Masters Qualification Criteria

[brettig]

As we know, the Masters at Augusta starts next thursday and everyone is anticipating how the lengthened layout will be handled by the world's best (i read Mark Calcavecchia shot a 63 in practice there a few weeks ago so itll be interesting). However the main purpose of this post is to complain about a change of entry criteria introduced in 2000- namely removing the passage of entry into Augusta's field by winning a PGA tour event in the previous 12 months. This was done so more space could be opened up for international players, but i reckon that the rule could be brought back without any huge change in the field (an additional 3 or 4 guys would get in, tops).

What it will do is add considerable tension and value to events held in the weeks leading up to the Masters. There are several stories of players who won the week b4 the Masters and proceeded to make a great run at the title- like Davis Love III in 1995. Steve Elkington, 1st round leader at this weeks Bell South event in Duluth, Georgia made the point that right now it is possible for a guy to win both the final two events prior to the Masters and not be exempt for the year's first major...something I find kinda ludicrous. Even missing a winner from 2 weeks prior is a loss for the Masters, as it is deprived of in form talent, and therefore a potential title contender.



[This message has been edited by brettig (edited 04-05-2002).]

 

[brettig]

Just for referral prposes, heres the current list of qualification criteria...courtesy www.masters.org


1. Masters Tournament Champions (Lifetime)
2. US Open Champions (Honorary, non-competing after 5 years)
3. British Open Champions (Honorary, non-competing after 5 years)
4. PGA Champions (Honorary, non-competing after 5 years)
5. Winners of The Players Championship (3 years)
6. Current US Amateur Champion (6-A) (Honorary, non-competing after 1 year) and the runner-up (6-B) to the current US Amateur Champion
7. Current British Amateur Champion (Honorary, non-competing after 1 year)
8. Current US Amateur Public Links Champion
9. Current US Mid-Amateur Champion
10. The first 16 players, including ties, in the 2001 Masters Tournament
11. The first 8 players, including ties, in the 2001 US Open Championship
12. The first 4 players, including ties, in the 2001 PGA Championship
13. The first 4 players, including ties, in the 2001 British Open Championship
14. The 40 leaders on the Final Official PGA Tour Money List for 2001
15. The 3 leaders on the current year Official PGA Tour Money List published during the fourth week prior to the 2002 Masters
16. The 50 leaders on the Final Official World Golf Ranking for 2001
17. The 50 leaders on the Official World Golf Ranking published during the fourth week prior to the 2002 Masters

 

[kobayashi]

wow brettig, you've done your homework here

i'm gonna go home after work, take a nap and respond to this for real

 

[brettig]

heh, ive been reading alot this past week...cant do much else when uve got a cold

 

[kobayashi]

hmmm. i'm gonna agree with you here brettig

it seems, to me, this rule was introduced as part of an effort to find as many challenges to the invincible tiger woods as would be possible. this came at a time just after the virtually unknown to american's paul lawrie had won the 99 british open and spaniard sergio garcia was viewed as the biggest threat to tiger. the golf world saw the focus of professionals shifting from the pga to international golf. even tiger was focusing more on global tourneys rather than just the pga stops.

fast forward three years. more and more international players have joined the tour and are making this their home base. more pga players who are at the top of the boards are hailing from europe, south africa and australia, and asia. i would argue that one of the few international players whose pga participation fall this year is ernie els and even he has a win at the genuity.

in hindsight the rule has come off as ass-backward if it could ever be conceived of as being wise.

 

[Lemonite]

Yah.. I always liked the fact that you could get that last minute entry with a victory as teh bell is chiming... But then again, I also liked it when there was no rough there at Augusta.. And ya know.. just while we're at it.. I liked it in teh days when you could go to Augusta during Practice rounds and get a ticket if you showed up early enough.. Before this newfangled Lottery system... Ack...

L.Unplugged

 

[brettig]

*finds it kinda dumb that the crowds for practice are invariably bigger than those during the actual tournament...

they need to release some more badges i say. One thing im happy about tho- full 18 hole coverage of the final pairing in the last round!

 

[kobayashi]

the masters shouldn't be counted on to further further the liberalization of golf.

not that golf shouldn't be liberalized but the masters and augusta will be one of the final bastions to fall.