The golf world’s focus has turned to Texas, where the PGA TOUR will spend the next two weeks in the lead-up to the first major championship of the year. That also means it’s do-or-die time to qualify for the Masters – and the largest pathway to Augusta National closes at week’s end.

The top 50 in the Official World Golf Ranking after the Texas Children’s Houston Open will officially earn exemptions into the Masters, and there are more than a few names teetering on the edge of qualification and in need of a good week in Houston. If they miss out here, their only path to the Masters is to win next week at the Valero Texas Open.

So, who is fighting for those Masters berths? Let’s talk through them. But first, a few honorable mentions that aren’t included below: Ryo Hisatsune (63rd), Sahith Theegala (80th), Lucas Glover (84th), Billy Horschel (87th) and Tom Hoge (101st).

Nicolai Højgaard

Official World Golf Ranking: 47th

While others inside the current OWGR top 50 are still not exempt (Daniel Berger, Jake Knapp and Matt McCarty), Nicolai Højgaard is the only player with a legitimate risk of falling out by week’s end.

Højgaard started 2026 well outside the top 50 – 77th to begin the year – but quickly played his way into position via strong finishes on the DP World Tour and PGA TOUR. The 25-year-old Dane finished T4 at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic in January before heading stateside in February. There he rattled off an impressively consistent stretch of golf, finishing T22-T3-T6-T24-T27 in his next five starts. Those two standout results came at the WM Phoenix Open and Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches, respectively. They were also the results that pushed him into the top 50.

Højgaard played again last week, and though his finish wasn’t remarkable (T55), it was enough to maintain his place at 47th. No movement is good news for Højgaard as he looks to dribble out the clock and secure a spot at Augusta National. He would be making his third consecutive Masters start if he qualifies.

Pierceson Coody

Official World Golf Ranking: 51st

In college basketball parlance, Pierceson Coody is known as the bubble boy – though he has no committee to plead his case to, he just needs to play well this week. That’s plenty doable for Coody, who began the year well outside consideration for any majors other than the PGA Championship. That shifted quickly when he notched back-to-back top-20 finishes in Hawaii and Palm Springs, then put together the best result of his season: a tied runner-up finish at the Farmers Insurance Open. His big week in San Diego vaulted him from 86th to 47th in the OWGR. He added another top-10 finish the next week in Phoenix to get to 44th in the rankings and remained inside the top 50 until THE PLAYERS Championship, where he missed his second straight cut.

But Coody’s week at the Valspar Championship is a reminder that he doesn’t need to do anything outstanding to crack the top 50 from his position. Coody finished T55, but still managed to jump one spot to 51st. This is a new week with a new set of circumstances, but if Coody can make the weekend in Houston and play solid over in his home state, a Masters berth could be waiting.

A cool nugget if Coody does make the Masters: he would be the first grandson of a Masters champion to play in the event. Coody’s grandfather, Charles, won the 1971 Masters. It would also be Pierceson Coody’s first major as a pro (he missed the cut at the 2021 U.S. Open as an amateur).

Michael Thorbjornsen

Official World Golf Ranking: 56th

Michael Thorbjornsen was a popular breakout candidate ahead of 2026, but he needs strong performances at the game’s biggest events to validate it. And he can’t do that if he’s not playing in them. That’s the 24-year-old’s objective in Houston this week.

Thorbjornsen is seeking his first appearance at the Masters. The American, perhaps puzzlingly, skipped last week’s Valspar Championship, trading a week of rest for a valuable chance to improve his world rank. Whether that was a smart decision will be determined based on how he plays this week in Houston.

Thorbjornsen has begun the year well, finishing T3 at the WM Phoenix Open and playing his way into the final pairing at THE PLAYERS Championship. At one point in the year, he reached as high as 43rd in the world, but has since fallen back. A bad last day at TPC Sawgrass might prove to be the difference. He shot 77 in the final round to fall into a tie for 22nd, losing valuable ranking points in the process. But given his form, a surge in Houston can’t be ruled out.

Rickie Fowler

Official World Golf Ranking: 61st

Rickie Fowler was a Masters mainstay for nearly a decade, but his attendance at Augusta National has been spotty in recent years. Fowler has played the first major of the year just twice since 2020, and he’s at risk of missing it again this year, currently 61st in the world ranking.

Fowler missing this Masters would be one of the bigger shames in his recent history, as he’s playing his best golf since 2023 when he made the Ryder Cup, contended at the U.S. Open and won the Rocket Classic. Fowler will need a win, or something close to it, if he wants to vault into the top 50.

For the optimists, there are signs he is close to another breakout. In three of Fowler’s six starts this season, he sat inside the top 10 after 36 holes. Yet he’s mustered only one top-10 finish this year. Simply: he’s not yet put together four stellar rounds, but he continues to show flashes. But those would’s, could’s and if’s need to materialize into something tangible if he wants a tee time at Augusta National.

Like Thorbjornsen, Fowler did not play at last week’s Valspar. Will that decision pay off?

Tony Finau

Official World Golf Ranking: 104th

Tony Finau's directive is simple: he needs to win. While others could crack the top 50 with a variety of results, Finau’s chances rest solely on trophy hunting in Houston and at the Valero Texas Open next week.

Finau’s world rank is a bit of a shock. Once a perennial top-20 player, Finau has plummeted outside the top 100. He officially reached a triple-digit rank after missing the cut at the Sony Open in Hawaii in January. It was his first time outside the top 100 since the 2016 Puerto Rico Open, the week he won his first PGA TOUR title and started his ascent.

Finau’s fall has been rapid. At this point last year, he was No. 32 in the world, but he has not carded a top 10 in the last calendar year. His last win came at the 2023 VidantaWorld Mexico Open. Like Fowler, there are reasons to be optimistic, starting with the venue. Finau won this event back in 2022 when it was part of the fall calendar. He then finished runner-up in 2024 when it was moved to its current spot on the schedule. He has three top 20s in eight starts this year and has made four straight cuts after missing three of four to begin his year.

Could all that result in a late Masters charge for Finau? He hasn’t failed to qualify for the Masters since 2017.