European Tour members shine at The Masters

How did European Tour members perform at The Masters?

As the 2020 Race to Dubai nears its conclusion, the 84th Masters tournament showcased some outstanding performances from European Tour players – which included two brand new records from Sungjae Im and Bernhard Langer.

Of the 37 European Tour members in the field at Augusta National, four played their way into the top ten, with a further 11 inside the top 30 in the year’s final Major.

Inside the top 10

Sungjae Im

Position: T2

An affiliate member of the European Tour, Sungjae Im was a stand-out performer at Augusta National, setting a new scoring record with the lowest ever 72 hole by a player on their debut.

Im, who opened with a six under 66, added a second round 70 to go in to the weekend one shot behind the leaders before carding a third round 68 to earn a spot in the final grouping with Dustin Johnson and Abraham Ancer.

With a three under 69 on Sunday, Im's 15-under total matched that of Australian Cameron Smith, and secured his first runner up finish, and top ten, in a Major championship.

"I'll be honest with you, my goal was to make the cut and make the weekend," Im said. "Finishing tied for second is unbelievable, and I'm proud of my game."

Rory McIlroy

Position: T5
Best Finish: 4th (2015)

A win at the Masters would see McIlroy join elite company as just the sixth player in history to complete the grand-slam, but despite an impressive recovery a disappointing first round left him unable to challenge Dustin Johnson - ultimately resulting in a sixth top ten in his last seven starts at Augusta National.

Starting in one of the later groups on Thursday's weather affected opening day, McIlroy had to complete the remainder of his first round on Friday morning and evidently struggled to a three over 75. He immediately went to the range before a quick turn-around, and returned as a man in form with a bogey-free 66, before adding rounds of 67 and 69 to finish in a tie for fifth.

"The first day I actually did okay," McIlroy said. "I was even par. Even par through 9 here is not that bad, and then just that second morning I just didn't quite have it. I guess I need to take the positives, and played the last 54 really well and only made two bogeys in that 54 hole stretch, which is probably the best run of golf I've played here.

"I'd love to get another shot at it in April and have the course play maybe more what we're accustomed to."

Jon Rahm

Position: T7
Best Finish: 4th (2018)

Reigning Race to Dubai champion and World Number Two Rahm began the week with high expectations, and recovered quickly after two early dropped shots to card an opening round 69. He then added a 66 to move into a five-way tie for the 36-hole lead, but a level par 72 during round three left him with too much ground to make up. A final round 71 moved him into a share of seventh place for a third consecutive top ten at the Masters, but the search for a maiden Major title continues for the Spaniard.

"It's just unfortunate I didn't have my best stuff this week," Rahm said. "I did really well to do what I did the first two days, and the weekend kind of caught up with me and just had to battle through."

Patrick Reed

Position: T10
Best Finish: 1st (2018)

Patrick Reed consolidated his position at the top of the Race to Dubai standings after he finished in a tie for tenth place with Webb Simpson and Corey Conners on nine under par.

Reed, who won the Green Jacket in 2018, opened up with back to back rounds of 68 to sit just one just behind the leaders heading in to the weekend. He wasn't able to keep up the momentum over the weekend though, posting rounds of 71 and 72 to finish 11 shots behind Dustin Johnson.

"It was a solid week," Reed reflected.

"A lot of good things I could take from it, and the good thing is there's some things I know that I need to go home and work on that are going to be kind of easy fixes to improve for next start.

Inside the top 30

Abraham Ancer was another play to impress on his debut. The Mexican golfer went into the final round four strokes behind Dustin Johnson, which earned him a spot alongside the World Number One in the final group on Sunday. Ancer ultimately ended a brilliant week with a four over 76, but still recorded his highest Major championship finish to date in a tie for 13th place with Marc Leishman, Hideki Matsuyama and Kevin Na.

Also in the top 20 were affiliate member Patrick Cantlay (T17), and Tommy Fleetwood (T19). Fleetwood opened up with a one under 71 before moving into striking distance with a second round 66, but followed it with rounds of 71 and 74 to finish the week on six under with Cameron Champ and Sebastian Munoz.

A shot further back, in a tie for 23rd place, were Major champions Justin Rose and **Louis Oosthuizen.

Elsewhere, reigning Open champion **Shane Lowry had a week to remember, earning his best Masters finish, in addition to playing alongside Tiger Woods on Sunday. He ended the week in a tie for 25th with Ian Poulter, Charl Schwartzel and 2016 Masters champion Danny Willett.

Not to be outdone for memorable weeks, Bernhard Langer ensured he would write his name next to a new record in the history books as the oldest player to make the cut, at the age of 63. He finished in a tie for 29th place with Sung Kang on three under.

13 other European Tour members made the cut, including four further debutants: Christiaan Bezuidenhout, U.S PGA Champion Collin Morikawa, Jazz Janewattanond and Victor Perez.

Perez, who wrote last week's Player Blog, spent the week raising funds for the local area through his initiative #GainsForGood. Donating money for every birdie, Perez reached a total of $11,000 through his good play alone - which included a birdie on his final hole.

European Tour members at The Masters