The Masters: Top 10 hopefuls

text size

This week's Zurich Classic of New Orleans is one of two remaining tournaments on the PGA TOUR that players can use to gain entry in this year's Masters Tournament on April 10-13. To get into the Masters, players must either 1) Win one of the final two events or 2) move into the top 50 Official World Golf Ranking prior to the start of next week's Shell Houston Open. Of the 144 players scheduled to participate in New Orleans, just 23 have secured their invitations to Augusta. Who's on the outside looking in? Here's our list of notable names:

1. Davis Love III
Years played at the Masters: 1988, 1991-2007
Current Official World Golf Ranking: 99
2008 Stats: 5 starts, three cuts made. Best finish: T24 at AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am
In brief: Love famously made the Masters field in 1995 at the final minute, winning the Freeport-McMoRan Classic in New Orleans to score one of the final spots in the tournament. He went on to finish second to Ben Crenshaw that year at Augusta National, and he was second in 1999. Love has made the cut 14 times in 18 starts at Augusta National.

2. Ryuji Imada
Years played at the Masters: None
Current Official World Golf Ranking: 65
2008 Stats: 7 starts, six cuts made. Best finish: Solo second at Buick Invitational
In brief: Imada has done everything except win in 2008, scoring a pair of runner-up finishes, giving him three second-place finishes in a 10-month span. Imada has moved all the way to 65th in the Official World Golf Ranking, gaining him entry into the PGA TOUR's top events, including an invite to last week's World Golf Championships-CA Championship, where he finished tied for 34th.

3. Bart Bryant
Years played at the Masters: 2006, 2007
Current Official World Golf Ranking: 67
2008 Stats: 7 starts, six cuts made. Best finish: Solo second at Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard
In brief: Bryant missed a playoff in the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard by a single shot. He would love to have another crack at Augusta National, where he missed the cut in each of his two starts. Bryant is not currently in the field at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, so he will have to win in Houston to score a Masters spot.

4. Anthony Kim
Years played at the Masters: None
Current Official World Golf Ranking: 63
2008 Stats: 5 starts, four cuts made. Best finish: Third at Bob Hope Chrysler Classic
In brief: Kim is well-rested for New Orleans -- he has been idle since The Honda Classic. His high-voltage game makes him one of the favorites to win at TPC Louisiana. It would shock no one if Kim blazes through the weekend untouched to earn one of the final Masters spots. Kim's youth and talent makes him a good bet to visit Augusta National many times before he hangs up his spikes.

5. Tom Lehman
Years played at the Masters: 1993-2006
Current Official World Golf Ranking: 138
2008 Stats: 7 starts, three cuts made. Best finish: T8 at Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard
In brief: Lehman's season was a struggle until two weeks ago at Bay Hill, when he dropped rounds of 66-69 to head into the weekend among the leaders. Lehman faded on the weekend, but this veteran of 14 Masters tournaments can still compete. Lehman famously finished second to Jose Maria Olazabal at Augusta National in 1994.

6. Lucas Glover
Years played at the Masters: 2006-2007
Current Official World Golf Ranking: 111
2008 Stats: 7 starts, six cuts made. Best finish: T22 at Northern Trust Open
In brief: Glover has played in each of the last two Masters, with a tie for 20th as his best finish. Glover has gotten off to a slow start in 2008, making six cuts, but with no finish better than 22nd. Two weeks ago in the Arnold Palmer Invitational, Glover shot a 66 in the first round before slipping to a 75 in the second round. Glover was outstanding in the 2007 Zurich Classic of New Orleans, finishing tied for eighth.

7. Rod Pampling
Years played at the Masters: 2005-2007
Current Official World Golf Ranking: 58
2008 Stats: 7 starts, four cuts made. Best finish: T8 at PODS Championship
In brief: Pampling has made the cut in all three of his appearances at Augusta National. He badly wants to return, but will need an outstanding finish this weekend in New Orleans to move into the top 50 in the Official World Golf Ranking. Pampling's fine run at the PODS Championship was tempered the next week at Bay Hill, where he missed the cut after rounds of 77-78.

7. Pat Perez
Years played at the Masters: 2003
Current Official World Golf Ranking: 62
2008 Stats: 8 starts, six cuts made. Best finish: T4 at Sony Open in Hawaii
In brief: Perez finished tied for 45th in his lone Masters start in 2003. Perez has had an up-and-down year on TOUR in 2008. Perez is a workhorse who has already played in eight events in 2008. Like Pampling, he doesn't necessarily need a win in the next two weeks to make into the top 50 in the Official World Golf Ranking.

8. Chad Campbell
Years played at the Masters: 2003-2007
Current Official World Golf Ranking: 87
2008 Stats: 8 starts, seven cuts made. Best finish: T10 at Sony Open in Hawaii
In brief: Campbell doesn't want his streak of Masters starts to end, but he'll need a win in the next two weeks to make it back. Campbell nearly won at Augusta National in 2006, finishing tied for third behind Phil Mickelson. Campbell won the Viking Classic during the PGA TOUR Fall Series in 2007, but the win wasn't enough to move him into the top 30 on the final money list, which would have gained him entry into the Masters.

9. Steve Marino
Years played at the Masters: None
Current Official World Golf Ranking: 113
2008 Stats: 9 starts, nine cuts made. Best finish: Solo second at the Mayakoba Golf Classic at Riviera Maya-Cancun
In brief: Marino is a birdie machine who, like Anthony Kim, is a threat to win on any given week on the PGA TOUR. He hasn't won yet, but the second-year TOUR player hasn't come close to missing a cut in 2008. Like Nick Watney, Marino is a big hitter who should find the next two weeks to his liking. Marino already has a whopping 16 sub-70 rounds in 2008.

10. Chris DiMarco
Years played at the Masters: 2001-2007
Current Official World Golf Ranking: 133
2008 Stats: 7 starts, two cuts made. Best finish: T54 at FBR Open
In brief: DiMarco's love affair (three career top-10s) with Augusta National makes him an obvious choice to insert as a sentimental pick. A shoulder injury has stalled the career of DiMarco, who finished second to Tiger Woods at the 2005 Masters. DiMarco has struggled mightily in 2008, but the popular veteran has shown before that he can come out of nowhere to win a tournament.