Joaquin Niemann, Nicolai Hojgaard added to Masters field

The Masters announced on Wednesday morning that two special invitations had been accepted.

Chile’s Joaquin Niemann and Denmark’s Nicolai Hojgaard will join the field for the first tournament of the year, April 10-13 at Augusta National Golf Club.

“In support of Augusta National’s efforts to develop interest in golf globally, deserving international players who are not otherwise eligible have been invited throughout the history of the Tournament,” said Masters President Fred Ridley. “The tradition continues as we welcome Nicolai and Joaquin to the Masters, as both players have shown their talent competing around the world. We look forward to their arrival this April.”

This is Niemann’s second year in a row to receive a special invitation. The 26-year-old Niemann, who joined LIV Golf two years ago, is coming off a season in which he won twice and scored six other top-6 finishes at the Saudi-backed circuit. He also recently won the Saudi International on the Asian Tour and is ranked 71st in the Official World Golf Ranking despite LIV still not receiving World Ranking points.

Niemann, who made his Masters debut in 2018 after winning the Latin American Amateur, has made five previous starts at Augusta National while finishing in the top 25 in each of the last two editions.

Hojgaard, 23, played his first Masters last year and briefly led on Saturday before slipping to a T-16 finish, just shy of an automatic comeback.

With these two additions, the Masters field now stands at 87 players, including former champion Bernhard Langer, who is set to compete for the final time, and Angel Cabrera, who has not played in the Masters since 2019 due to legal issues and a two-year prison sentence in his native Argentina . Cabrera was released in December 2023, although he did not receive a visa to enter the US until May, causing him to miss last year’s Masters.

“Angel is certainly one of our great champions,” Ridley said in January 2024. “As we all know, he’s been unable to participate in the Masters for the past few years due to legal issues. We are currently in constant contact with Angel’s representatives. He is currently unable to enter the United States. He does not have a visa, and I know that the process is being done. We certainly wish him the best of luck with that and will certainly welcome him back if he is able to resolve those legal issues.”

It remains to add the winner of the Jan. 16-19 Latin American Amateur, the upcoming full-field PGA Tour winners and any players not already qualified who are in the top 50 of the OWGR the week before the tournament.