Tommy Fleetwood’s 11th-hour bid to secure a Masters berth got off to a rocky start Thursday when he opened with a 3-over 75 at the Asian Tour’s Dubai Open.
Fleetwood needs a top-18 finish to crack the top 50 in the final Official World Ranking of the year, but he’s currently T-76 in the 114-man field.
Fleetwood posted eight top-15 finishes in his last 13 starts worldwide to rise to No. 52 in the world. He is the only player who has a chance to move inside the top 50 this week in Dubai.
Danny Willett, who recently won the Nedbank Challenge, is set to swap places with No. 50 Kevin Streelman after this week. Streelman is already in the Masters by virtue of his victory at the Travelers Championship, but Willett could be left out if Fleetwood makes a big move on the leaderboard this weekend.