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PGA Tour Winner’s Globetrotting Pays Off With Coveted Masters Spot

Ryan Gerard fell in a playoff at the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open to Jayden Schaper, who won his second straight event with a second consecutive eagle in a playoff.

Max Schreiber

Ryan Gerard earned a spot in the 2026 Masters after falling in a playoff, halfway across the world.
Ryan Gerard earned a spot in the 2026 Masters after falling in a playoff, halfway across the world. / Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

For Ryan Gerard, it was well worth the 20,000-mile trip. 

The 26-year-old American, who won the PGA Tour’s Barracuda Championship in August, did not have a spot in the 2026 Masters. So, in an attempt to change that, he decided to play the DP World Tour’s AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open in Mauritius, a small island roughly 1,250 miles off the eastern coast of Africa.

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Gerard entered the event No. 57 in the world rankings, needing to crack the top 50 at the end of 2025 for a tee time at Augusta National Golf Club in April. 

Mission accomplished. 

After a birdie on the 72nd hole, he lost in a playoff to South Africa’s Jayden Schaper, but will move to No. 46 in the world. 

As for Schaper, he won in improbable fashion—again. 

The 24-year-old, who birdied three of his last four holes in regulation, holed a pitch shot for eagle on the second extra hole for the victory. It’s his second DPWT win in as many starts, having claimed the Alfred Dunhill Championship in South Africa by making an eagle in a playoff.

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Max Schreiber
MAX SCHREIBER

Max Schreiber is a contributor to the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated, covering golf. Before joining SI in October 2024, the Mahwah, N.J., native, worked as an associate editor for the Golf Channel and wrote for RyderCup.com and FanSided. He is a multiplatform producer for Newsday and has a bachelor's in communications and journalism from Quinnipiac University. In his free time, you can find him doing anything regarding the Yankees, Giants, Knicks and Islanders.

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