Category Archives: Masters, The

The Masters – 2024 Amateur Preview & Results

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14th April 2024

Results

22 year old NEAL SHIPLEY (USA) won the low amateur Silver Cup at The 88th Masters Invitational at Augusta National G.C.

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Neal Shipley (Photo: The Masters)

His rounds of 71-76-80-71 and total score of 300 +12 saw him finish in tied 53rd place.

NEAL SHIPLEY (USA) – 300 +12 Tied 53rd

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Neal Shipley’s 72 Hole Scorecard (Graphic: The Masters)

The Ohio State graduate student and Pittsburg native had the additional privilege of being paired with Tiger WOODS (USA) in the final round. Woods, struggling for fitness, shot a disappointing 76 to follow up his 82 on Saturday.

Speaking after his round Shipley said “Playing with Tiger on Sunday at The Masters, I think I would have to win one of these to top this week. It has definitely been a dream week but I am looking forward to being out here soon, hopefully. He is such a normal guy and really cool, and he was great to me all day.” 

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Neal Shipley’s Round 4 Tee Time (Graphic: The Masters)

Scottie SCHEFFLER (USA) won the tournament by 4-shots with a 277 -11 score, collecting $3.6m in prize money. Ludvig ÅBERG (SWE) -7, playing in his first major, finished 2nd with Tommy FLEETWOOD (ENG), Max HOMA (USA) and Collin MORIKOWA (USA) all tied 3rd on -4. It was Scheffler’s second Masters win following on from his triumph in 2022.

The 36-hole cut fell at 150 (+6) with 60 players progressing to the weekend. This was the first year that the cut has fallen at +5 or higher since 2017 highlighting how tough Augusta played on the opening two days.

There was a 2.5 hour weather delay on Day 1 of The Masters following overnight rain. As a result 27 of the 89 players in the field were required to complete their first rounds on Friday morning.

Neal SHIPLEY (USA), on +3, was the only amateur to make the cut with rounds of 71 and 76.

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Round 2 Amateur Leaderboard (Graphic: The Masters)

Here are the individual scorecards of the four other amateurs that failed to make the cut: –

CHRISTO LAMPRECHT (RSA) – 152 +8 Tied 71st MC

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Christo Lamprecht’s 36 Hole Scorecard (Graphic: The Masters)

STEWART HAGESTAD (USA) – 152 +8 Tied 71st MC

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Stewart Hagestad’s 36 Hole Scorecard (Graphic: The Masters)

SANTIAGO de la FUENTE (MEX) –  154 +10 Tied 77th MC

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Santiago de la Fuente’s 36 Hole Scorecard (Graphic: The Masters)

Jasper STUBBS (AUS) – 156 +12 Tied 82nd MC

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Jasper Stubbs’ 36 Hole Scorecard (Graphic: The Masters)

Click here to view the – 2024 Masters Final Results

ME.

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9th April 2024

The 88th Masters will take place at Augusta National G.C. this week between Thursday 11th and Sunday 14th April.

A field of 89 players will be competing, one more than last year.

Five amateurs will be playing, two less than in 2023.

The primary goal for each amateur is to make the 36 hole cut and if they achieve that to then go on and win the low amateur Silver Cup.

I will be updating this article with amateur scoring information and reports as the tournament unfolds.

2024 master journal cover_final-1

The 2024 Masters Journal

2024 Amateur Player Biographies

The legacy of Bobby Jones, the co-founder of the tournament and a lifelong amateur (at least during his competitive years), means The Masters has always found a place for the world’s leading amateurs.

This year’s intake will see the total number of amateurs to have played in The Masters rise to 459.

The five amateurs competing at The Masters in 2024 are: –

SANTIAGO de la FUENTE (MEX), 22 – winner of the 2023 Latin America Amateur Championship
Santiago is from Ocotlan in Mexico but will be well acclimatised as he is in his third year at the University of Houston in Texas. In 2023 he represented the International Team in the Arnold Palmer Cup and represented his home country in the Eisenhower Trophy.
WAGR #26 (10/04/24)
Top Amateur Odds – 4/1

STEWART HAGESTAD (USA), 33 on 10th April – winner of the 2023 U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship
From Newport Beach, California Stewart won the U.S. Mid-Amateur title for the third time last year. He has also played on four successful Walker Cup teams. Third Appearance at Augusta. In 2017 he finished tied 36th to pick up the low amateur prize.
WAGR #12 (10/04/24)
Top Amateur Odds – 3/1

CHRISTO LAMPRECHT (RSA), 23 – winner of the 2023 Amateur Championship
The Amateur champion from George made a splash in last year’s Open Championship with an opening round of 66 (-5) and ultimately won the Silver Medal. In 2023 he represented the International Team in the Arnold Palmer Cup and represented his home country in the Eisenhower Trophy. Masters debut.
WAGR #1 (10/04/24)  
Top Amateur Odds – 6/4

NEAL SHIPLEY (USA), 23 – runner-up at the 2023 U.S. Amateur Championship
Now a graduate student at Ohio State University having graduated from James Madison University in 2022. He is an experienced amateur with a number of high finishes to his name. Lost to Nick Dunlap in the U.S. Amateur Championship final last year. Masters debut.
WAGR #37 (10/04/24) 
Top Amateur Odds – 17/4

Jasper STUBBS (AUS), 22 – winner of the 2023 Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship 
Earned his place by winning the Asia-Pacific in a play-off against Wenyi Deng at Royal Melbourne G.C. Masters debut.
WAGR #339 (10/04/24)
Top Amateur Odds – 13/2

U.S. and Amateur champions also receive non-playing honorary invitations which mean they are invited to attend The Masters every year for the rest of their lives.

Nick Dunlap, the 2023 U.S. Amateur champion, and Fred Biondi (BRA), the 2023 NCAA Division I Men’s Golf Individual champion both turned pro to forego their amateur exemptions. Dunlap is of course in the field as his decision was prompted by a win at the American Express event on the PGA Tour in January.

2024 Amateur Tee Times (GMT +5hrs)

Round 1

Group 2 – 8.12am EDT / 1.12pm BST – José-María Olazábel (ESP), Taylor Moore (USA) & Santiago de la FUENTE (MEX)

Group 4 – 8.36am EDT / 1.36m BST – Chart Schwartzel (RSA), Luke List (USA) & Christo LAMPRECHT (RSA)

Group 6 – 9.00am EDT / 2.00pm BST – Zach Johnson (USA), Corey Connors (CAN) & Jasper STUBBS (AUS)

Group 18 – 11.30am EDT / 4.30pm BST – Mike Weir (CAN), Ryo Hisatsune (JAP) & Neal SHIPLEY (USA)

Group 20 – 11.54am EDT / 4.54pm BST – Fred Couples (USA), Adam Hadwin (CAN) & Stewart HAGESTAD (USA)

Round 2

Group 3 – 8.24am EDT / 1.24pm BST – Mike Weir (CAN), Ryo Hisatsune (JAP) & Neal SHIPLEY (USA)

Group 5 – 8.48am EDT / 1.48pm BST – Fred Couples (USA), Adam Hadwin (CAN) & Stewart HAGESTAD (USA)

Group 17 – 11.18am EDT / 4.18pm BST – José-María Olazábel (ESP), Taylor Moore (USA) & Santiago de la FUENTE (MEX)

Group 19 – 11.42am EDT / 4.42pm BST – Chart Schwartzel (RSA), Luke List (USA) & Christo LAMPRECHT (RSA)

Group 21 – 12.12pm EDT / 5.12pm BST – Zach Johnson (USA), Corey Connors (CAN) & Jasper STUBBS (AUS)

By tradition the reigning U.S. Amateur champion is always paired with the reigning Masters champion. Accordingly Nick Dunlap has been paired with Jon Rahm this year (with Justin Rose making up the three ball).

Click here to view all of the – Masters 2024 Tee Times

Amateur Perks

Only amateur competitors are permitted to stay in the Crow’s Nest accommodation in the clubhouse. Most of them normally spend at least one night there during Masters week.  

The Amateur Dinner, hosted by chairman Fred Ridley and normally attended by around between 50-100 guests, was held in The Founders Room on the evening of Monday 8th April. The Captain of The R&A, President of the USGA, a former amateur participant and an amateur contestant from this year normally speak.

Perhaps somewhat harshly Nick Dunlap, the reigning U.S. Amateur champion, was not invited.

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Jasper Stubbs, Santiago de la Fuente, Neal Shipley, Fred Ridley, Stewart Hagestad and Chrsito Lamprecht (Photo: Chris Turvey / Augusta National G.C.)

2023 Masters – Amateur Performances

The 2022 U.S. Amateur champion Sam BENNETT (USA) finished tied 16th with a 286 (-2) total. As the only amateur to make the cut he also secured the low amateur Silver Cup. 

Sam, who was 23 at the time, was the first amateur to finish inside the top 20 since 2005 (Ryan Moore, tied 13th) and the first in 30 years to card a bogey-free round (Round 1) at The Masters.

However, after tiring over the weekend he missed out on a Top 12 finish which would have earned him an exemption into next year’s tournament. It is worth remembering that after two opening 68’s he entered the weekend on -8 and in sole 3rd place. 

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Sam Bennett’s Scorecard (Graphic: The Masters)

The six other amateurs competing in 2023 all missed the cut.

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Round 2 Amateur Leaderboard (Graphic: The Masters)

The Masters – Amateur Playing Records

For more information on amateur performances at The Masters please take a look at this companion article – The Masters – Amateur Records.

ME.

Copyright © 2014-2024, Mark Eley. All rights reserved.

The Masters – 2023 Amateur Preview & Results

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9th April 2023

Jon RAHM (ESP) won the 87th Masters with a 276 (-12) total. His rounds of 65, 69, 73 and 69 were good enough for a four shot victory over Phil MICKLESON (USA) and Brooks KOEPKA (USA) who finished on 280 (-8).

Rahm became the first European player to win both the U.S.Open Championship and The Masters Tournament.

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John Rahm and Sam Bennett (Photo: Reuters)

Here are the final results:-

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Final Leaderboard (Graphic: The Masters)

Click here to view the full – Masters 2023 Results 

U.S. Amateur champion Sam BENNETT (USA) – 286 (-2), Tied 16th – won the low amateur Silver Cup. 

23 year old Sam was the first amateur to finish inside the top 20 since 2005 (Ryan Moore, Tied 13th) and the first in 30 years to card a bogey-free round (Round 1) at The Masters.

However, after tiring over the weekend the U.S. Amateur champion missed out on a Top 12 finish which would have earned him an exemption into next year’s tournament.

