Anthony Kim left his mark on the golf world last weekend with his come-from-behind victory at LIV Golf Adelaide, his first victory in 16 years. Now, he has a new goal ahead of him: Qualifying for the Masters.
Kim is in a unique position to return to Augusta National for the first time since 2011. LIV Golf is newly recognized by the Official World Golf Ranking, and Kim just got a massive boost in the standings. But will it be enough to compete for a green jacket?
Fellow LIV Golfer Phil Mickelson thinks Kim should get the opportunity. And Kim’s story of redemption will have viewers wanting to see him play. So, what’s a guy got to do to score an invite?
Here’s a look at new rules for qualifying for the Masters, receiving OWGR points, and what it all means for Kim going forward.
How Golfers Can Qualify for the Masters
The Masters is notoriously the most difficult major tournament to qualify for since the field is only 90 golfers deep and requires an invite.
The process has gotten even more difficult following rule changes last summer. ESPN reported Augusta National’s decision that the winners of six international opens, such as the Scottish Open and the Japan Open, “will earn invitations to the Masters and the Open Championship.”
Additionally, “Augusta National Golf Club also announced that winners of the PGA Tour’s seven FedEx Fall tournaments will no longer earn invitations to the Masters unless they qualify another way.”
As for other ways to qualify…
LIV Golfers Now Earn OWGR Points
The only other direct qualification for the Masters is being in the OWGR top 50. That shut the door on some LIV Golfers in recent years, since the breakaway league hadn’t qualified for OWGR points… until now.
Kim’s big win also came on the heels of a huge decision to award OWGR points to the top 10 finishers in LIV events. Although there is still an uphill battle to qualify for the Masters.
“LIV Golf events will be ranked as ‘small tournament fields’ with a points distribution cutoff. Golfers who finish outside the top 10 won’t receive world-ranking points, which won’t be redistributed to those in the top 10,” ESPN reported on Feb. 6.
Additionally, the winners of LIV Golf events earn less than half the points PGA Tour winners receive because the field in PGA Tour events is more competitive.
How Kim can Qualify for the Masters
It can be done. But Kim has a long road ahead of him if he is going to return to Augusta in 2026.
“Kim’s pathway to his first Masters appearance in 15 years may be the toughest of all the majors,” Golf.com explained this week. “Barring a surprise special invitation, the only way Kim can qualify for the 2026 Masters is by reaching the top 50 in the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) by April 6.”
Did the win in South Australia help? “Thanks to his LIV Adelaide victory, Kim vaulted from 847th to 203rd in the OWGR,” the article continued. However, “he still needs to make up 153 spots by April to earn tee times at the 2026 Masters.”
With only three LIV Golf events before the Masters, Kim has a very short window to launch himself into the top 50. Golf.com suggests he would need to win at least one more event to get into good standing.
The 2026 Masters tees off on April 9.
Here’s How Anthony Kim Can Qualify for the Masters