Graeme McDowell bypasses year-end top-50 race with win in Mexico

There’s been some serious bubble shifting with tournament winners Emiliano Grillo, Justin Thomas, Russell Knox and Victor Dubuisson vaulting into the top 50 in recent weeks and pushing a few guys out in their quest to reach the Masters by the year-end deadline.

At the moment, 12 players not otherwise already qualified are currently sitting inside the top 50 of the Official World Golf Rankings. If they remain there after the last official OWGR event of 2015 at the Asian Tour's Philippines Open, they will receive their invitations in the post-Christmas mailing from Augusta National along with everyone else.

About seven of them – from Sergio Garcia at No. 11 thru Ben An at No. 39 – should remain inside the top 50 over the closing weeks of 2015.

Another handful will have to put in some late-season effort to maintain their perches with the European Tour season winding down and the volatility high on the bubble.

One of those who learned that lesson this week is former world No. 1 Lee Westwood, how got bumped out of the top 50 by rookie Matthew Fitzpatrick, who tied for 13th at the BMW Masters in China to climb to reach the top 50 for the first time in his young career. Westwood slipped to No. 52.

One veteran who no longer has to worry about filling his April itinerary is Graeme McDowell. The former U.S. Open champ and Ryder Cup hero shook off his worst season in a decade by winning the OHL Classic at Mayakoba with a lasered 5-iron to 2 feet on the first playoff hole against Knox and Jason Bohn. McDowell hadn't won on the PGA Tour since the week after the 2013 Masters at Hilton Head nor anywhere else in the world since the 2014 French Open on the European Tour. He'd fallen from 15th in the world at the end of 2014 to 85th before Monday's rain-delayed victory.

"It really gives me something to kind of grab onto," McDowell said. "You go through a year like this you think, 'Am I finished? Am I not good enough?' You ask yourself all the questions. We've all been there. This is the game of golf. It's very difficult. I've been dreaming of this day. And I said to myself that I was going to appreciate it when it came. So I'm going to appreciate this one, let me tell you. This year's been a grind. My whole team -- caddie, coaches, managers, my wife -- it's been a tough year. So this is special. I've stuck to my task the last 3 or 4 months, kept grinding. Big thanks to everyone who kept trsuting and believing in me.

"This is a nice step back to where I want to be. I want to be back up there and I want to win more major championships and I want to win more tournaments. So this is special."

McDowell is the fifth player in consecutive weeks to book his Masters ticket in the opening five qualifying events of the wrap-around 2015-16 PGA Tour season. There is only one more PGA Tour event on the 2015 calendar (Sea Island this week) as the year hurtles toward Christmas. But the door won't close after that for the top-50 chasers.

The European Tour's final series concludes with the grand finale in Dubai. Sweden's Kristoffer Broberg upset Patrick Reed in a playoff in Shanghai to move into the top 65 and give himself a chance in the top-50 sweepstakes. Ben An secured his spot in the top 40 with a T3 in Shanghai along with Thongchai Jaidee, while Soren Kjeldsen gave himself some breathing room from his tenuous spot in 48th with a top-10 finish that should move him to 46th. 

The Australian swing is getting ready to launch with its major trifecta of the Aussie Masters, Open and PGA that will feature some prominent world players.

There are also five more tournaments on the Asian Tour, five on the Japan Golf Tour and a few significant tournaments in the Sunshine Tour realm of South Africa including the Nedbank Challenge and Alfred Dunhill Championship. The limited Nedbank Challenge field includes a fair share of players inside and out of the top 50 bubble including Fitpatrick, Westwood, Kiradech Amphibarnrat, Kjeldsen, Jamie Donaldson, Chris Wood and Andy Sullivan. A win or high finish in Sun City could seal some of there Masters fates.

Tiger Woods' boutique invitational in the Bahamas could provide a huge security boost for India’s Anirban Lahiri, currently ranked No. 42.

Here's a look at all the guys on the top-50 conversation. The top 50 players in the year-ending OWGR published after the conclusion of the Asian Tour’s Philippine Open on Dec. 20 will gain Masters berths, as well as any PGA Tour winners in non-opposite events through the Shell Houston Open the week prior to the 2016 Masters. Also, any players ranked in the top 50 at the conclusion of the WGC-Match Play on March 27, 2016, will qualify to play at Augusta.

SAFELY SECURED

11. Sergio Garcia (Spain) - pictured above

21. Danny Willett (England)

28. Thongchai Jaidee (Thailand)

30. Bernd Wiesberger (Austria)

32. Billy Horschel

35. Victor Dubuisson (France)

39. Ben An (South Korea)

INSIDE THE BUBBLE

41. Kiradech Aphibarnrat (Thailand)

42. Anirban Lahiri (India)

46. Soren Kjeldsen (Dnemark)

47. Ryan Palmer

49. Matthew Fitzpatrick (England) - pictured below

OUTSIDE LOOKING IN

52. Lee Westwood (England) - pictured at top

53. Andy Sullivan (England)

54. Chris Wood (England)

57. Gary Woodland

58. Jason Bohn

CURRENT 2016 MASTERS FIELD

Here’s how the 75 players already qualified for the 2016 Masters got into the field (# signifies first-timers) :

CATEGORY 1 (19 players)

Masters Tournament Champions (Lifetime)