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Sam Bennett Scorecard (Graphic: The Masters)

Bennett returned back to Texas A&M University immediately following the prize presentation and was considering teeing it up tomorrow in his home college event, the Aggie Invitational, where 36 holes are scheduled to be played at the Traditions Club in Bryan.  

ME.

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8th April 2023

Due to inclement weather Round 2 had to be completed on Saturday morning.

The cut fell at 147 (+3) with 54 players progressing to the weekend.

The big news from an amateur perspective was the outstanding performance of Sam BENNETT (USA) whose two 68s left him in 3rd place heading into the final two rounds. With his Texas A&M college coach Brian Kortan on the bag his 136 (-8) total is the second best 36-hole total in the history of The Masters. Ken Venturi got to -9 in 1956 albeit the course nearly 70 years later is a totally different beast.   

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Round 2 Amateur Leaderboard (Graphic: The Masters)

Here are the individual scorecards of the amateur competitors: –

Sam BENNETT (USA) – 136 (-8), 3rd

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Sam Bennett Scorecard (Graphic: The Masters)

Ben CARR (USA) – 149 (+5), Tied 60th MC

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Ben Carr Scorecard (Graphic: The Masters)

Aldrich POTGIETER (RSA) – 151 (+7), Tied 70th MC

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 Aldrich Potgieter Scorecard (Graphic: The Masters)

Matt MCCLEAN (N.I.) – 151 (+7), Tied 70th MC

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Matt McClean Scorecard (Graphic: The Masters)

Mateo FERNANDEZ DE OLIVEIRA (ARG) – 151 (+7) Tied 70th MC

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Mateo Fernandez De Oliveira Scorecard (Graphic: The Masters)

Harrison CROWE (AUS) – 152 (+8) Tied 75th MC

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Harrison Crowe Scorecard (Graphic: The Masters)

Gordon SARGENT (USA) – 153 (+9) Tied 79th MC

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Gordon Sargent Scorecard (Graphic: The Masters)

ME.

___________________________________

4th April 2023

The 87th Masters will take place at Augusta National G.C. this week between Thursday 6th and Sunday 9th April.

A field of 88 players will be competing, two less than last year.

Seven amateurs will be playing, one more than in 2022.

The primary goal for each amateur is to make the 36 hole cut and if they achieve that to then go on and win the low amateur Silver Cup.

I will be updating this article with amateur scoring information and reports as the tournament unfolds.

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The 2023 Masters Journal

2023 Amateur Player Biographies

The legacy of Bobby Jones, the co-founder of the tournament and a lifelong amateur (at least during his competitive years), means The Masters has always found a place for the world’s leading amateurs.

This year’s intake will see the total number of amateurs to have played in The Masters rise to 454.

The seven amateurs competing at The Masters in 2023 are: –

SAM BENNETT (USA), 23 – winner of the 2022 U.S. Amateur Championship
Texas native Sam is a fifth-year senior at Texas A&M University. He beat Ben Carr (see below) in the 122nd U.S. Amateur at Ridgewood C.C. in New Jersey. Sam has “Don’t wait to do something” tattooed on the inside of his arm to commemorate his father who died in June 2022. Masters debut.
SPWAR #11  / WAGR #6
Top Amateur Odds – 7/2 (2nd)

BEN CARR (USA), 22 – runner-up at the 2022 U.S. Amateur Championship
From Columbus, Georgia Ben is a fifth year student at Georgia Southern University. Runner-up at last year’s U.S. Amateur this will be his Masters debut.
SPWAR #8 / WAGR #46 
Top Amateur Odds – 10-1 (5th)

HARRISON CROWE (AUS), 21 – winner of the 2022 Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship 
From Bexley in Australia Harrison qualified for this year’s Masters with a 1-shot victory at the Asia-Pacific Championship in Thailand. Masters debut.
SPWAR #45  / WAGR #33  
Top Amateur Odds – 8-1 (4th)

MATEO FERNANDEZ DE OLIVEIRA (ARG), 23 – winner of the 2022 Latin America Amateur Championship 
Mateo is a senior at the University of Arkansas and qualified with a record breaking -23 win in this year’s Latin America Amateur in Puerto Rico. Masters debut.
SPWAR #13  / WAGR #25 
Top Amateur Odds – 15/2 (3rd)

MATTHEW MCCLEAN (N.I.), 29 – winner of the 2022 U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship 
From Malone G.C. in Belfast, Matt, an optometrist by profession, beat Hugh Foley 3&1 in last year’s U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship final to secure his place in the field. Masters debut.
SPWAR #55  / WAGR #70
Top Amateur Odds – 14-1 (7th)

ALRICH POTGIETER (RSA), 18 – winner of the 2022 Amateur Championship
The Amateur champion arrives in form with wins in the South African Amateur Stroke Play Championship, the Junior Invitational at Sage Valley and The Georgia Cup, where he beat Sam Bennett by 5&4. He will be the fifth South African amateur to participate in The Masters. Masters debut.
SPWAR #33  / WAGR #32 
Top Amateur Odds – 5-1 (3rd)

GORDON SARGENT (USA), 19 – winner of the 2022 NCAA Division I Men’s Golf Individual Championship
In something of a surprise The Masters issued a ‘special invitation’ to an amateur for the first time since Aaron Baddeley received one in 2000. Many believe this will prove to be the precursor to a new exemption category for the winner of the NCAA Division I Individual title*. Sergent won this event in 2022 whilst a freshman at Vanderbilt University.
SPWAR #4  / WAGR #1
Top Amateur Odds – 11/8 (1st Fav.)

U.S. and Amateur champions also receive non-playing honorary invitations which mean they are invited to attend The Masters every year for the rest of their lives.

This is as strong a group of amateurs as I can recall and I am hopeful we will see a few play all 72-holes and that there will be a genuine Silver Cup competition.

* This was formally confirmed by Fred Ridley in his Chairman’s press conference on Wednesday 5th April 2023 and will be effective from 2024.  

2023 Amateur Tee Times (GMT +5hrs)

Round 1

Group 2 – 8.12am EDT / 1.12pm BST – Vijay Singh (FIJ), Scott Stallings (USA) & Matthew MCCLEAN (N.I.)

Group 6 – 9.00am EDT / 2.00pm BST – Larry Mize (USA), Min Woo Lee (AUS) & Harrison CROWE (AUS)

Group 10 – 9.48am EDT / 2.48pm BST – Bubba Watson (USA), Seamus Power (IRE) & Mateo F. DE OLIVEIRA (ARG) 

Group 17 – 11.18am EDT / 4.18pm BST – Charl Schwartzel (RSA), Taylor Moore (USA) & Aldrich POTGIETER (RSA)

Group 19 – 11.42am EDT / 4.42pm BST – Bernhard Langer (GER), Mito Pereira (CHI) & Ben CARR (USA)

Group 24 – 12.48pm EDT / 5.48pm BST – Zach Johnson (USA), Jason Day (AUS) & Gordon SARGENT (USA)

Group 28 – 1.36pm EDT / 6.36pm BST – Scottie Scheffler (USA), Max Homa (USA) & Sam BENNETT (USA)

Round 2

Group 2 – 8.12am EDT / 1.12pm BST – Charl Schwartzel (RSA), Taylor Moore (USA) & Aldrich POTGIETER (RSA)

Group 4 – 8.36am EDT / 1.36pm BST – Bernhard Langer (GER), Mito PEREIRA (CHI) & Ben CARR (USA)

Group 9 – 9.36am EDT / 2.36pm BST – Zach Johnson (USA), Jason Day (AUS) & Gordon SARGENT (USA)

Group 13 – 10.30am EDT / 3.30pm BST – Scottie Scheffler (USA), Max Homa (USA) & Sam BENNETT (USA)

Group 17 – 11.18am EDT / 4.18pm BST – Vijay Singh (FIJ), Scott Stallings (USA) & Matthew MCCLEAN (N.I.)

Group 21 – 12.12pm EDT / 5.12pm BST – Larry Mize (USA), Min Woo Lee (AUS) & Harrison CROWE (AUS)

Group 25 – 1.00pm EDT / 6.00pm BST – Bubba Watson (USA), Seamus Power (IRE) & Mateo F. DE OLIVEIRA (ARG) 

*By tradition the reigning U.S. Amateur champion is always paired with the reigning Masters champion. 

Click here to view the – Masters 2023 Tee Times

Click here to view the – Masters 2023 Leaderboard 

Amateur Perks

Only amateur competitors are permitted to stay in the Crow’s Nest accommodation in the clubhouse. Most of them normally spend at least one night there during Masters week.  

The Amateur Dinner, hosted by chairman Fred Ridley and normally attended by around between 50-100 guests, was held in The Founders Room on the evening of Monday 3rd April. The Captain of The R&A, President of the USGA, a former amateur participant and an amateur contestant from this year normally speak. Two time U.S. Open champion Curtis Strange spoke this year.

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Ben Carr, Sam Bennett, Gordon Sargent, Fred Ridley, Matt McClean, Harrison Crowe, Aldrich Potgieter and Mateo Fernandez de Oliveira (Photo: Chris Turvey / Augusta National G.C.)

2022 Masters – Amateur Performances

No amateur made the cut at the 2022 Masters so the Silver Cup was not awarded. It was the second consecutive year that an amateur had not completed the 72 holes.

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Round 2 Amateur Scoreboard (Graphic: The Masters)

The cut fell at 148 (+4), tied 45th, with 52 players progressing to the final 36 holes over the weekend.  

Keita NAKAJIMA (JAP) and Austin GREASER (USA) were the leading amateurs finishing tied 64th on 151 +7.

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Keita Nakajima Scorecard (Graphic: The Masters)

Nakajima lived up to his pre-tournament billing as the favourite for the low amateur Silver Cup with an even par first round of 72 which left him tied 19th. However, on day 2 a long tee shot on the 12th led to a double bogey and eventually a 5-over back nine which saw him spiral down the leaderboard. He hardly missed a putt in round 1 but seemed to find the greens much harder on Friday.

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Austin Greaser Scorecard (Graphic: The Masters)

Big hitting Greaser gave himself a chance of making the cut with an opening round of 74 (+2). Unfortunately a poor double bogey from the middle of the 11th fairway followed by a long tee shot on 12 and another bogey saw his opportunity quickly disappear. He hit 21 greens in regulation, the best of the six amateurs, and will have been pleased with his overall performance.

Click here to view the full– 2022 Masters Results

The Masters – Amateur Playing Records

For more information on amateur performances at The Masters please take a look at – The Masters – Amateur Records.

ME.

Copyright © 2014-23, Mark Eley. All rights reserved.

The Masters – 2022 Amateur Preview & Results

Posted on by

10th April 2022

Scottie SCHEFFLER (USA) won the 86th Masters Tournament at Augusta National G.C. with a 278 (-10) total. His 3-shot winning margin could have been larger save for a four-putt finish on the 72nd hole.

