Augusta National Golf Club
decided today that Gabriel Hjertstedt will be counted among those in the top
40 on the 1999 PGA Tour money list, which makes him eligible for The Masters.
Hjertstedt finished No. 41, but moved up to qualify because the late Payne Stewart
was seventh on the money list.
The Masters still can invite
international players at its discretion, which could be announced by the end
of the week. Other than that, the field for the most exclusive major championship
is just about set.
Under a new set of criteria
fully effective this year, the only way a player not already on the list can
drive down Magnolia Lane is to be among the top three on the PGA Tour money list,
or the top 50 in the Official World Golf Ranking, four weeks before The Masters.
Gone is the longtime policy
that a PGA Tour victory included an invitation to Augusta. Six players who won
on tour since the 1999 Masters -- Olin Browne, J.L. Lewis, Rich Beem, Tom Pernice
Jr., Brad Faxon and Brian Henninger -- most likely won't get in.
While Augusta National
has not released an official list, the majority of it was completed when the
final World Ranking of the year was published. The top 50 in the world at the
end of the year are invited, along with the top 40 from the money list.
Other qualifications include
how players fared in the 1999 majors, major championship winners the past five
years, and The Players Championship winner the past three years. Former Masters
champions are invited for life.
The changes were made a
year ago to ensure a stronger field.
Among those whom it helped
were Skip Kendall and Scott Gump. Neither has won on the PGA Tour, although they
finished in the top 40 on the 1999 PGA Tour money list.
The list of invitees does
not include Paul Azinger, John Cook, Billy Mayfair and Mark Calcavecchia, who
hasn't missed a Masters since 1986.
Mayfair, No. 52 in the
World Rranking, and Calcavecchia, No. 58, have the best chance to get into The
Masters provided they play well on the West Coast in January and February.
