US Masters Golf – Field and Format

Augusta, UNITED STATES: Ian Poulter of England sports some fancy golf shoes as he plays 07 April, 2007 during the third round at the 71st Masters Golf Tournament in Augusta, Georgia. JEFF HAYNES/AFP/Getty Images)

The Masters has the smallest field of all the Majors, in the region of ninety players. Although it is an invitational event, invitations are automatically issued to players who meet the criteria below and to the top fifty players on the official World Golf rankings.

US Masters Golf – The Field

Invitation categories:

  • Past champions have a lifelong invitation to compete in any addition, although the elderly have been dissuaded of competing for too long a period.
  • US Open champions, the Open champions and PGA champions for the first five years.
  • Winners of the Players Championship for three years.
  • The current US amateur champion and runner-up, the current US Amateur Public Links champion and the current Mid-Amateur champion, for one year.
  • The first 16 players, including ties, in the previous Masters tournament.
  • The first 8 players, including ties in the previous year’s US Open.
  • The first 4 players, including ties in the previous year’s British Open.
  • The first 4 players, including ties in the previous year’s PGA Championship.
  • The 30 leaders on the official PGA Tour money List for the previous calendar year.
  • The 50 leaders on the World Golf ranking published a week prior to the Masters.
  • The Masters committee, at its discretion, may invite any other golfer they deem fit to compete.

US Masters Golf – The Format

As with all golf tournaments, the Masters is a 72-hole event held over four days. The rules are those defined by the US Golf Association. The Masters Tournament Committee separately sets specific rules and regulations that must be adhered to.

As the field is considerably smaller than most events, the players are grouped in threes for the first 36 holes. Thereafter the dreaded ‘cut’ is made. Those who make the cut are in one or both of the following categories: 

  • The lowest 44 scores plus ties and/or
  • Within 10 strokes of the leader

As a matter of interest, Jack Nicklaus made the most cuts, with 37. Gary Player and Fred Couples share the record for the most consecutive cuts, with 23.