Rory MCILROY (IRL) finished 2nd on -7 after a superb 68 in round 4. Shane LOWRY (IRL) and Cameron SMITH (AUS) finished tied 3rd on 283 (-5).

Click here to view the full– 2022 Masters Results  

ME.

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8th April 2022

For the second year running no amateurs made the cut and therefore the Silver Cup prize will not be awarded.

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Round 2 Amateur Scoreboard (Graphic: The Masters)

The cut fell at 148 (+4), tied 45th, with 52 players progressing to the final 36 holes over the weekend.  

Here are the individual scorecards of the amateur competitors: –

Keita NAKAJIMA (JAP) – 151 (+7), Tied 64th

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Keita Nakajima Scorecard (Graphic: The Masters)

Nakajima lived up to his pre-tournament billing as the favourite for the low amateur Silver Cup with an even par first round of 72 which left him tied 19th. However, on day 2 a long tee shot on the 12th led to a double bogey and eventually a 5-over back nine which saw him spiral down the leaderboard. He hardly missed a putt in round 1 but seemed to find the greens much harder on Friday.

Austin GREASER (USA) – 151 (+7), Tied 64th

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Austin Greaser Scorecard (Graphic: The Masters)

Big hitting Greaser gave himself a chance of making the cut with an opening round of 74 (+2). Unfortunately a poor double bogey from the middle of the 11th fairway followed by a long tee shot on 12 and another bogey saw his opportunity quickly disappear. He hit 21 greens in regulation, the best of the six amateurs, and can be pleased with his overall performance.

Aaron JARVIS (CAY) – 155 (+11), Tied 78th

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Arron Jarvis Scorecard (Graphic: The Masters)

Jarvis, the least experienced amateur, played his way out of the tournament with an opening 81 but showed good heart to come back with a 74 in round 2. The highlights were his two birdies on the 12th where his tee shots finished 7 feet and 1 foot away from the hole. Scores that would see him pick up 2.50 shots on the field average.   

James PIOT (USA) – 155 (+11), Tied 78th

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James Piot Scorecard (Graphic: The Masters)

U.S. Amateur champion James Piot struggled on Day 1 to an 81 from which there would never be any way back. A couple of bad swings on 13 in day 1 saw him rack up a costly 8. He will have been pleased to pick up four birdies in round 2 and leave with a far more respectable 74 under his belt.

Stewart HAGESTAD (USA) – 160 (+16), 87th

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Stewart Hagestad Scorecard (Graphic: The Masters)

Unlike on his previous visit in 2017 Hagestad’s lack of distance caught up with him and he was unable to keep his score going on the greens where he struggled with the pace.

Laird SHEPHERD (USA) – 166 (+22), 89th

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Laird Shepherd Scorecard (Graphic: The Masters)

Amateur champion Laird Shepherd was sadly out of his depth at Augusta National and appeared intimidated off the tee. Fighting a pull hook with his woods and finding just one of the par 3’s in regulation in eight attempts. 11/28 fairways and just 9/36 greens in regulation is always going to make scoring difficult. Nevertheless he seemed to putt reasonably well and will have enjoyed the par 5 13th which he birdied in both rounds.

ME.

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6th April 2022

The 86th Masters will take place at Augusta National G.C. this week between Thursday 7th and Sunday 10th April.

A field of 91 players will be competing, three more than last year. [Paul Casey withdrew on the opening morning with a back injury meaning just 90 players actually started]

Six amateurs will be playing. In 2021 only three amateurs played as the COVID-19 pandemic saw the prior Asia-Pacific Amateur, Latin America Amateur and U.S. Mid-Amateur Championships all cancelled so there were no winner exemptions from these events.

The primary goal for each amateur is to make the 36 hole cut and if they achieve that to then go on and win the low amateur Silver Cup.

image

The 2022 Masters Journal

2022 Amateur Player Biographies

The legacy of Bobby Jones, the founder of the tournament and a lifelong amateur (at least during his competitive years), means The Masters has always found a place for the world’s leading amateurs.

This year’s intake will take the total number of amateurs to have played in The Masters to 447.

The six amateurs competing at The Masters are: –

AUSTIN GREASER (USA), 21 – runner-up at the 2021 U.S. Amateur Championship
From Vandalia in Ohio Austin is a junior at University of North Carolina. Masters debut.
SPWAR 26 / WAGR 23

STEWART HAGESTAD (USA), 31 on Sunday – winner of the 2021 U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship 
From Los Angeles, California Stewart is a two time U.S. Mid-Am champion.  He has just completed an MBA at USC and is moving into private equity role shortly. Finished T36 to win the Silver Cup on his Masters debut in 2017. This will be his 5th major appearance having also played in three  U.S. Opens (2017-18-19).
SPWAR 213 / WAGR 13

AARON JARVIS (CAY), 19 – winner of the 2022 Latin America Amateur Championship 
Aaron is from George Town in Grand Cayman and is a freshman at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). Masters debut.
SPWAR 605 / WAGR 827

KEITA NAKAJIMA (JAP), 21 – winner of the 2021 Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship 
Keita, from Kazo City, won his first professional tournament in his home country of Japan in 2021 and finished T28 in the Zozo Championship last October and 41st in this year’s Sony Open, both on the PGA Tour. Masters debut. The clear favourite for the 2022 Silver Cup.
SPWAR 14 / WAGR 1 / OWGR 239

JAMES PIOT (USA), 23 – winner of the 2021 U.S. Amateur Championship
James is a fifth-year senior at his local university Michigan State. Masters debut. He made his pro debut at last month’s Arnold Palmer Invitational missing the cut at Bay Hill after two 78s.
SPWAR 15 / WAGR 60

LAIRD SHEPHERD (ENG), 24 – winner of the 2021 Amateur Championship
The 2020 Stirling graduate who has settled in St. Andrews will be making his second major appearance after narrowly missing the cut in the 2021 Open Championship. Since 2018 Laird has overcome knee and back injuries so has only played a modest schedule in recent years. Masters debut.
SPWAR 1,207 / WAGR 49

U.S. and Amateur champions also receive non-playing honorary invitations which mean they are invited to attend The Masters every year for the rest of their lives.

2022 Amateur Tee Times (GMT +5hrs)

Round 1

Group 2 – 8.11am EDT / 1.11pm BST – Mike Weir (CAN) / Padraig Harrington (IRL) / AUSTIN GREASER (USA)

Group 8 – 9.17am EDT / 2.17pm BST – Zach Johnson (USA) / Si Woo Kim (KOR) / AARON JARVIS (CAY)

Group 15 – 10.45am EDT / 3.45pm BST – Hideki Matsuyama (JAP)* / Justin Thomas (USA) / JAMES PIOT (USA)*

Group 17 – 11.18am EDT / 4.18pm BST – Sandy Lyle (SCO) / STEWART HAGESTAD (USA)

Group 20 – 11.51am EDT / 4.51pm BST – Charl Schwartzel (RSA) / Robert MacIntyre (SCO) / LAIRD SHEPHERD (ENG)

Group 24 – 12.35pm EDT / 5.35pm BST – Bubba Watson (USA) / Tom HOGE (USA) / KEITA NAKAJIMA (JAP)

Round 2

Group 1 – 8.00am EDT / 1.00pm BST – Sandy Lyle (SCO) / STEWART HAGESTAD (USA)

Group 4 – 8.33am EDT / 1.33pm BST – Charl Schwartzel (RSA) / Robert MacIntyre (SCO) / LAIRD SHEPHERD (ENG)

Group 8 – 9.17am EDT / 2.17pm BST – Bubba Watson (USA) / Tom HOGE (USA) / KEITA NAKAJIMA (JAP)

Group 17 – 11.18am EDT / 4.18pm BST – Mike Weir (CAN) / Padraig Harrington (IRL) / AUSTIN GREASER (USA)

Group 23 – 12.24pm EDT / 5.24pm BST – Zach Johnson (USA) / Si Woo Kim (KOR) / AARON JARVIS (CAY)

Group 30 – 1.52pm EDT / 6.52pm BST – Hideki Matsuyama (JAP)* / Justin Thomas (USA) / JAMES PIOT (USA)*

*By tradition the reigning U.S. Amateur champion is always paired with the reigning Masters champion.

Click here to view all of the – Masters 2022 Tee Times

Amateur Perks

Only amateur competitors are permitted to stay in the Crow’s Nest accommodation. Most of them normally spend at least one night there during Masters week.  

The Amateur Dinner, hosted by chairman Fred Ridley and normally attended by around 100 guests, was held on Monday evening. This was a return to its traditional slot having moved to Wednesday in 2020 and 2021. Sergio Garcia, 2017 winner and the low amateur in 1999, was the guest speaker this year.

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Keita Nakajima, James Piot, Austin Greaser, Fred Ridley, Aaron Jarvis and Stewart Hagestad
(Photo: Chris Turvey / Augusta National)

2021 Masters – Amateur Performances

No amateur made the cut at the 2021 Masters so the Silver Cup was not awarded. It was the first time since 2015 that an amateur had not completed the 72 holes.

Ollie OSBORNE (USA) shot two rounds of 76 to finish tied 74th on 152 (+8), the best of the three amateurs in the field.

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Ollie Osborne’s 36 Hole Scorecard (Graphic: The Masters) 

Joe LONG (ENG) produced the lowest round by an amateur at the 2021 Masters in Round 2 with a 72 (Ev). However, his 154 (+10) total saw him finish in 80th place. Joe missed a four foot birdie putt on his final hole to miss the chance to match James Sugrue’s 71 in 2020, the lowest and only under par round by a GB&I amateur in Masters history.

Joe Long’s 36 Hole Scorecard (Graphic: The Masters) 

U.S. Amateur champion Tyler STRAFACI (USA) struggled to rounds of 80 and 81 to finish in 86th place, last of the three amateurs in 2021.

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Tyler Strafaci’s 36 Hole Scorecard (Graphic: The Masters)

The Top 50 and Ties cut fell at +3 with 54 players making the weekend.

Click here to view the full – 2021 Masters Results

The Masters – Amateur Playing Records

For more information on amateur performances at The Masters please take a look at – The Masters – Amateur Records.

ME.

Copyright © 2014-22, Mark Eley. All rights reserved.

The Masters – 2021 Amateur Preview & Results

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Sunday 11th April 2021

Hideki MATSUYAMA (JAP) won the 2021 Masters Tournament with a 278 (-10) total.

Hideki Matsuyama  (Photo: The Masters)

The Masters reflected his journey to the title in a nice tweet which highlighted his two Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship titles in 2010 and 2011 to qualify for the tournament, his Silver Cup low amateur win in 2011 and finally the life changing first major victory today.  

