The First Look: Butterfield Bermuda Championship

It's convenient practically for the end-of-year Official World Golf Ranking to be used to help fill the field at the next Masters, but it's also a coincidence that it occurs during the holiday season. For all intents and purposes, it's the gift that keeps on giving, even in an unprecedented year like 2020 as the world deals with the impact of a pandemic. With rare occasion to the contrary, all tours around the world take two weeks off to honor the holidays of Christmas and New Year's. So, once two tournaments on minor tours concluded this weekend and with no action around the world until January, the last OWGR of the calendar year was determined. Now that it's official, 2021 Masters invitations can be printed. Ten golfers in the top 50 of the OWGR through Dec. 31 have qualified for the Masters via this provision. Exemptions range from Matthew Fitzpatrick (16th) and Tommy Fleetwood (17th) through Ian Poulter (48th) and Matt Wallace (50th). All 10 have competed in at least once Masters previously. Those on the immediate outside of the top 50 and not yet eligible for the Masters include Erik van Rooyen (51st), Kevin Streelman (52nd), Rickie Fowler (53rd), Robert MacIntyre (55th), Chez Reavie (56th), Russell Henley (57th), Andy Sullivan (58th) and Will Zalatoris (59th). Those who made the largest leaps from the opening OWGR of 2020 to crack the top 50 in the final OWGR of the year include Daniel Berger (154th to 13th), Matthew Wolff (117th to 15th), Harris English (183rd to 28th) and Mackenzie Hughes (264th to 49th), but each already qualified for the 2021 Masters via another exemption. If you haven't visited this page since before the conclusion of the DP World Tour Championship, Dubai, you missed the 15 additions to the World Golf Championship-Mexico Championship via the 2020 Race to Dubai. Also, an update on Dec. 18 added 109 golfers to The Open Championship when the R&A released its qualifying criteria for a unique build of the 2021 edition of its major. Because it existed for only two days before this update for the Masters, the recap of the exemptions into The Open remains published in its entirety. PREVIOUS UPDATE (Dec. 18): The R&A today released the field for The Open Championship on July 15-18. Exemptions for all qualifiers for the 2020 edition that was canceled are honored, while adjustments necessary due to the impact of the pandemic were made. Because the shutdown occurred before the 2020 Open Qualifying Series concluded, none of the 2021 editions of the contributing events that were canceled or rescheduled in 2020 will be utilized. Instead, exemptions for the top 10 in the 2020 FedExCup and the top 10 in the 2020 Race to Dubai have helped fill the field. The R&A also extended Alex Noren's exemption for winning the 2017 BMW PGA Championship another year. The only previous automatic qualifier who isn't an eligible former champion and isn't listed below is 2019 U.S. Amateur champion Andy Ogletree. He forfeited his exemption when he turned professional this fall. REMAINING QUALIFYING CRITERIA for The Open has been updated below the alphabetical list. UPDATE (Dec. 22): As anticipated, the qualifying criteria for the two stroke-play World Golf Championships has been updated for 2021. WGC-Mexico Championship The traditional exemptions for the top two on the Japan Golf Tour's season-ending Order of Merit are honored - Yuki Inamori (first) and Chan Kim (second). Of the pair, only Kim has qualified previously(2018), but he elected not to compete. If either climbs into the top 50 of the Official World Golf Rankingon Feb. 15 or Feb. 22, then Takumi Kanaya (third in the Order of Merit) would be exempt. If both are positioned inside the top 50, then Rikuya Hoshino (fourth) also would be exempt. As of the final OWGR of 2020, Inamori is 157th and Kim is 74th. The Australasian Tour also sends its top two on the season-ending Order of Merit, but the circuit extended its season to conclude with the NSW Open on March 28 due to the pandemic. So, the top two in the year-ending Order of Merit have received the exemptions. Both Brad Kennedy (first) and Min Woo Lee (second) will be first-timers at Club de Golf Chapultepec. (In Lee's only start on the Australasian Tour in 2020, he won the ISPS Handa Vic Open on Feb. 9.) If Kennedy (157th in the OWGR) and/or Lee (170th) crack the top 50 of the OWGR on Feb. 15 or Feb. 22, then Ryan Fox (third in the Order of Merit) would gain entry. If both are inside the top 50, then