Ernie Els, Retief Goosen, Robert Rock and Matteo Manassero likely to miss the Masters’ spot – Golf News
Ernie Els, Retief Goosen, Robert Rock and Matteo Manassero are all on the verge of failing to qualify for the Masters Tournament at the Augusta National Golf Club, scheduled from April 5 to 8, 2012.
Ernie Els, who had a 70-hole lead at the Transitions Championship, had a devastating performance on the final two holes that he played to pass on the one-stroke lead to his opponents.
Els carded two back-to-back bogeys on the final two holes of the tournament at the Copperhead Course at Innisbrook Resort and Golf Club in Palm Harbor, Florida.
This allowed four players, namely, Luke Donald, Jim Furyk, Sang-Moon Bae and Robert Garrigus, to surpass him on the leaderboard to decide the winner in the playoffs.
"Played good golf," said Els, who has played in the last 18 Masters, finishing runner-up twice. "I just hit one bad shot. That was on 17. It was a bit of a wait there and lost my rhythm and hit a bad shot there. Then I missed a short putt on 18".
He added, "If I take stock, I think I am playing good golf, and I have got to head into the next couple of weeks trying to get a win".
A win in the event was necessary for Els, who is ranked 62nd in the Official World Golf Rankings, to make it through to the Augusta tournament.
Yet, he still has a chance to qualify, as he is scheduled to play the Arnold Palmer Invitational and Shell Houston Open prior to the start of the Masters.
Therefore, a victory in either of the two events can allow him to play the 19th Masters Tournament in a row.
On the other hand, Goosen’s chances of playing the Masters have ended because of his 53rd
place in the OWGR.
Currently, he does not have any tournament to play as he announced to withdraw from the Arnold Palmer Invitational to recover from the back injury he suffered last week.
Rock, who outclassed Tiger Woods in the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship, needs to record a victory in the European Tour’s Trophée Hassan II, starting from March 22, 2012.
He is currently ranked at the 57th position in the world rankings and a win in the event may put him in the top-50 in the world rankings.
Same is the case with Manassero, as he is currently ranked 61st in the OWGR. Therefore, a victory in the Trophée Hassan II is the only way to earn a spot in the Masters Tournament for him.
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