Angel Cabrera (1) - Argentina

Fred Couples (1)

Trevor Immelman (1) - South Africa

Zach Johnson (1, 3, 16)

Bernhard Langer (1) - Germany

Sandy Lyle (1) - Scotland

Phil Mickelson (1)

Larry Mize (1)

Mark O’Meara (1)

Jose Maria Olazabal (1) - Spain

Charl Schwartzel (1) - South Africa

Adam Scott (1, 12) - Australia

Vijay Singh (1) - Fiji

Jordan Spieth (1, 2, 13, 14, 15, 16)

Bubba Watson (1, 15, 16)

Tom Watson* (1)

Mike Weir (1) - Canada

Tiger Woods (1, 5)

Ian Woosnam (1) - Wales

CATEGORY 2 (4 players)

U.S. Open champions (Honorary, non-competing after 5 years)

Rory McIlroy (2, 3, 4, 11, 15, 16) - Northern Ireland

Webb Simpson (2) -- through 2017

Justin Rose (2, 11, 14, 15, 16) - England -- through 2018

Martin Kaymer (2, 5) - Germany -- through 2019

CATEGORY 3 (2 players)

British Open Champions (Honorary, non-competing after 5 years)

Darren Clarke (3) - Northern Ireland -- through 2016

Ernie Els (3) - South Africa -- through 2017

CATEGORY 4 (3 players)

PGA Champions (Honorary, non-competing after 5 years)

Keegan Bradley (4, 13) -- through 2016

Jason Dufner (4) -- through 2018

Jason Day (4, 13, 15, 16) - Australia -- through 2020

CATEGORY 5 (1 players)

The Players Championship Winners (3 years)

Rickie Fowler (5, 11, 16) -- through 2018

CATEGORY 6 A&B (2 players)

Current U.S. Amateur champion (A, Honorary, non-competing after 1 year) and runner-up (B)

#Bryson DeChambeau (5A)

#Derek Bard (6B)

CATEGORY 7 (1 player)

Current British Amateur Champion (Honorary, non-competing after 1 year)

#Romain Langasque (7) - France

CATEGORY 8 (1 player)

Current Asia-Pacific Amateur Champion

#Jin Cheng (8) - China

CATEGORY 9 (1 player)

Current Latin America Amateur Champion

TBD Jan. 17

CATEGORY 10 (1 player)

Current U.S. Mid-Amateur Champion

#Sammy Schmitz (10)

CATEGORY 11 (10 players)

First 12 players (including ties) in previous year’s Masters

Paul Casey (11, 16) - England

Bill Haas (11, 16)

Charley Hoffman (11, 16)

Dustin Johnson (11, 12, 16)

Hunter Mahan (11)

Hideki Matsuyama (11, 16) - Japan

Ryan Moore (11)

Kevin Na (11, 16)

Ian Poulter (11) - England

Kevin Streelman (11)

CATEGORY 12 (3 players)

First 4 players (including ties) in previous year’s U.S. Open

#Cameron Smith (12) - Australia

Louis Oosthuizen (12, 13, 16) - South Africa

Branden Grace (12, 14) - South Africa

CATEGORY 13 (1 players)

First 4 players (including ties) in previous year’s British Open

Marc Leishman (13) - Australia

CATEGORY 14 (0 players)

First 4 players (including ties) in previous year’s PGA Championship

No additional qualifiers

CATEGORY 15 (14 players)

Winners of non-opposite PGA Tour events from previous Masters to current Masters

Steven Bowditch (15, 16) - Australia

Jim Furyk (15, 16)

#Fabian Gomez (15) - Argentina

#Emiliano Grillo (15) - Argentina

#Smylie Kaufman (15)

Chris Kirk (15)

#Russell Knox (15) - Scotland

Danny Lee (15, 16) - New Zealand

#David Lingmerth (15) - Sweden

Davis Love III (15)

Shane Lowry (15) - Ireland

Graeme McDowell (15) - Northern Ireland

#Troy Merritt (15)

#Justin Thomas (15)

CATEGORY 16 (13 players)

Qualifiers for previous year’s season-ending Tour Championship

Sangmoon Bae** (16) - South Korea

#Daniel Berger (16)

Harris English (16)

J.B. Holmes (16)

#Kevin Kisner (16)

Brooks Koepka (16)

Matt Kuchar (16)

Scott Piercy (16)

Patrick Reed (16)

Brandt Snedeker (16)

Henrik Stenson (16) - Sweden

Robert Streb (16)

Jimmy Walker (16)

CATEGORY 17 (x players)

Top 50 on final Official World Golf Ranking for previous calendar year

TBD Dec. 21

CATEGORY 18 (x players)

Top 50 on Official World Golf Ranking published week prior to current Masters

TBD March 28

Living past Masters champions not expected to play (13)

Tommy Aaron

Jack Burke Jr.

Charles Coody

Ben Crenshaw

Nick Faldo - England

Raymond Floyd

Doug Ford

Bob Goalby

Jack Nicklaus

Arnold Palmer

Gary Player - South Africa

Craig Stadler

Fuzzy Zoeller

* -- Tom Watson announced in July that 2016 will be his final Masters as a competitor

** -- Sangmoon Bae will miss Masters while serving mandatory duty in South Korean military