From: ccastmm@prism.gatech.EDU (Mike Marler)
Newsgroups: rec.sport.golf
Subject: Re: The British Open is the only real major
Date: 17 Apr 92 03:23:35 GMT
Organization: Georgia Institute of Technology

In article <cgllgher.703439202@unix2.tcd.ie> cgllgher@unix2.tcd.ie (    SPARKY     ) writes:
 >We must all congratulate Boom Boom Freddy on his master's
 >success,but if more Europeans were allowed in we might
 >regard it with some respect.Some might say we had plenty
 >but out of about a dozen only about three have not won
 >and actually were really "invited".Parry plays a lot
 >on this side and we can see how well he did.
 >I think the reason the invites to  Europeans is so low
 >is because they are afraid we will dominate everything
 >like they used to.THey make invitational only very few
 >top Europeans get in but even low ranking Americans get
 >in this is unlike the British Open where everyone can 
 >qualify.If they invited the world's top fifty plus
 >past winners things would be more interesting.
 >With so little Europeans with so many titles they are afraid

Well, here is how players "win invitations" to the field (from the
1990 Masters Journal - I don't think any changes have been made since):

 1) Masters champions (Lifetime)
 2) U.S. Open champions (honorary after five years)
 3) British Open champions (honorary after five years)
 4) PGA champions (honorary after five years)
 5) Current U.S. Amateur champion (honorary after one year)
 6) Current U.S. Amateur runner-up
 7) Current British Amateur champion (honorary after one year)
 8) Current U.S. Public Links champion
 9) Current U.S. Mid-Amateur champion
10) Members of the last-named U.S. Ryder Cup team
11) The first 24 players, including ties, from the previous year's Masters
12) The first 16 players, including ties, from the previous year's U.S. Open
13) The first 8 players, including ties, from the previous year's PGA
14) Winners of PGA Tour co-sponsed events considered by the Masters committee
    to be "major" events (excluding team championships), from the conclusion
    of the previous year's Masters to the start of the present year's Masters
15) The 30 leaders on the final offical PGA Tour Money List for the previous
    year

And of course not listed - Special invitees.  When Woosie was awarded the
coveted *Green Jacket*, the Chairman proadly boasted how he had been the "one"
to choose Woosie, over many dissents from others on the tournament committee,
for one of the previous year's special invitees.  Where upon Woosie finished
in the top 24 players and got an invite to come the next year and WON!

Now, lets see about the number of U.S. players verus number of foreign players
that have won the Masters since 1934 - U.S.=46, foreign=9.  Up until 1980,
only one foreigner (best I can tell) had won the Masters, three times, and
that was Gary Player.  But from 1980 to the present check out the winners:

Seve Ballesteros
Tom Waston
Criag Stadler
Seve Ballesteros
Ben Crenshaw
Bernhard Langer
Jack Nicklaus
Larry Mize
Snady Lyle
Nick Faldo
Woosie
Freddy Couples

Looks pretty even.

Still, it would be nice to see more foriegn players; since, I would guess that
the majority get in via methods 1, 3, 7, 11, 12?, and specials.

Cheers, Mike

PS. By the way, didn't you have a "chap" from "up around you way" play in
    the last Ryder Cup?

-- 
Mike Marler                        |
Internet: ccastmm@prism.gatech.edu |   "Dar's two sets of rules."
uucp: !gatech!prism!ccastmm	   |                          -- Paris Trout
Disclaimer: These views are not and should not be viewed as those of OIT.