Not only is a green jacket up for grabs at the 2025 Masters, so is a Silver Cup and a seat in Butler Cabin. Those honors will be bestowed upon the low amateur in the 89th playing of the tournament, and history suggests this crowning achievement may just be the beginning of a golfer’s great career.
The 2025 Masters represents the 30th anniversary of a rather well-known golfer winning the Silver Cup as Tiger Woods, at age 19, brought home the honor. Woods was the only amateur to make the cut in 1995, and two years later, he boat raced the field to win the first of his five green jackets.
Parlaying low amateur honors into low professional honors (i.e. winning the tournament) is actually somewhat common. Sergio Garcia turned professional shortly after claiming the Silver Cup in 1999. Nearly two decades later, the Spaniard finally won his long-awaited first major title in a playoff over Justin Rose.
Hideki Matsuyama can say he has done the same as he won low amateur in 2011 and the Masters 10 years later in 2021 to become the first man from Japan to don the green jacket. Patrick Cantlay, Viktor Hovland and Bryson DeChambeau are among notables to earn low amateur honors as well.
Meanwhile, Matteo Manassero was the youngest cut-maker in Masters history in 2010 at age 16. This record was shattered only a few years later when Guan Tianlang made a weekend appearance at just 14 years old. A couple years back, Sam Bennett became the first amateur since 2005 to finish inside the top 20, while Neal Shipley stole the show playing alongside Woods during the final round in the 2025 tournament.
Let’s look at the five amateurs who will tee it up Thursday at Augusta National and hope to add their names to those above.
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2025 Masters field: Meet the amateurs
Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook
Jose Luis Ballester
How he qualified: 2024 U.S. Amateur champion
Amateur rank: No. 6
Top 10 finish odds: 35-1
Ballester could add to the Spanish history at Augusta National just as he started some at the U.S. Amateur. The 21-year-old became the first to raise the Havermeyer Trophy with his victory over Noah Kent. He also became the fourth player from Arizona State to win the championship joining Mickelson, who did so in 1990.
Noah Kent
How he qualified: 2024 U.S. Amateur runner-up
Amateur rank: No. 156
Top 10 finish odds: 65-1
Kent came into the U.S. Amateur as a member of the Iowa men’s golf team, but he will enter the Masters as a member of the Florida Gators given his offseason transfer. He finished inside the top 10 at the Patriot All-America Invitational to kick off his year and recently played at the Houston Open on the PGA Tour (but missed the cut).
Evan Beck
How he qualified: 2024 U.S. Mid-Amateur champion
Amateur rank: No. 18
Top 10 finish odds: 30-1
One year after losing to Stewart Hagestad in the 2023 Mid-Amateur at Sleepy Hollow, Beck made amends with a dominating victory at Kinloch. It represented his first USGA championship after finishing runner up in a couple of them. He’s been on the mid amateur scene for awhile as he is 34 years old and has his CFA.
Justin Hastings
How he qualified: 2025 Latin American Amateur champion
Amateur rank: No. 24
Top 10 finish odds: 35-1
The San Diego State standout claimed the last amateur spot in the field. With the win, he will become the second player from the Cayman Islands to compete in the Masters (first in the U.S. Open). He has been red hot as of late with a runner-up result at the Southwestern Invitational, a top-15 finish at the Mexico Open on the PGA Tour and a win at the Lamkin Invitational.
Hiroshi Tai
How he qualified: NCAA Division I Individual National champion
Amateur rank: No. 47
Top 10 finish odds: 45-1
The Georgia Tech Yellow Jacket fended off big names like Gordon Sargent, Ben James and Jackson Koivun to claim the NCAA individual title last spring. Since then, he hasn’t had his best stuff, but with a smaller than normal amateur field, he can still contend for the Silver Cup.
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