Add the "Cups" to Masters Invitation Categories

[FrankoSport]

Greetings ---

2005 Masters Invitations as of 3-29-2005

Three players -- Colin Montgomerie, Paul McGinley and Steven Leaney -- could be on their way to Augusta and the Masters right now IF the tournament's Invitation Committee had seen fit to include a category that invited participants from the most recent Ryder Cup (2004) and Presidents Cup (2003) competitions.

Here are all the participants from the 2004 Ryder Cup and 2003 Presidents Cup --

U.S.A. (R = Ryder, P = Presidents)
--------------------
Tiger Woods (R-P)
Phil Mickelson (R-P)
Davis Love III (R-P)
Jim Furyk (R-P)
David Toms (R-P)
Kenny Perry (R-P)
Fred Funk (R-P)
Jay Haas (R-P)
Chris DiMarco (R-P)
Justin Leonard (P)
Jerry Kelly (P)
Charles Howell III (P)
Chad Campbell (R)
Chris Riley (R)
Stewart Cink (R)

Europe (Ryder) *** = NOT INVITED TO AUGUSTA VIA ANY CURRENTLY ESTABLISHED CATEGORIES
--------------------
Paul Casey
Darren Clarke
Luke Donald
Sergio Garcia
Padraig Harrington
David Howell
Miguel Angel Jimenez
Thomas Levet
Paul McGinley ***
Colin Montgomerie ***
Ian Poulter
Lee Westwood

International (Presidents) *** = NOT INVITED TO AUGUSTA VIA ANY CURRENTLY ESTABLISHED CATEGORIES
--------------------------------
Ernie Els
Vijay Singh
Mike Weir
Nick Price
Retief Goosen
Robert Allenby
Steven Leaney ***
Peter Lonard
Adam Scott
Stuart Appleby
KJ Choi
Tim Clark

Montgomerie, McGinley and Leaney -- just those 3. Three more bodies. That's all.

 

[FrankoSport]

Greetings ---

A point should be made about ALL invitation categories, be they actual or suggested, and this point applies equally to any pro golf tournament.

You will get players performing well just as much as you will get players who haven't done hardly anything of note. Players who deserve entry into an event will usually get it, but on occasion, they get shut out. This same fortune works for those who may not deserve entry.

In one sense, invitation standards are blind. It's true that a winner of a Major or the Players is invited based on the achievement, but that invitation doesn't factor in how well or bad the player has faired since that achievement.

The primary check and balance of an invitation is how long it is good for. Excepting invitations for life (or, in the case of the British Open, to age 65), a tournament invitation will surely cease once the specified time period (10-5-3-2-1 years) has run its couse. And all players know that it's up to THEM to do whatever is necessary in order to continue receiving fresh invitations so that they may continue to play in particular events.

 

[FrankoSport]

Greetings ....

It is true that a participant of a Ryder Cup or Presidents Cup would be awarded for the achievement of making a team, if there was a Masters invitation category concerning those competitions.

It's interesting to note that 36 of the 39 participants of the two most recent Cups got into the Masters by other means. Colin Montgomerie (54th, OWR), Paul McGinley (64th, OWR) and Steven Leaney (81st, OWR) just missed out.

Leaney is 125th on the 2005 PGA Tour money list, obviously indicating that he hasn't done enough to boost his World Ranking.

On the basis of the new European Team Ryder Cup category, both Montgomerie and McGinley were eligible to join the PGA Tour, best source of World Ranking points in the world. Both passed on that opportunity.

Thanx-A-Lot, Frank-0-Sport ... 2004-2005 Masters Purse Info