si-woo-kim-api-g.jpg
Getty Images

The 2025 Houston Open presents a significant opportunity for players that have yet to secure an invite to the 2025 Masters. Everyone in the top 50 in the Official World Golf Rankings after this weekend will qualify to play at Augusta National in April -- along with the winner of the tournament if they have not already made the field. 

While most of the top 50 players have already secured their bids, there are a handful of players in or near the top 50 that will be at Memorial Park Golf Course this week looking to earn that coveted invite.

J.J. Spaun (No. 27), Stephan Jaeger (No. 44), Michael Kim (No. 52), Ben Griffin (No. 53), Eric Cole (No. 61) and Si Woo Kim (No. 66) are the highest-ranked players in the field this week yet to earn Masters invites, though Spaun's performance at The Players Championship earned him enough OWGR points to effectively lock him into Augusta. 

Spaun may be pretty secure, but the rest of those players face real pressure to perform this week.

Jaeger (the reigning Houston Open champion) has a bit of a cushion, but he will want to at least get to the weekend to feel comfortable making travel plans. Michael Kim has been one of the biggest climbers in the rankings this year moving  from 155th to 52nd in 2025, but he will need another strong week in Houston to punch his ticket to the Masters.

Griffin fell one spot behind Kim last week, which makes his task a little bit harder, but not impossible. Cole and Si Woo Kim are much longer shots, as it's hard to make up more than 10 spots in the rankings.

Last week provides an idea of what kind of leap in the rankings is possible during a regular PGA Tour event. Viktor Hovland's win moved him from 19th to 8th (it's harder to climb the higher in the rankings you go), while Jacob Bridgeman jumped from 97th to 70th with his solo third finish. In the range these players find themselves, Nico Echavarria moved from 51st to 46th with his T16, while Cole moved from 68th to 61st with his T12. 

For Michael Kim and Griffin, a top-20 finish would give them a good chance at making up the ground needed to get into the top 50. Cole and Si Woo Kim need to have their sights set much higher as they will likely need top-five finishes to even have a shot.

Augusta National has extended special invitations in the past, including last year to Joaquín Niemann, Thorbjørn Olesen and Ryo Hisatsune. Known for having the smallest field of the four major championship, the Masters has not held a tournament with more than 100 participants since 1966.