AUGUSTA, Ga. – Billy Horschel won the Zurich Classic two weeks after the Masters last year, and thus became first on the list of players who earned their first trip to Augusta National. He just had no idea how long the list would grow.

Derek Ernst won at Quail Hollow. Harris English won in Memphis.

Throw in the six amateurs, and then cap it off with Matt Jones being the last man in by winning the Shell Houston Open. The final tally is a record 24 players who will be making their debut at the Masters this year.

This is the 78th Masters, and only three players have won on their maiden voyage around this pristine golf course. Horton Smith won the first one in 1934. Gene Sarazen won the following year. It then took 45 years to get another Masters rookie in a green jacket – Fuzzy Zoeller in 1979.

There hasn’t been another one since, although the odds have never been better. Nearly 25 percent of the field is at the Masters for the first time.

Smith gets overlooked as a “Masters rookie,” and rightly so. All 72 players were rookies that year.

Here are the best five performances by players at Augusta National for the first time:

5. JASON DAY: He qualified for his first Masters by winning the Byron Nelson Championship for his first PGA Tour victory. The 23-year-old Australian was loaded with far more talent than victories to show for it, but he took a liking to a course that had never produced a champion from Down Under.

Day shot an 8-under 64 in the second round to get within two shots of the lead, and the only reason he didn’t get more attention was because 21-year-old Rory McIlroy was ahead of him. And they played in the same group, along with 22-year-old Rickie Fowler.

This was in 2011, the year McIlroy lost a four-shot lead with an 80 in the final round. Day hung around to the very end, and when he finished with a birdie for a 68, he was tied for the clubhouse lead with Adam Scott. Behind them was Charl Schwartzel, who took the outright lead with a birdie on the 17th and rolled in his fourth straight birdie on the final hole for a two-shot win. Day went home with a silver medal as a runner-up in his debut.

4. HUSTON, WE HAVE A PROBLEM: John Huston became known as the most feared player in golf – on Tuesday in money games with the pros. He won seven times on the PGA Tour, the first won coming in 1990 that made him eligible for his first Masters.

He opened with a 66, leaving him two shots behind Mike Donald. And while he followed with a 74 in the second round, he still trailed by only two shots. Huston had a 68 in the third round to stay within two shots of former Masters champion Raymond Floyd. Better yet, he was in the final group, giving him an excellent chance to become the first Masters rookie to win since Zoeller.

Alas, Huston fell back with a 75 on the final round. The winner came from back in the pack – Nick Faldo made up four shots on Floyd with six holes to play, and then won on the second extra hole when Floyd hit into the water on No. 11. Huston tied for third in his debut. He played the Masters 12 more times and never had a higher finish.

3. POHL’S CLOSE CALL: Dan Pohl made an inauspicious debut in 1982 when he opened with a pair of 75s. That would have missed the cut at most other Masters, but not this one. Conditions were tough by rain the opening two days, leading to the highest cut (10-over 154) in Masters history. He was still six shots behind.

Pohl, the longest hitter on tour, followed with a 67 on Saturday on the strength of back-to-back eagles on the 13th and 14th holes, though he still was six shots out of the lead. And even with the low score of the final round – another 67 – it didn’t appear to do much good. Craig Stadler was six shots ahead going to the back nine until the Walrus started dropping shots. Stadler wound up with a 73, and suddenly Pohl was in a sudden-death playoff.

It didn’t last long. Pohl missed a 6-foot par putt on the first playoff hole at No. 10, and Stadler made par to win. Pohl had to settle for silver.

2. THE SHOT HEARD `ROUND THE WORLD: Gene Sarazen hit the shot that put the Masters on the map and won at Augusta National in his first try. But being a “rookie” at the Masters wasn’t that big of a deal. The Augusta National Invitation Tournament was only in its second year. Sarazen missed the inaugural event, and this “rookie” had already won six majors, the first of them 13 years earlier.

Still, what he did that day cannot be overlooked and will not be forgotten. Trailing by three shots, he hit 4-wood into the hole for an albatross on the par-5 15th hole to force a playoff with Craig Wood. In the only 36-hole playoff in Masters history, Sarazen shot even-par 144 to win by five.

