Harold Varner III has only competed in eight major tournaments in his career, and he has never played in the Masters. This year, however, everything may change.
Varner shot up the Official World Golf Ranking on Monday, a day after winning the Saudi International, from No. 99 to No. 45, a new career high. He’s in the world’s top 50, which means he’ll get a start in every major this year if he stays there through various cutoff dates – March 28 for the Masters, June 6 for the US Open (top 60), and July TBD for The Open (he’s likely already punched his PGA Championship ticket).
Varner stated of his top-50 ranking, “I was hoping for that.” “That’s fantastic. That was something I was thinking about. That is, after all, the goal. That leads you into the areas where I haven’t yet played. “I’ve played in a few large events here and there, but that’s why we play,” says the musician.
Bubba Watson rose from No. 105 to No. 60 after finishing second behind Varner after Varner holed a 92-foot eagle putt from off the green on the 72nd hole. Watson is now solely exempt for the Masters (and most likely the PGA) tournaments.
Tom Hoge, meanwhile, climbed into the top 50 with his first PGA Tour triumph at Pebble Beach. He is now ranked No. 39, up 29 places from last week and 71 places from the end of previous year.
