Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen of Denmark and Kristoffer Reitan of Norway will become PGA Tour rookies next year, having earned their cards by being among the top 10 players on the European Tour who did not have an exemption. Both already have an advantage over other rookies: they are qualified for the Masters. Neergaard-Petersen secured his place in the growing field at Augusta National by winning the Australian Open, where he made a stunning par save on the 18th hole. «Ever since I saw that tournament, I knew that if I ever wanted to be a professional golfer, that was the event I wanted to play in.”.
"It's a dream come true and I can't wait for April," said Neergaard-Petersen, who played college golf at Oklahoma State.
Meanwhile, Reitan, who won the Soudal Open and had two runner-up finishes in Europe this year, achieved a wire-to-wire victory at the Nedbank Golf Challenge, which placed him 33rd in the world rankings and secured his invitation to the Masters by being among the top 50 at the end of the year.
There are only two weeks of official events left this year: the Alfred Dunhill Championship in South Africa and the Mauritius Open.
According to a golf world ranking expert who uses the pseudonym “Nosferatu” (X), there are 10 more players who are not yet at the Masters but have secured their place in the top 50. This includes two Americans who were not on a major tour at the start of the year. Michael Brennan, who was on the PGA Tour de las Américas, earned a Korn Ferry Tour card and then received a sponsor waiver for the Bank of Utah Championship at Black Desert, which he won. Johnny Keefer, the Korn Ferry Tour's Player of the Year, has two wins among his seven top-10 finishes.
With the places still to be awarded to the winners of the South African Open and the Latin American Amateur early next year, the field is expected to have 86 exempt players.
Rory's tribute
Team Europe won the Ryder Cup on American soil for the first time in 13 years, and also finished as runner-up in the Golf Writers Association voting for the prestigious Golfer of the Year award. This was a special year for Rory McIlroy, who was the overwhelming British media's choice for the award, which he won for the sixth time.
McIlroy became the first European to achieve a Career Grand Slam by winning the Masters, in addition to obtaining his seventh Harry Vardon Trophy as the best player in Europe, triumphing at the Irish Open in front of his home crowd and winning at The Players Championship and Pebble Beach.
He also faced criticism at Bethpage Black and had a 3-1-1 record in the European victory. The Ryder Cup team finished second, followed by FedEx Cup champion Tommy Fleetwood.
Gerard's last chance
Ryan Gerard was ranked 49th in the world when he missed the cut at Sea Island, the final PGA Tour event of the season. This was crucial, as the top 50 players in the world at the end of the year receive invitations to the Masters. Gerard dropped to 53rd and is now seeking one last chance by participating in the Mauritius Open next week, a co-sanctioned tournament between the European Tour and the Sunshine Tour. This is the final tournament of the year that awards ranking points.
Gerard is in the field as the winner of a European Tour event with a prize of at least $2 million. He has traveled extensively in recent months, playing in Ireland, England, Japan, and Abu Dhabi, with the final destination being Augusta National.
Q-school in sight
The final opportunity to earn a full PGA Tour card begins this week at Q-school, where five cards are up for grabs for 176 players. For the first time, there will be a playoff to determine the final spot. The PGA Tour notes that the big difference this year is that the top five players will have greater certainty in their schedules and "equal playing opportunities," because only the top 100 in the FedEx Cup standings, instead of 125, will retain full status.
In the past year, the six players who made it through Q-school averaged 26 tournaments, with three of them participating in 29 events. Takumi Kanaya was the only one to finish in the top 100 in the FedEx Cup (99th place).
Ironman on the PGA Tour
Eric Cole began the season playing in seven consecutive tournaments. After missing the Masters, he participated in the next 10 tournaments in a row. By the end of the season, Cole led the PGA Tour with 32 tournaments played. The four tournaments he missed, for which he was eligible, were the Mexico Open, Rocket Classic, Scottish Open, and the Bank of Utah Championship. However, he only had four top-10 finishes and, despite participating in the eight most prestigious events, finished 76th in the FedEx Cup standings. Seven players competed in 31 tournaments, with Sam Stevens being the only one of that group to finish in the top 50 in the FedEx Cup standings.
British calendar
The British Open will be moved to August 3-6, 2028, to avoid clashing with the Los Angeles Olympic Games. This will be the latest date since 1893 and the first time the claret jug has been awarded in August. It will also be the first British Open held in August, as it has been held in July since 1936. The earliest date was April 8, 1879, while the latest was November 16, 1883.
Divots
Martin Couvra, who won the Turkish Airlines Open and had six top-10 finishes, has been named the Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year on the European Tour, becoming the second Frenchman to receive this award after Olivier Edmond in 1998. Will Zalatoris started with a 75 at the Nedbank Golf Challenge, his first tournament since back surgery in May, but finished 10 under the bar the rest of the way, ultimately finishing in 15th place. Kristoffer Reitan, by winning the Nedbank Golf Challenge, puts Norway with two players in the top 50 of the world rankings for the first time, the other being Viktor Hovland.
Colt Knost has been promoted to analyst for CBS Sports, joining the network's "super tower" alongside Jim Nantz, Trevor Immelman and Frank Nobilo.
Statistics of the week
Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy, Xander Schauffele and Tommy Fleetwood were the only players who started and finished the year in the world's top 10.
Last word
“No, nothing.” — Hideki Matsuyama, when asked if there was anything he enjoyed as much as winning golf tournaments.