He remains the only player to complete the career Grand Slam at Augusta National.

1. FUZZY’S FIRST MAJOR: Zoeller whistled his way into the record books as the first major champion to win a sudden-death playoff. The Masters went away from the traditional 18-hole playoff in 1979, and it turned out to be memorable.

Much like Pohl, Zoeller was never really in the picture until someone’s misfortune on the back nine. Zoeller was six shots behind going into the last round and closed with a 70. It looked like it would be a good debut at the Masters, nothing more. That was before Ed Sneed, who had a three-shot lead with three holes to play, finished with three bogeys.

That led to a three-man playoff among Sneed, Zoeller and former Masters champion Tom Watson. On the second playoff hole, Zoeller knocked in a birdie putt and leapt into the air to celebrate.

Was it a big deal for a Masters rookie to win?

“They didn’t bring up until the next year,” Zoeller said.

AUGUSTA, Ga. – Jason Day goes into the Masters coming off a big win. Trouble is, that was six weeks ago.

Day said his left thumb was ailing even as he won the Match Play Championship to close out the West Coast Swing. He withdrew from Doral. He withdrew from Bay Hill. He hasn’t played a competitive round since that 23-hole victory in Arizona.

And that was match play.

The 26-year-old Australian last competed in a stroke-play event on Feb. 8, when he failed to qualify for the final round at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am.

“Not really a concern,” Day said Monday. “I think I just need to tighten up a few things, just kind of get a little sharper with my tee shots. I think I’ll be good.”

Day said the rest was a good tonic for his thumb, and he had a cortisone injection a week ago in Ohio. He feels no pain, though he will be taping it as a precaution, and he has been icing the thumb at night.

“It’s more frustrating for me because just coming off the win at the Match Play, I was playing some pretty good golf,” he said. “It was trending in the right direction going into Doral and the Florida Swing there. Just something so small, it’s so frustrating, because everything else is fine. But you need your hands to grip the golf club, and every time it hurt when I swung the golf club. I would kind of flinch at impact, and you just can’t compete against the best players in the world doing that.”

Day is among the best players at the Masters.

Even though the Match Play win was only the second of his PGA Tour career, he was a runner-up at the Masters in his debut in 2011, and last year he finished alone in third. In 2012, Day had to withdraw because of an ankle injury.

VICTORIA, B.C. – The boys of Team Canada’s Development Squad sit tied for second with Trinidad & Tobago after Monday’s first round of the  World Junior Boy’s Qualifier at Victoria Golf Club.

Calgary’s Matt Williams and Étienne Papineau of St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que. were the leading Canadians on the day. They both carded 3-over-par 73s, while teammate Carter Simon of Sutton, Ont. contributed a 5-over 75.

Collectively, the Canadian contingent sits at 11-over par – Tony Gil’s score was the highest on the day and therefore not calculated towards the overall total.

Mexico has a 10 stroke lead, with all three of their players sitting in the top five. Jorge Villar is 1-under, Alvaro Ortiz is at even par and Luis Gerardo Garza is 2-over. As a team, the Mexicans sit at 1-over par.

Trinidad & Tobago was led by WanJoo Le, who fired a 1-over 71 to help his team stay locked with Canada.

The second of three rounds goes Tuesday. The top two teams earn entry into the Toyota Junior Golf World Cup in Japan this June.

For the full leaderboard, click here.

Dale Jackson

That most magnificent rite of the spring, the Masters Tournament is finally upon us. Given the winter Canada and the United States has suffered through, I’m sure it’s not a moment too soon for all golf fans.

Having said that, I write this from Augusta on the Monday prior to the tournament and it is absolutely pouring with rain and the course was forced to close due to lightning.  Not an auspicious start to the week but the forecast going forward looks good and hopefully by Sunday we will have a stirring finish in warmth and sunshine.

The Masters, as the saying goes, “is a tournament like no other” and that goes for us as rules officials too.  Augusta National offers officials from all over the world the opportunity to work on the Masters Rules Committee and I have the pleasure and honour of representing Golf Canada this year.  This is my second Masters so I am familiar with some of the traditions at the tournament and I am eagerly awaiting the start of the event.