Nick Flanagan (fifth) also would gain get in. Lucas Herbert (fourth) already has qualified. Because the Asian Tour canceled its 2020 season, the exemptions customarily reserved for its top two in the season-ending Order of Merit now will go to the top two in the Order of Merit on Feb. 8. WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational The last four exemptions have been defined. The winners of the Dimension Data Pro-Am (Feb. 14) and the Japan Golf Tour Championship (TBD) will gain entry. They will fulfill the exemptions traditionally reserved for the Sunshine Tour and Japan Golf Tour, respectively. Meanwhile, in lieu of winners of specific events on the Australasian and Asian Tours, the Order of Merit leaders on March 28 and July 12, respectively, will receive the exemptions. NOTE: Golfers are omitted if they recently haven't competed in majors for which they are eligible (e.g. PGA Championship=David Toms; The Open Championship=Justin Leonard). TPC = THE PLAYERS Championship MAS = Masters (Second edition of the 2020-21 PGA TOUR season) PGA = PGA Championship US = U.S. Open (Second edition of the 2020-21 PGA TOUR season) OPEN = The Open Championship MEX = WGC-Mexico Championship MP = WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play SJI = WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational Recent Additions TPC — none MAS — Christiaan Bezuidenhout; Matthew Fitzpatrick; Tommy Fleetwood; Matt Kuchar; Victor Perez; Ian Poulter; Justin Rose; Matt Wallace; Lee Westwood; Bernd Wiesberger PGA — none US — none OPEN — 109 golfers as recognized below MEX — Yuki Inamori; Brad Kennedy; Chan Kim; Min Woo Lee MP — none SJI — none REMAINING QUALIFYING CRITERIA Criteria are listed in chronological order where possible. Best estimates are given but all are subject to change. MASTERS (MAS) @ Augusta National Golf Club - April 8-11 • Winners of PGA TOUR events that award full FedExCup points allocation for the TOUR Championship from the originally scheduled 2020 Masters (April 9-12) through the week before the 2021 Masters. • Top 50 from Official World Golf Ranking (March 29). • Special invitations to international players per Masters Tournament Committee at its discretion. PGA CHAMPIONSHIP (PGA) @ The Ocean Course at Kiawah Island Golf Resort - May 20-23 • Winners of PGA TOUR events thru the final week before the 2021 PGA Championship. • Top 20 from PGA Professional National Championship (TBD). • Top 70 from special money list (i.e. “PGA Championship Points”) on PGA TOUR from 2020 WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational/Barracuda Championship thru 2021 Wells Fargo Championship (May 9). • *All 2018 Ryder Cup members, provided they are inside Top 100 of Official World Golf Ranking (May 10). • Special exemptions per PGA of America. (This likely will include all golfers inside Top 100 of the Official World Golf Ranking on May 10.) • If necessary to complete the field of 156, golfers outside Top 70 from special money list (three lines above) will gain entry in order of position. U.S. OPEN (US) @ Torrey Pines Golf Course (South) - June 17-20 • TBD THE OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP (OPEN) @ Royal St. George’s Golf Club - July 15-18 • Winner of THE PLAYERS (March 14). • Order of Merit leader on the Australasian Tour (March 28). • Order of Merit leader on the Sunshine Tour (March 28). • Winner of the Masters (April 11). • Winner of the Asia Pacific Diamond Cup (May 16). • Winner of the PGA Championship (May 23). • Top 50 from Official World Golf Ranking (May 24). • Top 2, not otherwise exempt, at The Mizuno Open (TBD). • Winner of British Amateur, if still an amateur (June 19). • Winner of U.S. Open (June 20). • Winner of the European Amateur Championship, if still an amateur (TBD). • Top 5 and ties, not otherwise exempt, inside Top 20 in Race to Dubai thru the BMW International Open (June 27). • Top 5 and ties, not otherwise exempt, inside Top 20 in FedExCup points thru the Travelers Championship (June 27). • Minimum of eight spots via Local Final Qualifying (June). WGC-MEXICO CHAMPIONSHIP (MEX) @ Club de Golf Chapultepec - Feb. 25-28 • Top 2 from Asian Tour Order of Merit, not otherwise exempt (Feb. 8). • Top 10 from Race to Dubai (Feb. 15). • Top 50 from Official World Golf Ranking (Feb. 15). • Highest-ranked golfer from Mexico in the Official World Golf Ranking. If already eligible, the second-highest-ranked inside the Top 300 of the OWGR (Feb. 15). • Top 10 in FedExCup points (Feb. 22). • Top 50 