Matsuyama became just the seventh player to win both the Silver Cup and The Masters tournament itself, joining Cary MIDDLECOFF, Jack NICKLAUS, Ben CRENSHAW, Tiger WOODS, Phil MICKELSON and Sergio GARCIA in a select group.

The prize money for finishing first this year at Augusta National was £2,070,000.

2017 Walker Cup players Will ZALATORIS (USA) -9 finished 2nd and Robert MACINTYRE (SCO) -2 tied 12th. They earned $1,242,000 and $264,500 respectively and also secured their places in the 2022 Masters. 

The 2021 Masters Results (Graphic: The Masters)

Click here to view the full – 2021 Masters Results

ME.

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Saturday 10th April 2021

Hideki MATSUYAMA (JAP) moved into a four shot lead on -11 after a superb 65 in Round 3 which saw him come home in just 30 shots. His bogey free round included one eagle and five birdies.

Playing in his tenth Masters the Japanese star now has a great chance to become Asia’s first male major champion.

There would be a nice symmetry if he can come through tomorrow as his compatriot 17 year old Tsubasa Kajitani won the 2nd Augusta National Women’s Amateur last week.

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Hideki Matsuyama Receives The Silver Cup In 2011 (Photo: The Masters) 

Heading into tomorrow’s final round Xander SCHAUFFELE (USA), Mark LEISHMAN (AUS), Justin ROSE (ENG) and Will ZALATORIS (USA) are his nearest challengers on -7.

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Friday 9th April 2021

Sadly no amateur made the cut at the 2021 Masters and therefore the Silver Cup will not be awarded on Sunday. It is the first time since 2015 that an amateur has not completed the 72 holes.

Ollie OSBORNE (USA) shot his second successive 76 to finish tied 74th on 152 (+8), the best of the three amateurs in the field. His three birdies today were offset by seven bogeys. Ollie was a little unlucky with his tee shots on the 6th and 16th but a couple of pulled drives late on simply left him too much to do. The SMU college golfer had another good day but will no doubt be disappointed with his finish. 

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Ollie Osborne’s 36 Hole Scorecard (Graphic: The Masters) 

Click here to watch every shot of – Ollie Osborne’s Round 2

Joe LONG (ENG) produced the lowest round by an amateur at this year’s Masters in Round 2 with a very accomplished 72 (Ev). His 154 (+10) total saw him finish in 80th place. The highlights were his three consecutive birdies on the back nine. He hit the 13th and 15th greens in two and had tap-in birdies on both of these famous par 5’s. Just like yesterday he finished with a superb approach into the 18th but was unable to convert his 4 foot birdie putt. James Sugrue’s 71 last November therefore remains the sole under par round by a GB&I amateur in Masters history.  

Joe Long’s 36 Hole Scorecard (Graphic: The Masters) 

Click here to watch every shot of – Joe Long’s Round 2

U.S. Amateur champion Tyler STRAFACI (USA) struggled on Friday and finished 86th, last of the three amateurs. His 81 included one double bogey and eight bogeys. The highlight was his birdie on 14 where he holed a huge 25 yard putt from just off the front of the green.

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Tyler Strafaci’s 36 Hole Scorecard (Graphic: The Masters) 

Click here to watch every shot of – Tyler Strafaci’s Round 2

Justin ROSE (ENG) recovered from another slow start to shoot an even par 72 in Round 2 and retain his lead on -7. His 18 hole 4-shot lead is now down to one though with Will ZALATORIS (USA) and Brian HARMAN (USA) in tied 2nd on -6.

The Top 50 and Ties cut fell at +3 with 54 players making the weekend.

ME.

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Thursday 8th April 2021

Ollie OSBORNE (USA), the least heralded of the three amateurs in the field, shone brightest on the opening day at Augusta National G.C. The course played firm and fast and the wind swirled through the pines making for a tough test.

Osborne’s 76 (+4) saw him finish the day in tied 60th. The big hitting SMU player produced a tidy round with no big errors which were the downfall of his competitors for the Silver Cup. His bonus came via nice putts for birdies on the par 5 8th and 15th which gave him some additional breathing space.

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Ollie Osborne’s Round 1 Scorecard (Graphic: The Masters) 

Click here to watch every shot of – Ollie Osborne’s Round 1 (select Round 1 tab)

Tyler STRAFACI (USA) played better than his 80 (+8) paying a heavy price for two mistakes which ended up costing him 5-shots. He’ll start Day 2 in 84th place. Firstly an aggressive approach to the 9th left him over the back with no shot to a green which sloped severely away from him. Then three holes later his tee shot to the notorious par 3 12th came up short finding the lake.   

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Tyler Strafaci’s Round 1 Scorecard (Graphic: The Masters) 

Click here to watch every shot of – Tyler Strafaci’s Round 1 (select Round 1 tab)

Joe LONG (ENG) shot an 82 (+10) in Round 1 to finish the day in tied 86th place. The Bristolian made a solid start but a pushed drive into the trees on the 5th cost him a triple-bogey and entering a tough run of holes he was unable to get back on track. The back nine saw an improvement with five pars and a birdie. Having struggled down the 13th he produced a great chip over Rae’s Creek to escape with just a bogey. However, the 17th will have disappointed the Amateur champion – three putts from 4ft saw him leave the green with a 6 when a 4 had looked likely. Nevertheless this time he bounced back well on 18 with a birdie. A great drive round the left-to-right dog leg set up a mid-iron which finished dead having lipped out for eagle.   

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Joe Long’s Round 1 Scorecard (Graphic: The Masters) 

Click here to watch every shot of – Joe Long’s Round 1 (select Round 1 tab)

Justin ROSE (ENG) leads the 2021 Masters by 4-shots after his 65 (-7) in Round 1. Rose was 9-under for his final 11 holes after a slow start which had seen him record bogeys on the 1st and 7th. Brian HARMAN (USA) and Hideki MATSUYAMA (JAP) lead the chasing pack after 69’s (-3).

ME.

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7th April 2021

The 85th Masters will take place at Augusta National G.C. this week between 8th-11th April.

The field is a little lower than normal with just 88 players competing.

One of the reasons for this is that there are only three amateurs playing in 2021. The COVID-19 pandemic saw the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship, Latin America Amateur Championship and U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship cancelled in 2020 so the three places traditionally allocated to their winners were not required this year.

As with last year’s Masters, played later than normal in November, there will only be a limited number of patrons on site due to COVID-19. This will hopefully help the amateurs to settle more quickly in to their famous surroundings when play gets underway.

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The 2021 Masters Journal

2021 Amateur Player Biographies

The legacy of Bobby Jones, the founder of the tournament and a lifelong amateur (at least during his competitive years), means The Masters has always found a place for the leading amateur players.

This year’s intake will take the total number of amateurs to have participated to 441.

The three Amateurs competing at The Masters are : –

JOE LONG (England) – winner of the 2020 Amateur Championship (Cat. 8 exemption). One of ten Englishmen in the field Long, 23 from Bristol, qualified after beating compatriot Joe Harvey in the Amateur Championship final at Royal Birkdale G.C. His victory also earned him automatic selection for the GB&I Walker Cup team. Joe picked up an injury whilst surfing in February but is confident he has fully recovered. This will be his first major appearance as well as his first competitive outing in USA. Caddie – John Chance (local). Current SPWAR #35 / WAGR #46.

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Joe Long (Photo: Richard Heathcote / The R&A / R&A via Getty Images)

CHARLES ‘OLLIE’ OSBORNE (USA) – runner-up at the 2020 U.S. Amateur Championship (Cat. 7 exemption). Osborne, 21, is a junior at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. He has won two college titles to date. Ollie monday qualified for the 2019 Baracuda Championship on the PGA Tour played at his home course in Reno, Nevada but missed the cut. This will be his first major appearance. Caddie – Stephen Osborne (father). Current SPWAR #124 / WAGR #247.

TYLER STRAFACI (USA) – winner of the 2020 U.S. Amateur Championship (Cat. 7 exemption). Strafaci, 22, graduated from Georgia Tech last May and whilst he returned for a fifth year in September he ultimately decided to forego his final spring semester to pursue playing opportunities. In addition to his U.S. Amateur win at Bandon Dunes he also won the North & South Amateur and Palmetto Amateur last summer. Like Long he will represent USA in the 2021 Walker Cup match at Seminole G.C. next month. He has played in one major before, the 2018 U.S. Open Championship. Tyler has also played in four PGA Tour events missing the cut in each of them. He picked up a collarbone injury playing in the 2021 Genesis Invitational which he has only just recovered from. Tyler’s grandfather Frank Sr., who died 10 years before he was born, played in The Masters in 1938 and 1950. Only Tommy Armour and Tommy Armour III have previously achieved this grandfather-grandson double. Caddie – Bret Benjamin (local). Current SPWAR #18 / WAGR #11.   

The U.S. and Amateur champions also receive non-playing honorary invitations which mean they are invited to attend The Masters every year for the rest of their lives.

Amateur Perks

Due to social distancing only one amateur has been allowed to stay in the Crow’s Nest per night. Joe Long stayed there on Sunday night, Tyler Strafaci on Monday and Ollie Osborne on Tuesday. 

The Amateur Dinner is being held on Wednesday night as it was in 2020. It had for many years been held on the Monday of Masters week. Chairman Fred Ridley will host the evening with Viktor Hovland, the 2018 U.S. Amateur champion who has subsequently transitioned smoothly to the pro ranks, the special guest speaker.

2021 Amateur Tee Times (GMT +5hrs)

Round 1

Group 5 – 8.48am EDT / 1.48pm BST – Bernhard Langer (GER) / Will Zalatoris (USA)* / JOE LONG (ENG)

Group 13 – 10.30am EDT / 3.30pm BST – Dustin Johnson (USA) / Lee Westwood (ENG) / TYLER STRAFACI (USA)

Group 22 – 12.24pm EDT / 5.24pm BST – Fred Couples (USA) / Francesco Molinari (ITA) / OLLIE OSBORNE (USA)

Round 2

Group 7 – 9.12am EDT / 2.12pm BST – Fred Couples (USA) / Francesco Molinari (ITA) / OLLIE OSBORNE (USA)

Group 20 – 11.54am EDT / 4.54pm BST – Bernhard Langer (GER) / Will Zalatoris (USA)* / JOE LONG (ENG)

Group 28 – 1.36pm EDT / 6.36pm BST – Dustin Johnson (USA) / Lee Westwood (ENG) / TYLER STRAFACI(USA)**

*Will Zalatoris who represented USA in the 2017 Walker Cup is also making his Masters debut this week. Alongside the three amateurs there are three professional debutants this year; Robert MacIntyre, who also played in the 2017 Walker Cup, and Carlos Ortiz are the other two.

