Ryan Gerard flew 10,000 miles this week to a small island in the Indian Ocean for the expressed reason of trying to get to No. 50 in the Official World Golf Rankings and qualify for the 2026 Masters. We all know how wanting something so badly isn’t always the best recipe for success in golf, and Gerard was up against 155 other players in the DP World Tour’s AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open. He needed at least a tie for fourth.
Long odds for a long trip, and yet Gerard on the verge of making it all worth the effort.
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The 26-year-old from North Carolina made a huge charge on Saturday, shooting nine-under-par 63 to get into a first-place tie with South Africa’s Casey Jarvis at 16 under heading into the final round that will be played overnight for U.S. time.
Gerard made 10 birdies in his round, including five straight and six in the last seven holes.
“Competing in pressure situations are the most fun you can have as a professional golfer,” Gerard said after Saturday’s round. “I’m someone who loves competing and hates losing. If I win, I’m sure I’ll have a chance to go and play at Augusta National come April.”
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Gerard, who lives in Jupiter, Fla., entered the week at No. 57 in the OWGR after a PGA Tour season in which he posted four top-10s in 29 starts, including a victory in the Barracuda Championship. That event is co-sponsored by the DP World Tour, and the win made Gerard eligible to compete in Mauritius.
Still, he might not have ventured 27 hours(!) to a far-flung event in late December if OWGR officials had not let him know that he had a shot to reach the top 50, with the carrot being an automatic invite to the Masters and his first appearance at Augusta National.
“I figured if I have one more crack at it, I’d give it my best shot, and I could hang my hat on giving it my all for the season,” Gerard said on Friday after shooting 69. “Top 50 at the end of the year get in to the Masters, so that’s kind of a special kick in the pants to come 10,000 miles from Florida and tee it up. It wasn’t on the bingo card at the beginning of the season, for sure, but excited to be here. It’s a really cool place.”
The last round figures to be a nervous one for Gerard, though he won’t be the only one sweating it. The current No. 50 in the world is Sam Stevens, a 29-year-old Oklahoma State alum who had four top-10s in 31 starts in this past tour season. Getting knocked out would be a tough outcome for Stevens, who is also looking to play in his first Masters.
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