The Masters 2026 already has its list of participants almost finalised. Almost. The Texas Children’s Houston Open has delivered five new spots for Augusta and now there is only one more up for grabs, that of the Valero Texas Open, the last PGA Tour tournament before the first major of the year
The five who jumped on the Masters train on Sunday in Houston were Gary Woodland, Nicolai Hojgaard, Daniel Berger, Jake Knapp and Matt McCarty. Woodland did it in the most direct way, by winning the tournament. The other four got in via the rankings, taking advantage of the top-50 world cutoff ahead of the Masters being finalised this Monday
The most high-profile story, naturally, was Woodland’s. Not only for the victory, five strokes ahead of Hojgaard, but because that win returned him to the Masters almost seven years after his last PGA Tour title. But, alongside that, Houston produced a kind of luxury second chance: Hojgaard, Berger, Knapp and McCarty took advantage of the final big cut before Augusta and now have their place
With that movement, the Masters now stands at 93 players and with only one door still open: the winner of the Valero Texas Open, provided they were not already exempt. That is the last train. The last carriage. The last bullet. And it is played this week at TPC San Antonio, in an event that again becomes more than just a warm-up tournament. For many, it’s Augusta or nothing
The field at the Valero also has a lot to it. There are already qualified players who will use it as a tune-up, but also names arriving with a calculator in one hand and urgency in the other. The prize is simple to understand: win or be left out. There are no half measures. A top 10 won’t do. A good Sunday without a strong finish won’t cut it. In San Antonio there is only one ticket and the champion gets it
So the picture for the Masters is now almost settled. Houston handed out five tickets in one go. Woodland took the trophy and a spot at Augusta. Hojgaard, Berger, Knapp and McCarty found the opening they had been chasing. And now the PGA Tour heads into that very special week of the calendar in which a tournament counts for two: for itself and for everything it opens. Because the Valero Texas Open is not just the lead-up to the Masters. This year, for some, it will be the gateway
The other big question is Tiger Woods. As things stand, the Masters field will be 92, 93 or 94. If the winner of the Valero Texas is already qualified for the Masters and Tiger does not play, it will be 92. If the winner of the Valero is already qualified for the Masters and Tiger does play it will be 94. If the winner of the Valero is not qualified and Tiger plays, it will be 93. There are no other possible combinations, aside from a last-minute invitation that no one expects
The five latest qualifiers for the Masters
- Gary Woodland
- Nicolai Hojgaard
- Daniel Berger
- Jake Knapp
- Matt McCarty
What remains to be decided
- One more spot
- It goes to the winner of the Valero Texas Open if they are not already exempt
- The Masters currently has 93 players
