(Editor’s note: AmateurGolf.com and Golfweek have teamed up to cover the amateur game from top to bottom.)
Amateurs have always held a special place in the history of The Masters, in part because one of the founders of Augusta National Golf Club, the immortal Bobby Jones, is regarded as the greatest amateur of all time.
The amateurs who qualify for The Masters stay in the clubhouse during the week, attend the opening dinner and play the first two rounds with former champions.
While no amateur has won The Masters, Frank Stranahan tied for second in 1947, two shots behind Jimmy Demaret and Ken Venturi held a four-shot lead going into the final round only to finish second, one stroke behind champion Jackie Burke, Jr.. Augusta member Charlie Coe played in The Masters 19 times as an amateur and finished in the top 25 on nine occasions, including 1961, when he tied for second.
Ryan Moore, winner of the NCAA Championship, the US Amateur, US Public Links and Western Amateur in 2004, was the last amateur to finish in the top 20 at Augusta, tying for 13th in 2005.
After the pandemic limited the number of amateurs in last year’s field to just three, the list of participants has doubled this year. Austin Greaser, Stewart Hagestad, Aaron Jarvis, Keita Nakajima, James Piot and Laird Shepherd will all be aiming to win the prestigious Silver Cup, awarded each year to the low amateur in the field.
Hailing from the United States, England, Japan and for the first time ever, the Cayman Islands, all amateurs took their own distinctive paths to Augusta National.
Here’s a look at the six amateurs who will be competing for this year’s Silver Cup:
Austin Greaser reacts to his putt on the second green during the first round of The Masters golf tournament. Michael Madrid-USA TODAY Sports
A junior at North Carolina, Greaser is making his first Masters appearance by virtue of his runner-up finish at last year’s U.S. Amateur Championship at Oakmont Country Club, where he lost 2 and 1 to James Piot. One of 15 players named to the Haskins Award Fall Watch List, Greaser has a pair of top 10 finishes this season, including a second-place showing at the Turning Stone Tiger Invitational.
Stewart Hagestad watches his tee shot on No. 15 on Monday at Augusta National Golf Club. The last par 5 on the course has been lengthened by up to 20 yards, giving even the longest hitters pause when applying strategy for the hole. Andrew Davis Tucker USA TODAY Network
Hagestad returns to The Masters for a second time as the U.S. Mid-Amateur champion, a title he first won in 2016. He earned low amateur honors in 2017 when he earned the distinction of being the first U.S. Mid-Am qualifier ever to make the cut.
Aaron Jarvis hits on No. 13 during a practice round of The Masters golf tournament at Augusta National Golf Club. (Photo: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports)
With his one-stroke victory in the 2022 Latin America Amateur Championship (LAAC), the UNLV freshman became the first player from the Cayman Islands to claim the LAAC title and as a result, becomes the first competitor from his home country to compete in the Masters.
Keita Nakajima reacts after missing his putt on the ninth hole during the final round of the 2022 Sony Open in Hawaii at Waialae Country Club in Honolulu. (Photo: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports)
Ranked No. 1 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings (WAGR), Nakajima earned his first Masters invitation by winning the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship. He also secured a win at the Panasonic Open, a professional tournament on the Japan Golf Tour and finished tied for 29th at the Zozo Championship in October, which was won by his fellow countryman Hideki Matsuyama, the defending Masters champion.
James Piot of the United States plays his shot from the 11th tee during the second round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard at Arnold Palmer Bay Hill Golf Course on March 04, 2022, in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
The Michigan State senior makes his first Masters appearance after winning the 2021 U.S. Amateur over Austin Greaser at Oakmont Country Club. He trailed Greaser by three after 27 holes in the championship match, but won four straight and five out of six to go ahead for good. Piot also won the 100th Golf Association of Michigan Championship at Franklin Hills Country Club in early August for his second career GAM title and advanced to the sweet 16 of the Western Amateur.
Laird Shepherd eyes his putt on the 14th green of the Greg Norman Course at PGA West during The Prestige tournament in La Quinta. Taya Gray, Special to the Desert Sun
Shepherd pulled off one of the craziest comebacks in British Amateur history, winning the title after being four down with four to play in the 36-hole match-play final at Nairn Golf Club in Scotland. The 24-year-old Englishman, who lives in St. Andrews, won the final four holes to force a playoff before prevailing on the second extra hole. His twin brother, Callum, has 372 wins as a Flat jockey.
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