PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. (AP) — Ernie Els can plan on a trip to Arizona for the Match Play Championship — just barely.
Sunday was the final week to qualify for the first World Golf Championship of the year, and the Match Play takes the top 64 players off the world ranking. Pebble Beach winner Phil Mickelson is not playing that week, so Els gets the final spot at No. 65.
He narrowly finished ahead of George Coetzee, a fellow South African, who is at No. 66. Coetzee still might get in if Paul Casey, recovering from a shoulder injury, decided not to play at Dove Mountain.
Luke Donald is the No. 1 seed.
Dubai winner Rafael Cabrera Bello and Kevin Na, who tied for fifth at Pebble Beach, played their way into Match Play.
