A MASTER FEAT

In the 17 years that Tom Pernice Jr. has played professionally, he made it through the heavenly gates of Augusta National just once. That was in 1990, when a tie for 13th in the U.S. Open was good enough to get in the Masters.

Since 1972, the best way to qualify for the most exclusive major championship was to win a PGA Tour event.

For Pernice, his breakthrough victory came one year too late.

After holding off Tom Lehman and Ernie Els to win the Buick Open in August, he earned $432,000, got a two-year exemption on the PGA Tour and a trip to Maui for the winners-only Mercedes Championship--but no letter from Augusta National Golf Club.

Pernice is among seven players to win PGA Tour events since the last Masters who won’t be driving down Magnolia Lane.

In an effort to strengthen its field, the Masters revamped its criteria to reward consistency, with most of the emphasis on the world ranking and money list. There are now 13 ways an American can qualify for the Masters.

Winning on the PGA Tour is no longer one of them.

“World rankings are more important than a win,” Pernice lamented. “Sure, it’s disappointing. But Augusta National has every right to set up the rules as to the best way they think will benefit their golf tournament. You’ve got to live with it.”

So do Brad Faxon, Rich Beem, J.L. Lewis, Brian Henninger, Olin Browne and Jim Carter, all tour winners who will take this week off while players like Brian Watts, Scott Gump, Craig Parry and Skip Kendall--none of whom have ever won on the toughest tour in the world--will be at Augusta.

Lewis won the John Deere Classic in a playoff over Mike Briskey and didn’t know about the new criteria until after he started celebrating.

“When I was standing over that last putt to win that tournament, all I could think about was that I’m in,” he said. “Then I found out two hours later that they changed the rules. I think that’s a shame. I’m 39 years old, and if I get hurt this might be it for me. I feel like that was my best shot.”

Why the change?

“We believe our new qualifications identifies the best players in the world,” said Augusta National chairman Hootie Johnson. “We think we provided ample opportunities to gain entrance into the Masters through our qualifications.

“For those that did not qualify, we hope they are able to in the future.”

Here’s how they can:

Win a major or The Players Championship. Finish in the top 16 at the Masters, top eight in the U.S. Open, or top four in the British Open or PGA Championship. Finish in the top 50 in the world ranking or the top 40 on the money list at the end of the previous year.

Augusta National also invites those who make the top 50 in the world or the top three on the money list published four weeks before the Masters.

Certainly, an argument can be made against “one-week wonders” who used to get in the Masters.

The field is 95 this year, which includes 10 senior players (past Masters champions) and six amateurs. One of those amateurs is Aaron Baddeley of Australia, invited on the strength of his victory in Australian Open over Colin Montgomerie and Greg Norman.

“I’d like to think the Colonial is a pretty important tournament, too,” Browne said.

The Masters has always had the smallest field among the four majors, and the weakest.

“But the ones who could win were always there,” noted six-time Masters champion Jack Nicklaus.

Tell that to Henninger.

He got into the 1995 Masters by winning the Deposit Guaranty Golf Classic the year before. Henninger shared the 54-hole lead with Ben Crenshaw before fading in the final round to tie for 10th.

“I had great success in ’95 and I wish I was going back,” Henninger said. “If they had kept it the same, would that diminish the field? It’s a small field, anyway.”

For Henninger and six other winners on the PGA Tour, it looks even smaller.