Hideki Matsuyama celebrates his victory at the 2021 Masters Tournament. | Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images
The Masters Tournament prides itself on having the best players from around the world, so which International stars can don the Green Jacket?
Augusta National welcomes the best players from around the world to the Masters Tournament every year.
Over 20 countries are represented among the 89 players in this year’s tournament, a great example of how global this event has become.
The club prides itself on being one, too, which explains its commitment to the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship and the Latin America Amateur in recent years. The winners of each earn a trip to The Masters.
As such, SB Nation’s Playing Through has identified five international golfers with the best chance of winning the Green Jacket come Sunday evening. We did not count any European players, so this exercise compares to the format of the upcoming Presidents Cup at Royal Montreal in September.
Unlike the 2024 International Team, however, our selections below include players from LIV Golf.
5. Corey Conners
Photo by Andrew Redington/Getty Images
Corey Conners lines up a putt during the first round of the 2023 Masters.
Despite being a poor putter, Corey Conners feels comfortable on Augusta National’s undulating greens.
Before his missed cut in 2023, Conners recorded three straight top-10 finishes at The Masters, with his best finish coming in 2022, when he tied for sixth. Conners was one of nine players under par when Scottie Scheffler won that week, shooting 70-72-73-70 to finish at 3-under.
Last year, Conners opened with a 73 and then shot a 7-over 79 on day two, as the par-5 13th hole sent the Canadian off the rails. He made a double bogey at ‘Azalea,’ three more bogies, and one more double followed after that.
But Conners looks to turn things around at Augusta this season. He has made it to the weekend in all eight events he has played in 2024. Plus, Conners ranks 6th in strokes gained approaching the green. He is playing consistent golf and finding greens, which typically translates to success at Augusta.
4. Si Woo Kim
Photo by Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images
Si Woo Kim hits from from the sand during the 2023 Masters.
Si Woo Kim is quietly trending in the right direction, currently ranking 23rd in the FedEx Cup standings three months into the season.
He has not missed a cut in 2024, and most recently tied for 17th at the Texas Children’s Houston Open. Before that, he tied for sixth at The Players, his best finish of the year.
But Kim has struggled on the greens this year. He ranks 138th on the PGA Tour in strokes gained putting, and yet, despite being a below-average putter, Kim can lag it better than most. He ranks 12th on the PGA Tour in three-putt avoidance, an essential attribute for playing well at Augusta.
Plus, Kim plays beautifully, ranking third on tour in strokes gained: tee to green. He is a terrific ball striker, keeps the ball in play, and rarely makes mistakes. He has a solid chance of becoming South Korea’s first Masters champion.
3. Cameron Smith
Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images
Cameron Smith looks over a putt on the 17th green during the third round of the 2023 Masters.
Widely regarded as one of the best putters on the planet, Cameron Smith’s game fits Augusta National beautifully.
In his seven appearances at The Masters, the Aussie has never missed the cut. His best finish came in 2020, when he tied for 2nd, shooting all four rounds in the 60s in the process. Some dismissed that as a fluke due to the soft autumn conditions, but Smith debunked that notion five months later. He tied for 10th in 2021 and then followed that up with a 3rd-place finish in 2022, proving that he has the game to win a Green Jacket.
Since jumping to LIV Golf after the 2022 Tour Championship, Smith has racked up three wins on the Saudi-backed circuit.
This year, the Brisbane native ranks first in strokes gained putting on LIV Golf, which should surprise nobody.
But his driver is his weakness. And yet, Augusta National does not punish wayward tee shots like other courses do. Poor drivers can get away with it there—ask Phil Mickelson, Bubba Watson, or Jordan Spieth.
Smith had to withdraw from last week’s LIV Golf event at Doral in Miami because of an illness, but all signs point to him being healthy for this year’s Masters.
2. Hideki Matsuyama
Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images
Hideki Matsuyama acknowledges the crowd during the final round of the 2023 Masters.
Hideki Matsuyama conquered Augusta National in 2021, becoming the first Asian-born player to win a Green Jacket. He can surely do it again.
Matsuyama has had his fair share of injuries over the past few years, dealing with ailments in his neck and back. Those have prevented him from ascending to the top of the sport once again, but as we witnessed at Riviera, Matsuyama has the talent to beat anyone on any course.
He is trending in the right direction, too. After Matsuyama’s win at the Genesis Invitational, he tied for 12th at Bay Hill, then tied for 6th at The Players, shooting in the 60s during all four rounds at TPC Sawgrass.
This past week, Matsuyama shot a 6-under 66 on Saturday to climb the leaderboard at the Valero Texas Open. He ultimately finished tied for 7th.
Watch out for Matsuyama at Augusta, as his superior ball striking and short game will give him ample opportunity to contend. He ranks third on the PGA Tour in strokes gained tee-to-green, trailing only Scheffler and Xander Schauffele.
1. Joaquin Niemann
Photo by Andrew Redington/Getty Images
Joaquin Niemann and his caddy, Gary Matthews, look over a putt during the 2023 Masters.
One could argue that outside of Scheffler, no player has had a better 2024 than Joaquin Niemann. He began the LIV Golf season with a 59 at Mayakoba, which led to his first win of the calendar year.
Two months before, Niemann fended off Rikuya Hoshino in a playoff to win the Australian Open. The Chilean eagled the second playoff hole to capture the victory.
Since then, Niemann has continued his strong play. He leads all LIV Golf players in overall strokes gained, an impressive feat considering that Brooks Koepka, Jon Rahm, and Bryson DeChambeau have all played well over the past 12 months.
Nieman won LIV Golf’s event in Saudi Arabia in March, prevailing by four shots over Louis Oosthuizen and Sergio Garcia. The 25-year-old also finished third at the International Series Oman and tied for fourth at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic, which Rory McIlroy won.
He tied for 16th at Augusta National in his fourth start there a year ago, but Niemann has an excellent chance to finish much better than that this time around. It should surprise nobody if Rahm drapes the Green Jacket around Niemann’s shoulders come Sunday evening. If that were to happen, he would become the first Chilean to win the Masters and the second South American to do so. Angel Cabrera became the first in 2009.
Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough for more golf coverage. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko as well.
