Dredge secures final Masters place

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THOUSAND OAKS, California -- Bradley Dredge of Wales has edged out Englishman Justin Rose for the final place in the U.S. Masters field, decided by the world rankings.

The top 50 at the end of 2006 from the rankings are eligible to play.

The list includes 17 players who will be competing for the first time at Augusta National, including Ryder Cup players J.J. Henry, Brett Wetterich and Robert Karlsson of Sweden.

The Masters will be held April 5-8. Phil Mickelson is the defending champion.

The field will include two Singhs for the first time -- Vijay Singh, the 2000 champion, and Jeev Milkha Singh, who won the season-ending Volvo Masters at Valderrama on the PGA European Tour and is No. 37 in the world.

Jeev Singh is also the first player from India to get a Masters invitation, while Camilo Villegas will be the second player from Colombia; Miguel Salas competed from 1961 to 1964, making the cut once.

Masters invitations are expected to be sent by post this week.

Criteria for the U.S. Masters range from major champions over the last five years to top finishes in the other three majors, although the bulk of players comes from the U.S. PGA Tour money list (top 40) and the world ranking (top 50).

Of the 16 players who qualified on Monday through the world ranking, Ben Crane (No. 41) was the only American.

The field is not set until the spring, the Monday after the World Golf Championship at Doral. Augusta National will issue invitations to the top 50 in the world and the top 10 on the U.S. PGA Tour money list that are published on March 26.

It is not yet clear how many players are expected to compete at the Masters because Augusta National is waiting to hear from past champions, who are exempt for life.

Charles Coody said last year he would not play again, while three-time winner Nick Faldo said this year he would not play because of his new job as a television analyst on the tournament for an American network.

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