Ranking the Masters field: 1 sentence for all 96 players

Only 89 players teed it up in last year's Masters, but the field has sharply grown to 96 for this week's event - the largest in the last decade.

However, that's still significantly fewer than the other top tournaments, once again making the Masters the most intimate affair in major championship golf.

Here's how we see the field heading into Thursday's opening round.

96. Angel Cabrera - He wasn't overly competitive before a six-year absence largely due to a two-year prison sentence, so don't expect much in his return to the event.

95. Vijay Singh - The oldest player in last year's field won't have that distinction in 2025 thanks to Bernhard Langer's return. (Note: Singh withdrew Monday due to injury)

94. Mike Weir - Simply doesn't possess the length to be relevant at Augusta any longer as evidenced by 12 missed cuts in his last 14 Masters.

93. Fred Couples - Remains the Mayor of Tempo Town, but gone are the days when an aging Couples could summon past form and make his presence felt.

92. Evan Beck (a) - The 34-year-old spends his days as an analyst for an investment group, so the U.S. Mid-Am champion might actually view the Masters as stress relief from trying to figure out whatever is going on in the markets.

91. Hiroshi Tai (a) - It's a home game of sorts for the first golfer from Singapore to ever play in the Masters, as his college home is down the road at Georgia Tech.

90. Jose Maria Olazabal - Made the cut as a 58-year-old last year and shot the same Saturday score as Bryson DeChambeau despite being 27 years older and about 50 yards shorter off the tee.

89. Noah Kent (a) - As the world's 560th-ranked amateur, he turned a storybook runner-up finish in the U.S. Amateur into a Masters slot.

88. Justin Hastings (a) - The Latin America Amateur Championship winner finished his time at San Diego State with the lowest career scoring average in program history - ahead of some guy named Xander Schauffele.

87. Brian Campbell - The 32-year-old won in Mexico earlier this season for his first title but will likely receive an immediate reminder Thursday morning that Augusta is a long way from Puerto Vallarta's forgiving setup.

86. Rafael Campos - Has missed 25 of 36 cuts the last two years but snagged a Masters invite by his shocking win in a Bermuda fall series event that featured one top-50 player.

85. Jose Luis Ballester (a) - The first Spaniard to ever win the U.S. Amateur absolutely bombs the ball off the tee and already has a top-20 finish to his name on the PGA TOUR from the Mexico Open.

84. Bernhard Langer - The two-time champ is playing in his final Masters at the age of 67 but is still wrecking people on the Champions Tour.

83. Nicolas Echavarria - Ran wild in the fall with four top-11 finishes in his final six events, including the win at the ZoZo Championship to get an invite.

82. Jhonattan Vegas - Returns to Augusta for the first time since 2018 but is ice-cold with just one finish inside the top 40 all season.

81. Charl Schwartzel - His 2011 title feels like it took place in another world, as he's now on LIV and went 74-81 at last year's Masters.

80. Matt McCarty - Augusta is certainly favorable to left-handers, but the struggles for Masters first-timers is more likely to be the story for McCarty.

79. Stephan Jaeger - Will be looking to improve after getting blown out to sea in his first Masters last year with rounds of 74 and 81.

78. Kevin Yu - Ranks an abysmal 163rd in putting this year but possesses an elite tee-to-green game that can hang just about anywhere.

77. Davis Riley - Will be hoping whatever he summoned last May to stare down an in-form Scottie Scheffler and win Colonial travels with him to Augusta.

76. Laurie Canter - Has played well in Europe since coming back from a brief dalliance with LIV Golf but is making just his second-ever major start in the United States.

75. Danny Willett - Jordan Spieth fans still shudder at the name after Willett's legendary comeback in 2016, but that was long ago for the Brit who finished with rounds of 75-76-78 last year after opening with an impressive 4-under 68.

74. Joe Highsmith - Another debuting lefty who's flashed strong form lately with a win and four top-25 finishes in his last six starts.

73. Zach Johnson - The 2007 champ's goal should be to avoid cussing out patrons after last year's shocking scene en route to a third missed Masters cut since 2020.

72. Davis Thompson - Atlanta native and Georgia alum comes into his first Masters in solid form after a 10th-place showing at The Players last month.

71. Bubba Watson - The rules state that no matter how many green jackets you own, you cannot be in our top 70 if you finished the previous year in the LIV Golf relegation zone.

70. Nick Taylor - Canadian hero with a flair for the dramatic in regular TOUR events has crashed out of his last nine majors with missed cuts.

69. Nick Dunlap - Won twice on TOUR last year - including once as an amateur - but currently cannot find the planet with his driver, sitting 184th on TOUR in strokes gained: off the tee.

68. Thriston Lawrence - Nearly won The Open in his last major as an enormous long shot but has missed six of eight cuts on TOUR in 2025.

