Win and you’re in – that was the case for D.A. Points, not Marcel Siem.
Points’ surprising victory at the Shell Houston Open did more than launch him up the world rankings, from 195th to 70th. By winning a PGA Tour event, he automatically secured a spot in next week’s Masters.
Not so for Siem, whose victory at the European Tour’s Trophee Hassan II appeared to put him inside the top 50 in the Official World Golf Ranking, which would qualify him for the Masters. Instead, he finished No. 51, just .0351 points behind the coveted 50th spot.
Henrik Stenson (No. 42), Fredrik Jacobson (No. 47) and Richard Sterne (No. 49) were among the players who hung on to a Masters berth, while Charles Howell III (54th) and Geoff Ogilvy (55th) failed to qualify via the top 50.
In other news, Phil Mickelson’s T-16 in Houston was enough to jump back into the top 10, from No. 11, supplanting Keegan Bradley.
Tiger Woods will enter the year’s first major as the No. 1-ranked player in the world, even if No. 2 Rory McIlroy wins this week in San Antonio.
The rest of the top 10: Woods, McIlroy, Justin Rose, Luke Donald, Brandt Snedeker, Louis Oosthuizen, Adam Scott, Steve Stricker, Matt Kuchar and Mickelson.