A total of 100 players have been invited to the 2007 Masters Tournament, it was announced today by Billy Payne, Chairman of the Masters Tournament and Augusta National Golf Club. Among the field are five amateurs and 18 first-time participants.
In accordance with qualifications, invitations have also been sent to Honorary Invitees. The Masters Tournament will be contested April 2-8.
"I’m looking forward to an outstanding 2007 Masters," Payne said. "We have a tremendous field and the course is just as we want it. We think that this year will be very special."
Two opportunities still remain for players to compete in this year’s event. Invitations may also be issued to those not qualified to date who:
• Finish among the 10 leaders on the 2007 Official PGA Tour Money List published during the week prior to the Masters.
• Finish among the 50 leaders on the 2007 Official World Golf Ranking published during the week prior to the Masters.
Payne also announced that a special invitation had been given to Hideto Tanihara.
Tanihara finished T5 at the 2006 British Open that included a third round 66. On the Japan Golf Tour he captured the JCB Classic Sendai and the Sun Chlorella Classic. He has four career wins on the circuit. Tanihara is making his first appearance in the Masters.
For more information, contact Glenn Greenspan at 706-667-6705.
Listed below are Masters first-time participants:
Bradley Dredge (Wales) (16) Winner of the 2006 Omega European tournament in Switzerland by eight strokes…also T2 last year at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship and recorded four additional top 10 finishes on the PGA European Tour…at the end of 2005 teamed with Stephen Dodd in a victory for Wales at the WGC-World Cup event…also a winner of the 2003 Madeira Island Open.
Johan Edfors (Sweden) (16) A three-time winner on the PGA European Tour in 2006…captured the TCL Classic in China, the Quinn Direct British tournament and the Barclays Scottish Open…win total made him the first Qualifying School graduate to win three times in the following season…finished 10th on the Order of Merit in 2006…Challenge Tour leading money winner in 2003.
Kenneth Ferrie (England) (11) Finished T6 at the 2006 US Open at Winged Foot…visit to New York marked his first appearance in a US major…started the final round tied for the lead with Phil Mickelson…consecutive top 10 finishes in 2006 at the US Open and Johnnie Walker Championship…two PGA European Tour titles to his credit at the 2003 Open de Espana and the 2005 Smurfit European Open.
Julien Guerrier (France) (7) Became only the second French player, and the first in 25 years, to win the British Amateur…captured a 4 and 3 victory over England’s Adam Gee in the 36-hole final at Royal George’s…a resident of La Rochelle on France’s Atlantic coast.
J. J. Henry (14) Earned his initial career victory on the PGA Tour at the Buick Championship…became the first Connecticut native in the 55-year history of the tournament to win at home…also in 2006 was T2 at the FBR Open and T4 at the BellSouth Classic…made his first appearance at the Ryder Cup and also finished in the top 30 on the PGA Tour money list. Robert Karlsson (Sweden) (16) Captured two titles on the PGA European Tour in 2006 winning the Celtic Manor Wales Open and the Deutsche Bank Players Championship of Europe…twin titles upped his European Tour total to seven…finished fourth on the season-ending Order of Merit, his best showing ever…made his Ryder Cup debut at the K Club in Ireland.
John Kelly (6-B) Fell to Richie Ramsay 4 and 2 in the 36-hole final of the US Amateur at Hazeltine National Golf Club…made his first US Amateur appearance after five previous attempts at qualifying…senior at the University of Missouri where he earned Big 12 First Team All-Academic honors…won the 2006 Missouri Stroke Play, 2006 Ozark Invitational and 2004 Metropolitan Amateur.
Troy Matteson (14) Winner of the 2006 Frys.com Open on the PGA Tour…victory was in the middle of five consecutive top 10 finishes that vaulted him from 172nd on the Tour money list to 36th…at Frys.com, scored four rounds in the 60s including middle rounds of 65-64…finished T2 the following week at Disney where he held the 54-hole lead…finished first on the money list on the 2005 Nationwide Tour.
Brett Quigley (14) Had a career-year in 2006 setting personal marks in top 10 finishes and earnings on the PGA Tour…recorded ten top 10 finishes placing him tied for fourth on Tour in that category…results included T3 at the Barclays Classic, 3rd at the 84 Lumber Classic, T4 at Colonial and 4th at the Canadian Open…in Ontario tied the course record with a second-round 63…earned his first trip to the season-ending Tour Championship.