**By tradition the reigning U.S. Amateur champion is always paired with the reigning Masters champion.

Click here to view all of the – Masters 2021 Tee Times

2020 Masters – Amateur Performances

Andy OGLETREE (USA) won the 2020 Silver Cup at The Masters for the low amateur completing all 72 holes.

He finished tied 34th on 286 (-2) after rounds of 73, 70, 71 and 72.

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Andy Ogletree (Photo: Michael Holahan / The Augusta Chronicle)

James SUGRUE (IRL) finished his opening two rounds on 148 (+4) and missed the cut. His four 3-putts in Round 1, including a short one on the 18th when he was trying to finish his round before darkness fell, probably ruined his chances of progressing.

He can take some consolation from his second round 71 though which was the first under par and lowest round ever recorded by a GB&I amateur at The Masters. Whilst the shots still had to be played James took advantage of the November playing with the softer conditions making scoring much easier than normal. 

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James Sugrue 36 hole Scorecard (Graphic: The Masters)

Click here to view the final – Masters 2020 Leaderboard

The Masters – Amateur Playing Records

For more information on amateur performances at The Masters please take a look at – The Masters – Amateur Records.

ME.

Copyright © 2014-21, Mark Eley. All rights reserved.

The Masters – 2020 Amateur Results

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15th November 2020 – Round 4

2019 U.S. Amateur champion Andy OGLETREE (USA) won the 2020 Silver Cup at The Masters for the low amateur completing all 72 holes.

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Andy Ogletree (Photo: Michael Holahan / The Augusta Chronicle)

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2020 Final Results (Photo: The Masters)

Ogletree delivered another very impressive round, particularly after starting on the 10th with two straight bogeys. His even par 72 in the final round saw him finish in tied 34th place on 286 (-2).

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Andy Ogletree’s Results (Photo: The Masters)

John AUGENSTEIN (USA) also teed off on the 10th hole but a poor start meant he was unable to apply any pressure on Ogletree in his pursuit of the amateur prize. His final round 75 meant he finished 5-shots back of his compatriot.

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John Augenstein’s Results (Photo: The Masters)

Click here to view the final – Masters 2020 Leaderboard

ME.

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14th November 2020 – Round 3

Andy OGLETREE (USA) again impressed in round 3 and will take a 2-shot lead into the final round in the race for the low amateur Silver Cup. Ogletree, looking increasingly comfortable in these surroundings, shot a 71 today alongside Shane Lowry and Ian Poulter off the 10th. Another very steady round, albeit one which included two bogeys in his last three holes, means he has had just four bogeys in his last 36 holes.

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Andy Ogletree 54 hole Scorecard (Photo: The Masters)

John AUGENSTEIN (USA), playing with Rory McIlroy and Bernhard Langar off the 1st, sadly continued to trend upwards in scoring terms. A poor start and finish both caused by pushed tee shots were the main contributors to his 75. He’ll start the final round on Even par and will be hoping for a low one to get a modicum of revenge for his 2019 U.S. Amateur defeat to Ogletree at Pinehurst.

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John Augenstein 54 hole Scorecard (Photo: The Masters)

Dustin Johnson on -16, a 54 hole tied record score after a 65 (-7) in round 3, will take a 4-shot lead into tomorrow’s final round over Sungjae Im, Abraham Ancer and Cameron Smith.

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54 Hole Leaderboard (Photo: The Masters)

ME.

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12th-14th November 2020 – Rounds 1 and 2

John AUGENSTEIN (USA) and Andy OGLETREE (USA) both made the 36 hole cut and will now contest the low amateur Silver Cup competition over the weekend.

A total of 60 players made the cut which fell at 144 (Even). The soft conditions saw lower than normal scoring.

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Amateur 36 Hole Leaderboard (Photo: The Masters)

John AUGENSTEIN (USA) enjoyed an excellent 3-under par opening round which included an eagle on the 13th. Starting his second round on the 10th he moved to -6 overall and was sitting comfortably in the top 10 before a poor finish saw him fall down the leaderboard to tied 28th.

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John Augenstein 36 hole Scorecard (Photo: The Masters)

Andy OGLETREE (USA) showed great character to make the cut on 143 (-1) in tied 43rd place. He was 4-over after four holes having started nervously from the 10th in round 1 in the company of Tiger Woods. In his subsequent 32 holes he recorded nine birdies and just four bogeys to get himself under par.

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Andy Ogletree 36 hole Scorecard (Photo: The Masters)

James SUGRUE (IRL) finished on 148 (+4) to miss the cut. His four 3-putts in Round 1, including a short one on the 18th when he was trying to finish his round before darkness fell, probably destroyed his chances of progressing. He can take some consolation from his second round 71 though which was the lowest round ever recorded by a GB&I amateur at The Masters.

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James Sugrue 36 hole Scorecard (Photo: The Masters)

Mid-amateur Lukas MICHEL (AUS) also missed the cut after rounds of 76 and 74. Six birdies weren’t enough to offset a number of bogeys.

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Lukas Michel 36 hole Scorecard (Photo: The Masters)

Left hander Yuxin LIN (CHN) struggled to a disappointing 79 in round 1. His eagle 3 on the 15th was the highlight and will at least earn him a pair of crystal highball glasses. A much improved second round 73 restored some pride but sadly the damage had already been done.

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Yuxin Lin 36 hole Scorecard (Photo: The Masters)

Abel GALLEGOS (ARG), the youngest and least experienced player in the field, unsurprisingly found the going tough. His 160 (+18) tied 89th with Andrew Landry, last of the 90 players who completed both rounds.

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Abel Gallegos 36 hole Scorecard (Photo: The Masters)

Here are the 36 hole playing statistics for the six amateur contestants: –

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36 Hole Amateur Playing Statistics (Source: The Masters)

ME.

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10th November 2020

The 84th Masters will take place at Augusta National G.C. between 12-15 November. A field of 92 players including six amateurs will be aiming to win the green jacket in 2020.

This year’s Masters was originally scheduled to be played on 9-12 April but had to be deferred due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

As such there will be no colourful azalea backdrops and the course is expected to be much softer, playing longer but easier.

This year the Amateur Dinner is being held on Wednesday night, instead of the normal Monday, and due to social distancing only one amateur will be allowed to stay in the Crow’s Nest per night.

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Andy Ogletree, Lukas Michel, Abel Gallegos, Fred Ridley, James Sugrue, Luxin Yin and John Augenstein at the 2020 Amateur Dinner (Photo: The Masters)

There will be no patrons due to COVID-19 which should hopefully help the amateurs to settle more quickly in to their famous surroundings when play gets underway. However, their chances of making the weekend have been reduced with the 36-hole cut being restricted to just the low 50 players and ties – the within 10 strokes proviso being removed due to the limited daylight.

I will be updating this article throughout the week with scoring information as I have done in previous years.

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The 2020 Masters Journal (November Version)

2020 Amateur Player Biographies

The legacy of Bobby Jones, the founder of the tournament and a lifelong amateur (at least during his competitive years), means The Masters has always found a place for the leading amateur players. This year’s intake will take the total number of amateurs to have competed to 438.

Since 2016 just six Amateurs have been able to qualify for The Masters. In 2020 they are: –

The Winner of the 2019 U.S. Amateur Championship (Cat. 7) – ANDY OGLETREE (USA). Ogletree, 22, graduated from Georgia Tech last May with a degree in Business Administration. He represented USA in the 2019 Walker Cup match at Royal Liverpool G.C. and has played in four PGA Tour events this year missing the cut in all of them. Tradition dictates that Ogletree will have the pleasure of playing with Tiger Woods, the defending champion, in the opening two rounds. SPWAR #11 / WAGR #7.   

The Runner-Up at the 2019 U.S. Amateur Championship (Cat. 7) – JOHN AUGENSTEIN, (USA). Augenstein is a 22 year old 5th year Senior at Vanderbilt University and also represented USA in the 2019 Walker Cup match. SPWAR #13 / WAGR #12.

The Winner of the 2019 Amateur Championship (Cat. 8) – JAMES SUGRUE (Ireland). The 23 year old from Mallow in County Cork will become the 15th Irishman to play in The Masters this week. He won the Amateur at Portmarnock in June 2019 and represented GB&I in the Walker Cup a few months later. SPWAR #95 / WAGR #8.

The Masters

James Sugrue During Tuesday Practice (Photo: Golffile / Scott Halleran)

Ogletree, Augenstein and Sugrue had all planned to turn pro after playing in The Masters in April so have had to delay their plans to ensure they experience Augusta National G.C.

The U.S. and Amateur champions also receive non-playing honorary invitations which mean they are invited to attend The Masters every year for the rest of their lives.

The Winner of the 2019 Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship (Cat. 9) – YUXIN LIN (China). This was left-hander Yuxin’s second win in this Championship, he also won in 2017, so for a 20 year old amateur he will unusually arrive in Augusta with some experience. The Masters co-founded this event in 2009. SPWAR #45 / WAGR #29.

The Winner of the 2019 Latin America Amateur Championship (Cat. 10) – ABEL GALLEGOS CAPUTO (Argentina). Gallegos won the Championship at El Camaleon G.C. in Mexico when he was just 17. The Masters co-founded this event in 2015. SPWAR #165 / WAGR #199.

The Winner of the 2019 U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship (Cat. 11) – LUKAS MICHEL (Australia). The 26 year old Michel was the first non-American to win this title. He is of Czechoslovakian descent and has a Masters Degree in Engineering from the University of Melbourne. This exemption has been in place since 1989. SPWAR #230 / WAGR #90.

Up until 2015, when the U.S.G.A. discontinued the Championship, the winner of the U.S. Public Links was also invited. Byron Meth (USA) was the last recipient of such an invite in 2015.

2020 Amateur Tee Times – Rd 1 and Rd 2 (GMT +4hrs)

John Augenstein – 11.16am (1st) / 7.11am (10th)
with Danny Willett and Rickie Fowler

Abel Gallegos – 7.55am (1st) / 12.00pm (10th)
with Charles Schwartzel and Jason Day

Yuxin Lin 7.00am (10th) / 11.05am (1st)
with Sandy Lyle and Jimmy Walker

Lukas Michel – 7.22am (1st) / 11.27am (10th)
with Larry Mize and Andrew Landry

Andy Ogletree – 7.55am (10th) / 12.00pm (1st)
with Tiger Woods and Shane Lowry

James Sugrue – 12.11pm (10th) / 8.06am (1st)
with Jose Maria Olazabel and Andrew Putnam

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Click here to view the – Masters 2020 Tee Times

2019 Masters – Amateur Performances

Viktor Hovland (Norway) won the low amateur Silver Cup competition at The Masters in 2019.

