Masters Field Size

[Chilli Dipper]

The OWGR are actually based on results over the past 24 months with the most weight given to the last 13 weeks.  So the year end top 50 gives the most weight to events held in October-December which includes events like Tigers and the Nederbank in which EVERYONE who plays gets OWGR points.  The Fed Ex Cup does not include these limited field events and about half the PGA Tour Fed Ex season is now in the books by the time the Masters is played.   To me, a major Champion from 4 to 5 years ago (or a Masters Champion from 20+ years ago) who is ranked outside OWGR Top 200+ is not as much of a contender for the title as a major Champion from 6+ years ago who is currently ranked within the top 100. The reason I compared Els play to those Masters winners was to show that he was playing well enough to have a legit shot to win.  My guess is that had he been in the field, he would have been one of the top 20 betting favorites having had 2 top 5s and a t12 the 3 weeks before Augusta. I agree that the limited field makes it extra special to get into the Masters, but also feel that being able to play a great golf course that is not open to the public also adds to the allure.  Expanding the field to 100 by adding more players who have a legit chance to win would not take away from this.

1. Those last three months also include the end of the Race to Dubai, the Australian Open, the South African Open, and a number of full-field events on the Sunshine, Australian, and Asian tours that attract stronger fields than the PGA Tour's wrap-around events. The limited-field events you mention only consist of players well within the top 50 in the world rankings to begin with, so they don't matter in this regard. You are proposing that Brooks Koepka, who made it into the top 50 by winning against a huge field in Turkey at the end of last year, would be staying at home if he was injured, took a couple of months off, or had any trouble adjusting to life on tour (obviously, he didn't), but Shawn Stefani, ranked 90th in the world right now, would be in the field on the strength of finishing second at the Mayakoba Classic. That's not an improvement. 2. Players don't come out of nowhere to win the Masters. Angel Cabrera was the worst-ranked player to win, and he was 69th in the world when he did it. The 100th-ranked player six years removed from a major title is no more legit than the 200th-ranked player three years removed from a major title. History suggests neither of them would have a shot.

[Phil McGleno]

@MEfree you have been here long enough to know to multiquote. FWIW I think the field size is perfect.

[Chilli Dipper]

@MEfree Now that I'm at home and not browsing on my phone, I can actually research all of the changes you propose to make for the Masters. According to you, here's how this field would have changed. [QUOTE] Reduce the 5 year exemption for other major winners to 3 years Include all major winners ranked inside the OWGR Top 100 and multiple major winners inside the Top 120 [/QUOTE] Players removed from the field: Darren Clarke Players added to the field: none [QUOTE] Limit Past Masters Champions to those that are in the OWGR Top 500, made a cut at Augusta in the last 5 years, won a PGA/Euro Tour event in the last 5 years, won a Senior Tour event in the last 5 years, finished Top 10 in a Senior Tour Event in the last 2 years OR made a cut in a regular PGA/Euro Tour event in the last 2 years [/QUOTE] Players removed from the field: Ben Crenshaw [QUOTE] Include the OWGR Top 50 both the week before and week of the Masters ; use 51+ as alternates to fill the field if below a certain designated # (say 100 players) Do NOT include the OWGR year end Top 50 [/QUOTE] Players added to the field: Marc Warren, Harris English (53rd OWGR, highest-ranked not eligible; 100th player in the field) Players removed from the field: Mikko Ilonen, Steve Stricker, Marc Leishman (withdrew) [QUOTE] Include the current PGA Tour Fed Ex Top 20 [/QUOTE] Players added to the field: Shawn Stefani, Daniel Berger, Scott Piercy [QUOTE] Include the current year top 20 OWGR point earners [/QUOTE] Players added to the field: Gary Stal, Andy Sullivan, Daniel Berger* So, your criteria would have added seven players to the field and removed five. Among those who would have had the week off if you had your way include... [LIST] [*] a recent major winner (who made the cut) [*] a player who was ranked 15th in the world prior to last year's Masters; who finished T7 at the PGA Championship last year; and is coming back from back surgery (who made the cut) [*] a player with two top-five major finishes since 2013, including T4 at the 2013 Masters; and two top-ten finishes in WGC events in 2014 (who had to withdraw due to a family emergency) [*] a two-time winner on the European Tour in 2014, including the Volvo Match Play Championship, where he defeated Stenson, Dubuisson, and McDowell; and finished T7 at the 2014 PGA Championship (who missed the cut by one stroke) [*] a past Masters champion who knew it was time to hang it up [/LIST] Meanwhile, the seven players who would have replaced them in the field include... [LIST] [*] A three-time winner on the European Tour, who has never played in the Masters; best major finish, T12 (2013 PGA Championship) [*] A two-time winner on the PGA Tour, with a missed cut in his only Masters appearance; best major finish, T15 (2013 Open Championship) [*] A player with a best PGA Tour finish of second, who has never played in the Masters; best major finish, T59 (2013 U.S. Open) [*] A two-time winner on the PGA Tour, with a T54 in his only Masters appearance; best major finish, T5 (2013 PGA Championship) [*] A PGA Tour rookie with a best finish of second, who has never played in the Masters; best major finish, T28 (2014 U.S. Open) [*] The 2015 Abu Dhabi Championship winner, who has never played in any major championship [*] The 2015 South African Open and Joburg Open winner, who has never played in any major championship [/LIST] Collectively (and even excluding Crenshaw), your proposal would have excluded from the 2015 Masters field... [LIST] [*] 16 PGA Tour victories [*] 19 European Tour victories [*] 3 World Golf Championships [*] 1 major championship [*] 23 top-ten finishes in majors [*] 30 combined Masters appearances [/LIST] In return, your proposal would have included players with "more legit" chances to win, with a collective resume of... [LIST] [*] 3 PGA Tour victories [*] 6 European Tour victories [*] 0 World Golf Championships [*] 0 major championships [*] 1 top-ten finish in majors [*] 2 combined Masters appearances [/LIST] If your argument is that the Masters field would be stronger with the latter playing instead of the former, that argument quantitatively fails. You've created a needlessly excessive set of criteria filled with loopholes in order to retroactively say that Ernie Els should have been invited to the Masters in 2012 simply because he's Ernie Els, while excluding players with excellent track records in major championships in favor of far less deserving golfers. And if you try to say those criteria were never meant to exclude those players like the Masters excluded Els in 2012, then you're building loopholes on top of loopholes.

[danL]

But I wouldn't mind Daniel Berger, Nick Watney, Harris English or Shawn Stefani.

I'm a Berger fan but as someone else said, being good isn't good enough for Augusta. If we loosen the criteria for invitations then it won't be the Masters anymore. A true master of anything will acquire enough wins to make the field legitimately.