Rickie Fowler leads players aiming to earn final 2026 Masters invitation at Texas Open

Winning in San Antonio represents the last chance to make it to Augusta National for these players

The 2026 Masters field is set ... except there is one invitation that could be earned this week at the Texas Open.

Last week's Houston Open was the last chance for golfers to play their way into Augusta National Golf Club on ranking points, as the top 50 in the Official World Golf Ranking after the tournament earned invitations. But while that door is now closed, players not already qualified for the Masters have one final opportunity to earn a tee time: by winning at TPC San Antonio. 

Making it into the first major of the year is so important to players, not only because the Masters is such an iconic, historic event, but because getting into that field gives one a chance to set up his season and get ahead on next year's qualifications. 

Everyone wants the green jacket and annual invite that comes with a Masters victory, but those who finish in the top 12 at the Masters automatically earn bids to the following year's event. That's how Jason Day and Max Homa got their invites for 2026 after strong showings in 2025, despite not meeting other qualification criteria. Beyond that, a strong finish at the Masters can net one critical points for the season -- as well as a healthy payday. 

There are several players in the field this week who could punch their ticket to Augusta National, but these five are worth watching in particular at TPC San Antonio. 

Rickie Fowler

Fowler has played some solid golf this season, sitting inside the top 50 in the FedEx Cup standings; however, he missed the cut at the Houston Open when he needed a strong finish to climb into the top 50 in the OWGR. As it stands now, he's ranked 65th in the world and with one last chance at the Masters: picking up his first win in three years. Fowler has three top 10s in his Masters career, but he has only played in one of the last five trips to Augusta National (T30 in 2024) as he's struggled to reach the qualification thresholds with his ranking points. 

Michael Thorbjornsen

Thorbjornsen looked primed to punch his ticket last week, but a Sunday 72 dropped him out of the top five and into a T14 finish, keeping him just outside the top 50 in the world at 54th. That means the rising star will need to win his first career PGA Tour event this week against a strong field if he's going to make his first appearance at Augusta National. Thorbjornsen has put himself in the mix regularly this season, but Sundays have been a struggle. He had an even worse final round showing in the final pairing at The Players, and if he's going to make it to the 2026 Masters, he'll have to figure out how to keep the train on the tracks for all 72 holes. 

Sudarshan Yellamaraju

There aren't many players on the entire PGA Tour trending better than Yellamaraju right now. The self-taught Canadian finished T5 at The Players and T6 last week in Houston to climb into the top 30 in the FedEx Cup points standings. His world ranking is still lagging behind at No. 131, but he has shown some fantastic form of late and stuck around on the weekend impressively against quality competition. Perhaps in a year where March Madness was light on true Cinderella stories, the golf world can pick up the slack with a Yellamaraju win on Sunday to earn his first trip to the Masters. 

Ryo Hisatsune

Few players have been more consistently good this season than Hisatsune, a frequent presence on leaderboards all year. He's made eight straight cuts, including a run of three straight top 10s on the West Coast, and while he's cooled off a tad of late, he still managed at T13 at The Players and has continued playing solid golf. That hasn't quite been enough to vault him high enough in the world rankings (No. 64), but if you were looking for a player who has shown the kind of quality that could win a tournament, he might be the best bet of those without a Masters invite this week. 

Joel Dahmen

After a brutal 2025 that saw him lose full status on the PGA Tour, Dahmen has bounced back fairly well in 2026, climbing to 71st currently in the FedEx Cup standings despite just one start in a signature event. It's been a boom-or-bust year for Dahmen, with two top 10s and three missed cuts, but he's proven that if he brings his A-game, he can contend in any given week. If he can conjure that kind of performance in San Antonio, perhaps he can pick up his second career win and solidify his place in the Tour's top events -- starting with the Masters.