Graeme McDowell’s young children are delighted with official confirmation their father will now contest November’s rescheduled Masters.
Four players – McDowell, South African Christiaan Bezuidenhout and the American duo of Scotty Scheffler and Collin Morikawa – have now been added to the field for the 43rd hosting of the Masters and qualifying by virtue of being inside the top-50 on the World Rankings as at Monday, 30th March.
The four were contacted by Augusta National shortly after the release of a Tuesday statement confirming the rescheduling of the Masters to 12-15 November.
While Bezuidenhout, Scheffleur and Morikawa were well inside the top-50 McDowell’s situation was a little bizarre.
G Mac had dropped to 51st on the World Rankings in the week of the eventual cancelled Players Championship but then to his enormous surprise he moved back to 49th on March 30th.
Graeme McDowell about to play a wedge shot during the 2016 Masters
Though the big question, and given Augusta National announced on March 4th the 2020 Masters was being postponed, then became if the ultra-exclusive Georgia golf club would honour those with an invitation and inside the top-50 some four weeks later.
McDowell, who among four such players, got the Masters good news and with the promise of a formal invitation in the mail.
And while McDowell has not teed-up at Augusta National since 2016 it also now means his three young children will get to wear a famed white ‘boiler suit’ caddy outfits and caddy for their father the Par-3 Contest.
“Positive news yesterday to see the Majors getting some dates and especially the Masters being rescheduled to later in the year and I’m very pleased they have decided to honour the original March 30th deadline,” he said in speaking with the www.golfbytourmiss.com
G Mac left with is arm around his wife at the 2013 Par-3 Contest and with Caroline Wozniacki putting her around Rory McIlroy.
“It had been a big goal to get back into the top-50 on the rankings but to drop to 51st and then back to 49th just ahead of that deadline, and after the Players had been cancelled, was pretty bizarre and I was concerned I would find myself in a grey area. The people involved with The Masters were fantastic with me and literally called me 20 minutes after the press release to inform me I was in the field.
“So, it’s great to know I can now include the Masters on my schedule even though the second week of November is going to be very different for everyone compared to a second week in April. How will the weather be and more interesting, how will the golf course look and play?
“I’m also very excited to get the kids in their white boiler suits at the Par-3 Contest. I haven’t had a chance to have all 3 of them out there since I have missed the last few years, so that will be a special moment.
“It’s so important not to lose sight of the bigger picture still at stake here. Lives are at stake all over the world and sport is irrelevant in comparison. We all have to do the right thing. It’s a responsibility and there is just no other choice right now.”
It now means McDowell joining current World No. 1 Rory McIlroy and Open Champion, Shane Lowry in the Augusta National field.
