Seems like a week or so ago that the various news outlets were reporting that Ernie Els received an invitation to The Masters.
They all immediately assumed that it was to show up as a participant in the 72-hole major.
They assumed wrong.
Yes, Ernie Els received a Masters invitation. But like other former winners of major championships, it was an invitation to show up as one of those wonderful “Non-participating invitees.”
Els turned 48 last October and his best days are behind him until he gets a chance to compete on the Champions (Senior) Tour.
He’s currently ranked 592 in the world and hasn’t won since the Open Championship in 2012.
His four majors (two U.S. Opens, two Open Championships) put him on the list of guys who are invited to The Masters but basically have to be content with hanging around the clubhouse.
That’s not something that would interest Els, who has better things to do.
As for Ernie, hope springs eternal. He wants to earn a spot in the 2018 Masters but that means he’ll basically have to win a PGA Tour event between now and the week of The Masters.
Good luck on that one, Ernie.
