1 Masters spot remains. 5 big-name PGA Tour pros are chasing it

There’s one open spot left at Augusta National.

And one chance left to snag it.

At the conclusion of last week’s Houston Open, Augusta National officially invited the winner (Gary Woodland) as well as four pros who’d cemented their spots inside the OWGR top 50 (Nicolai Hojgaard, Jake Knapp, Matt McCarty, Daniel Berger) before the final deadline. (Here’s hoping they got overnight delivery on some green envelopes from Augusta. Plus maybe an email confirmation?)

Because Augusta invites every PGA Tour winner from a full-field event since last year’s Masters, this week’s Valero Texas Open includes the last-chance exemption. Should someone already exempt win this week — Tommy Fleetwood, say, or Ludvig Aberg, two pre-tournament favorites — that spot evaporates. But there are dozens of talented pros just four great rounds from earning the chance to play four more great rounds.

Here are five of those players.

1. Rickie Fowler

Fowler bogeyed two of his first four holes at TPC San Antonio, only steepening his climb — but as I type these words has bounced back with a four-under back nine to open in two-under 70. Fowler has quietly put together a very consistent stretch of golf dating back to last summer. Before he missed last week’s cut he’d logged six top-20s in eight starts. DataGolf still has him as the world’s 25th-ranked golfer, the highest of any player not in the Masters field. But the OWGR rewards very high finishes over consistency, and despite his run of strong play, Fowler doesn’t have a top five since 2024, so he’s No. 65 in the OWGR and on the outside looking in. Fowler has somehow played just one of the last five Masters tournaments; he’s hunting his final chance to make that two in six.

2. Will Zalatoris

Zalatoris just made eight birdies in an opening round of five-under 67 and sits just a shot off the lead. We’re only a quarter of the way through, so it’s early for anything besides what-ifs and wild speculation, but the golf world would be thrilled to see Zalatoris stamp his comeback with a victory and a major berth.

Zalatoris didn’t tee it up on the PGA Tour between the PGA Championship last May to this January’s American Express, where he finished T18. He withdrew from the Cognizant shortly before his first-round tee time with an ankle injury — reportedly unrelated to his previous back procedures. He’s No. 299 in the OWGR, so this would come from left field. What a story it would be.

3. Michael Thorbjornsen

Thorbjornsen looked like he might lock up his spot in the OWGR top 50 via the Players Championship, where he played his way into the final pairing but struggled to a Sunday 77 that sent him plummeting to T22. He also stalled out with a Sunday 72 at the Houston Open, leaving him T14 — and No. 54 in the OWGR.

Nobody’s doubting Thorbjornsen’s tremendous talent; he’s ascendant, he seems like he’ll be a central figure on the PGA Tour for years to come and it seems extremely likely that he’ll be at next year’s Masters. He just might not squeak into this one.

4. Tony Finau

As pointed out by Jeff Eisenband below, Tony Finau is on the verge of ending his streak of major championships played at 33. Finau is No. 107 in the OWGR, though he’s shown flashes of strong form with three top-20s in seven starts in 2026. It feels like there are more chapters of Finau’s major-championship story left to write; check out those nine top-10s from 2018-2021! That next rally could start this week.

5. Keith Mitchell

Cashmere Keith is another pro in relatively strong form — he’s made 12 cuts in a row, including five top-20s — but although he’s No. 44 in DataGolf’s ranking he’s just No. 104 in the OWGR. There’s plenty of good news with Mitchell’s game; he’s been consistently excellent off the tee, his iron play has been strong, he’s top 20 on Tour from tee to green. If he finds a hot putter this week, who knows? Mitchell could be in his third career Masters.

Otherwise these five will look to next year. Plenty of others will, too.

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