There is one spot left in the Masters field and five Australians are hellbent on grabbing it this week.
The winner of the Houston Open at the Golf Club of Houston is granted a place in the field at Augusta National next week, which means that Geoff Ogilvy, Greg Chalmers, Rod Pampling, Aaron Baddeley and Matt Jones all have a chance of competing in the year’s first major.
It is the method that Jones used to find his way into the Masters field in 2014 for his only start in a Masters.
Ogilvy, who almost won the Masters in 2011 (he had a share of the lead late on the final day and ultimately finished tied fourth), has not played at Augusta National since 2015. But the 40-year-old Victorian’s form has been steady, and he was just outside the top 20 in Dominica last week.
All five of the Australians vying for that final spot have played Augusta before.
The four Australians already in the field for the Masters are Marc Leishman, Adam Scott, Jason Day and Cameron Smith.
The Masters field will have a maximum of 87 players, the smallest in more than 20 years.