Ryan Gerard left his home in south Florida at 5:30 p.m. on Dec. 13 for a trip he never imagined taking this year, and one he certainly didn't regret.
He returned home nine days and some 20,000 miles later after stops that included Italy on his way to a small island off the coast of Africa, and an eight-hour layover in Paris on the way back that gave him enough time to see the Arc de Triomphe and the Notre-Dame Cathedral.
“I am looking at the Eiffel Tower,” Gerard said by phone Monday afternoon. “Pretty sick.”
Oh, and along the way he picked up an invitation to the Masters.
That green envelope — Augusta National doesn't do evites — might not be there right away. The final Official World Golf Ranking for the year isn't published until Sunday, and the 26-year-old Gerard will check in at No. 44.
And it's all because of his decision to play one more tournament, even if that meant flying over the Atlantic Ocean, the Mediterranean Sea, the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean to get to the Mauritius Open, the final tournament this year on the European tour and Sunshine Tour schedule.
Despite some 36 hours of travel — he got to his hotel at 1 p.m. Monday local time — Gerard opened with rounds of 68-69 and was tied for fifth. He was No. 57 in the world and needed a two-way tie for fourth to crack the top 50.
“I figured I’d have one more crack at that and give it my best shot,” he said after the second round. “Then I could hang my hat on giving it my all for the season, and the top 50 by the end of the year to get into the Masters. So that’s kind of a kick in the pants to come 10 000 miles from Florida and tee it up. It wasn't on the Bingo card at the start of the season, for sure.”
And then bingo! He posted a 63 at Heritage La Reserve Golf Links the next day to take the lead. On Sunday, he wound up in a playoff with scorching hot Jayden Schaper, the South African who has won the last two tournaments by making eagle in a playoff.
In Mauritius, Schaper holed out from about 60 yards short of the green for eagle to beat Gerard.
“I would have loved to win,” Gerard said. “But it was an unbelievable shot. He flew it perfect. Two hops, check, use the side slope and just trickled in. Hats off to him. He's been playing great golf. Back-to-back weeks where in a playoff he's made eagle from off the green to win it.
“I don't really know how often that happens,” he said with a laugh, "but it seems pretty rare.”
The consolation for Gerard was a big one — his first Masters.
Augusta was on his mind when Gerard played the RSM Classic at Sea Island last month — the final PGA Tour stop of the year — when he was No. 49 in the world. And then he missed the cut.
“I was looking Friday afternoon and was like, ‘Hey, does it make sense to go do anything?’ I was going to try to play the Nedbank (in South Africa), but the tournament deadline was the day before I missed the cut," Gerard said.
The Alfred Dunhill was out because that was the weekend his good friend and former North Carolina teammate Ben Griffin was getting married.
Last on the list was Mauritius. He had heard enough about Mauritius from Christo Lamprecht of South Africa that he checked the schedule, did the math and signed up.
Gerard had already done a fair bit of traveling after he narrowly missed out on the Tour Championship. He played in Ireland and England, Japan and Abu Dhabi. Clearly, he's willing to travel. This summer, he flew across eight time zones from Scotland to Lake Tahoe and then won the Barracuda Championship for his first PGA Tour title.
What's another trip with so much on the line?
Key to this tale was that win at the Barracuda Championship, the same week as the British Open. As an opposite-field event, it did not come with a Masters invitation. But it was co-sanctioned by the European tour, and that gave access to those events.
“I guess I realized it,” he said of his European perk. “I just didn't realize how impactful it might be.”
Chasing points of any variety can be dangerous in golf. Griffin, for example, played 13 consecutive weeks early this year in a bid to make the Masters (he fell just short).
There also was the case of Brandt Snedeker, who in 2017 missed five months with a sternum injury and watched his world ranking plunge. He ended the PGA Tour season at No. 50 in the world and then started sliding.
Snedeker, much like Gerard did this year, flew halfway around the world to play in the Indonesia Masters. It didn't have the same happy ending — Snedeker was near the cut line when he had to withdraw after the second round with heat exhaustion and dehydration.
Gerard wasn't down to his last chance. He would have had three months to start 2026 to either win or do well enough to get into the top 50, but he saw an opportunity.
“Figured I got nothing better to do,” he said. “It seemed like a cool thing, made sure it worked logistically and just went for it.”
On The Fringe analyzes the biggest topics in golf during the season. AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf
FILE - Ryan Gerard hits from the ninth tee during the first round of the BMW Championship golf tournament, Aug. 14, 2025, in Owings Mills, Md. (AP Photo/Nick Wass, file)
FILE - Ryan Gerard watches his tee shot on the second hole during the second round of the PGA Championship golf tournament at the Quail Hollow Club, May 16, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip, File)
NEW DELHI (AP) — With a massive population, a rapidly growing economy and already the global powerbroker in cricket, India is preparing to expand its influence in international sport.
