Ryan Gerard flies to Mauritius, earns Masters invitation

Ryan Gerard went the extra mile to earn an invitation to the 2026 Masters tournament.

Gerard actually traveled approximately 10,000 miles from Jupiter, Fla., to Mauritius. The island nation is located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of East Africa.

At 57th in the Official World Golf Ranking last week, Gerard needed a tie for fourth place or better in the DP World Tour's AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open to move into the top 50 in the OWGR to earn the Masters invitation. The tournament was the last of the year that offers OWGR points.

As it turned out, Gerard moved all the way to 46th in OWGR after finishing second in the tournament. He carded a 22-under-par 266 at Heritage La Reserve Golf Links before losing in a playoff to Jayden Schaper of South Africa.

Gerard, 26, enjoyed a productive rookie season by winning his first PGA Tour title at the Barracuda Championship in July in Truckee, Calif.

The victory ensured Gerard will be exempt on the PGA Tour for the next two years.

Gerard also tied for eighth at the PGA Championship earlier this year.