Masters: Three South Africans in the 2023 field – including an amateur
Louis Oosthuizen and Charl Schwartzel will lead the South African threat at the Masters this year with only one other player in the mix. And that other player is none other than leading amateur Aldrich Potgieter. ALSO READ: Christiaan Bezuidenhout: South Africa’s new No 1 MASTERS TO TEST SA CREW Schwartzel’s standing in the game continues […]
Louis Oosthuizen and Charl Schwartzel will lead the South African threat at the Masters this year with only one other player in the mix.
And that other player is none other than leading amateur Aldrich Potgieter.
ALSO READ: Christiaan Bezuidenhout: South Africa’s new No 1
MASTERS TO TEST SA CREW
Schwartzel’s standing in the game continues to yo-yo. He’s done reasonably well on the LIV circuit as he reaches 40.
Last year, he did finish a respectable T10.
In that same breath last year’s finish was only his second top-10 in 11 starts since his win in 2011, and given the questions regarding a lack of competitive reps for LIV Golf members, not too much is expected of the former champion.
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Oosthuizen is perennially listed as a Masters outside pick due to his form at the biggest events.
However, since his runner-up at the 2012 tournament he’s finished no better than T12. He withdrew last year through injury.
ALSO READ: LIV Golf: Louis Oosthuizen wins R28.6 million after losing in playoff
Amateur golfer Potgieter became the second youngest winner in the 127-year history of the Amateur Championship in 2022 when he beat England’s Sam Bairstow 3&2 in the 36-hole final at Royal Lytham and St Annes.
At 17 he was a year older than Italian Matteo Manassero, winner at nearby Formby in 2009.
He was also only the third South African to lift the trophy following Bobby Cole in 1966 – he was just 18 and the youngest-ever at the time – and Jovan Rebula four years ago.
It was Potgieter’s fourth win of the year – three in his home country and one in Australia. As well as The Open there will be places waiting for him in next year’s US Open and, by tradition, the Masters at Augusta National.
“I haven’t felt this good before,” he said.
THREE SOUTH AFRICANS IN THE 2023 FIELD
| INVITEES | COUNTRY | QUALIFICATION |
|---|---|---|
| Ancer, Abraham | Mexico | 18,19 |
| #* Bennett, Sam | United States | 7-A |
| Bradley, Keegan | United States | 16,18,19 |
| Burns, Sam | United States | 16,17,18,19 |
| Cantlay, Patrick | United States | 16,17,18,19 |
| #* Carr, Ben | United States | 7-B |
| Champ, Cameron | United States | 12 |
| Conners, Corey | Canada | 12,16,17,18,19 |
| Couples, Fred | United States | 1 |
| #* Crowe, Harrison | Australia | 9 |
| Day, Jason | Australia | 19 |
| DeChambeau, Bryson | United States | 2 |
| English, Harris | United States | 19 |
| #* Fernandez de Oliveira, Mateo | Argentina | 10 |
| Finau, Tony | United States | 16,17,18,19 |
| Fitzpatrick, Matt | England | 2,17,18,19 |
| Fleetwood, Tommy | England | 14,18,19 |
| # Fox, Ryan | New Zealand | 18,19 |
| Garcia, Sergio | Spain | 1 |
| Gooch, Talor | United States | 17,18 |
| Harman, Brian | United States | 17,18,19 |
| Hatton, Tyrrell | England | 18,19 |
| Henley, Russell | United States | 16,18 |
| #^ Higa, Kazuki | Japan | |
| Hoge, Tom | United States | 17,18,19 |
| Homa, Max | United States | 16,17,18,19 |
| Horschel, Billy | United States | 16,17,18,19 |
| Hovland, Viktor | Norway | 14,17,18,19 |
| Hughes, Mackenzie | Canada | 16,18 |
| Im, Sungjae | Korea | 12,17,18,19 |
| Johnson, Dustin | United States | 1,12,18 |
| Johnson, Zach | United States | 1 |
| Kim, Si Woo | Korea | 16,19 |
| # Kim, Tom | Korea | 16,18,19 |
| Kirk, Chris | United States | 16,19 |
| Kisner, Kevin | United States | 18,19 |
| # Kitayama, Kurt | United States | 16,18,19 |
| Koepka, Brooks | United States | 2,4 |
| Kokrak, Jason | United States | 18 |
| Langer, Bernhard | Germany | 1 |
