A Reigning Major Champion And Two Ryder Cup Winners Headline List Of Masters Rookies
There will be 17 players teeing it up at Augusta National Golf Club for the first time in 2024 - let's take a look at who they are...
Ludvig Aberg and Wyndham Clark headline an eager cluster of 17 rookies who will drive down Magnolia Lane as a competitor for the first time at the 2024 Masters.
Each will be hoping and dreaming of re-writing history and taking Fuzzy Zoeller's well-known record from 1979. Famously, the two-time Major winner became just the third player ever to win on debut after Horton Smith in the very first Masters and Gene Sarazen the following year.
Of the modern-day crop, four are amateurs who won titles to earn an invite while all but three of the professionals have tasted individual success at least once over the past 12 months. But who are they? Let's take a look at each of the debutants starting The Masters in 2024.
Wyndham Clark is the only Major winner yet to tee it up at Augusta but will do so as a result of his US Open triumph last year. He has continued that strong form since, too, winning this season's Pebble Beach Pro-Am for his second outright PGA Tour victory after lifting the 2023 Wells Fargo Championship in May.
Ludvig Aberg may not have a Major to his name, but the supremely-talented Swede has a win either side of the Atlantic (RSM Classic and Omega European Masters) as well as a success in his sole Ryder Cup start. His rapid ascent towards the top of the game makes him highly respected already.
Speaking of Ryder Cuppers, Nicolai Hojgaard was another of Luke Donald's dozen in Rome. The Danish player lifted the DP World Tour Championship last November and is set to experience his third Major championship debut in a row following a T50 result at the 2023 PGA Championship and a T23 finish at The Open.
Meanwhile, there are a handful of the Masters rookies who can thank themselves for punching their ticket after winning on the PGA Tour over the past year. Nick Dunlap (American Express 2024), Austin Eckroat (Cognizant Classic 2024), Lee Hodges (3M Open 2023), Jake Knapp (Mexico Open 2024), Grayson Murray (Sony Open 2024), and Matthieu Pavon (Farmers Insurance Open 2024) all earned a nice extra perk after becoming a PGA Tour winner.
Get the Golf Monthly Newsletter
Subscribe to the Golf Monthly newsletter to stay up to date with all the latest tour news, equipment news, reviews, head-to-heads and buyer’s guides from our team of experienced experts.
Ryo Hisatsune scooped the top prize at the DP World Tour's Open de France last September before going on to be awarded the Rookie of the Year trophy. While those accolades did not automatically garner a Masters invite, they may have played their part in the 21-year-old Japanese star being presented with a committee invite alongside Joaquin Niemann and Denmark's Thorbjorn Olesen.
For three other players, consistency was key to their trip over to Augusta. Eric Cole, the PGA Tour Rookie of the Year, Denny McCarthy, and Adam Schenk all received invites to the season's first Major after sitting inside the world's top-50 at the cut-off point.
And in terms of the quartet of amateur players who can also be categorized as Masters rookies, their respective invites were earned via wins at the Latin America Amateur Championship (Santiago de la Fuente), The Amateur Championship (Christo Lamprecht), and the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship (Jasper Stubbs).
Neal Shipley reached the final of the US Amateur but lost to Nick Dunlap at Cherry Hills Country Club in Colorado last year. However, as a result of Dunlap's decision to turn pro, he forfeited a start via that method and gave Shipley the chance of a lifetime.
Masters rookies 2024:
- Ludvig Aberg
- Wyndham Clark
- Eric Cole
- Nick Dunlap
- Austin Eckroat
- Ryo Hisatsune
- Lee Hodges
- Nicolai Hojgaard
- Jake Knapp
- Denny McCarthy
- Grayson Murray
- Matthieu Pavon
- Adam Schenk
- Santiago de la Fuente (a)
- Christo Lamprecht (a)
- Neal Shipley (a)
- Jasper Stubbs (a)
Jonny Leighfield is our Staff News Writer who joined Golf Monthly just in time for the 2023 Solheim Cup and Ryder Cup. He graduated from the University of Brighton with a degree in Sport Journalism in 2017 and spent almost five years as the sole sports reporter at his local newspaper. During his time with Golf Monthly, Jonny has interviewed several stars of the game, including Robert MacIntyre, Ian Poulter, and Lee Westwood. An improving golfer himself, Jonny enjoys learning as much about the game as he can and is hoping to reach his Handicap goal of 18 at some stage. He attended both the 150th and 151st Open Championships and dreams of attending The Masters one day.
-
Start Flushing Your Fairway Woods With 3 Super Simple Tips From PGA Pro Peter Finch
Flushing your fairway woods can take your game to the next level, but many amateurs struggle. Peter Finch has three simple tips to utilise these useful clubs
By Peter Finch Published
-
Bubba Watson Makes Hole-In-One To Move In To Contention At Asian Tour Event
Playing the BNI Indonesian Masters for the first time, the two-time Major winner moved firmly into contention on Saturday thanks to an ace at the par 3 11th
By Matt Cradock Published
-
Asia-Pacific Amateur Champion Confirms He Will Give Up Major Starts In Favor Of Immediate DP World Tour Chance
China's Wenyi Ding confirmed he will be leaving college and giving up starts at The Masters and The Open Championship in favor of immediately starting his pro career
By Jonny Leighfield Published
-
'A Lot Of Damage' To Augusta National But Masters Expected To Be Held As Planned
Augusta National chairman Fred Ridley says The Masters will be staged on time despite extensive damage to the course caused by Hurricane Helene
By Paul Higham Published
-
This Much-Loved Masters Feature Just Made Its Full LIV Golf Debut
The 'Any Shot, Any Time' feature officially launched on the LIV Golf app in Andalucia as Sergio Garcia claimed victory at Valderrama
By Jonny Leighfield Published
-
Are Masters Champions Exempt For Life?
Winning the Masters comes with a lifetime exemption to future tournaments
By Joel Kulasingham Published
-
The Amateur Playing In His Seventh Major And Third Masters This Week
Career amateur Stewart Hagestad has made it back to Augusta National after another US Mid-Am victory
By Elliott Heath Published
-
Scheffler The New Tiger? Time For Woods To Say Goodbye? 10 Takeaways From The 2024 Masters
We highlight ten of the key stories to come from the 88th edition of the Masters
By Michael Weston Published
-
Tommy Fleetwood Banks Huge Sum For Local Augusta Caddie After Englishman's Best Masters Result
Gray Moore is a former Augusta National caddie master who was helping Fleetwood out after his regular caddie Ian Finnis was forced to stay home
By Jonny Leighfield Published
-
Eight Masters Contenders In The Field For This Week's $20 Million RBC Heritage
There's no respite for the world's elite as, following the Masters, the PGA Tour circuit moves to Harbour Town and the RBC Heritage
By Matt Cradock Published