Grace's wins vault him up OWGR rankings

• By Ryan Ballengee
• Jan 22, 2012 2:25 PM ET

Two weeks ago, Branden Grace was ranked No. 258 in the Official World Golf Ranking. After securing his second win in as many weeks at the Volvo Golf Champions on Sunday, he is now gracing the top 100 of the ladder.

After defeating Ernie Els and Retief Goosen in a three-man playoff at Fancourt, Grace became the sixth player in European Tour history to win his second event directly after his first.

Grace still has a long way to go to creep inside the top 64 in the world ranking, which would earn him a spot into the WGC-Accenture Match Play, or the top 50 to gain an invitation to the Masters. His rise, however, may have made the road to Augusta more difficult for his playoff combatants.

Had he won the playoff, Goosen would have ended up in the low 30s in the world ranking. He would have been practically assured a spot in the Masters. While he does crack the top 50 with his playoff loss, the two-time U.S. Open champion is only in the low 40s.

Els, meanwhile, would have been on the doorstep of the top 50. A win would have left him around 51st or 52nd in the ranking. Instead, he is approximately 55th and will need at least one more high finish before March 25 to punch his ticket to Augusta National.

Els has competed in every Masters since 1994, while Goosen has been at Augusta every year since 2000.