South Africa’s rising star Dylan Frittelli narrowly missed out on a place at The Masters but all is not lost with a few spots left in the field of 2018’s first Major, writes WADE PRETORIUS.

Frittelli, now South Africa’s fourth-ranked player, was in contention for a place at Augusta when he followed up two top five finishes in the Race to Dubai’s final series (Turkey and Dubai), but two finishes outside the top 10 at the Joburg Open and Indonesian Masters halted his march to the top 50.

The top 50 at the end of 2017 are invited to play at The Masters with players like Kiradech Aphibarnrat, Tyrrell Hatton, Alex Noren, Matt Fitzpatrick, Branden Grace, Ross Fisher, Yuta Ikeda and Bernd Wiesberger all qualifying through their world rankings.

All is not lost for Frittelli, who sits in 54th place sandwiched between Ian Poulter and Gary Woodland, with a few more opportunities to qualify for what will be his third Major after he debuted at The Open and then made the cut at the PGA Championship.

Players ranked inside the top 50 on 25 March and/or a winner of a PGA Tour event with full FedExCup points are extended an invitation to play at Augusta National.

The top 50 in the world midway through February will qualify for the WGC-Mexico Championship and the top 64 on 12 March will  play at the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play which means a fast start to the year at the SA Open at Glendower will be key to the 27-year-old’s 2018 plans.

For Frittelli, a spot in the Masters would be a crowning moment for the former University of Texas golfer who has always had big expectations placed on him after working his way through amateur and then college ranks.

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