Richie Ramsay (Scotland) (6-A) Winner of the 2006 US Amateur defeating John Kelly 4 and 2 in the 36-hole final at Hazeltine National Golf Club…winner of the 2004 Scottish Open Stroke Play and 2005 Irish Amateur Stroke Play events…member of the 2005 Great Britain and Ireland Walker Cup team and a former Palmer Cup Team participant…student at the University of Stirling in Scotland.
Jeev Milkha Singh (India) (16) Two-time winner on the PGA European Tour in 2006…victories included the season-ending Volvo event at Valderrama and the Volvo China Open…finished the year 16th on the Order of Merit…also claimed his maiden title in Japan at the Casio World Open…first Indian to play in the Masters and the first Indian golfer to qualify for the European Tour after earning his card in 1997…son of a former Olympic sprinter.
Camilo Villegas (Colombia) (14) Finished T2 twice in his first six events on the PGA Tour in 2006…results came at the FBR Open and at Doral where he finished one stroke behind Tiger Woods…also T3 at The Player Championship and the Tokai Classic on the Japan Golf Tour…represented Colombia in the World Golf Championship-Barbados World Cup.
Casey Watabu (8) Recorded a 4 and 3 victory over Anthony Kim to win the US Amateur Public Links Championship at the Golf Mountain Golf Club in Bremerton, WA…led 5-up after the opening 18-holes of the 36-hole final…captured the 2006 NCAA West Regional individual title…graduate of the University of Nevada…resident of Kapaa, Hawaii.
Brett Wetterich (14, 16) Outstanding 2006 season for the 2005 Qualifying School graduate…captured the Byron Nelson Championship, earned a spot on the Ryder Cup Team and finished 10th on the PGA Tour money list…five additional top 10 finishes including T2 at the Memorial and the Chrysler Championship.
Dean Wilson (14) Earned his first PGA Tour win at The International in Castle Pines…birdied the second playoff hole to defeat Tom Lehman for the title…Had six top 10 finishes including T2 at the Texas Open, T7 at the Nissan Open and T9 in Milwaukee…has a total of six international wins to his credit including the 2001 Japan PGA Championship and the Japan PGA Match Play Championship.
Dave Womack (9) Captured the US Mid-Amateur Championship 1 up over Ryan Hybl at Forest Highlands Golf Club in Flagstaff, AZ…made a 5-foot par putt on the last hole for the victory…a Georgia resident, he defeated the assistant golf coach at the University of Georgia in the finals…won the 2003 and 2005 Georgia Public Links…career-low round of 59.
Yong-Eun Yang (Korea) (16) Won the HSBC Champions tournament at Sheshan International Golf Club in Shanghai, the first event of the 2007 PGA European Tour season…win was his third victory in the 2006 calendar year following earlier successes in Asia and Japan…voted Korean PGA Tour Rookie of the Year in 1999…a total of four victories on the Japan Golf Tour.
