Capelle On Golf

The Masters’ rules committee reinstated a provision that a player winning any but a handful of events on the PGA Tour would be invited to play at Augusta. Golf Digest’s readers agree with the change, because 88.5% voted that it was a good idea. But was it really?

With only six weeks to go till the Masters, the rule has opened the doors to Augusta for the seven players listed in the PGA Tour Winners table below. J.B. Holmes , Jonathon Byrd and Daniel Chopra are well qualified based on their world golf rankings (WGR). In fact, these three players could end up in the top 50 in the WGR prior to Augusta, which would meet another test for playing in the Masters.

Steve Lowery is the gray area. His victory at the ATT Pebble Beach Pro-Am is noteworthy because he outgunned Vijay Singh in a playoff. But the 40 points for his win is not too impressive, and neither is his WGR of 122.

As for the other three winners, their credentials are highly suspect. All are above the century mark in the WGR, and each won PGA Tour events with weak fields.

Points for Wins and World Golf Rankings
PGA Tour Winners – Going to the Masters
J.B. Holmes……….…58 points…WGR 58
Daniel Chopra ……..48 points…WGR 66
Steve Lowery……….40 points…WGR 122
D.J. Trahan……….…34 points…WGR 117
Nick Watney….…….24 points…WGR 126
Jonathan Byrd……..24 points…WGR 55
Brian Bateman….….38 points…WGR 178

European Tour Winners – Not Going to the Masters
Gregory Havret……..50 points…WGR 139
Mark Brown …………38 points…WGR 64
Steve Webster………34 points…WGR 83
Raphael Jacquelin.…32 points…WGR 97
Graeme Storm………30 points…WGR 143

The selected winners on the European Tour above appear to be getting the short end of the stick. Consider Gregory Havret. He beat Phil Mickelson in a playoff (as did Holmes at the FBR) to win The Barclays Scottish Open the week before last year’s British Open. Ernie Els took third while Luke Donald posted a 4t. Havret earned 50 WGR points because of the strength of the field, or more than six of the seven PGA Tour player did for their qualifying victories. He’s off to a decent start in ‘08, earning WGR points in his last three starts.

Now let’s look at Brian Bateman’s record. He won the 2007 Buick Open, earning 38 WGR points. Lined up behind him in second were Woody Austin, Justin Leonard, and Jason Gore. In his 46 other starts over the last two years Bateman has precisely one top 10. So far in 2008 he’s missed four cuts and posted a 46t and a 23t (in the 31 player Mercedes Benz Ch.).

Other European Tour winners with 30+ point earning victories include top 100 players Mark Brown, Steve Webster, and Raphael Jacquelin. All would seem to be more deserving of a tee time at Augusta than Bateman and a couple of other PGA Tour pros that are now qualified under the Win and Your In ruling.

Golf is an international sport, the European Tour is home to numerous good players, and many of their events award the winners with a comparable number of WGR points. So why aren’t the winners of some of these events given a birth in the Masters, while their counterparts on the PGA Tour events are? It’s a question that golf should be asking itself.

Here’s a possible solution: give a birth to any PGA Tour or European Tour player not otherwise qualified who: 1) wins an event with 30+ WGR points who is also, 2) in the top 100 in the WGR the week before Augusta.