Who isn't playing in the Masters in 2026

There is a hint of springtime to the air and that can mean just one thing if you're a golfer - the Masters is approaching.

Each year (apart from that surreal edition in November 2020), the game collectively takes a rejuvenating drive down Magnolia Lane to digest the majesty of Augusta National. This is the most inspiring of stages, a visual and sensory treat unlike any other, which serves to enliven ourselves after the darkness of winter, readying us all for the joyful peak months of the golf season to come.

2026 marks the 90th playing of the tournament that was first contested back in 1934. Founders Bobby Jones and Clifford Roberts would perhaps be stunned to discover just how big a cultural footprint their event holds over the sporting consciousness of the world today, but so much of that journey, like the immaculately presented course itself, has been carefully manufactured.

It's a major unlike any of the rest, residing permanently at the same venue, and boasts a dramatically smaller field than the other three.

Officially the Masters remains an invitational competition, but there are specific criteria for qualification, and those envelopes dispatched to participants are the most treasured of deliveries, presumably standing out in the post among the usual assortment of bills and flyers promoting the merits of Domino's pizzas. 

But I digress. Looking forward to what we can expect in April, given that the Masters has a limited field that typically numbers around 90, there are a considerable number of household names who are going to be watching it on TV just like you, wishing that they were there with just a chance to slip inside that iconic Green Jacket.

Let's take a look at who isn't playing in the Masters in 2026.

Past Masters Champions

Masters champions are exempt for life, albeit the majority of them decide to step aside and become a spectator once they get into their 60s. Those who aren't competing are still invited to the tournament and can participate in the Par-3 Contest, enjoy the famed champions dinner, and even play the course on the Sunday before the event with a guest.

12 months ago, it was Bernhard Langer, the winner in 1985 and 1993, who made his farewell appearance, bringing down the curtain on an unforgettable chapter in the history of European golf.

The German icon will just be watching this year, but what about Tiger Woods, who we haven't seen in a properly competitive arena since the Open at Royal Troon in 2024?

Now 50, the five-time champion is still part of the field as I'm writing this, and given that there aren't any alternates at the Masters (you're either in or you're not), the American legend isn't taking anyone's place, but he remains coy about his prospects of competing.

Asked recently about his chances of playing, Woods said: "I said I've been working on it. Sometimes I have good days, sometimes I have bad days. Disc replacement is not a lot of fun. So as I said, I've had a lot of procedures prior to that, so the body doesn't quite heal like it was when I was 24. Doesn't quite bounce back. So I have good days when I can pretty much do anything, and other days where it's hard to just to move around."

Langer is definitely out after 41 starts, but as for Woods, we'll see.

LIV Golfers

Much was made about LIV Golf finally becoming eligible for Official World Golf Ranking points, but as it stands all their representatives at the Masters will be those who have prior exemptions due to being a past champion or a winner of another major championship.

Joaquin Niemann, a seven-time winner on LIV, received a special invitation for Augusta last year, but that hasn't been forthcoming in 2026, meaning that the Chilean is set to miss the first major of the year.

The top 50 players in the world rankings on March 30, 2026, will receive an invitation (should they not have qualified otherwise), but other LIV stars who have contended this season like Elvis Smylie (74th), Anthony Kim (208th), Thomas Pieters (223rd), Thomas Detry (63rd), Lucas Herbert (158th) and Peter Uihlein (139th) are outside that threshold.

PGA Tour Winners

Recent tournament winners on the PGA Tour also receive invitations, which is how the likes of Rafael Campos, Austin Eckroat, Joe Highsmith, Patton Kizzire, Taylor Pendrith, J. T. Poston, Davis Thompson, Jhonattan Vegas and Kevin Yu qualified last year, but none of them are currently in the field for 2026.

Left-hander Matt McCarty made his Masters debut 12 months ago, courtesy of having won the Black Desert Championship in 2024, but while he hasn't yet officially secured an invitation for April, at 43rd in the world rankings, he should claim his spot at the end of March.

Other Notables

Nicolai Hojgaard was the beneficiary of a special invitation last year. That hasn't been repeated this time, but having just moved inside the top 50 in the world rankings, the Dane has a great chance of booking his third visit to Augusta National.

Jake Knapp made his Masters debut in 2024 and courtesy of good results in the early weeks of 2026, he should claim his spot, and the same will definitely be said of Daniel Berger, whose runner-up finish at the Arnold Palmer Invitational will secure a seventh appearance at Augusta National.

Elsewhere, however, there are some noteworthy names who are increasingly unlikely to make it. 

These include former US Open champion Lucas Glover, former Masters runner-up Will Zalatoris, and Sahith Theegala, who finished ninth on his debut in 2023.

Cameron Davis finished in a tie for 12th in 2024 but won't be there in 2026, while the surprising decline of Tom Kim means that the 23-year-old won't be returning to Augusta National in April.

Billy Horschel has played in the Masters on ten occasions, but the impact of hip surgery last year has seen the American, who was runner-up at the Open in 2024, fall down the rankings to sit outside the gates of Augusta.

Tony Finau has been an ever-present at the Masters since his debut in 2018, recording a trio of top-ten finishes in that time, but at 103rd in the world rankings, the six-time PGA Tour winner needs to produce something special in the next couple of weeks to keep his run of appearances going.

The Masters is the most coveted ticket for any golf fan - and the players themselves feel exactly the same way. But it's only a select few who will be taking that short drive down Magnolia Lane this spring.