5 players making their Masters debut feat. Maverick McNealy

PGA: Valero Texas Open - Third Round - Source: Imagn

The Masters Tournament is the first major of the year and a range of golfers will take part in the tournament. Defending champion Scottie Scheffler is returning to the field along with other top-tier players. Around 12 LIV golfers will feature in the event, and the showdown at Augusta National will take place from April 10-13.

Along with famous names, there will be other rookie golfers who will appear at the Masters Tournament. Here's a list of five such first-timers for the Masters Tournament in 2025.

Five players making their debut at the 2025 Masters Tournament

#5. Maverick McNealy

Maverick McNealy has had three top 10 finishes on the PGA Tour in 2025 including a T8 at the Sentry Tournament, a T9 at the WM Phoenix Open, a 2nd place at the Genesis Invitational, and looks primed to add another to that at the Valero Texas Open.

His first win came in 2024 at the RSM Classic, where he scored 16-under 266. Last year, he had six top 10 finishes, including a T6 at the WM Phoenix Open, a T9 at the PLAYERS Championship, and a T3 at the 3M Open.

#4. Taylor Pendrith

Taylor Pendrith has had three top 10 finishes in 2025, including a T7 at the Farmers Insurance Open, a T9 at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, and a T5 at the Texas Children's Houston Open. Pendrith also had a T13 at the Sentry Tournament.

Pendrith claimed his maiden PGA Tour win at the CJ Cup Byron Nelson in May 2024 with a score of 23-under 261.

#3. Aaron Rai

Aaron Rai had a T4 at the Mexico Open at Vidanta World with a score of 18-under 266. Rai has had other top 20 finishes with a T15 at The Sentry, a T11 at the Arnold Palmer Invitational pres. by Mastercard, and a T14 at THE PLAYERS Championship.

Rai won at the 2024 Wyndham Championship with a score of 18-under 262. He is also set to make his Masters debut next week.

#2. Brian Campbell

Brian Campbell claimed his first ever PGA Tour win earlier this year, triumphing at the Mexico Open at VidantaWorld with a score of 20-under 264. He defeated Aldrich Potgieter in a playoff to clinch the title and a berth at The Masters.

His last tournament was the Valspar Championship, where he missed the cut line with 8-over 150.

#1. Davis Thompson

Davis Thompson will be making his Masters debut this year, on the back of a top 10 finish with a T10 at THE PLAYERS Championship after scoring 7-under 281. His last tournament was the Texas Children's Houston Open, where he finished at T27 with a score of 9-under 271.

Thompson won the 2024 John Deere Classic and is currently ranked 46th in the OWGR.

About the author

Suchita Chakraborty is a senior golf writer at Sportskeeda. She did her post-graduation at St. Xavier's University. For a year now, she has developed a riveting inclination toward golf, with Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy being her top-tier motivational figures to indulge in the sport. She even lives by the words of the Hall of Famer, "You can always become better", which impels her to excel every day. Her strong suit in golf is covering the LPGA Tour, especially the nooks and crannies of the international event, the Solheim Cup. As a pastime amusement, Suchita also engages herself in reading about golf controversies. Her favorite pick is ‘LIV and Let Die’ by Alan Shipnuck, which covers the PGA-LIV beef.

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Edited by Tushar Bahl