The Masters :: Five non-amateur debutants

With the Masters four weeks away, we’ve taken a look at five players who will be making their first appearances at Augusta.

Danny Willett

Current leader of the European Tour’s Race to Dubai, the 27-year-old (above) qualified for Augusta through finishing 2014 at No.50 in the world rankings.

Willett, who is now ranked No.45, is currently the only English debutant in the Masters field and has tasted victory on the European Tour already this season at the Nedbank Challenge in December.

He also made his first appearance at the WGC-Cadillac Championship last week, finishing a very respectable T12, helped by a four-under par final round of 68.

Brooks Koepka

It’s been a memorable nine months for Koepka, who earned his Masters invitation on the back of a T4 finish at the US Open last year.

The 24-year-old, who only turned professional in 2012, then went on to win the Turkish Airlines Open on the European Tour in November, finishing eighth in the Race to Dubai standings and earning the tour’s Rookie of the Year award.

Koepka ended the year at No.34 in the world rankings and his since climbed even higher after his maiden PGA Tour win at the Waste Management Phoenix Open earlier this year.

Shane Lowry

The Irishman received his Masters invitation after ending 2014 at No.44 in the world rankings, thanks to clutch of impressive performances including runner-up spots at the BMW PGA Championship and ISPS Handa Wales Open, fifth place at the DP World Tour Championship and a top ten finish at the Open Championship.

In his first PGA Tour start of the season at the Farmers Insurance Open, the Irishman finished T7 and followed that up with a top 25 showing at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am.

The 27-year-old has only won twice on the European Tour since turning professional in 2009, but has shown good consistency heading into the Masters, making the cut in every event he’s played so far this season.

Brendon Todd

At the Masters courtesy of winning last year’s Byron Nelson Championship on the PGA Tour, Todd followed that showing up with four top ten finishes in his next five events, propelling himself up from No.138 to No.40 in the world rankings in the space of two months.

The American didn’t finish 2014 inside the top 50 though and, now ranked No.54, Todd has had a decent start to the 2015 season, recording two top ten finishes and making seven cuts in the eight events he has played.

James Hahn

A month ago, not in Hahn’s wildest dreams did he think he’d be turning out at the Masters.

Sitting at No.297 in the world rankings following only two top ten finishes in 27 events in 2014, the American came up trumps at the Northern Trust Open last month, defeating Dustin Johnson and Paul Casey in a play-off.

The win came totally out of the blue in what was the 33-year-old’s last PGA Tour appearance, having taken time out recently following the birth of his daughter.

The Masters :: Your thoughts

Do any of the players listed above have a realistic chance of winning the Masters? Leave your thoughts in the ‘Comments’ section below.