It’s not final till the 31st December but Ireland will now have three players teeing-up in next year’s Masters
The Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR) has released a ‘projected’ end of 2022 ranking of all players and with Rory McIlroy assured in being World No. 1.
Shane Lowry is projected to end the year at a career best of World No. 20 and Seamus Power also a career high as World No. 29.
For the top-ranked McIlroy the 2023 Masters will be a 15th appearance at Augusta National since a maiden drive down Magnolia Lane in 2009 and with this year’s second place finish a best finish.
Lowry will be teeing-up on the Georgia golfing gem for an eighth occasion and his best result also this year in sharing third place.
His 2022 end-of-year ranking is 24 spots higher-up than a year ago while it will be just a place shy of ending 2019, and the year he captured the Open Championship at Royal Portrush, when he headed into 2020 as the World No. 19.
A year ago, Power was ranked No. 72 in the world and this after heading into the 2021 ranked No. 433 ahead of the Sony Open. In the ensuing near two years, Power has won twice and enjoyed 11 other top-10s.
This past season also has seen Power rewarded with a first start in all four majors and now he’s headed to Christmas knowing he’s automatically exempt into the four majors of 2023 plus many other leading PGA Tour events.
The only changes to the OWGR top-10 at year’s end is that current World No. 9 Viktor Hovland will drop to No. 10 and swap with Matt Fitzpatrick who will finish 2022 as World No. 9.
American Daniel Berger will secure a sixth straight Masters invitation as he’s being projected to end the year at World No. 50.
Among those other LIV Golf players to end the year inside the top-50 include Cameron Smith at No. 3, Abraham Ancer at No. 32, Dustin Johnson at No. 41, Harold Varner 111 at No. 45, Jason Kokrak at No. 47 and Kevin Na as World No. 49.
Four-time major winner Brooks Koepka is being projected to drop three spots to No. 51 in the world however he remains exempt for the Masters following his 2019 PGA Championship victory.
