2022 Masters: Everything you need to know
Just because March Madness is over doesn’t mean you have to go into hibernation. The Masters begin this Thursday, April 7 to cure your sports blues.
Sad that March Madness is over? Don’t fret, sports fans. The Masters are just about to get started. With a long list of talented golfers, the 2022 Masters are sure to bring the competition. Looking ahead to the start of the tournament, let’s go over everything you need to know.
When are the Masters?
The Masters events have already begun. Practices started on Monday, April 4. Practice will continue today, April 5 and on Wednesday, April 6, a Par 3 test will occur. The official tournament will begin Thursday, April 7 at 8 a.m. ET. It runs for four days, ending on Sunday, April 10.
How many players are there and how many countries are represented at the Masters?
The Masters include around 90-100 golfers from 20 different countries each year. This year, there are 91 players. The US leads the way with 44 participants, nearly half of the competition. After that, England has eight participants, Australia has six, and South Africa has five. There are three golfers from Canada, Ireland, Japan, Korea, and Spain. There are two from Italy and Scotland, and there is one from Austria, Northern Ireland, Belgium, Germany, Norway, the Cayman Islands, Chile, Fiji, and Mexico.
There are 18 former Masters champions competing in 2022
Tiger Woods is the most surprising entry in the 2022 Masters tournament. In February of 2021, he was in a car accident in which he badly injured his leg, nearly losing it completely. At that time, he had said he would never play golf full time again. But during his practice round with Justin Thomas and Fred Couples on Monday, he at least wasn’t openly showing any signs of pain. Couples said he is optimistic that Woods will indeed play. Here is a list of former winners who will compete in the 2022 Masters.
Hideki Matsuyama (2021)
Dustin Johnson (2021, postponed from 2020)
Tiger Woods (1997, 2001, 2002, 2005, 2019)
Patrick Reed (2018)
Sergio Garcia (2017)
Danny Willett (2016)
Jordan Spieth (2015)
Bubba Watson (2012, 2014)
Adak Scott (2013)
Charl Schwartzel (2011)
Zach Johnson (2007)
Mike Weir (2003)
Vijay Singh (2000)
Jose Maria Olazabal (1994, 1999)
Bernhard Langer (1985, 1993)
Fred Couples (1992)
Sandy Lyle (1988)
Larry Mize (1987)
How do golfers qualify for the Masters?
There is not a tournament to qualify for the Masters nor are there any alternate spots. Players can only get in to this exclusive tournament by invitation plus paying a hefty entrance and yearly fees. There are 19 different ways a golfer can be invited to Augusta National:
Masters champion (lifetime invitation)
US Open championships (Honorary, non-competing after five years)
Open championships (Honorary, non-competing after five years)
PGA championships (Honorary, non-competing after five years)
Winners of Players Championship (invitation for three years)
Olympic gold medalist (current, invitation for one year)
US Amateur champion (current, honorary, non-competing after one year) and runner-up to current US Amateur champion
Amateur champion (current, Honorary, non-competing after one year)
Asia-Pacific Amateur champion (current, invitation for one year)
Latin America Amateur champion (current, invitation for one year)
US Mid-Amateur champion (current, invitation for one year)
First 12 players (including ties) in previous year’s Masters
First four players (including ties) in previous year’s US Open
First four players (including ties) in previous year’s Open Championship
First four players (including ties) in previous year’s PGA Championship
Individual winners of PGA Tour events that award a full-point allocation for season-ending Tour Championship (from previous to current Masters)
Those who qualify for previous year’s season-ending Tour Championship
The 50 leaders on the Final Official World Golf Ranking for the previous year
The 50 leaders on the Official World Golf Ranking published the week before the current Masters
In addition to these requirements, the Masters Committee can invite any international players who did not otherwise meet them.
Top 5 golfers favored to win the Masters in 2022
Jon Rahm, Spain
Rahm made his Masters debut in 2017 and has finished in the top 10 in the last four. At 27 years old, the Spaniard is now the world’s top-ranked player after winning the 2021 US Open. He finished second at the Sentry Tournament of Champions to start off his 2022 campaign, just one stroke behind Cameron Smith.
Collin Morikawa, USA
Morikawa has only been golfing professionally for three years, but has already made a name for himself as one of the best players in the game. He is the only golfer in history to win two majors on his first attempt each (the 2020 PGA Championship and the 2021 Open Championship). At the Augusta National last year, he finished with a career-best T-18. He won the DP World Tour’s season-long race to Dubai to finish up the season last year.
Jordan Spieth, USA
28-year-old Spieth made his Masters debut in 2014 and tied for second place. Since then, he’s finished in the top 10 eight times. He won the US Open in 2015 and 2017 and has 12 PGA victories to his name. This year, he finished second at the ATT Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
Justin Thomas, USA
Thomas has never missed a single cut at Augusta National. He’ll be making his seventh Masters appearance this year. He holds the title for the 2017 PGA Championship and he won the Players Championship and a T2 finish at the PGA Tour in 2021.
Dustin Johnson, USA
Johnson broke the record for 72-hole scoring, previously held by Tiger Woods in 1997 and Jordan Spieth in 2015 (270), with his 20-under-par 268 total in the Augusta National in 2020. He missed the cut for the Augusta National in 2021, but is back for his 12th Masters this year. At 37 years old, he has 24 PGA victories to his name.