{"id":437408,"date":"2026-02-21T05:53:19","date_gmt":"2026-02-21T05:53:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/437408\/"},"modified":"2026-02-21T05:53:19","modified_gmt":"2026-02-21T05:53:19","slug":"these-players-arent-in-the-masters-field-yet-but-i-need-them-to-be","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/437408\/","title":{"rendered":"These Players Aren\u2019t in the Masters Field (Yet), But I Need Them to Be"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"css-1slq7gi\">In fewer than 50 days, the 90th edition of the Masters will commence with the Honorary Starters ceremony. We\u2019re so close to driving down Magnolia Lane that I can almost taste the peach ice cream sandwiches.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1slq7gi\">While there\u2019s still time for players not yet in the field to earn their way in, the ticking clock is growing louder, and the pressure will only mount in the coming weeks.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1slq7gi\">A win would get the job done, as would sneaking inside the top 50 in the Official World Golf Ranking the week before the golfing world heads to Augusta National.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1slq7gi\">The field is already undoubtedly loaded, but there are plenty of big names currently on the outside looking in.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1slq7gi\">Here are some players I need to see among the Georgia pines come April 9.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1slq7gi\">RELATED: <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.skratch.golf\/news\/pro-golf\/masters-2026-every-player-to-receive-invitation-augusta-national\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Every Player in the Masters Field&#8230;So Far<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Rickie Fowler<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1slq7gi\">Since playing in the November edition in 2020, Fowler has made just one appearance at the Masters, tying for 30th in 2024. He\u2019s had a ton of success at Augusta National over the years, missing just one cut in 11 starts and finishing T-12 or better five times. In 2018, he finished one shot shy of winner Patrick Reed.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1slq7gi\">Sitting at No. 69 in the Official World Golf Ranking, Fowler has opened the season with three straight top-20 finishes at the American Express, WM Phoenix Open, and Pebble Beach Pro-Am.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1slq7gi\">With his current form and love for the golf course at the end of Magnolia Lane, I think Fowler could contend for a Green Jacket\u2014he just has to get there first.<\/p>\n<p>Jake Knapp<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"chakra-image css-1ma461w\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Getty_Images_2261475053_8b369f90bf.jpg\" alt=\"GettyImages-2261475053.jpg\" style=\"border-radius:16px\"\/><\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1slq7gi\">Knapp made his Masters debut two years ago thanks to his win at the Mexico Open. He made the cut, but that was the highlight of his week after finishing tied for 55th. For his first time playing Augusta National in the year\u2019s first major championship, I\u2019m sure he wasn\u2019t too disappointed.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1slq7gi\">He failed to get into the field last year, so his sophomore showing could come in less than two months.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1slq7gi\">As I said earlier, a win would take care of all his problems, as would getting into the top 50 in the world ranking the week prior to the tournament. Knapp currently sits at No. 55 after four straight finishes of T-11 or better to start the season.<\/p>\n<p>Anthony Kim<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"chakra-image css-1ma461w\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Getty_Images_2261264118_355909a8bd.jpg\" alt=\"GettyImages-2261264118.jpg\" style=\"border-radius:16px\"\/><\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1slq7gi\">I can already hear the complaints about this one. \u201cHe won one event!\u201d \u201cIt was a fluke outcome!\u201d \u201cNo one cares!\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1slq7gi\">I disagree. You know what would be cooler than winning LIV Golf\u2019s biggest event of the year? Playing in the Masters after everything he\u2019s been through\u2014and 15 years removed from his last appearance. The dude still holds the record for most birdies in a round at Augusta with 11. Yes, 11. That\u2019s brain-breaking stuff.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1slq7gi\">It (probably) won\u2019t happen, but this is my list. I can put him on here if I want!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"In fewer than 50 days, the 90th edition of the Masters will commence with the Honorary Starters ceremony.&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":437409,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[39],"tags":[5904,101,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-437408","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-golf","tag-golf","tag-sports","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/437408","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=437408"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/437408\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/437409"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=437408"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=437408"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=437408"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}