperSport
A VPN lets you access all US-only streams — including the free masters.com coverage, ESPN+, Amazon Prime Video, and more — from anywhere in the world.
How it works (2 minutes to set up):
What is a VPN?
A VPN (Virtual Private Network) changes your IP address so websites and apps think you're in a different country. Streaming services see a US IP and give you full access to US content. Works on all your devices — phone, tablet, laptop — and you can share the connection to a TV.
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The 2026 Masters field includes 92 players, including 18 past champions, recent major winners, top PGA Tour performers, amateur champions, and players ranked in the OWGR Top 50. The field is finalized.
Yes. All qualifying categories are now closed. The Valero Texas Open was won by J.J. Spaun, who was already exempt via his 2025 U.S. Open victory. Phil Mickelson withdrew citing a family matter, and Tiger Woods is not competing.
Augusta National added six new national open champion categories for 2026: the Scottish Open, Spanish Open, Japan Open, Hong Kong Open, Australian Open, and South African Open. This expands the qualifying criteria from 20 to 26 pathways.
The 90th Masters Tournament will be held April 9-12, 2026 at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia. Practice rounds begin April 6, with the Par 3 Contest on April 8.
In the US, ESPN covers Rounds 1-2 and CBS covers Rounds 3-4. In the UK, Sky Sports Golf airs all four rounds. The best option is the free masters.com website or Masters app, which offers Every Shot Live player tracking, Featured Groups, and dedicated streams for Amen Corner and other iconic holes. A VPN may be needed to access masters.com streams from outside the US.
Players qualify through 26 different criteria including: being a past champion (lifetime), winning a major in the last 5 years, finishing in the top 12 at the previous Masters, winning a PGA Tour full-point event, qualifying for the Tour Championship, being ranked in the OWGR Top 50, winning designated national opens, or being an amateur champion.