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sports Thursday 5 November 2020
Left out of Masters a time to appreciate a good year

By DOUG FERGUSON typically are reserved for
AP Golf Writer international players who
It's rare to have a player in don't have regular access
the top 40 missing from the to the PGA Tour. Els had
Masters, much less four of his chances. He wound up
them. winning the British Open
Rarer still is to show up at that summer, and he had
Augusta National and no- a Masters invitation for the
tice who's missing. following five years.
That element won't This is not a time for Berger,
change, especially with Hovland, Palmer and Eng-
so much anticipation from lish to wonder what they're
waiting 18 months to hear: missing, because they were
"Fore, please. Tiger Woods never part of the 2020 Mas-
now driving." And with so ters. This is the time for them
much intrigue about chas- to celebrate what they've
ing a green jacket two achieved to at least be
weeks before Thanksgiving. part of the conversation,
The chase will not include and to look forward to the
Daniel Berger, the No. 13 In this Sept. 20, 2020, file photo, Harris English, of the United States, plays his shot from the second next Masters. They earned
player in the world. tee during the final round of the US Open Golf Championship in Mamaroneck, N.Y. it.
Berger received more at- All four are guaranteed
tention from being left off close calls. He is No. 33, his April 9-12 with a field of 96 kawa. He was just outside spots at Augusta National
the November invitation list best world ranking in five players who began quali- the top 50 when he tied for next April by reaching the
than if he had been play- years. fying a week after Woods ninth in the Arnold Palmer Tour Championship, no
ing in the Masters. It be- Not to be overlooked is Har- won his fifth green jack- Invitational, moving into small feat for any of them.
came a bigger story than ris English, who was No. 373 et. C.T. Pan won the RBC the top 50. A week later, Berger and English were
necessary because he was in the world and had only Heritage at Hilton Head to the pandemic shut down out of the top 125 the pre-
holding out hope that his conditional status when the qualify for his first Masters. golf, and the Masters used vious season. Hovland was
three months of great play previous season began. He will have waited 571 that March 17 world rank- a PGA Tour rookie. Palmer's
this summer, including a He had four top 10s in five days to hear his name an- ing to fill out the field. game never seems far off,
victory at Colonial, might events, never lost his touch nounced. Pan now is No. Imagine if Morikawa had though he had gone six
count toward a major that after the three-month shut- 169 in the world. been a fraction of a point years since he last played
was supposed to be held in down due to the coronavi- Would it have hurt to add outside the top 50, and in the Tour Championship.
the spring. rus pandemic and played one player? then won the PGA Cham- Now they're in the top 40,
With the Masters a week his way into the Tour Cham- Yes, if the player in question pionship at Harding Park. Is and not likely to lose much
away, Berger has com- pionship. And then he was was Berger, because five he in the Masters? The club ground with only two tour-
pany among players in the fourth in the U.S. Open. other players since have never had to consider that naments left this year after
top 40. Now he is up to No. 35 in won PGA Tour events that scenario. the Masters.
Viktor Hovland, a former the world. qualify them next year. Even with the smallest field They can expect that
U.S. Amateur champion All of them will be watching And with limited daylight, and the toughest qualifying cream-colored invitation in
from Norway, won the a Masters without specta- Augusta National already criteria, the Masters gets the mail from Augusta Na-
Puerto Rico Open and tors, without blooms, with- is going to a two-tee start the right field. tional in December. They
has relied on solid, steady out roars and without them. and still might not beat There was outrage in some will start next year at Ka-
golf to reach No. 24 in the It couldn't be any other darkness. media corners in 2012 palua on Maui. And they
world. Ryan Palmer is hav- way. Augusta National avoided when Ernie Els didn't qual- can make plans for a Mas-
ing a resurgent year with This is the 2020 Masters, and what could have been ify and wasn't extended ters that is only five months
five top-10 finishes and two it was meant to be played messy with Collin Mori- a special invitation. Those away.q

Wellens wins another Vuelta stage, Roglic keeps his lead

ORENSE, Spain (AP) — Tim most of the stage. "It was final stages of the three-
Wellens won his second not easy to win. There was week race. Hugh Carthy
Spanish Vuelta stage on a big fight to get in the stayed third, 47 seconds
Wednesday, with defend- breakaway and then all off the pace. "It was quite
ing champion Primoz Ro- my companions were re- a fast and hard stage all
glic keeping his overall lead ally strong riders," Wellens the way to the finish line,"
over Richard Carapaz. said. "I knew I had to be in Roglic said. "It was again a
Wellens, who had also the front position in the last good day for us."
won the fifth leg, sprinted corner. I felt Woods coming Thursday's 15th stage will
to victory ahead of Mi- but the finish line was there be the longest of the Vuel-
chael Woods and Zdenek and I crossed it first. I knew ta this year, taking riders
Stybar in an unusually fast today suited me very well. 230 kilometers (142 miles)
14th stage that took riders Everything was perfect." through a winding terrain
204 kilometres (126 miles) The overall leaders finished that will favor escapes at
through hilly Galician ter- together in the peloton, the front.
rain. Wellens, the Belgian crossing the line almost four The Vuelta is being held Jumbo's Primoz Roglic crosses in front Ineo's team bus while
rider of team Lotto Sou- minutes behind Wellens. amid tight health restric- waving to fans before starting the eighth stage of La Vuelta be-
dal, dominated on the Slovenian rider Roglic main- tions because of the coro- tween Logrono and Alto de Moncalvillo, in Logrono, northern
uphill finish after staying in tained a 39-second lead navirus pandemic. It will fin- Spain, Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2020. Associated Press
the breakaway group for over Carapaz entering the ish on Sunday in Madrid.q