The 6 US Masters Amateurs In The Field 2019

Apr 04, 2019

Amateurs have featured on the leaderboard in the past but how do the class of 2019 stack up?

The 6 US Masters Amateurs In The Field 2019

The 2019 Masters is set to feature six amateurs in the field.

No amateurs have ever won The Masters but they have come close – Frank Stranahan in 1947, Ken Venturi in 1956 and Charlie Coe in 1961 all finished as runner up.

This year’s group of non-professionals are more professional than ever, qualifying through impressive performances on the world amateur circuit.

The 6 2019 US Masters Amateurs In The Field:

Viktor Hovland (Main image)

WAGR (World Amateur Golf Ranking): 3rd
How he qualified: Won 2018 US Amateur Championship

Hovland won the 2018 US Amateur Championship at Pebble Beach, joining the likes of Bobby Jones, Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and Bryson DeChambeau as winners of the prestigious event.

The Norweigan may well be a star of the European Tour and European Ryder Cup team in the future.

He also won the European Amateur Championship and currently studies at and plays golf for Oklahoma State.

Hovland has played in seven professional events, with his best finish coming at last year’s Australian Open where he was T13th. He also made the cut at the recent Arnold Palmer Invitational.

Jovan Rebula

WAGR (World Amateur Golf Ranking): 39th
How he qualified: Won 2018 British Amateur Championship

(Photo by Mark Runnacles/R&A/R&A via Getty Images)

The South African won last year’s British Amateur Championship at Royal Aberdeen.

An interesting fact is that Rebula is Ernie Els’ nephew.

His Amateur Championship win also qualified him for the 2018 Open and 2019 US Open.

Rebula has played in five professional events so far, missing four cuts and making one at the 2019 South African Open where he finished T24th.

Devon Bling

WAGR (World Amateur Golf Ranking): 115th
How he qualified: 2018 US Amateur Championship runner-up

(Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)

The 19-year-old studies at UCLA and was runner-up to Viktor Hovland at last year’s US Amateur.

Bling has an interesting and tragic story. Born in California, his mother was born in London and his father was born in India.

His mother died six years ago of a blood clot to the brain.

“She would be really proud,” Bling told ESPN.

“She sacrificed a lot for my golf career. She would probably tell me what she told me my entire life — trust what your father taught you and believe in yourself.”

He will likely stay amateur for a while at his young age, you’d think, unlike Hovland and Rebula who may well be turning professional this year.

Takumi Kanaya

WAGR (World Amateur Golf Ranking): 7th
How he qualified: 2018 Asia-Pacific Amateur Champion

(Photo by Stanley Chou/Getty Images)

Kanaya won the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship at Sentosa to become the tournament’s first Japanese winner since Hideki Matsuyama in 2010.

He has played in 22 professional events, with his best finish coming at the 2017 Japan Open where he was 2nd. Also, more recently he finished T17th at the Australian Open.

Alvaro Ortiz

WAGR (World Amateur Golf Ranking): 69th
How he qualified: 2018 US Mid-Amateur Champion