Germany’s Marcel Siem has missed out on a US Masters debut by just 0.03 world ranking points despite his win in the Hassan Trophy. Siem won by three shots in Morocco but then faced an anxious wait for the results of the Houston Open to see if he had moved into the world’s top 50 to secure a trip to Augusta. And his hopes were dashed when American Russell Henley carded a closing 68 to finish joint 45th and drop from 49th to 50th in the rankings. Henley, already in the Masters thanks to winning the Sony Open in January, has a points average of 2.37 compared to 2.34 for Siem. Speaking after his win but before the tournament had finished, Siem said of a possible Masters debut: “It’s been my dream since I was a kid so if that comes true it will be unbelievable. It would be wonderful to play the Masters. “I just want to be on that ground. I’m not going to cry but it would be very emotional. I remember as a kid watching Bernhard Langer winning it. I also loved Greg Norman and remember how unlucky he was there.” Former US Open champion Geoff Ogilvy, who started last week in 50th place, missed the cut in Houston to end his hopes of making the Masters.