This year, I look forward to renewing friendships with officials from all parts of the globe, Africa, Australia, Europe, Asia, South America and of course, the United States.  All the major professional tours are represented, as are all the main golfing countries in the world.  Collectively, there are hundreds, if not thousands of years of experience here this week and I am fortunate to be working with this incredibly talented group of people.

The week for us begins officially on Wednesday morning, when we attend the Rules Committee meeting.  It is there that the various rules details for the tournament are reviewed and assignments are given out.  Each day we are assigned a different hole at the championship, with a total of perhaps two to five officials on each hole.  Working with a team on each hole ensures players have ready access to an official if a ruling is required.

From a personal perspective, being positioned on one hole is a unique opportunity to really study Augusta National and to take in the nuances television cannot reveal.

I have always regarded the 13^th hole at Augusta National as one of the best holes in golf and I was fortunate to be assigned that hole on Friday of last year’s tournament. Having had the opportunity to spend a day there, I am now inclined to believe it might be among the greatest holes the game has to offer. Needless to say, I am looking forward to seeing which holes I will be assigned to this year.

With the large number of officials the golf course is very well covered, therefore, each of us will not handle too many rulings.  We are positioned well off the line of play, often just into the pines and out of sight unless needed.  The majority of rulings requested will be quite straightforward, usually assisting with relief options for a water hazard or perhaps relief from an immovable obstruction.  The officials representing the professional tours are always close by to assist with more complicated rulings, if required.

I am looking forward to the upcoming week as it promises to be filled with great golf played on a fantastic golf course and there will be opportunities to socialize with old and new friends.  Most of all, for me, it will be a privileged opportunity to represent Canada and to be just a small part of one of the greatest sporting events in world.

I hope everyone is able to take in some of the Masters and have the chance to turn your back on winter and face towards summer.

TaylorMade has announced the launch of the SLDR Mini Driver, a 260cc metalwood equipped with a 43.5” shaft, designed to promote distance and accuracy off the tee for players who frequently drive with their 3-wood.

TaylorMade’s research indicates that a high percentage of golfers, regardless of skill level, hit 3-wood off the tee more often than from the fairway. However, the 3-wood is designed to hit the ball off turf, not a peg. That void between product design and product use led to the development of the SLDR Mini Driver, which is engineered to be longer off the tee than a 3-woood and incredibly accurate.

“Tour pros and betters amateurs often hit their 3-wood off the tee more often than from the fairway,” said Brian Bazzel, TaylorMade’s Senior Director of Metalwood Creation. “We embraced that fact to create a metalwood that’s sized between a 3-wood and driver and is designed to be easy to hit off a tee.”

Like the SLDR driver, the SLDR Mini Driver features a low-forward center of gravity (CG) location that reduces spin. From there, most players benefit from playing a higher loft (what TaylorMade calls “lofting up”) by combining a low spin-rate with a high launch angle, which are the launch conditions that promote maximum distance.

The SLDR Mini Driver also incorporates TaylorMade’s Speed Pocket technology, which promotes lower spin on impacts low on the clubface, where the majority of driver mis-hits occur.

And though it’s engineered to be easier to tee off with than a 3-wood, the SLDR Mini Driver is also easy to launch the ball off the turf with, thanks to its smooth sole that’s smaller and offers less resistance than a driver’s.

Aesthetically, the SLDR Mini Driver’s sleek shape and smooth matte silver crown, black clubface and black button-back gives the club an attractive appearance from all angles, especially at address. The contrasting colors also facilitate easy and accurate face alignment.

The first Tour pro to put the SLDR Mini Driver in play was Troy Matteson, who put not one but two in his bag at the Valero Texas Open: one to use off the tee and one to use from the fairway.

“The SLDR Mini Driver is intended to appeal to a wide audience,” added Bazzel. “For the Tour pro or top amateur who places a premium on distance control and accuracy, this club is a fantastic option. It’s also a great choice for those amateurs who struggle with 460cc drivers.”

Two SLDR Mini Driver models are available, standard and TP. The standard model retails for $299 CDN and is equipped with a Fujikura 57 shaft. It is the same shaft used in the SLDR driver, but at 43.5 inches (two inches shorter than the SLDR driver) it promotes tighter dispersion for increased accuracy.

