Ryan Gerard’s 10,000-Mile Journey to the ‘26 Masters

It’s one thing to bet on yourself. And it’s another thing to fly halfway around the world for an outside chance of qualifying for your first Masters.

For 26-year-old Ryan Gerard, he accomplished the improbable in December at the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open, finishing second in a playoff to secure a move from 57th in the official world rankings to 46th, comfortably inside the top 50 by the end of the year.

Being inside the top 50 in the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) before the year's end is one of various ways players earn an invite to the following year's Masters. Gerard was one of 13 players to clinch a spot at Augusta National in 2026, with the remaining 37 inside the top 50 already qualified through other avenues.

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Gerard knows the optics of his decision to golf fans, that this last-minute choice to take on a 29-hour one-way trip with a 10-hour time-change to an island nation in the Indian Ocean seems reckless. But everybody loves a good underdog story.

Han Solo’s line in Empire Strikes Back when C-3PO says the grim chances of survival in an asteroid field? “Never tell me the odds,” Solo barked back.

It was with that same type of sentiment that Gerard made his chess move and embarked on a globe-trotting 9-day trip. Speaking on Beyond the Clubhouse, a podcast hosted by the writer, Gerard didn’t shy away from how wild the decision looked.

“Yeah, I'd say it is crazy. Like 100 percent,” Gerard said. “A country that is a thousand miles off the coast of Africa, Like it's kind of just in the middle of nowhere. And to be honest with you, I just saw that there was a tournament there and figured I'd give myself one more opportunity to get in a position to qualify for the Masters, finish top 50 for the year.”

There’s the merit side of this decision, but Gerard is also cerebral, and he likes to tap into gratitude and a deeper perspective beyond the practical to arrive at a choice like aggressively pursuing his first-time Masters appearance.

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The younger Ryan would be proud of the older Ryan for going over there and making dreams happen.

“I do know that a younger Ryan, fourth grade Ryan coming up you know, always had that dream of playing in major championships: Augusta National, US Open, stuff like that,” Gerard said. “And he would have given anything for the opportunity to go play in a Tour event, DP World Tour event, any Tour event that could give you a chance to get in that (Masters) tournament. So sometimes you just got to remember why you get into golf, right?"

The top 50 in the world by end of 2025 was a goal Gerard harbored all season, and a missed cut in November at the RSM Classic is what really motivated Gerard to find another gear.

Realizing important goals seems to be becoming a theme for the former UNC Tar Heel.

Gerard again tapped into his younger self and recalls being an “overconfident child” in his youth for reasons like when he’d aggressively vocalize his pro golf career goals with those in the real world, right in front of him.

Sometimes this passion would materialize during his fourth grade classes.

“I just always thought I was going to make it to the PGA Tour. Like, I was seven just telling my teachers, like, why am I caring about this math test? I'm going to be on the PGA Tour. I remember one of them, my fourth grade teacher, got mad at me, saying things like ‘you're not a professional golfer yet. What are you doing?’”

Must be nice for Gerard to have the last laugh now. Gerard had his roommate JP Burke caddie in Mauritius with his regular looper Steve “Pepsi” Hale out for a good reason: His 30th wedding anniversary.

“Props to him. That’s big-time, I wasn’t pulling him away from one like that,” Gerard smiled.

Now, how many tournaments do you have to leave on the Saturday before the week? But such was the case for Gerard and Burke on their sojourn as they took a two-hour Uber from Jupiter to Miami. Then a 10-hour flight to Rome with, catch this, a seven-hour layover.

And of course when in Rome Gerard checked out the Coliseum and had some pizza before heading back to the airport. Then another 10-hour flight to Mauritius. Landed around 11am, and after everyone’s favorite two-hour stop through customs made it to the hotel at 1pm.

To add insult to injury, Gerard and Burke had to wait another hour in the lobby for the 2pm hotel check-in, but they knew what they were in for.

“We just rolled with it. That’s what you gotta do,” Gerard said.

Gerard would go on to finish second that week in Mauritius, forcing a playoff with a birdie on the 72nd hole. Though he would lose to Jayden Schaper in extra holes, he accomplished what he needed by finishing in the top 4.

So, now that he’s earned a coveted spot in the 2026 Masters field, what does this accomplishment mean to Gerard? How does a Masters invitation resonate with him?

“I think as soon as I knew what the golf tournament was, it was kind of like, ‘yeah, I want to play there,’ I think my earliest memory was watching Tiger chip-in, during 2005,” Gerard said…” I think that was one of the earlier golf memories I have. Seeing like every year, watching Sunday at Augusta with my dad (Bob), no matter where we were, like that was kind of a seminal moment of my childhood, just from a golf fandom standpoint.”

Gerard says he was lucky enough to attend a Masters in 2014 when he was 15. Gerard and his dad won the ticket lottery and attended a practice round, making the four and a half hour drive from their home in Raleigh.

“We drove down, stayed in a really crappy motel like 30 minutes from the course and drove in the next morning and had an absolutely awesome time,” Gerard said. “And at that point in my life, I'd never seen a place that was so cool. You go there the first time, like you walk on the grass and there's not a single plate of grass out of place.

“It really almost feels dystopian because it's so perfect. But, you know, ever since kind of knowing about the golf tournament, it's been a goal to play, compete and hopefully win a Masters. And, you know, we're taking steps in the right direction for all those goals.”

This year’s Barracuda Championship winner certainly feels fortunate with what he’s been able to accomplish to realize this dream and chance at Augusta glory.

“And, you know, in the end, I think it’s cool to have your childhood dreams become a reality,” Gerard said.

Gerard says he’s thrilled to have some guidance from his veteran caddie Hale who’s looped in six previous Masters. The last one Hale looped in was in 2016. Hale says he’s particularly excited for this year because he bought a condo across the street from Augusta National back in 2016, but hasn’t been able to stay there during a Masters week since.

So there’s certainly much to look forward to for Gerard’s 2026. The self-proclaimed golf nerd sees the competitive side of golf as just a portion of the enjoyment he takes from other aspects of it. And in his mind, the long-lasting relationships are the real currency.

“The best memories in my life, the things I won’t take for granted when I can’t do this anymore are just from fun golf rounds,” Gerard said in an interview in May at the Truist Championship. “While the PGA Tour is awesome and I love competing, it’s kind of like both sides of the coin. From my perspective you never do anything with golf that’s not a ton of fun.”

And Gerard’s definition of fun on the golf course? Well, the more friends in your group, the merrier.

“I really believe that when you get with the right group of people, it’s probably the most fun you’ll ever have in your life. A foursome, or eight-some, or sixteen-some on a par 3 course with your buddies or who knows what.”

Sounds like he’s made these jumbo golf groups a habit.

“Yeah, I’m lucky that one of the courses I play at, they don’t really have a limit on how many people you can play with,” Gerard says. “Sometimes we’ll go out there in a group of 5 or 6 and just wack the ball around. We’ll maybe play for a little bit of cash or dinner or something.

“I just really love golf, I can’t help it”

We’ve noticed.

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To hear Johnston's full interview with Ryan Gerard from December 23, you can find it here.