He was just the 7th non-American to win the Silver Cup and only the third European, following in the footsteps of Sergio Garcia (1998) and Matteo Manassero (2009).

He finished tied 32nd overall on 285 (-3), ten strokes behind winner Tiger Woods.

Hovland turned pro and has won on the PGA Tour in 2020. The only other player to win the Silver Cup and follow it up with a PGA Tour win since 2000 is Bryson DeChambeau.

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Viktor Hovland (Photo: Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images)

Takumi Kanaya (Japan) posted the best amateur round of the 2019 Masters in Round 3 with a 4-under 68.

For more information on last year’s amateur performances please take a look at – The Masters – 2019 Amateur Results

The Masters – Amateur Playing Records

For more information on amateur performances at The Masters please take a look at – The Masters – Amateur Records.

ME.

Copyright © 2016-20, Mark Eley. All rights reserved.

The Masters – 2019 Amateur Results

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14th April 2019

Viktor HOVLAND (NOR) completed a wire-to-wire victory in the Low Amateur Silver Cup competition at The Masters.

He finished tied 32nd on 285 (-3), just 10 strokes behind winner Tiger Woods.

In the 83rd playing of the tournament Viktor became just the 7th non-American to win the Silver cup and only the third European, following in the footsteps of Sergio Garcia (1998) and Matteo Manassero (2009).

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Viktor Hovland (Photo: Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images)

Hovland, the Oklahoma State University Junior, recorded 1 eagle, 17 birdies and 16 bogeys in his 72 holes.

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Viktor Hovland’s Hole-By-Hole Scorecard (Photo: The Masters)

Álvaro ORTIZ (MEX) ran him close though. He bogeyed his final hole, the 9th, in Round 4 with Hovland watching on from the clubhouse.

Devon BLING (USA) and Takumi KANAYA (JAP) completed their 72 holes on Sunday with a 73 and 78 respectively.

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Amateur Round 4 Scores At The Masters

Due to weather warnings the final round tee times were brought forward. The amateur pairings for Round 4 were (BST times / *10th tee): –

11.30am * – Kyle Stanley, Viktor HOVLAND and Charley Hoffman
11.41am * – Kevin Kisner, Bryson DeChambeau and Takumi KANAYA
12.14pm * – Kiradech Aphibarnrat, Kevin Na and Alvaro ORTIZ
12.25pm * – Patrick Reed, Devon BLING and Keith Mitchell

Click here to view – The 2019 Masters Results

ME.

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13th April 2019

Takumi KANAYA (JAP) posted the best amateur round of the 2019 Masters. His 68 (-4) moved him up to second place in the Low Amateur competition, one back of Victor HOVLAND (NOR) who continued his consistent play at Augusta National with a 71 in Round 3.

Here is the Round 3 Amateur Leaderboard.

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Amateur Round 3 Scores At The Masters

The amateur pairings for Round 3 were (BST times): –

1.25pm – Zach Johnson and Takumi KANAYA
1.45pm – Martin Kaymer and Devon BLING 
3.35pm – Kevin Na and Alvaro ORTIZ
3.45pm – Viktor HOVLAND and Jimmy Walker

ME.

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12th April 2019

A total of 65 players from a starting field of 87 made the cut; four of the six amateurs were amongst this group. Not since 1999 have four progressed and you have to go back to 1978 to find a higher number.

At the end of Round 2 Victor HOVLAND (NOR) remained the Low Amateur with a 36 hole 143 (-1) total. An eagle on the 13th was the highlight of his second round.

Alvaro ORTIZ (MEX) matched the Norwegian World No. 1’s 71 on Day 2 to finish on Even par for the Tournament.

A three-putt bogey on the 16th by Adam Scott pushed the cut back to +3 and let in Devon BLING (USA) and Takumi KANAYA (JAP) on the number.

Mid-Amateur Kevin O’CONNELL (USA) bounced back from a disappointing opening round but his 71, which included an eagle and five birdies, and 148 (+4) total ended up being one shot too many. He finished tied 66th.

Amateur champion Jovan REBULA (RSA) crashed out of The Masters with four double bogeys on his back nine resulting a disappointing 79 in Round 2. He missed the cut by 5-shots, finishing tied 80th.

Here is the Round 2 Amateur Leaderboard.

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Amateur Round 2 Scores At The Masters

ME.

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11th April 2019

Victor HOVLAND (NOR) led the Low Amateur competition at the end of Round 1 recording an even par round of 72.

Here is the Round 1 Amateur Leaderboard.

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Amateur Round 1 Scores At The Masters

ME.

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9th April 2019

The amateur tee times for Rounds 1 and 2 were (BST times): –

1.52pm / 4.37pm – Mike Weir, Shane Lowery and Kevin O’CONNELL
2.14pm / 4.59pm – Danny Willett, Brandt Snedeker and Takumi KANAYA
3.31pm / 6.16pm – Patrick Reed, Webb Simpson and Viktor HOVLAND
4.37pm / 1.41pm – Trevor Immelman, Martin Kaymer and Devon BLING 
5.10pm / 2.14pm – Bernhard Langer, Matt Wallace and Alvaro ORTIZ
5.43pm / 2.36pm – Vijay Singh, Billy Horschel and Jovan REBULA

ME.

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2019 Amateur Player Biographies

Since 2016 just six Amateurs have been able to qualify for The Masters. In 2019 they were: –

The Winner and Runner-Up of the 2018 U.S. Amateur Championship – Viktor HOVLAND, 21 (NOR) and Devon BLING, 19 (USA). Viktor is a Junior at Oklahoma State, the current No. 1 ranked U.S. College team, and will become the first Norwegian to compete in The Masters. Californian Devon is a sophomore at UCLA. His mother, who tragically died in 2012, was born in London and his father in India.    

The Winner of the 2018 Amateur Championship – Jovan REBULA, 21 (South Africa). The nephew of Ernie Els recently beat Hovland in the pre-Masters Georgia Cup match.

The U.S. and Amateur champions also receive non-playing honorary invitations which mean they are invited to attend The Masters every year for the rest of their lives.

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(l-r) Viktor Hovland, Kevin O’Connell, Alvaro Ortiz, Fred Ridley, Devon Bling, Takumi Kanaya and Jovan Rebula – The 2019 Amateurs (Photo: The Masters)

The Winner of the 2018 U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship (Over 25s) – Kevin O’CONNELL, 30 (USA). This exemption has been in place since 1989. A reinstated amateur O’Connell beat Brett Boner in the Final 4&3 at Charlotte C.C., North Carolina last September.

The Winner of the 2018 Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship (APAC) – Takumi KANAYA, 20 (Japan). The Masters co-founded this event in 2009. Kanaya, from Hiroshima, shot a final round 65 at Sentosa G.C. in Singapore to secure this exemption. He has played in the most professional events of all of the 2019 amateurs (22). He finished 2nd in the 2017 Japan Open and tied 17th in the Australian Open last December (where Hovland was tied 13th).

The Winner of the 2019 Latin America Amateur Championship (LAAC) – Alvaro ORTIZ, 23 (Mexico). The Masters co-founded this event in 2015. Ortiz graduated from the University of Arkansas last summer and has put on hold plans to turn professional to take up this opportunity. He will become the first Mexican to qualify for The Masters since the late 1970’s.

Up until 2015, when the U.S.G.A. discontinued the Championship, the winner of the U.S. Public Links was also invited. Byron METH (USA) was the last recipient of such an invite in 2015.

For more information on amateurs at The Masters you may like to take a look at – The Masters – Amateur Records.

ME.

Copyright © 2016-19, Mark Eley. All rights reserved.

The Masters – Amateur Records

Posted on by

Last Updated 14th April 2024

Amateur Playing Records At The Masters

No amateur has ever won The Masters.

On three occasions an amateur has finished 2nd: –
Frank STRANAHAN (USA) – 1947. A final round 68 saw Stranahan come through the field ultimately finishing 2-shots behind champion Jimmy Demeret.
Ken VENTURI (USA) – 1956. A final round 80 in windy conditions saw Venturi lose a 4-shot lead and finish second by 1-shot to Jack Burke.
Charlie COE (USA) – 1961. Like Stranahan Coe finished fast with a 69 and a record amateur score of -7. He ended up tied for second with Arnold Palmer with neither able to catch a faltering Gary Player (74 / -8 total).

Billy Joe PATTON (USA) finished 3rd in 1954 but perhaps came closest to delivering an amateur Masters victory. A hole-in-one on the 6th in the final round put him nicely in the lead but a bogey on 12 and a double on 13, when he went for the green in two and found water, saw him slip out of a play-off with Sam Snead and Ben Hogan by 1-shot. 

In 1961, for the only time, three amateurs finished in the Top 15 – Charlie COE (USA, T2), Jack NICKLAUS (USA, T7) and Robert W. GARDNER (USA, T11).

In 1954 five Amateurs finished in the Top 20 – Billy Joe PATTON (USA, 3rd), Richard CHAPMAN (USA,11th), Ken VENTURI (USA, T16) and Charlie COE and E. Harvie WARD (both USA, T20)

The last Top 10 finish by an amateur was Charlie COE’s T9 in 1962.

Charlie COE (USA) holds most of the Amateur records at Augusta, including Most Low Amateur Honours (6 in 1949-51-59-61-62-70), Best Finish (T2), Top 10s (3), Most Cuts Made (8), Most Starts (19), Most Rounds Played (67) and Rounds At Par or Better (22).

In more recent times the best amateur finish has been Tied 13th – Casey WITTENBERG (USA, 2004) and Ryan MOORE (USA, 2005) both achieved this result. Other notable recent finishes include Sam BENNETT (USA, 2023) Tied 16th and Matt KUCHER‘s (USA, 1998) and Bryson DECHAMBEAU‘s (USA, 2017) Tied 21st results.

The reigning U.S. Mid-Amateur champion was first invited to compete at The Masters in 1989. In 2017 Stewart HAGESTAD (USA) became the first and to date only recipient of this invite to make the cut. His opening rounds of 74 and 73 (+3) saw him comfortably qualify for the weekend in tied 19th position. Hagestad went on to secure low amateur honours finishing tied 36th on +6. Other mid-amateurs (over 25) had previously made the cut at The Masters – Jim HOLTGRIEVE and Jay SIGEL in 1982 and 1988 respectively – but neither were playing at that time on the official Mid-Amateur champion’s exemption.

13 former amateur competitors have gone on to win The Masters as pros; these include Jack NICKLAUS (6), Tom WATSON (2), Tiger WOODS (5), Jose Maria OLAZABAL (2), Phil MICKELSON (3), Ben CRENSHAW (2) and Cary MIDDLECOFF, Charles COODY, Tommy AARON, Craig STADLER, Mark O’MEARA, Trevor IMMELMAN, Sergio GARCIA and Hideki MATSUYAMA with one each.