| Lee, Kyoung-Hoon | Korea | 16,17,18,19 |
| Lee, Min Woo | Australia | 19 |
| Lowry, Shane | Ireland | 3,12,18,19 |
| Lyle, Sandy | Scotland | 1 |
| Matsuyama, Hideki | Japan | 1,13,17,18,19 |
| #* McClean, Matthew | Northern Ireland | 11 |
| McIlroy, Rory | Northern Ireland | 12,14,16,17,18,19 |
| # Meronk, Adrian | Poland | 18 |
| Mickelson, Phil | United States | 1,4 |
| Mitchell, Keith | United States | 19 |
| Mize, Larry | United States | 1 |
| Molinari, Francesco | Italy | 3 |
| # Moore, Taylor | United States | 16 |
| Morikawa, Collin | United States | 3,4,12,17,18,19 |
| Na, Kevin | United States | 18 |
| Niemann, Joaquin | Chile | 17,18,19 |
| Noren, Alex | Sweden | 18,19 |
| Olazabal, Jose Maria | Spain | 1 |
| Oosthuizen, Louis | S. Africa | 18 |
| # Pereira, Mito | Chile | 15,18 |
| Pieters, Thomas | Belgium | 18,19 |
| Poston, J.T. | United States | 16,17,19 |
| #* Potgieter, Aldrich | S. Africa | 8 |
| Power, Seamus | Ireland | 16,18,19 |
| Rahm, Jon | Spain | 2,16,17,18,19 |
| Reed, Patrick | United States | 1 |
| Rose, Justin | England | 16,19 |
| #*^ Sargent, Gordon | United States | Special |
| Schauffele, Xander | United States | 16,17,18,19 |
| Scheffler, Scottie | United States | 1,13,16,17,18,19 |
| Schwartzel, Charl | S. Africa | 1,12 |
| Scott, Adam | Australia | 1,17,18,19 |
| Singh, Vijay | Fiji | 1 |
| Smith, Cameron | Australia | 3,5,12,17,18,19 |
| Spieth, Jordan | United States | 1,16,17,18,19 |
| Stallings, Scott | United States | 17 |
| Straka, Sepp | Austria | 17,18,19 |
| # Svensson, Adam | Canada | 16 |
| # Theegala, Sahith | United States | 17,18,19 |
| Thomas, Justin | United States | 4,5,12,17,18,19 |
| Varner III, Harold | United States | 18 |
| Watson, Bubba | United States | 1 |
| Weir, Mike | Canada | 1 |
| Willett, Danny | England | 1,12 |
| Wise, Aaron | United States | 18,19 |
| Woodland, Gary | United States | 2 |
| Woods, Tiger | United States | 1 |
| Young, Cameron | United States | 14,15,17,18,19 |
| Zalatoris, Will | United States | 12,13,15,16,17,18,19 |
| # Denotes first Masters * Denotes Amateur ^ The Masters Committee, at its discretion, also invites international players not otherwise qualified. |
PAST CHAMPIONS NOT PLAYING
Tommy Aaron
Jack Burke Jr.
Angel Cabrera
Charles Coody
Ben Crenshaw
Nick Faldo
Raymond Floyd
Trevor Immelman
Jack Nicklaus
Mark O’Meara
Gary Player
Craig Stadler
Tom Watson
Ian Woosnam
Fuzzy Zoeller
QUALIFICATIONS FOR INVITATION
- Masters Tournament Champions (Lifetime)
- US Open Champions (Honorary, non-competing after five years)
- The Open Champions (Honorary, non-competing after five years)
- PGA Champions (Honorary, non-competing after five years)
- Winners of The Players Championship (Three years)
- Current Olympic Gold Medalist (One year)
- Current US Amateur Champion (7-A) (Honorary, non-competing after one year) and the runner-up (7-B) to the current US Amateur Champion
- Current The Amateur Champion (Honorary, non-competing after one year)
- Current Asia-Pacific Amateur Champion (One year)
- Current Latin America Amateur Champion (One year)
- Current US Mid-Amateur Champion (One year)
- The first 12 players, including ties, in the previous year’s Masters Tournament
- The first 4 players, including ties, in the previous year’s US Open
- The first 4 players, including ties, in the previous year’s The Open Championship
- The first 4 players, including ties, in the previous year’s PGA Championship
- Individual winners of PGA Tour events that award a full-point allocation for the season-ending Tour Championship, from previous Masters to current Masters
- Those qualifying for the previous year’s season-ending Tour Championship
- The 50 leaders on the Final Official World Golf Ranking for the previous calendar year
- The 50 leaders on the Official World Golf Ranking published during the week prior to the current Masters Tournament
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