Bryan needs big week to get into the Masters

For the first time, the winner of the Puerto Rico Open could earn a spot in the Masters.

But only if that winner is Irmo’s Wesley Bryan, and even that might not be enough.

This is the final week for players to get into the top 50 in the world rankings and earn invitations to the Masters. Bryan, who attended Dutch Fork High and the University of South Carolina, is ranked No. 73 and still in the picture.

Bryan, who won three times on the Web.com Tour last year, had a solid stretch in the last month, tying for fourth at the Genesis Open and Honda Classic in addition to tying for seventh in the Valspar Championship. He lost an opportunity last week at the Arnold Palmer Invitational by finishing 69th and earning no ranking points.

Because he started only a year ago, he has the minimum divisor of 40 tournaments applied to his ranking average. Bryan, who lives in Augusta, is playing in Puerto Rico this week, and a victory might be enough to crack the top 50.

“I figure I might as well tee it up as many times as possible between now and Augusta and try to squeeze my way into the field,” Bryan said.

The Puerto Rico Open winner doesn’t automatically get into the Masters because it is held opposite the Dell Technologies Match Play. Even if Bryan were to win, what happens at Austin Country Club is likely to have a bearing on his chances.

Tough road seed for Johnson

Another Dutch Fork High grad, Dustin Johnson, is facing a trio of major champions in his group at the Dell Technologies Match Play.

Johnson is the No. 1 seed for the first time in Match Play, which starts on Wednesday at Austin Country Club. The three players assigned to his round-robin group are PGA champion Jimmy Walker, two-time major champion Martin Kaymer and former U.S. Open champion Webb Simpson.

This story was originally published March 21, 2017 at 4:43 PM with the headline "Bryan needs big week to get into the Masters."