From this group seven low amateur Silver Cup winners have completed a memorable double by also winning The Masters. These are Cary MIDDLECOFF, Jack NICKLAUS, Ben CRENSHAW, Tiger WOODS, Phil MICKELSON, Sergio GARCIA and Hideki MATSUYAMA.

2024 master journal cover_final-1

The 2024 Masters Journal

Hole-In-One’s By Amateurs

Amateur Ross SOMERVILLE (USA) recorded the first hole-in-one at the Masters.

The full list is:-
1934 – Ross SOMERVILLE (USA), 16th hole, 145 yards with a mashie niblick
1940 – Ray BILLOWS (USA), 16th hole, 145 yards with an 8-iron
1949 – John DAWSON (USA), 16th hole, 190 yards with a 4-iron
1954 – Billy Joe PATTON (USA), sixth hole, 190 yards with a 5-iron
1959 – William HYNDMAN (USA), 12th hole, 155 yards with a 5-iron

Amateur Scoring Records

Low 18 Holes score – 66 Ken VENTURI (1956, 32-34)

Low 36 Holes score – 135 Ken VENTURI (1956, 66-69)

Low 54 Holes score – 210 Ken VENTURI (1956, 66-69-75)

Low 72 Holes score – 281 Charles COE (1961, 72-71-69-69)

The Highest Round-by-Round scores are here:-
High Rd 1 score – 90 Chick EVANS (1960)
High Rd 2 score – 89 Chick EVANS (1960)
High Rd 3 score – 88 James FRISINA (1952)
High Rd 4 score – 95 Charles KUNKLE JR (1956)

Charles KUNKLE JR’s 95 is the highest official 18-hole score ever recorded at The Masters.

Low Front Nine – 32
Marvin WARD (1940 Rd 2), Billy Joe PATTON (1954 Rds 1 &4), Ken VENTURI (1956 Rd 1), Ben CRENSHAW (1973 Rd 2), Matt KUCHAR (1998 Rd 3), James DRISCOLL (2001 Rd 1), Sam BENNETT (2023 Rd 1).

Low Back Nine – 31
Casey WITTENBERG (2004 Rd 1), Romain LANGASQUE (2016 Rd 4).

Great British & Irish Amateurs At The Masters

C.G. STEVENS and C.T. WILSON were the first GB&I amateurs to compete in The Masters in the inaugural 1934 tournament. Stevens (82-81) withdrew after Round 2 whilst Wilson (80-83-80-79 = 322 +34) finished 59th.

Up until the 1970’s a number of GB&I amateurs were invited to play but the tournament wasn’t what it is today and therefore they declined, finding it hard to justify the time and expense.

Joe CARR (Ireland) was the first GB&I Amateur to make the cut at The Masters. A cut was only introduced in 1957. Rounds of 76, 74, 79 and 78 saw him finish 55th in 1967. Carr was paired with defending champion Jack Nicklaus, who missed the cut after rounds of 72 and 79, on the opening two days.

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Bobby Jones’ letter to Joe Carr in 1967 (Photo: Carr Family) 

Peter MCEVOY (England) is the last GB&I Amateur to make the cut at The Masters. Rounds of 73, 75, 77 and 77 helped him to a 53rd place finish in 1978.

Michael HOEY (Northern Ireland) and Matthew FITZPATRICK (England) have come closest to equalling McEvoy’s record. Both missed the cut by 1-shot, respectively in 2002 (75, 73) and 2014 (76, 73).

The lowest round shot by a GB&I Amateur at The Masters is a 1-under par 71 by James SUGRUE (Ireland, Rd 2 2020). Gary WOLSTENHOLME (England, Rd 1 1992) and Warren BLADON (England, Rd 2 1997) both have even par 72’s to their names.

In the modern qualification era only two GB&I amateurs have played in the same Masters. This was in 2014 when Garrick PORTEOUS (England) and Matt FITZPATRICK (England) competed, as the reigning British and U.S. Amateur champions respectively.

Non-USA Low Amateur Honours

The Masters has been played 87 times between 1934 and 2023, a few years being missed due to World War II. In all but 14 of these an Amateur has completed all four rounds. However, making the cut as an amateur is getting harder – 7 times over the last 17 years no amateur has made the cut.

The Low Amateur prize has been won by a Non-American only 7 times.

Manny ZERMAN (South Africa), who finished 59th on +6 was the first to achieve this feat in 1992.

Sergio GARCIA (Spain) and Matteo MANASSERO (Italy) have both won the Silver Cup. Garcia finished T38 (72, 75, 75, 73) in 1999 and Manassero T36 (71, 76, 73, 72) in 2010.

The other four overseas Low Amateur winners were: –
2011 – Hideki MATSUYAMA (Japan) -1 27th
2013 – Guan TIANLANG (China) +12 58th
2014 – Oliver GOSS (Australia) +10 49th
2019 – Viktor HOVLAND (Norway) -3 32nd

Romain LANGASQUE (France) made the cut in 2016 and in Rd. 4 shot 68, setting a new low score record for European amateurs. However, Romain (+10) was beaten to the Silver Cup by Bryson DECHAMBEAU (USA) +5.

Prior to this Matteo MANASSERO had been the only European amateur to break par in The Masters. He had a 71 in Rd 1 in 2009.

Youngest & Oldest

Guan TIANLANG (China) became the youngest player to participate in The Masters in 2013 – he was 14 years, 5 months and 17 days old. Guan went on to surprise the world by making the cut with opening rounds of 73 and 75 and by Sunday earning Low Amateur honours. Throughout the event he recorded no double-bogeys and had no three-putts.

Round 4 of the 2013 Masters

Guan Tianlang (Photo: The Masters / Getty Images)

With regard to all Majors Young Tom MORRIS is the youngest ever champion – he was 14 years, 4 months and 25 days old when he played in the 1865 Open Championship.

Matteo MANASSERO (Italy) was the previous youngest Masters player when he competed in 2010 aged 16 years, 11 months and 23 days old.

Paul CHAPLET (Costa Rica), the Latin America Amateur champion and aged just 16, become the second youngest competitor in 2016.

The oldest amateur to play in the Masters was Chick EVANS (USA) who was 62 when he teed it up in 1953.

Prizes and Awards

The Low Amateur began receiving the Silver Cup in 1952. The Low Amateur also attends both the television and patron prize presentations.

Frank Stranahan’s 1953 Silver Cup (Photo: Green Jacket Auctions)

A Silver Medal has been presented to the amateur runner-up since 1954.

The Silver Cup and Medal prizes are only awarded if players make the cut and complete all four rounds.

In 1956 Amateur Ken VENTURI (USA) set the record for the Most Awards in a Single Masters – 7. He took home a silver medal for finishing overall second, the silver cup and a gold medal for being the Low Amateur, two crystal vases for leading after the first and second rounds, and two pairs of highball glasses for his eagle on the 13th in Round 1 and at the 8th in Round 2.

Recent Silver Cup Winners

2024 – Neal SHIPLEY (USA)

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2023 – Sam BENNETT (USA)

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2022 – Not awarded as no amateur made the cut.

2021 – Not awarded as no amateur made the cut.

2020 – Andy OGLETREE (USA) finished tied 34th on 286 (-2).

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2019 – Victor HOVLAND (NOR) finished tied 32nd on 285 (-3), just 10 strokes behind winner Tiger Woods.

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Viktor Hovland (Photo: Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images)

2018 – Doug GHIM (USA) finished tied 50th on 296 (+2). As the only amateur to make the cut Doug effectively secured the Silver Cup at the end of Round 2.

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Doug Ghim Receives The Silver Cup From Fred Ridley (Photo: The Masters)

Par 3 Contest

The Masters Par 3 Contest has been won by an Amateur twice; in 1961 by Deane BEMAN and in 1964 by Labron HARRIS JR.

Amateurs have won the Crystal Pitcher prizes, awarded for the nearest the pin on each hole, on many of the Par 3 Contest holes.

In 2016 16 year old Amateur Paul CHAPLET (Costa Rica) finished tied 4th in the Par 3 Contest.

Amateur Appearances

Including the 2024 Masters 457 different amateurs will have competed in the Tournament during it’s history.

11 amateurs competed in the first Masters, in 1934, along with 50 professionals.

The Most Amateurs in the Field record was set in 1966 when 26 competed.

The Fewest Amateurs in Field record was set in 1942 when just 2 competed.

Bobby JONES (USA), the amateur co-founder of the Masters played in the first 12 tournaments between 1934-48. His best finish was 13th in 1934.

Bobby Jones and Walter Hagen 1934

Bobby Jones Tees Off On The 1st Hole At Augusta National

The Amateur Experience

Amateurs are given courtesy of the Club and course as soon as they have qualified for the Masters. Many visit and play Augusta on numerous occasions before Tournament week.

Dating right back to the start of The Masters in 1934 all of the amateur entrants have been invited, for a nominal fee, to stay in ‘The Crow’s Nest’. The Crow’s Nest is a communal accommodation that can sleep up to 5 set in the eaves of the Augusta National clubhouse. The Amateurs are the only competitors allowed to lodge on the grounds during Tournament week.

The Masters Video Tour Of The Crow’s Nest

Since 1948 an Amateur Dinner has been held in the clubhouse, mainly on the Monday evening, to honour that year’s amateur contestants. Originally suggested by Charlie Yates this Dinner actually started four years before the now far better known Masters Club (‘Champions’) Dinner. Unlike the Champions Dinner the Club selects the menu and pays for the event.

Bobby Jones attended his last Amateur Dinner in 1968 three years before he died.

Since 1994 the Amateur Dinner invitation list has been widened amongst the Club’s membership with around 100 guests attending nowadays. Guest speakers, including Sir Michael Bonallack and Mark O’Meara, have addressed the attendees.

Since 2015 the dinner has been held in The Founders Room which overlooks The Butler Cabin and the Par 3 Course.

The Amateur dinner has become an interactive experience in recent years with a video of each player being shown before each of them is invited to introduce themselves to the invited guests.

From 1959 the Masters Competition Committee started to look after the amateurs in the actual draw, pairing them with former champions, star players and if possible fellow countrymen. Nowadays the U.S. Amateur champion always plays with the reigning Masters champion in the opening two rounds.

ME.

Copyright © 2016-2024, Mark Eley. All rights reserved.

Amateurs In The 2016 Masters

Posted on by

10th April 2016

UPDATE

Bryson DECHAMBEAU lived up to his star billing and won the Silver Cup. Rounds of 72, 72, 77 and 72 saw him finish on +5 and a creditable Tied 22nd.