The 2030 Commonwealth Games are already locked in for Ahmedabad, and there's high expectations for India's bid to host the 2036 Olympics.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has envisioned a developed India by 2047, and the government is focused on improving living standards, transport infrastructure, education and becoming a global hub for tech and innovation.
And that's the bedrock of India’s aspirations for the Olympics and beyond.
“India today reflects a confident and aspirational mindset, ready to lead and shape the future of global sport,” Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya, Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports, said in an interview with The Associated Press. “Our growing capability to host major international sporting events is a testament to how far we've progressed.
“At the same time, our athletes continue to make the nation proud, signaling the steady rise of India as a formidable sporting force.”
On Thursday, Mandaviya was due to preside over a national sports conclave in Delhi, where India’s preparedness for the 2026 Asian Games and Commonweath Games, as well as the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, will be measured.
Discussion topics also included compliance to the National Sports Governance Act that was introduced last year, pertaining to transparency of national sports federations, and the hosting of and participation in international events.
So far in 2026, India has hosted three high-profile cricket events — the men’s Twenty20 World Cup, the Women’s Premier League and currently the Indian Premier League, one of the richest and most followed franchise leagues in international sport.
New Delhi is hosting the badminton world championships, Bhubaneshwar is slated to host a World Athletics Continental Tour meet and Ahmedabad is set to host the Asian weightlifting championships.
Indian authorities are also considering ways of bringing Formula 1 back to the country for the first time since 2013. Influential sports officials have already helped get cricket back into the Olympics for Los Angeles in 2028.
Outside of cricket, the Commonwealth Games are the biggest barometer for India’s developing sport story.
New Delhi hosted the Asian Games in 1982 and 1951, and also the 2010 Commonwealth Games that was fraught with logistics problems. Long delays in getting facilities ready and a list of scandals overshadowed the event.
Indian officials expect Ahmedabad to put those problems into the distant past. The Sardar Patel Sports Enclave is marked as a key hub for the 2030 Games, which bring together thousands of athletes from 74 Commonwealth nations and territories.
The complex also houses the biggest cricket stadium in the world – the Narendra Modi Stadium – and it can be optimized to host different sports.
But this is a tale growing beyond infrastructure alone. There is a genuine push toward attaining success on the field as well, and sustained efforts have been made over the past decade to develop a robust sports ecosystem.
There are more than fifteen professional leagues across sports actively nurturing talent and creating future opportunities.
The Sports Authority of India has established sports-specific centers of excellence across the country, designed to provide world-class infrastructure and scientific training with the aim of producing Olympic and international medalists.
The results are showing – India recorded its best-ever showing at the Asian Games with 107 medals in the last edition staged in 2023. It won the Thomas Cup (badminton) in 2022, a first squash World Cup title, earned 29 medals — including seven gold — at the 2024 Paralympics in Paris, and 20 medals at the World Boxing Cup finals.
Olympic and world champion javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra is among the standout individual performers.
Sports backers say the individual success stories matter in sending out a message of fitness and participation through society.
Hari Ranjan Rao, Sports Secretary, Government of India, said while the infrastructure is put in place, “we are also working on our messaging.”
The Khelo India — or Play India — program has grown since 2018 at the youth and university level, winter and para games, beach and water sports, and even tribal games.
“The aim is to draw out the masses into an active lifestyle,” Rao said, “As well as into participation.”
And with extra participation, India is hoping for greater success.
“As we prepare to host the 2030 Commonwealth Games and advance our bid for the 2036 Olympic Games, India stands ready to take center stage,” Mandaviya said. “We are determined to emerge as a global sporting powerhouse, both in producing champions and in hosting world class events.”
AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports
FILE - People search in the rubble after authorities demolished various structures near the Narendra Modi stadium, seen behind, as part of the preparations for the 2030 Commonwealth Games in Ahmedabad, India, Saturday, Nov. 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Ajit Solanki,File)
FILE - From left, Olympic Bronze medallist in wrestling Bajarng Punia, Olympic Bronze medallists in boxing, Lovlina Borgohain, Olympic Gold medallist in javelin throw Neeraj Chopra, Olympic Silver medallist in wrestling Ravi Dahiya and captain of Indian men's hockey team who won bronze medal, Manpreet Singh at Tokyo Olympic games, stand for a photographs during a felicitation function in New Delhi, India, Monday, Aug. 9 2021. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup.File)
Gujarat Titans' Arshad Khan bowls a delivery during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Gujarat Titans and Royal Challengers Bengaluru in Ahmedabad, India, Thursday, April 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Ajit Solanki)
Cheer leaders dance before the Indian Premier League cricket match between Gujarat Titans and Punjab Kings in Ahmedabad, India, Sunday, May 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Ajit Solanki)