2007 MASTERS TOURNAMENT INVITEES
As of January 30, 2007
Tommy Aaron (1) Doug Ford (1) Jose Maria Olazabal (Spain)(1,10,14,16)
Robert Allenby (Australia)(16) Fred Funk (5) Mark O’Meara (1)
Stephen Ames (Canada)(5,10,14,16) Jim Furyk (2,11,12,14,16) Arnold Palmer (1)
Stuart Appleby (Australia)(14,16) Sergio Garcia (Spain)(13,16) Rod Pampling (Australia)(10,14,16)
Severiano Ballesteros (Spain)(1) Lucas Glover (14,16) Tom Pernice Jr. (14)
Rich Beem (4) Bob Goalby (1) Carl Pettersson (Sweden)(14,16)
Thomas Bjorn (Denmark)(16) Retief Goosen (South Africa)(2,10,14,16) Gary Player (South Africa)(1)
Gay Brewer Jr. (1) #* Julien Guerrier (France)(7) Ian Poulter (England)(16)
Jack Burke Jr. (1) Todd Hamilton (3) # Brett Quigley (14)
Angel Cabrera (Argentina)(10,16) Padraig Harrington (Ireland)(11,16) #* Richie Ramsay (Scotland)(6-A)
Chad Campbell (10,14,16) # J. J. Henry (14) Rory Sabbatini (South Africa)(14,16)
Michael Campbell (New Zealand)(2,16) Tim Herron (14) Adam Scott (Australia)(13,14,16)
Paul Casey (England)(16) David Howell (England)(16) # Jeev Milkha Singh (India)(16)
Billy Casper (1) Trevor Immelman (South Africa)(14,16) Vijay Singh (Fiji)(1,4,10,11,14,16)
K. J. Choi (Korea)(14,16) Miguel Angel Jimenez (Spain)(10) Jeff Sluman (11)
Stewart Cink (10,14,16) Zach Johnson (14) Craig Stadler (1)
Tim Clark (South Africa)(10,14,16) # Robert Karlsson (Sweden)(16) Henrik Stenson (Sweden)(16)
Darren Clarke (N. Ireland)(16) Shingo Katayama (Japan)(16) Steve Stricker (11,14)
Charles Coody (1) Jerry Kelly (14) # Hideto Tanihara (Japan)
Fred Couples (1,10) #* John Kelly (6-B) Vaughn Taylor (14)
Ben Crane (16) Bernhard Langer (Germany)(1) David Toms (14,16)
Ben Crenshaw (1) Davis Love III (14,16) Scott Verplank (10,14)
Ben Curtis (3,14) Sandy Lyle (Scotland)(1) # Camilo Villegas (Colombia)(14)
Chris DiMarco (12,16) # Troy Matteson (14) #* Casey Watabu (8)
Luke Donald (England)(13,14,16) Billy Mayfair (10) Tom Watson (1)
# Bradley Dredge (Wales)(16) Shaun Micheel (4,13) Mike Weir (Canada)(1,10,11,14,16)
Joe Durant (14,16) Phil Mickelson (1,4,11,14,16) Lee Westwood (England)(16)
# Johan Edfors (Sweden)(16) Larry Mize (1) # Brett Wetterich (14,16)
Ernie Els (South Africa)(3,12,14,16) Colin Montgomerie (Scotland)(11,16) # Dean Wilson (14)
Nick Faldo (England)(1) Jack Nicklaus (1) #* Dave Womack (9)
Niclas Fasth (Sweden)(16) Arron Oberholser (10,14,16) Tiger Woods (1,2,3,4,10,14,16)
# Kenneth Ferrie (England)(11) Geoff Ogilvy (Australia)(2,10,14,16) Ian Woosnam (Wales)(1)
Raymond Floyd (1) Nick O’Hern (Australia)(11,16) # Yong-Eun Yang (Korea)(16)
Fuzzy Zoeller (1)
Number after each name indicates the basis of qualification. The Masters Committee, at its discretion, also invites International players not
otherwise qualified.
1. Masters Tournament Champions (Lifetime)
2. US Open Champions (Honorary, non-competing after 5 years)
3. British Open Champions (Honorary, non-competing after 5 years)
4. PGA Champions (Honorary, non-competing after 5 years)
5. Winners of The Players Championship (2005 and 2006)
6. Current US Amateur Champion (6-A) (Honorary, non-competing after 1 year) and the runner-up (6-B) to the current US Amateur Champion
7. Current British Amateur Champion (Honorary, non-competing after 1 year)
8. Current US Amateur Public Links Champion
9. Current US Mid-Amateur Champion
10. The first 16 players, including ties, in the 2006 Masters Tournament
11. The first 8 players, including ties, in the 2006 US Open Championship
12. The first 4 players, including ties, in the 2006 British Open Championship
13. The first 4 players, including ties, in the 2006 PGA Championship
14. The 40 leaders on the Final Official PGA Tour Money List for 2006
15. The 10 leaders on the Official PGA Tour Money List published during the week prior to the 2007 Masters Tournament
16. The 50 leaders on the Final Official World Golf Ranking for 2006
17. The 50 leaders on the Official World Golf Ranking published during the week prior to the 2007 Masters Tournament
# Denotes first Masters
* Denotes Amateur
Contact:
Jill Maxwell
Administrative Assistant
Masters Tournament
Augusta National Golf Club
2604 Washington Road
Augusta, GA 30904
Phone: 706.667.6708
Fax: 706.731.0611
jamaxwell@augustanational.com
