Neal Shipley finished as the runner-up in the 2023 U.S. Amateur (USGA Photo)
The Masters at Augusta National is the premier golf event of the year, and one of the top storylines is which amateurs will step up into the bright lights and play well on the biggest stage.
The Masters invites amateurs who have reached the finals of the US Amateur or won the British Amateur or the US Mid-Amateur. Also included are the winners of the relatively new Asia Pacific Amateur and Latin American Amateur.
Last year, Texas A&M standout
Sam Bennett put on a performance to remember, finishing T16 to win the Silver Cup as the low amateur. He went into the weekend at 8-under and only four shots behind 36-hole leader Brooks Koepka.
This Masters will feature the 2023 U.S. Amateur
Nick Dunlap, but not by way of winning the U.S. Amateur. Dunlap won the American Express on the PGA Tour and decided to turn professional, so he will not be representing the amateurs this year, but he will be in the field by way of his win on the Tour.
Also, the NCAA individual champion earns a special exemption into the Masters, but the 2023 winner was
Fred Biondi of Florida, and he has since turned professional, so he will not be in the field.
Instead of using major exemptions from his win, Biondi chose full-time status on the Korn Ferry Tour in hopes of earning his PGA Tour card.
Stewart Hagestad
How he qualified: 2023 U.S Mid-Amateur champion
Stewart Hagestad One of the top Mid-Amateur golfers in the country, Hagestad earned his spot in the 2024 Masters by winning the 2023 U.S. Mid-Amateur. Hagestad won the 2017 U.S. Mid-Amateur and 2021 U.S. Mid-Amateur as well, so this will be his third appearance at Augusta National. Hagestad is currently ranked No. 4 in the AmateurGolf.com Mid-Amateur Rankings. In 2017, he became the first ever mid-amateur to make the cut at the Masters, and he went on to finish T36. In 2021, he missed the cut.
He has represented the United States in the last four Walker Cups (2017, 2019, 2021, and 2023) and, most recently, won the 2023 Crump Cup, one of the most prestigious mid-amateur tournaments in the world.
Neal Shipley
How he qualified: 2023 U.S. Amateur runner-up
Neal Shipley Shipley, a graduate student at The Ohio State University, finished runner-up at the 2023 US Amateur at Cherry Hills to Nick Dunlap. Shipley was a PING All-America Honorable Mention and an OSU Scholar-Athlete in 2023. He finished with three runner-up finishes in the summer of 2023 and finished fourth in the 2023 Elite Amateur Series.
Shipley has got off to a great start in 2024, winning the individual title at the Southwestern Invitational and helping lead Ohio State to the team title. He won the 2022 Pennsylvania Amateur and finished in solo second place of the 2023 Trans-Mississippi Amateur and 2023 Sunnehanna Amateur.
Santiago De La Fuente
How he qualified: 2023 Latin America Amateur champion
Santiago De Le Fuente De La Fuente earned his spot in the field by winning the Latin America Amateur. The Houston Senior shot a final round 6-under 64 to erase the three-shot lead that Omar Morales had entering the final round.
Recently, he played in the Mexico Open on the PGA Tour and made the cut, finishing T46. He was T9 after the first two rounds but fell back on the weekend. De La Fuente has had a great collegiate career thus far, making the Arnold Palmer Cup Team International, the 2022-23 PING All-America Honorable Mention, and the 2020-21 PING All-America Honorable Mention.
He was also the 2022-23 American Athletic Conference Player of the Year, was named on the 2022-23 PING All-Central Region, and the 2022-23 All-American Athletic Conference Team. With his victory at the Latin America Amateur, de la Fuente has earned a spot in not only The Masters but also the 2024 Open Championship at Royal Troon. He also earned invitations to the U.S. Amateur and is exempt into final qualifying for the 2024 U.S. Open.
Jasper Stubbs
How he qualified: 2023 Asia-Pacific Amateur champion
Jasper Stubbs Stubbs won the Asia-Pacific Amateur to earn his spot on the field. Stubbs was the hometown favorite at Royal Melbourne, as he lives only two miles away from the iconic venue and was heavily supported.
The 21-year-old became the fourth Australian winner of the Championship and follows in the footsteps of Antonio Murdaca, who also won at Royal Melbourne in 2014, as well as Curtis Luck in 2016, and Harrison Crowe.
As a member of Australia’s national team, Stubbs had the honor of hitting the opening tee shot.
Stubbs recently finished T32 at the 2024 Australian Men's Amateur. He finished in the final 32 of the 2023 British Amateur and made the final 16 of the 2023 New Zealand Amateur. He also won the 2022 New Zealand Amateur, made the quarterfinals of the 2022 South Australian Amateur, and made the semifinals of the 2022 Queensland Amateur Championship.
Christo Lamprecht
How he qualified: 2023 British Amateur champion
Christo Lamprecht The Georgia Tech standout won the 2023 British Amateur champion and also finished as the low amateur in the British Open, winning the silver medal. Lamprecht is currently ranked No. 4 in the Golfweek/AmateurGolf.com World Rankings.
This will be the 6-foot-8 South African's first appearance in the Masters. He also finished T8 at the Men's World Amateur Team Championships. Lamprecht has established himself as one of the top collegiate golfers in the country and has had success worldwide. He won the 2022 Inverness Intercollegiate and the 2023 Fighting Illini Invitational.
ABOUT THE
The Masters
One of Golf's four professional majors
traditionally invites amateurs who have reached
the
finals of the US Amateur, or won the British
Amateur
or
the US Mid Amateur. Also included are
the winners of the relatively new Asia Pacific
Amateur
and Latin American Amateur.
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