67. Patton Kizzire - If he plays Augusta as well as he punts his putter, we might see Kizzire's name on the first page of the leaderboard Sunday.

66. Max Homa - The fact he finished tied for third at Augusta last year and is 66th on this list tells you just how far his game has dropped.

65. Brian Harman - We started this list before he won last weekend in Texas, but he's missed three straight cuts at the Masters, so he stays at No. 65.

64. Tom Hoge - His elite iron play should show well at Augusta, but he simply doesn't offer enough in the other aspects to contend.

63. Max Greyserman - Currently outside the top 100 in both approach and driving, he's in a horrible spot approaching the first tee at Augusta.

62. Michael Kim - Rose from No. 162 in the OWGR in February to No. 50 after Houston two weeks ago to snag the final Masters invite.

61. Christiaan Bezuidenhout - Seems content just to play the weekend at the Masters with three made cuts in three attempts but a 38th-place showing as his best finish.

60. J.J. Spaun - The man who pushed Rory McIlroy to a playoff at TPC Sawgrass last month makes his second career Masters start after a 23rd-place showing in 2022.

59. Austin Eckroat - Will likely be in jail with any missed green at Augusta, as he ranks 159th on TOUR in strokes gained: around the green.

58. Maverick McNealy - Shockingly has never played in the Masters before but possesses the type of driving prowess and skill on the green to potentially contend.

57. Adam Schenk - Finished 12th in his debut at Augusta last year but has only placed better than that once in the last 12 months on TOUR.

56. Daniel Berger - Has put together a strong run of form since his return from a three-year injury absence, but he's played just one major since 2022.

55. Rasmus Hojgaard - Rookie will look to replicate the debut success of his twin brother, Nicolai, who finished 16th in his first Masters last year.

54. Denny McCarthy - Looked incredibly comfortable on Augusta's tricky greens last year - as usual - but likely doesn't have the long game to contend.

53. J.T. Poston - Feasts on easy, birdie-fest courses - not exactly how one would describe Augusta National.

52. Thomas Detry - Making his debut but has three top-15 finishes in his last three majors and just snagged his first TOUR win in Phoenix in February.

51. Aaron Rai - The Englishman can take a huge step toward his first Ryder Cup nod with a strong showing in his Masters debut.

50. Taylor Pendrith - Absolute bomber who's improved his all-around game, which has him ranked 30th in Data Golf's true strokes gained metric over the past six months.

49. Byeong Hun An - Melts it off the tee and is an excellent chipper, but his putting and approach play both rank outside the top 140 on TOUR.

48. Matthew Fitzpatrick - A made-cut machine at Augusta, but he's searching for his game with just one top-10 finish in the last 12 months.

47. Matthieu Pavon - Has struggled with no top-40 finishes this season but posted a brilliant 12th-place showing on his debut last year.

46. Sahith Theegala - If he can somehow figure out his tee-to-green play, the short-game magic is there to make a run.

45. Billy Horschel - Will look to shine back in the elements after stunting on the entire TGL en route to an indoor simulator golf championship.

44. Dustin Johnson - An absolute Augusta alpha in his prime, but Johnson's recent Masters history shows a 48th-place finish and missed cut since joining LIV Golf.

43. Tom Kim - Has played well in two previous trips to Augusta but comes in off a dreadful missed cut in Texas and just one top-10 finish all season.

42. Wyndham Clark - Despite a dismal missed cut in his debut last year, Clark has the skill set to make some serious noise.

41. Akshay Bhatia - Starting to show up in golf's biggest events after a 35th-place showing in his debut at Augusta last year and a third-place finish at The Players last month.

40. Sungjae Im - A very difficult player to project this week given his two missed cuts, two top-10 showings, and a 16th-place finish at the Masters.

39. Tony Finau - Finau at Augusta is etched in our memory banks for two reasons: a par-3 contest hole-in-one that resulted in a sprained ankle and the honor of being the first man to congratulate Tiger Woods on his incredible 2019 win.

38. Chris Kirk - Georgia alum has been sneaky strong at Augusta over the years with pinpoint approach play carrying him around the course.

37. Lucas Glover - Change "Georgia" to "Clemson" in Kirk's description and you essentially have Glover's profile at Augusta.

36. Jason Day - You're only reading this part to get the link to last year's story about Augusta telling Day to remove his Malbon vest, right?

35. Cam Davis - Davis' picture-perfect golf swing was on full display last year with a 12th-place showing in his second Augusta start.

34. Sepp Straka - Extremely consistent performer in three starts at the Masters with a career scoring average of 73 despite having never broken 70 at Augusta.

33. Harris English - Similar to Straka, English has been very consistent with four straight made cuts at the Masters despite not breaking 70 in any of those rounds.