The TP model retails for $399 CDN and is equipped with Fujikura’s Motore Speeder 7.3 shaft and is built to a heavier, D5 swingweight for improved control. Lofts in both models range from 12°, 14° and 16°. Both SLDR Mini Driver models will be available at retail starting May 2nd.

AUGUSTA, Ga. – The first day of the Masters didn’t last very long.

Storms moved into the area just two hours after the gates opened at Augusta National for the first full day of practice. Players had to get off the golf course. Fans made a steady stream for the exit.

A few hours later, the club said the forecast for even heavier rain meant the course would be off limits the rest of the day.

Masters chairman Billy Payne said fans who had Monday tickets will be sent refunds in May and will be guaranteed a chance to buy tickets for next year’s practice round.

It was the first time in 11 years that the Monday practice was a washout. The gates did not open in 2003 all day.

The 2014 PGA Tour Canada season gets underway this week with California Qualifying School taking place April 8-11 at Oak Valley Golf Club in Beaumont, Cali.

PGA Tour Canada returns to Oak Valley Golf Club, which has hosted numerous qualifying events and shared PGA Tour Canada Q-School with nearby Soboba Springs Golf Club in 2012. That Q-School produced 2012 winners Andrew Roque and Cory Renfrew, as well as 2013 The Five member Mark Hubbard. Oak Valley has also been a frequent host of PGA Tour and Web.com Tour Qualifying School.

This week’s field includes 11 Canadians, 105 Americans as well as players from Argentina, Australia, Bolivia, England, South Korea, Switzerland, Sweden, Venezuela and Wales. The 11 Canadians who will tee it up this week at Q-School in California are:

Rokhun Cho (Toronto); Jerry Christiansen (Saskatoon, Sask.); Jessey Church (Prince George, BC); Greg Doherty (Mississauga, Ont.); Grant Greenwood (Saskatoon); Clement Herviou (Quebec City); Andrew Ledger (Toronto); Kevin Liang (Markham, Ont.); Sonny Michaud (Rouyn-Noranda, Que.); Lindsay Reynolds (Christina Lake, BC); and Chang Wan Woo (Markham, Ont.)

This year’s Q-Schools will open up chances for more players to compete on PGA Tour Canada, with three separate Qualifying Tournaments allowing players to earn status for 2014. This week in California is the first of three 132-player fields, each offering 18 exempt cards and conditional status for the next 18 plus ties.

In addition to three Qualifying Tournaments, this year’s expanded schedule features 12 events from coast-to-coast, including new events in Vancouver, Ottawa and Thunder Bay. Once again, the top five players on the Order of Merit at season’s end will earn status on the Web.com Tour, making the first step on the path to the PGA Tour.

AUGUSTA, Ga. – Three players at the Masters have a chance to replace Tiger Woods as No. 1 in the world.

Masters champion Adam Scott, who squandered a great shot at being No. 1 when he lost a three-shot lead at Bay Hill, would need to finish in a two-way tie for third this week at Augusta National.

Henrik Stenson (No. 3) would need at least a two-way tie for second at the Masters to become the first Swedish play at No. 1 in the world.

Jason Day (No. 4) would have to win the Masters to have any shot at being No. 1.

Woods is not playing the Masters for the first time in his career because of back surgery that will keep him out of golf until the summer.

Masters Trivia Quiz

How well do you know the Masters? Try this quiz:

1. Which player had the lowest final round to win the Masters?

a.) Mike Weir
b.) Gary Player
c.) Jack Nicklaus

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2. Who is the oldest Masters champion?

a.) Jack Nicklaus
b.) Raymond Floyd
c.) Ben Hogan

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3. Name the first foreign-born player to win the Masters

a.) Herman Keiser
b.) Gary Player
c.) Sandy Lyle

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4. Name the only player to make a hole-in-one on No. 4 at Augusta National in the Masters.

a.) K.J. Choi
b.) Padraig Harrington
c.) Jeff Sluman

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5. Who is the only player to win the Masters and put on the green jacket himself?

a.) Jack Nicklaus
b.) Nick Faldo
c.) Tiger Woods

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6. Name the Masters champion who made birdie on his final four holes.

