Masters 2026: Ranking five first-time players who could join Fuzzy Zoeller winning green jacket as debutants

AUGUSTA, Ga. -- The 2026 Masters features a tremendous field, and the depth of that talent extends to first-timers making their first trips to Augusta National Golf Club as competitors. Of the 91 players in the field this year, 22 will be competing in their first Masters.

That number includes the six amateur qualifiers and 16 professionals who qualified for the Masters for the first time in 2026. 

• Michael Brennan
• Jacob Bridgeman
• Ryan Gerard
• Chris Gotterup
• Ben Griffin
• Harry Hall
• Casey Jarvis
• John Keefer
• Tom McKibbin
• Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen
• Andrew Novak
• Marco Penge
• Kristoffer Reitan
• Naoyuki Kataoka
• Sam Stevens
• Sami Valimaki

A player's first trip to the Masters can be overwhelming. There is so much to take in with no guarantees of another visit in the future, so striking the balance between soaking it all in and putting in the work needed to contend requires walking a fine line. 

Beyond that, experience is one of the most valuable currencies at Augusta National. The little nuances of playing such a challenging and exacting test of golf -- from understanding where to miss to the unseen pull of Rae's Creek on the greens -- are things that typically take time to figure out. 

That said, some players have picked up on Augusta National quickly. Ludvig Åberg and Will Zalatoris recently made serious runs at the green jacket in their first visits to Augusta National, and there are some first-timers this year who have genuine chances to find themselves in the hunt come Sunday afternoon. 

There has not been a first-time player win at the Masters since Fuzzy Zoeller accomplished the feat in 1979 -- and he was the first to do so since the initial two Masters Tournaments were held in 1934 and 1935.

The 2026 Masters is the first since Zoeller's death last year, and with his incredible feat still hanging as historic and the strength of this year's field of first-timers in mind, let's dive into the five golfers who could find themselves in contention to win the green jacket and alter history.

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Who will win the 2026 Masters, and which longshots will stun the golfing world? Visit SportsLine now to see the projected leaderboard, all from the model that's nailed 16 golf majors heading into the weekend, including the past four Masters, and find out.