In the final week of the year on the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) calendar, fireworks flew as those not already qualified for the Masters tried to crack the top 50 one last time in 2017.
Anyone that is in the top 50 after the final OWGR week of the year and not already qualified, receives an Augusta National invite.
For Kiradech Aphibarnrat and Yusaku Miyazato, they used the final tournament to earn a trip down Magnolia Lane.
For Aphibarnrat, it not only took until the last tournament of 2017 to crack the top 50, it came down to the final hole. He entered the week ranked No. 56 in the world and needed an eagle on the last hole. He made eagle to finish fifth at the Indonesian Masters. He is now projected to end the year ranked No. 49.
Miyazato, who started the week ranked No. 58 and finished alone in fourth, is projected to finish No. 50.
With those two jumping in, it meant two fell out. American Peter Uihlein and South Africa’s Dylan Frittelli are not the two odd men out. They will both have to find other ways of qualifying for the Masters.
The 2017 calendar year will finish with Dustin Johnson atop the rankings. Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas, Jon Rahm, and Hideki Matsuyama will round out the top 5. Here is how the entire top 50 is expected to look:
The Top 50 golfers in the world at the end of 2017 (after week #52) are now clear. USA – 23
EUR – 15
ROW – 12#OWGR pic.twitter.com/dKsIBrEHXs— Nosferatu (@VC606) December 17, 2017