a.) Arnold Palmer
b.) Mark O’Meara
c.) Charl Schwartzel

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7. Name the player to compete in 50 consecutive Masters.

a.) Arnold Palmer
b.) Gary Player
c.) Doug Ford

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8. Name the last player to win the Masters in his first attempt.

a.) Charles Coody
b.) Ian Woosnam
c.) Fuzzy Zoeller

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9. Which amateur had the 54-hole lead only to shoot 80 in the final round?

a.) Rory McIlroy
b.) Billy Joe Patton
c.) Ken Venturi

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10. Who was the last player to win the Masters without breaking 70 in any of the four rounds?

a.) Larry Mize
b.) Zach Johnson
c.) Craig Stadler

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11. Name the last player to win the Masters with a final round over par.

a.) Craig Stadler
b.) Trevor Immelman
c.) Jack Nicklaus

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12. Name the only Masters champion who started the final round outside the top 10.

a.) Nick Faldo
b.) Art Wall
c.) Gene Sarazen

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13. What previously occupied the land that was purchased to build Augusta National Golf Club?

a.) Fruitland Nurseries
b.) Girl Scouts of America headquarters
c.) Waffle House

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14. Who has finished in second place the most times at the Masters without ever winning?

a.) Greg Norman
b.) Tom Weiskopf
c.) Johnny Miller

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15. Who won the Masters by the most shots?

a.) Raymond Floyd
b.) Jack Nicklaus
c.) Tiger Woods

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16. Who did Gene Sarazen defeat in a playoff in 1935 after making an albatross on the 15th hole of the final round?

a.) Craig Wood
b.) Horton Smith
c.) Greg Norman

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17. Which writer coined the phrase “Amen Corner” for the 11th, 12th and 13th holes at Augusta National?

a.) Grantland Rice
b.) Herbert Warren Wind
c.) O.B. Keeler

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18. Who has the lowest 72-hole score at the Masters without winning?

a.) Ernie Els
b.) David Duval
c.) Retief Goosen

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ANSWERS

• 1. b
• 2. a
• 3. b
• 4. c
• 5. a
• 6. c
• 7. a
• 8. c
• 9. c
• 10. a
• 11. b
• 12. b
• 13. a
• 14. b
• 15. c
• 16. a
• 17. b
• 18. b

AUGUSTA, Ga. – A look at some of the anniversaries this year at the Masters:

75 years ago (1939): Ralph Guldahl technically became the first winner of the Masters because the name of the championship was changed in 1939 from the Augusta National Invitation Tournament. The opening round was postponed by rain, leading to a 36-hole Sunday. Guldahl, a runner-up at Augusta each of the previous two years, had a 33 on the back nine and closed with a 69 for a one-shot win over Sam Snead. Guldahl finished at 279, the first sub-280 performance in a 72-hole major.

50 years ago (1964): The fourth and final Masters that Arnold Palmer won was by far his easiest. After one-shot victories in 1958 and 1960, and a playoff win over Gary Player in 1962, Palmer went wire-to-wire (including a tie in the first round) to win by six shots. Three rounds in the 60s gave him a five-shot lead over Bruce Devlin, and Palmer closed out victory with a 70. He won by six shots over Dave Marr and defending champion Jack Nicklaus. Palmer set the record with four green jackets, which Nicklaus surpassed with his fifth win in 1975. It was the last major Palmer won.

25 years ago (1989): Nick Faldo rallied from five shots back in the final round with a 7-under 65 to force a playoff, which he won on the second extra hole against Scott Hoch. Faldo had to return Sunday morning due to rain and wrap up a 77 in the third round. He switched putters before returning for the final round, and it paid off. In the playoff, Faldo hit into a bunker on No. 10 and made bogey. Hoch had a chance to win with a par, but he famously missed the 3-foot putt. On they went to No. 11, where Faldo won the first of his three green jackets by holing a 25-foot birdie putt.

20 years ago (1994): Jose Maria Olazabal had 14 wins in Europe and a successful partnership with Seve Ballesteros in the Ryder Cup. He came into his own at Augusta National, closing with a 3-under 69 for a two-shot victory over Tom Lehman. Olazabal was tied for the lead when his second shot to the par-5 15th narrowly stayed up, and he holed a 30-foot eagle putt from the fringe. For the week, the Spaniard had 30 one-putt greens, chipped in twice and saved par all six times he was in the bunker. He was sixth European winner in seven years.

