The 2025 Masters is fast approaching, and the field is set to be one of the most exclusive in men’s professional golf. With just 95 players qualifying for the tournament, some unexpected names will not be making the trip to Augusta this year. Despite their past successes and accomplishments, players like Rickie Fowler, Gary Woodland, and Luke Clanton will be among those missing from the field.
Rickie Fowler, a fan favorite on the PGA Tour, finds himself on the outside looking in at the Masters once again. Falling to 110th in the Official World Golf Ranking, Fowler’s chances of qualifying for the tournament were slim this year. Similarly, Gary Woodland, an inspirational story in the past two seasons following brain surgery, also missed out on a spot in the field. Despite a strong showing at the Texas Children’s Open, Woodland was unable to secure a place at Augusta.
Luke Clanton, one of the hottest players in the world last summer despite not being a professional, will also be missing from the Masters field. Despite securing his PGA Tour card starting in June, Clanton did not make the cut for this year’s tournament. Other notable players like Louis Oosthuizen, Vijay Singh, and Marc Leishman will also be absent from the field, marking the end of their streaks of consecutive appearances at the Masters.
Ben Griffin, who narrowly missed out on a spot in the field after a close finish at the Houston Open, will also be watching the Masters from home this year. Kevin Kisner, NBC’s new lead analyst, has been focusing on his broadcasting career and has not played in a major since 2023. Matt Kuchar, a veteran player with four top-10 finishes at Augusta, also did not qualify for this year’s tournament after missing out on the FedEx Cup playoffs last year.
Unfortunately, Tiger Woods will be missing the Masters for the first time since 2021, after his April Fools’ Day joke about a miraculous recovery turned out to be just that – a joke. Despite the absence of some familiar faces, the 2025 Masters is set to be an exciting and competitive tournament with a smaller field of players vying for the coveted green jacket.