Woodland looks for Masters lift-off after Houston win

Houston Open winner Gary Woodland and four other players have clinched spots at this year's Masters.

Woodland earned the spot by winning the event, his first PGA Tour win since the 2019 US Open.

The victory came two-and-a-half years after undergoing brain surgery to remove a lesion which he has admitted led to him battling PTSD.

Denmark's Nicolai Hojgaard and Americans Daniel Berger, Jake Knapp and Matt McCarty earned their spots at Augusta National Golf Club by finishing in the top 50 of the official World Golf ranking after the Houston Open, which served as the cut-off date ahead of the April 9-12 major at Augusta.

It will be Woodland's 13th Masters. His highest placing was joint 14th in 2023. He failed to qualify for last year's tournament.

He said: "Obviously your goal out here is to play in major championships. My exemption ran out a year ago. I haven't been in the other three majors from an exempt standpoint outside the US Open from my win.

"Playing my way back in, I know this gets me in the Masters, I know it gets me in the PGA. I'm looking forward to that, I can tell you that."

Knapp and McCarty will each be making their second Masters appearances, with McCarty marking last year's debut with a tie for 14th.

Berger will be playing in his seventh Masters, and Hojgaard will make his third, repeating last year's historic appearance when he and brother Rasmus became the first twins to compete at Augusta.

The final Masters spot will be available at this week's Texas Open, should the winner not already be in the field.