Masters extends rare special invitation to recent winner on Japan Golf Tour (just not the one you're thinking of)
Alex Myers January 9, 2019
GolfNewsThe Masters0 Comments
The Masters extended a rare special invitation overnight to a Japan Golf Tour winner. It's just not the one you're probably thinking of.
Augusta National Golf Club announced Shugo Imahira has accepted a spot in this year's Masters. Imahira, 26, won the Japan Golf Tour's order of merit in 2018 and is currently 53rd in the Official World Golf Ranking.
"Bobby Jones and Clifford Roberts established the Masters as a global sporting event, so throughout our history special invitations for deserving international players have always been carefully considered," said Augusta National chairman Fred Ridley. "We are pleased to continue this tradition by welcoming Shugo Imahira to our field this year based on his impressive record during the past 12 months. We look forward to hosting him and all of our Masters competitors in April."
Imahira will tee it up at this week's Sony Open in Hawaii, where he made the cut last year – so American golf fans can familiarise themselves a bit with Imahira before Augusta National.
In recent months, there's been clamouring – at least, on Twitter – for another Asian golfer to get such a nod. South Korea's Ho-sung Choi's quirky swing and on-course antics made him a viral sensation in 2018 when he picked up his second career JGT win at the Casio World Open. A petition for the popular Choi to get a sponsor's exemption into this month's Waste Management Phoenix Open has also received more than 5,000 online signatures. Choi is currently ranked 198th in the world.
India's Shubhankar Sharma received a special invitation last year, the first player to get one since 2013. The Masters doesn't extend special invitations often, in part because of a preference to keep field size manageable. Last year's 87 players was the fewest in 21 years.
But for those still hoping to see Ho-sung at Augusta National this year, there's still time. Sharma's invite didn't come until March last year when he was fresh off a T-9 at the 2018 WGC–Mexico Championship after being the 54-hole leader. And there's also precedence of the club doling out two such invites in the same year. In 2013, Ryo Ishikawa and Thaworn Wiratchant both received one.
Of course, players still have an opportunity to play their way into the tournament as well. Any win of a PGA Tour awarding full FedEx Cup points between now and the Valero Texas Open (April 4-7) get in. And so will anyone in the top 50 of the Official World Golf Ranking – so there's a good chance Imahira might not wind up even needing the special invite – on April 1.
The 83rd Masters is scheduled for April 11-14.
Alex MyersAugusta National Golf ClubAustralian Golf DigestFred RidleyGolfHo-sung ChoiJapan Golf TourMasters TournamentNewsShugo Imahira
Ernie Els withdraws from tournament to help those impacted by Hurricane Irma
Joel Beall September 12, 2017
Wilson disqualified for improper green-reading book at Barracuda Championship
Joel Beall July 29, 2019
For Tiger Woods to (finally) have a successful return to golf, he must …
Jaime Diaz January 24, 2018
VIDEO: 1956 Masters champ Jackie Burke Jr still has a better swing than you
Stephen Hennessey March 24, 2017
Titleist Introduces All-New AVX Golf Balls
Staff April 24, 2018
What you should – and definitely shouldn't – copy from a tour player
Mike Johnson February 27, 2019
2020 Hot List: Mallet Putters
The Editors October 7, 2020
Are average golfers gaining distance? New study says not by a long shot
Mike Stachura April 18, 2018