What happens if an amateur golfer wins The Masters at Augusta?

Each year, The Masters invites a few amateurs to play in the esteemed first major on the PGA Tour calender. This year, five amateurs have been invited to play in The Masters, which is only two weeks away. The amateurs invited are:

• Jose Luis Ballester: 2024 U.S. Amatuer Champion
• Noah Kent: 2024 U.S. Amatuer runner-up
• Evan Beck: 2024 U.S. Mid-Amatuer runner-up
• Hiroshi Tai: 2024 NCAA Division I Individual National Champion
• Justin Hastings: 2025 Latin American Amatuer Champion

The quintet will aim to become the first ever amateur to win The Masters.

If an amateur were to win The Masters they would receive, like the professinals, a green jacket and a lifetime exemption into the tournament. However, unlike the professionals, amateur are not eligible to receive prize money, even if they were to win.

The purse at the 2025 Masters Tournament will not be revealed until the week of the event. In 2024, the purse was $20 million with a winner's share of $3.6 million. That was up from an $18 million purse in 2023.

The best amateur performance at Augusta National in recent years came from Sam Bennett in 2023, who qualified for the tournament because he had won the U.S. Amatuer in 2022. He finished tied for 16th place, though he entered the final round tied for seventh place.

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Storylines heading into The Masters 2025

Scottie Scheffler after winning The Masters 2024 (via Getty)

With The Masters only two weeks away, the golf world is already shifting its focus to the illustrious Augusta National Golf Club. The tournament, set for April 10-13, will see Scottie Scheffler attempt to defend his title.

Last April, Scheffler won his second green jacket, his first coming in 2022. His two victories at Augusta are his only major titles. Scheffler is still number one in the Official World Golf Ranking by a comfortable margin, though he is in search of his first PGA Tour win since the 2024 Tour Championship.

On Christmas Day, 2024 Scheffler injured his hand on a broken wine glass, which resulted in him undergoing surgery and missing the first month of the 2025 season.

Rory McIlroy is again a part of annual speculation as he gets set to again complete the career grand slam. The four-time major champion also looks to end his major championship drought that has lasted more than 10 years. McIlroy went to play a practice round at Augusta National this week ahead of the Texas Children's Houston Open.

A bevy of the world's top golfers will head into The Masters in search of their first green jacket. Brooks Koepka, Bryson DeChambeau, and Colin Morikawa are just a few of the world's top golfers who have played well at Augusta National but have not been able to capture a victory.