Among the 13 players who gained spots in the 2013 field by finishing 2012 in the top 50 in the World Rankings are prominent names like Bill Haas, Nicolas Colsaerts and Jason Day, veterans Paul Lawrie and Thomas Bjorn and rising stars Brendan Grace and Matteo Manassero.
Along with them are several names unfamiliar to golf fans not from Japan (Hiroyuki Fujita), South Africa (George Coetzee) or Europe (Jamie Donaldson, Thorbjorn Olesen).
Coetzee and Olesen got the final two spots, narrowly edging out Australia’s Geoff Ogilvy, who ended the year 51st in the standings after a tie for 4th in the season-ending Australian PGA. Had Ogilvy, a past U.S. Open champion, lowered his score by one stroke in the tournament, he would have tied for 2nd and claimed a spot in the final top 50.
Ogilvy is one of a number of players who ended the year just outside the top 50, leaving themselves well positioned to make a run at a last-minute Masters invite if they play well the first three months of 2013.
The top 50 in the World Rankings as of April 1 will earn spots in the Masters, which is scheduled for April 11-14. Also, the winners of PGA Tour events prior to the Masters will qualify for Augusta, which will likely increase the current field of 83 to 90 or more.
Among those finishing the year just outside the top 50 along with Ogilvy were Shane Lowry (52), Henrik Stenson (53), Miguel Angel Jimenez (54), Marcus Fraser (55), Alexander Noren (56), Richie Ramsay (57), Rafael Cabrera-Bello (58), Marcel Siem (60), Anders Hansen (61), Fredrik Jacobson (62), Simon Dyson (63) and Greg Chalmers (64), any of whom could move into the top 50 with just one or two strong showings early in 2013.
Other prominent players without 2013 Masters invitations include Martin Laird, Ryo Ishikawa, Kyle Stanley, Aaron Baddeley, Ben Crane, Alvaro Quiros, Retief Goosen, Augusta native Charles Howell, Paul Casey, Rory Sabbatini, 2012 McGladrey Classic winner Tommy Gainey and Davis Love.
Because the date for the 2013 Masters is the latest it can be played, there will be an extra tournament preceding it, with the Texas Open scheduled the week between the Masters and the annual tour stop in Houston, which has been the final event before Augusta in recent years.
The Texas Open has drawn some of the tour’s weakest fields in recent years, and a spot directly preceding the Masters is unlikely to attract many of Augusta’s qualifiers. That will leave an excellent opportunity to snag a last-minute invite, as Love did when he won in New Orleans in 1995, the week before he finished 2nd in the Masters, one shot behind Ben Crenshaw.
Following is the list of players currently qualified for the 2013 Masters. Former Masters champions not expected to compete are not included.
Masters champions – Bubba Watson, Charl Schwartzel, Phil Mickelson, Angel Cabrera, Trevor Immelman, Zach Johnson, Tiger Woods, Mike Weir, Vijay Singh, Jose Maria Olazabal, Mark O’Meara, Ben Crenshaw, Bernhard Langer, Fred Couples, Ian Woosnam, Sandy Lyle, Larry Mize, Craig Stadler, Tom Watson.
U.S. Open champions, 2008–12: Webb Simpson, Rory McIlroy, Graeme McDowell, Lucas Glover.
British Open champions, 2008–12: Ernie Els, Darren Clarke, Louis Oosthuizen, Stewart Cink, Padraig Harrington.
PGA champions, 2008–12: Keegan Bradley, Martin Kaymer, Y.E. Yang.
Players champions, 2010–12: Matt Kuchar, K.J. Choi, Tim Clark.
Amateurs: T.J. Vogel (US Public Links), Alan Dunbar (British), Steve Fox (US champion), Michael Weaver (US runner-up), Nathan Smith (US Mid-Am), Tianlang Guan (Asia).
Top 16, 2012 Masters: Lee Westwood, Peter Hanson, Ian Poulter, Adam Scott, Justin Rose, Jim Furyk, Kevin Na, Sergio Garcia, Hunter Mahan.
Top 8, 2012 U.S. Open: Michael Thompson, David Toms, John Peterson.
Top 4, 2012 British Open: Brandt Snedeker.
Top 4, 2012 PGA: David Lynn.
PGA Tour winners, post–2012 Masters: Carl Pettersson, Ben Curtis, Jason Dufner, Rickie Fowler, Dustin Johnson, Marc Leishman, Ted Potter, Scott Piercy, Nick Watney.
Top 30, 2012 FedExCup: Luke Donald, Steve Stricker, Bo Van Pelt, John Huh, John Senden, Robert Garrigus, Ryan Moore.
Top 50, World Rankings: Paul Lawrie, Francesco Molinari, Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano, Bill Haas, Nicolas Colsaerts, Brendan Grace, Jason Day, Hiroyuki Fujita, Thomas Bjorn, Matteo Manassero, Jamie Donaldson, George Coetzee, Thorbjorn Olesen.