The Masters is invitation only, and it is the smallest field of all the major championships. Those who qualify are: Former Masters Champions (lifetime) Current U.S. Open, The Open and PGA Champions (five years) The Players Championship winners (three years) Olympic Gold Medalist (one year) Current U.S. Amateur winner and runner-up Current British, Asia-Pacific, U.S. Mid-Amateur and Latin America Amateur winners The first 12 finishers in last year’s Masters (including ties) The first four finishes in last year’s U.S. Open, Open Championship and PGA Championship PGA Tour event winners from the previous season Those who played in the previous Tour Championship Top 50 in the Official World Golf Ranking from the prior calendar year Top 50 in the Official World Golf Ranking the week prior to The Masters