Gerard had reason to feel like a big winner, too.
He was No. 57 in the world — the Masters awards invitations to the top 50 in the final world ranking of the year — and chose to fly from Florida to Mauritius, a small island about 1,250 miles (2,000 kilometers) off the eastern coast of Africa.
Needing to finish in the top four to have any chance to get into the Masters, he had a 63-66 weekend and got into a playoff with Shaper, which secured his spot at Augusta National in April.
Schaper, meanwhile, closed his year in sterling fashion. The 24-year-old South African tied for second in the Nedbank Golf Challenge, and then won the Alfred Dunhill and Mauritius in playoffs, ending both of them with an eagle.
That moves him from No. 153 to No. 63 in the world in three weeks and gives him a big head start in the Race to Dubai rankings on the European tour.
Augusta National also will invite the top 50 in the world a week before the Masters.
___
AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf