Six amateurs are in the 2026 Masters field, each chasing the Silver Cup and a spot in Augusta history as low amateur at golf’s biggest stage.
The 2026 Masters isn’t only about Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy or the chase for the green jacket.
One of Augusta National’s most interesting side stories this week is the race for low amateur, with six players arriving at the Masters hoping to leave with the Silver Cup and a place in tournament history.
That prize has long carried real meaning. Before stars like Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson won green jackets, they first made noise at Augusta as the top amateur in the field.
More recently, players such as Sergio Garcia, Hideki Matsuyama, Bryson DeChambeau and Viktor Hovland also used low amateur honors as an early sign of what was coming next in their careers.
This year’s amateur group brings a mix of rising stars, international talent and one unlikely late bloomer.
Oklahoma State’s Ethan Fang enters Augusta as the highest-ranked amateur in the field at world No. 7 after a standout 2025 that included an Amateur Championship win and key roles in NCAA and Walker Cup team victories.
Tennessee’s Jackson Herrington also arrives with momentum after a runner-up finish at the U.S. Amateur and recent top finishes in college events.
Mason Howell may have the most buzz of anyone in the group.
The 18-year-old Georgia commit won the U.S. Amateur in dominant fashion and nearly made the cut at the Houston Open after shooting 73-66. Arizona State’s Fifa Laopakdee, the first amateur from Thailand to reach the Masters, earned his invitation by capturing the Asia-Pacific Amateur title.
Argentina’s Mateo Pulcini, now at Arkansas after beginning in Division II, got here through the Latin America Amateur Championship.
Then there’s Brandon Holtz, the 39-year-old U.S. Mid-Amateur winner and real estate agent who now gets his Augusta moment.
With recent years producing fewer amateurs through the cut, the Silver Cup race could be one of the week’s most compelling stories.
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