The Four Golfers With North Carolina Ties To Watch In the 2025 Masters
There are four golfers representing NC in some way at The Masters this year.
AUGUSTA, GEORGIA – APRIL 09: Akshay Bhatia of the United States signs autographs for patrons on the ninth holeduring the Par Three Contest prior to the 2025 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club on April 09, 2025 in Augusta, Georgia. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
Round 1 of the 89th Masters is officially underway with some of the most skilled and respected names in golf taking on August National Golf Club. Among this year’s top talent are a few North Carolina natives that you are going to want to keep an eye out for.
Tom Hoge
BMGTom Hoge plays his shot from the fourth tee during the first round of the 2025 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club on April 10, 2025 in Augusta, Georgia.
Tom Hoge started his third Masters appearance on an exciting note with a hole in one on No. 4 during the Par 3 contest. Hoge was born in Statesville and attended Texas Christian University, where he is a member of the TCU Athletics Hall of Fame. His most notable career win was in 2022 at Pebble Beach for his first PGA Tour title.
J.T. Poston
Hulton Archive/Getty ImagesJ.T. Poston chips on the second hole during the first round of the 2025 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club on April 10, 2025 in Augusta, Georgia.
J. T. Poston was born and raised in Hickory, where he set numerous NCHSAA scoring records at Hickory High School. Poston attended Western Carolina University, where he holds the top two individual single-season stroke averages for his junior and senior years. Poston holds three PGA tour titles, with his most recent being the Shriners Children’s Open in 2024.
Evan Beck
SonyAmateur Evan Beck of the United States reacts to a birdie putt on the third green during the first round of the 2025 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club on April 10, 2025 in Augusta, Georgia.
Evan Beck is not an NC native, but is an honorable mention as a student at Wake Forest from 2012 to 2013. During his time as a Demon Deacon, he led the golf team in scoring with an average of 71.8 per round. He's competing as an amateur in this year's Masters.
Akshay Bhatia
Patrick Riviere/Getty ImagesAkshay Bhatia signs autographs for patrons on the ninth holeduring the Par Three Contest prior to the 2025 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club on April 09, 2025 in Augusta, Georgia.
Akshay Bhatia, a Wake Forest (the city, not the school) native, is a rising star who is making his second Masters appearance. He made waves last year with his tiebreaker win at the 2024 Valero Texas Open that earned him the last position in the 2024 Masters.
Bhatia was born in Northridge, California but moved to North Carolina at a young age. That's where he developed his game and laid the foundation for his professional career. At the age of 17 he turned pro and became the youngest player ever to represent the country in the 2019 Walker Cup.
These North Carolinians will be battling the course in the next couple of days to earn their qualifying spot for the final round. Regardless of who makes it through to the weekend, we are going to see an exciting performance from these players.
