Ryan Gerard flies to Mauritius and earns a Masters spot while Jayden Schaper defends the title

BEL OMBRE, Mauritius – Jayden Schaper won back-to-back titles on Sunday by winning the Mauritius Open in a play-off against Ryan Gerard, the American who flew across two oceans for the final event of the year and returns home with an invitation to the Masters.

Schaper birdied three of his last four holes for an 8-under 64, then chipped in for Eagle to win on the second playoff hole. He won the Alfred Dunhill Championship in South Africa last week by making Eagle in a play-off.

Gerard also had reason to feel like a big winner.

He was ranked No. 57 in the world – the Masters awards invitations to the top 50 in the final world rankings of the year – and chose to fly from Florida to Mauritius, a small island about 1,200 miles off the east coast of Africa.

Needing to finish in the top four to have a chance to play in the Masters, he had a 63-66 weekend and found himself in a playoff with Shaper, which secured his spot at Augusta National in April.

Schaper, meanwhile, ended his year in an excellent manner. The 24-year-old South African finished second in the Nedbank Golf Challenge and went on to win the Alfred Dunhill and Mauritius in the play-offs, both finishing with an eagle.

That takes him from number 153 to number 63 in the world in three weeks and puts him well ahead of the Race to Dubai rankings on the European tour.

Augusta National will also invite the world’s top 50 a week before the Masters.