from Official World Golf Ranking (Feb. 22). • If necessary to complete the field of 72, golfers outside the Top 50 in the Official World Golf Ranking on Feb. 22 will gain entry in order of position. THE PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP (TPC) @ TPC Sawgrass (Stadium) - March 11-14 • Winners of PGA TOUR events thru the final week before THE PLAYERS. • Top 125 in FedExCup points from the start of the 2019-20 season thru the 2021 WGC-Mexico Championship/Puerto Rico Open. Points in the 2020 Playoffs are weighted the same as a WGC (Feb. 28). • Top 10 in FedExCup points in 2020-21 only (March 1). • Top 50 from Official World Golf Ranking (March 1). • If necessary to complete the field of 144, golfers outside the Top 10 in FedExCup points in 2020-21 only on March 1 will gain entry in order of position. WGC-DELL TECHNOLOGIES MATCH PLAY (MP) @ Austin Country Club - March 24-28 • Top 64 inside Top 100 in the Official World Golf Ranking (March 15). WGC-FEDEX ST. JUDE INVITATIONAL (SJI) @ TPC Southwind - Aug. 5-8 • Winners of official tournaments from the Federation Tours with an Official World Golf Ranking strength-of-field rating of 115 points or more. • Winner of Dimension Data Pro-Am (Feb. 14). • Order of Merit leader on the Australasian Tour (March 28). • Winner of Japan Golf Tour Championship (TBD). • Order of Merit leader on the Asian Tour (July 12). • Top 50 from Official World Golf Ranking (July 26). • Top 50 from Official World Golf Ranking (Aug. 2).

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MAMARONECK, N.Y. - Justin Thomas could have shot anything in the second round of the 82nd U.S. Open at Winged Foot on Friday. On a course where you must hit the fairway, he hit just three of them. The putts weren't dropping. He was 5 over for his first 10 holes. It was all slipping away. And then it wasn't. In a bounce-back that may have saved his chances for a second major title, Thomas birdied the long par-3 third hole and went 1 under the rest of the way for a 3-over 73 that left him 2 under, just two back. "Every single person in this tournament is going to go through a stretch where they get a bad run, especially here," he said. "... I wasn’t driving it well and then had a couple putts that easily could have gone in that kind of just stayed out. RELATED: Full leaderboard | Winged Foot fights back in Round 2 "But I just stayed positive" he added, "and kept fighting because I know that a 3 over is better than a 4 over, and today easily could have been a 6 or 7. I’m proud of myself for how I hung in." The second round brought significantly more wind, which sped the course up and made things considerably more difficult. Tiger Woods, one of Thomas' playing partners, struggled to a 77, and he wasn't even close to the worst of the casualties. Sung Kang shot 86, while Davis Thompson, the Georgia amateur who briefly held the first-round lead, shot 78 to miss the cut by one. It was that kind of day; the course bit back. Wayward with the driver, Thomas paid the usual price for inaccuracy at Winged Foot. He and his caddie Jimmy Johnson rolled with it, though, trusting that things would start to turn. "He knew and I knew that we were close to getting something and at least making some pars or throwing in a birdie or two," Thomas said. "He just kind of says to me, ‘Stay patient. Good things will happen. We’ve just got to keep playing our game.' And that’s what we did." Thomas found something with his tee shot at the third, his 12th hole of the day. He later called it the turning point. "I mean, that birdie on three was pretty sick," he said. "I mean, a 5-wood in there, 228 into the wind, and then just it was a really, really tough putt. I mean, I’m sure you could see with kind of the sun hitting the greens they weren’t exactly rolling true, but that’s how poa annua is and everybody has to deal with it in the afternoon. "That was a very quick double breaking putt," he added, "and that was nice. After playing No. 2 perfectly and just having it lip out, to birdie that hole almost feels like an eagle." Exhausted and out of daylight, he was due for some dinner and rest. He'll have some work on the driving range to do in order to straighten out the driver Saturday, but isn't overly worried. And at just two back, he likes his position. "It’s a better position than I’ve been in a U.S. Open before," he said. "This isn’t exactly a place where you go out and try to shoot 6 or 7 under to catch up."

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