Bryson DeChambeau Masters 2016

Bryson DeChambeau Receives The Silver Cup (Photo: Jon-Michael Sullivan)

France’s Romain LANGASQUE shot the lowest ever round by a European Amateur in Rd 4 – his 68, followed rounds of 74, 73, and 83. He finished on +10 for Tied 42nd.  As the only other amateur to make the cut he won the Silver Medal.

Derek BARD (76, 77), Sammy SCHMITZ (81, 75), Cheng JIN (79, 78) and Paul CHAPLET (83, 82) all missed the cut.

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3rd April 2016

There will be six amateurs competing at this week’s Masters. The 2016 intake will take the total number of amateurs who have competed in the tournament to 415.

Masters 2016 Journal

The Masters Tournament – 2016 Journal

Listed below are all of the potential eligibility routes to The Masters for amateurs and the 2016 beneficiaries (where applicable): –

Current U.S. Amateur champion (honorary, non-competing after one year*)
Bryson DECHAMBEAU (United States) won the 2015 U.S. Amateur at Olympia Fields C.C. last August.

DeChambeau was just the fifth golfer in history to win the Individual title at the NCAA Division I Championship and follow it up with the U.S. Amateur Championship a few months later.

He has made a big noise in golf since becoming U.S. Amateur champion and it will be interesting to see how he goes at the Masters. He plans to turn pro at the RBC Heritage Classic at Hilton Head the week immediately after his Augusta experience.

Current Amateur Rankings – SPWAR 1 / WAGR 3.

Bryson DeChambeau US Amateur 2015

Bryson DeChambeau (Photo: USGA)

Current U.S. Amateur runner-up
Derek BARD (United States) lost the U.S. Amateur final 7&6 to DeChambeau but gained the consolation of an invitation to The Masters.

Bard is a Junior at the University of Virginia. He has won once this season at the U.S. Collegiate in October and more recently has had two Top 5’s in March; at the Palmetto Invite (71-65-71, -3 5th) and the Linger Longer Invitational (68-71-71, -6 4th).

Current Amateur Rankings – SPWAR 13 / WAGR 25.

Derek Bard

Derek Bard (Photo: USGA)

Current British Amateur champion (honorary, non-competing after one year*)
Romain LANGASQUE (France) won the 2015 Amateur Championship at Carnoustie last June.

The 20 year old Amateur champion seems to be going from strength to strength in recent weeks winning the Spanish Amateur, coming second at the Barclays Kenya Open on the European Challenge tour and then earlier this week defeating DeChambeau 4&3 in The Georgia Cup challenge match.

He also plans to turn pro straight after the Masters – few would doubt he is ready.

Current Amateur Rankings – SPWAR 5 / WAGR 7.

Romain Langasque Amateur 2015 Photo 2

Romain Langasque (Photo: Getty Images)

Current Asia-Pacific Amateur champion (since 2014)
Cheng JIN (China) won the 2015 Asia-Pacific at the Clearwater Bay G.&C.C. in Hong Kong last October. A first round 62 (-8) set him up for a famous victory.

Jin was 18 on 6th March but has been making a name for himself for a few years now. He won a PGA Tour China pro tournament in 2014 and has impressed when given invitations to play in both Asia and European Tour events in recent months.

He will become the second Chinese player to compete in The Masters and no one would be surprised to see him making the cut like Tianlang Guan did back in 2013.

Current Amateur Rankings – SPWAR 16 / WAGR19.

Cheng Jin Asia-Pacific 2015

Cheng Jin (Photo: APAC)

Past Asia-Pacific champions invited to the following year’s Master’s include: –
2009 Chang-Won Han (Korea)
2010 Hideki Matsuyama (Japan)
2011 Hideki Matsuyama (Japan)
2012 Tianlang Guan (China)
2013 Chang-Woo Lee (Korea)
2014 Antonio Murdaca (Australia)

Current Latin America Amateur champion (since 2015)
Paul CHAPLET (Costa Rica) won the 2016 Latin America Amateur in January at the Casa de Campo Resort in the Dominicon Republic.

Despite winning the Costa Rican National Junior Championship in both 2014 and 2015 16 year old Chaplet was something of a surprise winner of the 2016 Latin American Amateur.  The second youngest player in the field he was ranked 834th in the World Amateur Golf Ranking at the start of play in January.

He will easily be the youngest player at this year’s Masters.

Current Amateur Rankings – SPWAR 380 / WAGR 441.

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Paul Chaplet (Photo: LAAC)

Matias Dominguez (Chile) won the inaugural Latin America Amateur at Pilar G.C. in Argentina, thus gaining entry to the 2015 Masters.

Current U.S. Mid-Amateur champion
Sammy SCHMITZ (United States) won the U.S. Mid-Amateur (over 25’s) at John’s Ireland Club in Florida last October. A hole-in-one on a par 4 normally gets the job done. It certainly did for Schmitz (35) on the final hole of last year’s championship.

Schmitz was a 3-time All-American at St. John’s University before moving to Florida to pursue his pro ambitions. It didnt work out so he regained his amateur status and now works in the healthcare industry back home in River Falls, Minnesota.

Current Amateur Rankings – SPWAR 509 / WAGR 2,535.

Sammy Schmitz 2016 US Mid-Amateur

Sammy Schmitz (Photo: USGA)

The first 12 players, including ties, from the previous year’s Masters
Last year none of the 7 amateurs who competed made the cut so no one has taken advantage of a return trip.

The 2015 amateur scores were: –
Corey CONNERS (Canada)            80 69
Byron METH (United States)           74 76
Anthonio MURDACA (Australia)     78 73
Matias DOMINGUEZ (Chile)           76 76
Scott HARVEY (United States)        76 81
Bradley NEIL (Scotland)                 78 79
Gunn YANG (South Korea)             85 74

The first 4 players, including ties, from the previous year’s other Majors, the U.S. Open, the British Open and the U.S. P.G.A. Championship  

No amateurs were able to take advantage of this exemption criteria last year although at The Open Championship at St. Andrews they were queuing up to try.

The low amateur at the 2015 U.S. Open was Brian Campbell (United States) +5 T27.

The low amateur at the Open Championship was Jordan Niebrugge (United States) -11 T6. Oliver Schniederjans (United States) and Ashley Chesters (England) -9 T12 as well as Paul Dunne (Ireland) -6 T30 were also noteworthy.

No amateurs compete in the U.S. P.G.A. Championship.

Prior to this year the Current U.S. Public Links champion also earned a berth. The U.S.G.A. decided to discontinue the Championship in 2015 and as a result Byron Meth was the last player to gain an exemption via this route.

* Honorary, non-competing after one year invitations are awarded to the U.S. Amateur and British Amateur champions. In other words they are invited to play in the tournament the following year after their Amateur victory (so long as they remain amateurs) but then are also invited annually to attend the tournament as guests of the Club.

ME.

Copyright © 2016, Mark Eley. All rights reserved.

Who Will Win The 2015 Masters ?

Posted on by

6th April 2015

UPDATE – Jordan Spieth won the 2015 US Masters with a record equalling -18 score (64, 66, 70, 70 = 270), beating Phil Mickelson and Justin Rose by 4-shots.

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As we all know predicting the winner of a golf tournament is far from easy. However, with The Masters our chances are better than normal – that’s because it is a Major, it is played on the same course every year and most importantly it has the smallest field of any of these four elite events.

Firstly, let’s get ourselves in the mood by putting Don Cherry’s ‘Augusta’ on repeat play.

 

In 2015 there are a few more players at Augusta National than normal, with a total of 99 qualifying for the famous early season Invitational.

The broad rules for determining the winner are well known – so here is my interpretation of them.  I like to deduce the winner by visually removing the Green Jacket from individual players one-by-one.

1. Amateurs and Special Invitees are there for historic reasons only.

Connors, Dominguez, Harvey, Meth, Murdaca, Neil, Yang (7)

2. Rookie’s don’t win – on average winner’s are playing at Augusta for the 7th time.

Compton, Hahn, Harman, M. Hoffmann, Koepka, Lahiri, Lowry, Noh, Streb, Todd, Tringale, Wiesberger, Willett (13)

3. Former Major / Past Champions that are clearly well past their best can be discounted.

Couples, Crenshaw, Langer, Lyle, Mize, O’Meara, Olazabel, Singh, T. Watson, Weir, Woosnam (11)

4. Over 40s can’t cope with the length and short-game demands now placed upon them. The average age of a winner is around 33.

Bjorn, Cabrera, Clarke, Els, Furyk, Harrington, Jaidee, Jimenez, Mickelson, Senden, Stricker, Westwood (12) 

5. ‘In The Hole’ and ‘Mashed Potato’ – those with limited or no experience of playing in the US normally struggle.

Donaldson, Dubuisson, Ilonen, Luiten (4)  

6. It is unlikely that a player will win the Masters without having competed well in a Major before. Ask yourself if they have a Top 10 finish in a Major on their record ?

Bae, Crane, Every, Gallacher, Grace, Haas, Henley, C. Hoffman, Holmes, Kirk, Martin, Moore, Palmer, Streelman, Villegas, Woodland (16) 

That was easy – questions 1-6 have eliminated 63 of the 99 entries.  Anyone who makes this ‘cut’ obviously has a chance to win but further tests can usefully be applied to reduce the field even further: –

7. ‘Horses for Courses’ – Augusta simply doesn’t suit some players.  What does their track record and TV interviews tell us ?

Bradley, Donald, Dufner, Kaymer, Matsuyama, McDowell, Reed, Simpson, Stenson (9) 

8. Did they play last year and if so how did they get on ?  Recent good memories must help.

Blixt, Casey, Clark, Immelmann, Z. Johnson, Leishman (WD), Na (7) 

9. Is their putting and chipping really up to it ?

Day, Ogilvy, Schwartzel, Scott, Woods (5)

10. ‘Bottle’ – have they shown the mental fortitude required to win a Major, let alone the historic Masters ?

Fowler, Garcia, Horschel, D. Johnson, Kucher, Mahan, Snedeker, Stadler (8) 

So for our potential winner the above analysis leaves just seven players –

McIlroy, Oosthuizen, Poulter, Rose, Spieth, Walker, B. Watson (7)

Take your pick from these seven who I believe should all achieve high finishes.

As no European has won for 15 years (McIlroy, Poulter and Rose), Oothuizen hasn’t shown enough recent form, Spieth has contended twice in the last two weeks thus peaking too soon and as defending Majors is extremely difficult (Watson) I think I’ll go for Jimmy Walker.  An encouraging Masters debut last year (T8), experience contending in other recent Majors, American, a good age (36) and maintaining great form over an extended period.  Hopefully a little bit of value too.

ME.

Copyright © 2015, Mark Eley. All rights reserved.