10 years ago (2004): Finally, Phil Mickelson won his first major championship when he made an 18-foot birdie putt on the final hole to end a tense duel with Ernie Els. Mickelson made five birdies on the last seven holes for a 31 on the back nine and closed with a 3-under 69. Els closed with a 67, narrowly missing a 25-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole. The South African was on the putting green preparing for a playoff when he heard the enormous roar for Mickelson’s winning birdie putt. Until that day, Mickelson had been 0 for 42 as a professional in the majors. He would go on to win majors in each of the next two years.

AUGUSTA, Ga. – The following 97 players have qualified and are expected to compete in the 78th Masters, to be played April 10-13 at Augusta National Golf Club. Players are only listed in the first category for which they are eligible.

MASTERS CHAMPIONS: Adam Scott, Bubba Watson, Charl Schwartzel, Phil Mickelson, Angel Cabrera, Trevor Immelman, Zach Johnson, Mike Weir, Vijay Singh, Jose Maria Olazabal, Mark O’Meara, Ben Crenshaw, Bernhard Langer, Fred Couples, Ian Woosnam, Sandy Lyle, Larry Mize, Craig Stadler, Tom Watson.

U.S. OPEN CHAMPIONS (five years): Justin Rose, Webb Simpson, Rory McIlroy, Graeme McDowell, Lucas Glover.

BRITISH OPEN CHAMPIONS (five years): Ernie Els, Darren Clarke, Louis Oosthuizen, Stewart Cink.

PGA CHAMPIONS (five years): Jason Dufner, Keegan Bradley, Martin Kaymer, Y.E. Yang.

PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIPS CHAMPIONS (three years): Matt Kuchar, K.J. Choi.

U.S. AMATEUR CHAMPION AND RUNNER-UP: a-Matt Fitzpatrick, a-Oliver Goss.

BRITISH AMATEUR CHAMPION: a-Garrick Porteous.

U.S. AMATEUR PUBLIC LINKS CHAMPION: a-Jordan Niebrugge.

U.S. MID-AMATEUR CHAMPION: a-Michael McCoy.

ASIAN AMATEUR CHAMPION: a-Lee Chang-woo.

TOP 12 AND TIES-2013 MASTERS: Jason Day, Marc Leishman, Thorbjorn Olesen, Brandt Snedeker, Sergio Garcia, Lee Westwood, Tim Clark, John Huh.

TOP FOUR AND TIES-2013 U.S. OPEN: Billy Horschel, Hunter Mahan.

TOP FOUR AND TIES-2013 BRITISH OPEN: Henrik Stenson, Ian Poulter.

TOP FOUR AND TIES-2013 PGA CHAMPIONSHIP: Jim Furyk, Jonas Blixt.

PGA TOUR EVENT WINNERS SINCE 2013 MASTERS (FULL FEDEX CUP POINTS AWARDED): Derek Ernst, Sang-Moon Bae, Boo Weekley, Harris English, Ken Duke, Bill Haas, Jordan Spieth, Patrick Reed, Jimmy Walker, Ryan Moore, Dustin Johnson, Chris Kirk, Scott Stallings, Kevin Stadler, Russell Henley, John Senden, Matt Every, Steven Bowditch, Matt Jones.

FIELD FROM THE 2013 TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP: Steve Stricker, Roberto Castro, Nick Watney, Brendon de Jonge, Luke Donald, Gary Woodland, Kevin Streelman, D.A. Points, Graham DeLaet.

TOP 50 FROM FINAL WORLD RANKING IN 2013: Hideki Matsuyama, Thomas Bjorn, Jamie Donaldson, Victor Dubuisson, Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano, Miguel Angel Jimenez, Francesco Molinari, Rickie Fowler, Matteo Manassero, David Lynn, Thongchai Jaidee, Peter Hanson, Joost Luiten, Branden Grace.

TOP 50 FROM WORLD RANKING ON MARCH 30: Stephen Gallacher.

(a) denotes amateur