There are still two ways for golfers to play their way into the Masters, now just two weeks away. The first is the most cut-and-dry: Win.

The winners of the next two events – the Texas Children’s Houston Open and the Valero Texas Open – will earn exemptions into the first major championship of the year. That’s how Stephan Jaeger and Akshay Bhatia got themselves to Augusta National last year.

The other path to a Masters invite, via the Official World Golf Ranking, ends this week. The top 50 in the OWGR at the conclusion of the Texas Children’s Houston Open will lock in invites, if they haven’t already qualified through another path. So there’s a little bit more to play for this week at Memorial Park, and there are quite a few notable names outside the top 50 trying to find their way in.

Here are five notable names outside the top 50 that will attempt to play their way in this week in Houston.

Rickie Fowler

Fowler was a Masters staple in the mid and late 2010s, and he had some of his closest major championship calls at Augusta National. He finished runner-up in 2018 with four other top-12 finishes in a six-year span. Yet Fowler has been a non-factor at Augusta National in recent memory, mostly because he hasn’t been able to crack the field.

Fowler, 36, has played just one Masters in the last five years and is at risk of missing out for another year. While others on this list may only need a top 10 or top 20 to reach, Fowler almost certainly needs a victory. Ranked No. 105 in the OWGR, is well of the pace. He said as much last week after a TGL victory with New York Golf Club.

“I need to play better on the real golf course to work on that,” Fowler said.“Maybe a win (this) week might give me some momentum to go win a tournament.”

Fowler better hope so. He’s slated to be in West Palm Beach for the two-day TGL Finals Series, meaning a late Tuesday night arrival in Houston and minimal practice at Memorial Park.

If Fowler doesn’t reach the top 50 by week’s end, he can still make it through with a win at the Valero Texas Open, which he has already committed to play.

Jake Knapp

Knapp played his way into his first Masters last year by winning in Mexico, and he’s trying to mount another late charge this year.

It might just take another win, though. Knapp still has an outside chance to qualify via the OWGR; it would just need to be a runner-up finish.

Knapp has shown an uptick in form to believe that is possible. Knapp had carded four straight top 25s before missing the cut last week at the Valspar Championship. That run included a T6 at the Cognizant Classic in the Palm Beaches and a T12 at THE PLAYERS Championship.

If Knapp doesn’t crack the top 50, his finish to last year should shoulder most of the blame. After winning the Mexico Open at VidantaWorld and finishing in the top five the next week at PGA National, Knapp amassed just one top 20 the rest of the season. At year’s end, he ranked 85th in the world. That’s exactly where he is this week – No. 85.

Si Woo Kim

Si Woo Kim isn’t the first name that comes to mind when you think of major championships – he has zero top 10s in his career – but the South Korean has carved out an admirable run of consistency when it comes to qualifying for them.

Kim has missed just one major championship in eight years – the 2021 Open Championship – but is on the precipice of missing out on the Masters this year.

Kim is on the outside looking in via the OWGR, currently ranked No. 66. He was inside the top 50 after the BMW Championship last year, but fell out by the end of the year to narrowly miss a Masters spot.

He has played nine times this season, including four top 25s, but has moved up just one spot in the OWGR from where he began the year. He can no longer afford to stay stagnant. Kim has played Memorial Park three times in his career, steadily improving in each start with a solo 17th being his best finish in 2024. He will need to do better than that if he wants to have a locker at Augusta National this year. Kim needs to finish solo third or better to have a chance to crack the top 50.

Michael Kim

Quickly turning into a fan favorite on the PGA TOUR, Michael Kim has made a remarkable push just to be on the Masters bubble. Kim began the year at No. 156 in the world but has jumped to No. 52 after the most consistent stretch of golf in his career.

Kim finished runner-up in Phoenix to Thomas Detry, sparking a run of five consecutive top 15s. Kim finished T6 at the Cognizant Classic and fourth at the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard.

Kim’s run was sparked by continued swing improvements made with swing coach Sean Foley, along with a short game lesson from Joe Mayo ahead of the WM Phoenix Open, which was sparked by listening to an interview Mayo did with "No Laying Up."

Kim has been a road warrior this year, already with 10 starts under his belt. He’s in the field again this week at the Texas Children’s Houston Open, his eighth straight start. At a minimum, Kim needs to finish inside the top 50 to reach the top 50 in the OWGR.

Ben Griffin

Griffin, unlike the other four players on this list, has never played the Masters. He’s just one solid result in Houston from changing that. At No. 53 in the OWGR, Griffin needs – at minimum – a solo 28th finish or better to position himself inside the top 50.

Griffin has played well in spurts this season. He finished T7 at The American Express and amassed back-to-back T4s at the Mexico Open at VidantaWorld and the Cognizant Classic. He hasn’t finished inside the top 30 in any other start, though, and he’s missed the cut in his last two starts.

That sets up a nervy proposition for the North Carolina alum. Surely, he’s aware of what he needs to do to earn a coveted invite from Augusta National.

In the two previous times he’s played Memorial Park, Griffin finished 16th and 36th.