It was mid-December and Ryan Gerard had a decision to make.
He was just outside the top 50 in the world ranking and there was one more chance for him to move up enough to earn his first Masters invitation – but it meant a journey of approximately 9,700 miles to Mauritius and finishing fourth or better in the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open to assure receiving that holiday letter from Augusta National.
When you’re 26 years old and feel like you’re riding a growing wave, it sounded like an adventure.
“At the very worst, I was going to have a really cool trip and a fun story,” Gerard said at Torrey Pines last week.
It turned into more than that.
“Any time you have a chance to play your way into a really prestigious tournament like the Masters, you kind of try to do everything possible to do that.” – Ryan Gerard
Gerard thought he had played his final 2025 event when he missed the cut at the RSM Classic, where he played well but didn’t make enough putts, dropping him outside the top 50 in the ranking, the magic number come Dec. 31 when Masters invitations are locked in.
After a few conversations and some quick math, Gerard realized it could be worth a case of jet lag if he could have a good week in Mauritius, which sits about 1,200 miles off the southeast coast of Africa.
Going to Mauritius isn’t like going to Maryland. But getting into the Masters isn’t like anything else.
“Any time you have a chance to play your way into a really prestigious tournament like the Masters, you kind of try to do everything possible to do that,” Gerard said.
Because Gerard had a DP World Tour membership, the far-flung opportunity awaited.
He left his house in Jupiter, Florida, around 5 p.m. on a Saturday, took an Uber to the Miami airport then caught an overnight flight to Rome with his roommate, JP Burke, who agreed to caddie for him that week.
With a layover of nearly eight hours in Rome, Gerard toured the Colosseum, visited some ruins and grabbed some “really good” pizza before catching a 12-hour flight to Mauritius, arriving around 11 a.m. local time.
“I had a nice lay-flat seat so I wasn’t too worried about it but it was a little different than normal,” Gerard said.
Having made the financial and physical investment, Gerard didn’t want to waste it. A spot in the Masters could be his Christmas gift to himself.
A 68-69 start got Gerard into the weekend, and a third-round 63 staked him to a two-stroke lead.
“Once we got rolling, it was like any other golf tournament. You obviously don’t want to go all the way there and lay an egg and play terrible. I felt pretty confident I was going to be able to get around that place pretty well,” Gerard said.
“It was one of those things I was OK with whatever happened. I had come to terms with whatever happens is going to happen. I’m going to go out there and play my best and control what I can control.”
“Definitely bittersweet that I did not win, especially when you get into a playoff. All of a sudden the mindset shifts from we’re here to get into the Masters to winning.” – Ryan Gerard
Gerard shot 66 on Sunday and wound up in a playoff with Jayden Schaper, only to lose when Schaper holed out for eagle on the second extra hole to win for the second straight week on the DP World Tour.
Still, Gerard got what he had come for.
“Definitely bittersweet that I did not win, especially when you get into a playoff. All of a sudden the mindset shifts from we’re here to get into the Masters to winning,” Gerard said.
“It was pretty valuable for me coming down the stretch, either tied for the lead or with the lead the majority of the back nine. Just how I was playing to protect the top four but also playing to win. It was kind of a weird situation you don’t find yourself in very often, playing for a specific number but also kick into gear to birdie the last hole and get into a playoff.”
Gerard was back home long enough to enjoy a short holiday break before heading to Hawaii and one of the fastest starts in this still-young tour season. Gerard finished second at both the Sony Open in Hawaii and the American Express before tying for 11th at the Farmers Insurance Open last week.
In second place in the FedEx Cup points race, Gerard has essentially set up his 2026 schedule through his good play, allowing him to focus on the bigger events. Ranked 23rd in the world now, Gerard has quietly evolved as a player.
During his time at the University of North Carolina, Gerard was a teammate of Ben Griffin, Austin Greaser and David Ford in various seasons. Gerard won just one college event but he has succeeded in finding what works for him.
“I’ve always kind of flown under the radar a little bit. My swing isn’t exactly super picture perfect so it’s easy to kind of dismiss that early on in a career with high school and college. Some guys pop off the page with really cool looking swings or really high ball speeds,” Gerard said.
“I’ve done a really good job of sticking to my plan and my process and controlling what I can control but also going out there with the intention to get better.”
Gerard has made one playing visit to Augusta, joining Greaser in 2022 after his teammate reached the U.S. Amateur final the year before. He intends to return at least once before the Masters, looking at it through the lens of a participant.
“Going there for the first time pre-Masters is still going to be getting the awe factor out of there. I went [as a spectator] for a practice round with my dad in 2013 maybe, so already getting some of the ‘holy cow’ stuff out the system is going to be beneficial,” Gerard said.
“You can go with the intention of learning the golf course, I’m still going to enjoy it but I’m going to go with the intention to learn and prepare.”
And it’s not nearly as far away as Mauritius.