32. Nicolai Hojgaard - Joined by his brother in the field this time around after he got his Masters career off to a blazing start last year with a 5-under 67 in Round 1.

31. Cam Young - Your guess is as good as ours for Young's week as he has consecutive top-10 finishes at Augusta but is also statistically one of the worst 50 players on the PGA TOUR this season.

30. Sam Burns - Has the talent to be a top-10 player in the world but struggles in the area where Augusta is most demanding: approach play.

29. Russell Henley - Beat a loaded field at Bay Hill last month and makes up for a lack of distance off the tee by being elite at everything else.

28. Phil Mickelson - Doesn't talk anymore at the Champions Dinner but finished tied for second just two years ago and actually comes to Augusta this year flashing a bit of form on LIV Golf.

27. Justin Rose - He probably shouldn't be seriously competing for majors at this point, but the Englishman had two top-10 major finishes just last year and has excellent history at Augusta.

26. Adam Scott - We'll always have his epic victory in the rain in 2014, but the Australian looks miles from that form these days.

25. Robert MacIntyre - The lowest lefty on our board is the Scottish hero who claimed victory in his homeland last year and has two top-25 showings in two starts at Augusta.

24. Min Woo Lee - The Chef looks to cook up some low scores at Augusta after his first PGA TOUR win just two weeks ago in Houston.

23. Sergio Garcia - Sure, his play at Augusta has been dreadful since his win in 2018, but you know Garcia wants to make a Ryder Cup charge with a strong showing this week.

22. Keegan Bradley - Speaking of the Ryder Cup, Captain America comes to this year's Masters with consecutive solid top-25 finishes at the event.

21. Tommy Fleetwood - Last year's tie for third was his fifth top-10 finish in his last 11 majors, continuing a brilliant career despite a puzzling lack of trophies.

20. Tyrrell Hatton - The always-vocal Englishman might be the only person to not like Augusta National, but he did finish inside the top 10 last year.

19. Will Zalatoris - Fun fact to share when your Masters party inevitably veers into political talk nobody wants: Zalatoris has played the Masters three times and never finished outside the top 10.

18. Patrick Reed - It's clear he has the Augusta blueprint with four top-12 finishes in his last five to add to the 2018 title.

17. Shane Lowry - Has shown a real affinity for Augusta in recent years and enters showing solid form with three top-10s and five top-20s in his last six events.

16. Corey Conners - The Canadian has the tee-to-green game to bring the green jacket north of the border, but he's yet to show he can hole enough putts to really contend.

15. Patrick Cantlay - Has quietly improved his major play greatly with 10 straight made cuts and six top-15 finishes in that span.

14. Joaquin Niemann - Dominates LIV Golf but disappears when the best in the world gather, with zero top-10 finishes in 22 major starts.

13. Justin Thomas - His elite iron play should make him an ideal fit at Augusta, but back-to-back missed cuts suggest otherwise.

12. Viktor Hovland - Arguably the most interesting man in golf, from his very candid battles with his golf swing to deep alien discussions in the week leading up to the Masters.

11. Cam Smith - If Augusta is one of golf's best canvases, then an artist like Smith should thrive regardless of recent form.

10. Hideki Matsuyama - Has made 10 straight cuts at Augusta with only two finishes outside the top 20 in that span, including his iconic win in 2021.

9. Brooks Koepka - The major-championship king of this generation will likely win by five strokes if he reads this and feels slighted he's at No. 9.

8. Jordan Spieth - Has finished inside the top five an outrageous five times in 10 career Masters but is on a roller coaster of unpredictable results seemingly every round he plays.

7. Ludvig Aberg - The Swedish star's runner-up finish last year is even more incredible when you realize it wasn't just his Masters debut but his first major championship.

6. Collin Morikawa - Leads the entire sport in Data Golf's strokes gained over the past three months and has three straight top-10 finishes at the Masters.

5. Jon Rahm - Has largely faded to the background of North American golf fans' minds since moving to LIV Golf but should be considered a major threat for a second green jacket.

4. Bryson DeChambeau - It might be good, it might be ugly, but it's an absolute guarantee that DeChambeau will entertain while trying to navigate the iconic layout he once claimed was a par 67 for him.

3. Xander Schauffele - Still knocking the rust off as he returns from injury, especially on the greens where he's 165th on TOUR after ranking 12th and fifth the last two years, respectively.

2. Rory McIlroy - The green jacket once again seems oh, so close for the crowd favorite who comes to Augusta with wins at Pebble and TPC Sawgrass already - the first time he's claimed two TOUR titles in the buildup to the Masters.

1. Scottie Scheffler - The players may want to bring Louisville's aggressive traffic patrol to Augusta because that might be the only thing keeping the man with a better Masters scoring average than Tiger Woods from winning a third green jacket.