SB Nation's Brian Floyd recently broke down how a golfer can gain an invite to golf's premier event The Masters. Unlike a tournament like the U.S. Open where a player can gain entrance by going through a series of qualifying events, The Masters is much more refined. Either you meet the the tournament's requirements or you are left trying next season.
Floyd's research reveals that there are 19 different ways with which a player can secure an invite to the tournament. The one way that a player can make travel arrangements for the first week of April every year is to win the Masters as past champions are granted lifetime exemptions. Winners of golf's other Majors are granted five-year exemptions. The winner of The Players Championship is given a three-year exemption.
Other ways to get into the Masters include finishing in the top part of the prior year's Masters or the other Majors along with the PGA Championship. Additionally the top-30 on the final 2011 PGA Tour money list, the top-50 from the 2011 World Golf Ranking and this year's rankings also gain an invite.
The tournament is also amateur friendly as six different amateur champions or runner-ups are also given invites. So there is no shortage of ways to gain entrance to what could be the most prestigious golf tournament in the world but none of them are easy.