For Rickie Fowler and Others, Time to Make the Masters Is Running Short

Two more invitations to Augusta are available for the winners of the next two PGA Tour events, and a World Ranking cutoff that may decide more bids falls Sunday.

Rickie Fowler can punch his ticket to the Masters with a win, and opened with a solid round Thursday in Houston. | Jeff Romance-Imagn Images

The first round of the Masters is exactly two weeks away, as if anyone needs reminding.

This week’s players at the Texas Children’s Houston Open certainly don’t, as most are still looking for an invitation to the season’s first major. And it’s this simple: Win and you’re in.

Among the most popular players in golf without an invite yet is Rickie Fowler, but he took one step toward rectifying that with a 3-under 67 in Round 1 on Thursday at Memorial Park, four shots off the opening pace set by Paul Waring (63).

The 37-year-old Fowler has been consistent this season, with six of six cuts made this season and four top-20 finishes including a T9 at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, and has steadily moved up the Official World Golf Ranking to No. 61. Ten months ago, he was No. 128.

“I had a great run last year kind of second half of the year and felt like I was in a good spot with my game. Was able to get some downtime to work on the body and get my shoulder in a better spot where I wasn't having to play through the pain,” Fowler said. “So luckily had played well through the summer. I had confidence knowing we could go out and kind of play some simple golf. Kind of picked up at AmEx and did a good job there of continuing that.

“I think a lot of it is on the mental side, not trying to do too much or anything special. Trying to kind of let the rounds come to me and piece things together and kind of plot my way around.”

Fowler, an 11-time Masters participant with a runner-up finish in 2018, last played in 2024, having qualified via his 2023 Rocket Mortgage Classic win that broke a seven-year win drought. He did not play last year and at No. 61 in the world, the only path back to Augusta appears to be a win, either this week or next at the Valero Texas Open. One other path is via the top 50 in the OWGR, a cutoff that ends with the Houston Open.

On the bubble there is University of Texas product Pierceson Coody, at No. 51 in the world. The 26-year-old was inside the cutoff at the end of February, ranked 45th after a T16 at the Genesis Invitational, then two subsequent missed cuts dropped him outside the top 50 and a T55 last week at the Valspar only moved him from 52nd to 51st. But a good finish this week could send him to Augusta for the first time.

The current 50th-ranked player, Sam Stevens, has already qualified for the Masters via the top-50 OWGR cutoff at the end of 2025.