Golfers stuck on the outside looking in have one last chance to make their Augusta dream come true this week.
With the official cut off date for Masters qualification falling on Monday 30 March, there may be some fairytales and some hard luck stories emerge on the weekend.
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Most of the doors to Augusta National are already slammed shut.
Past champions, major winners from the past five years, and winners of select national opens, including the Australian Open, have had Masters week circled on their calendars for some time.
But one pathway to the hallowed turf remains available for a host of players who have travelled far and wide, and backed up week after week for a shot at major glory.
The top 50 in the Official World Golf Rankings as of March 30 will be headed down Magnolia Lane.
Those rankings change every week and players can quickly fall in and out of the top 50 depending on if they have a good week or a bad week.
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Twelve months ago, Australia’s Min Woo Lee broke through for his first PGA Tour title at the Houston Open.
But the hard luck story of that week was Ben Griffin with a tied 18th finish only taking him from 53rd to 51st in the rankings.
The American blamed the projections on social media in the aftermath, having believed he had done enough to qualify after playing every single week of the season to that point in pursuit of a Masters berth.
Things have worked out fine for Griffin since – he is currently ranked 16th in the world, made his Ryder Cup debut and won twice on the PGA Tour last year.
And that may come as solace or added motivation for an unlucky professional who may suffer the same fate this year.
A key difference this time around, however, is that bubble watchers may also have to stay across the DP World Tour event in India starting Thursday.
The golf world was unsure how the decision to hand LIV ranking points based on the breakaway circuit moving to 72 hole tournaments would impact the majors.
It has turned out that LIV’s biggest stars like Bryson DeChambeau and Jon Rahm have received massive rankings boosts, but given they are recent major champions, its significance is only symbolic to them.
JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA – MARCH 22: Bryson DeChambeau of Crushers GC after he won the 2026 LIV Golf South Africa title in a dramatic playoff.Source: Getty Images
DeChambeau has won the last two LIV events – in South Africa and Singapore – and has moved from 33rd in the world at the start of the year to 24th now.
While Rahm won in Hong Kong and has three runners-up finishes as well as fifth from LIV’s five events this season.
The Spaniard has jumped 69 places from 97th to 28th as a result.
But it’s further down the rankings where things get more interesting.
World No.57 Thomas Detry is the closest LIV player to the top 50.
The Belgian has seemingly given up on playing in The Masters for a second time, however, as he is not listed in the field for the Indian Open.
Meanwhile, Australia’s Elvis Smylie and Australian PGA Championship David Puig are teeing it up in New Delhi in pursuit of hitting long shot odds of cracking the top 50.
Smylie made the move to LIV Golf this year and started with a bang by winning the season opener in Saudi Arabia.
The 23-year-old left-hander has risen to 79th in the world rankings after ending 2025 ranked 128th.
Smylie has never played The Masters before and would need something truly special this week to climb 29 places.
Even so, it’s not completely outside the realm of possibility.
As of Wednesday, the OWGR projects that first place in India will pocket 17.15 points.
If Smylie won, his total points would climb to 81.04, giving him an average of 1.93 per event within the two-year period on which the world rankings are calculated.
Spot 50 currently belongs to Samuel Stevens, who has an average of 2.0033 points per event.
That is to say that a win would put Smylie on the brink, though he would need those around the bubble to have poor weeks.
For starters, he would need Stevens to not claim any points this week to leapfrog him, while the other 27 golfers between Smylie and the American would need to have middling to poor results, depending on their position.
It is a Hail Mary, afterall.
RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA – FEBRUARY 07: Elvis Smylie of Ripper GC poses for a photo with the trophy after winning the final round on day four of LIV Golf Riyadh at Riyadh Golf Club on February 07, 2026 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. (Photo by Francois Nel/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
The amount of points on offer vary every event based on the strength of the field.
Last week, Jordan Gumberg received 6.7 OWGR points for his DP World Tour win in China, while Matt Fitzpatrick claimed 48 points for his victory at the PGA Tour’s Valspar Championship.
The long odds make Smylie’s pursuit all the more admirable.
The same with Puig’s.
David Puig (ESP) Royal Queensland Golf Club, Brisbane Australia – Australian Anthony Quayle celebrates wining the 2025 the Australian BMW PGA Championship of Australia. Photo Scott Powick Courier MailSource: Supplied
India will be the tenth country that the world No.75 from Spain has played in since last year’s LIV season ended.
He, of course, won at Royal Queensland in November, and has registered top tens in his home country, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Hong Kong and South Africa in that stretch.
The 24-year-old’s commitment to the global game is undeniable and this week he will face the hardest golf course on the DP World Tour – the DLF Golf & Country Club.
The course is well known for its insane bunkering, with one bunker in particular towering over golfers with the lip some three-metres above their ball.
Only three players finished under par in last year’s Indian Open at the Gary Player designed venue as the long carries and abundance of water leave no room for error.
It is a test that would prepare a player well for Augusta National.
Whereas public course Memorial Park, which hosts the Houston Open, is far more forgiving as Lee showcased last year by going unpunished by missing fairways after ripping his driver.
Players flirting with danger will be hoping that a birdie fest ensues to hold onto their place in the top 50.
That includes Australia’s Jason Day, who at 41 in the world has enjoyed a positive start to the year having ended 2025 ranked 54th.
On the other side of the line, world No.51 Pierceson Coody and world No.56 Michael Thorbjornsen are chasing a maiden Masters appearance.
While Rickie Fowler is at massive risk of not going to Augusta for a 12th time as he sits 61st.
Fowler is not the only household name likely to miss The Masters.
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, FLORIDA – MARCH 15: Rickie Fowler of the United States watches his shot from the 12th tee during the final round of THE PLAYERS Championship.Source: AFP
Sahith Theegala is ranked 80th after failing to register a single top ten last year as he battled injuries.
Tony Finau, Tom Kim, Will Zalatoris and Billy Horschel are among other PGA Tour regulars who will pay the price for dips in form.
While from LIV, Jaoquinn Niemann will miss unless he is awarded a last-minute special invite, having played the last two editions of The Masters courtesy of Augusta National Golf Club directly wanting him.
LIV Adelaide winner Anthony Kim will also not have done enough given he jumped from 848th to 208th in the world with his victory at The Grange.
The fact The Masters is the most exclusive of the four majors means there are hard luck stories every year.
The ruthlessness of golf is that it could come done to a single shot either way.