Amateur Void Gives Augusta Options 

The pandemic has left its mark on all facets of golf. One of the unfortunate casualties thus far is amateur representation in the 2021 Masters Tournament.

Currently, 84 players have qualified for the Masters field after 10 gained official entry by holding a spot in the top 50 of the Official Golf World Ranking at year’s end – and it’s 83 if 2008 champion Trevor Immelman decides again to sit out to focus on his television duties. That’s a fairly small number, as 88 were qualified through the end of 2019 for last year’s Masters. The final tally in 2020 – through a combination of qualifying PGA Tour wins and movement into the top 50 – reached 96 despite four events being canceled in the final month before the deadline.

Only three amateurs, however, have been invited thus far to compete in April – British Amateur winner Joe Long of England and U.S. Amateur finalists Tyler Strafaci and Charles “Ollie” Osborne. Three reserved amateur spots are vacant since the pandemic forced cancellation of the Asia-Pacific Amateur, the Latin America...