From Mauritius to Masters
Ryan Gerard primed for Augusta after long journey
It was mid-December and Ryan Gerard had a decision to make.
He was just outside the top 50 in the world ranking and there was one more chance for him to move up enough to earn his first Masters invitation – but it meant a journey of approximately 9,700 miles to Mauritius and finishing fourth or better in the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open to assure receiving that holiday letter from Augusta National.
When you’re 26 years old and feel like you’re riding a growing wave, it sounded like an adventure.
“At the very worst, I was going to have a really cool trip and a fun story,” Gerard said at Torrey Pines last week.
Gerard thought he had played his final 2025 event when he missed the cut at the RSM Classic, where he played well but didn’t make enough putts, dropping him outside the top 50 in the ranking, the magic number come Dec. 31 when Masters invitations are locked in.
After a few conversations and some quick math, Gerard realized it could be worth a case of jet lag if he could have a good week in Mauritius, which sits about 1,200 miles off the southeast coast of Africa.
Going to Mauritius isn’t like going to Maryland. But getting into the Masters isn’t like anything else.
“Any time you have a chance to play your way into a really prestigious tournament like the Masters, you kind of try to do everything possible to do that,” Gerard said.
Because Gerard had a DP World Tour membership, the far-flung opportunity awaited.
