Holmes still waiting for his invite to next year's Masters

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J.B. Holmes is the only member of the winning U.S. Ryder Cup team not yet guaranteed a spot in next year's Masters.

If ever there was a major championship that fits J.B. Holmes to a tee, it's the Masters. With his ability to rip 330-yard drives -- in the air -- he has the length to overpower Augusta National like few others on the planet.

He can reach both of the par 5s on the back nine with mid-irons. He can leave himself "flip wedges" to long par 4s. And he has the touch to navigate those treacherous greens.

What Holmes doesn't have, however, is an invitation to next year's Masters.

And that's just not right.

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Holmes is the only member of the winning U.S. Ryder Cup team not guaranteed a spot at next year's first major. Holmes, by the way, was one of only three Americans to go undefeated at Valhalla Golf Club, and he, like Kenny Perry, had the pressure ratcheted up even higher because they were playing in front of their hometown fans in Kentucky.

Holmes calls that week the greatest accomplishment of a career that includes two FBR Open wins, including a playoff victory against Phil Mickelson last year, and a runaway victory at q-school.

Holmes should already have a spot assured in next year's Masters, but he's one of the players most affected by the greater volatility of this year's PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup. Entering the Playoffs, he was ranked 22nd in points, in good position to be among the 30 players to qualify for THE TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola, thus assuring him a second Masters appearance (he tied for 25th this year).

Holmes played decent in the three playoff events, finishing 24th at the Barclays and tied for 33rd at the BMW Championship. But he was penalized greatly for missing the cut at the Deutsche Bank Championship, dropping him to 38th in the standings.

That meant no return trip to the Masters. At least not yet.

Holmes was one of nine players who fell out of the top 30 in the FedExCup standings between the end of the regular season and THE TOUR Championship; the others were an injured Tiger Woods, two-time major winner Padraig Harrington, Geoff Ogilvy, Boo Weekley, Sean O'Hair, Adam Scott, Jeff Quinney and Stephen Ames. But Holmes and Quinney are the only ones who haven't qualified for the Masters by other means.

Holmes can still earn an invitation to Augusta National by moving back into the top 50 in the world rankings (he's 63rd, 10 spots lower than when the playoffs started) or by finishing in the top 30 on the TOUR's final money list (he's 32nd with $2.13 million, about $73,000 behind No. 30 Brian Gay).

Holmes probably wouldn't have this problem had he not been one of Paul Azinger's captain picks for the Ryder Cup. Not that he's complaining.

"It was my main goal all year," Holmes said last week of playing that Ryder Cup in his home state. "It was something I really wanted to experience."

But that experience left him drained. He skipped the first four events of the Fall Series to regroup and move from Kentucky to Isleworth near Orlando.

"I just needed some time away from the game after the Ryder Cup," said Holmes, who admits he has a difficult time staying focused because he has dyslexia, a learning disability that was diagnosed while he was in college.

Holmes returned to the TOUR last week, tying for 42nd at the Ginn sur Mer Classic. He has one last chance, at this week's Children's Miracle Network Classic presented by Wal-Mart, where he has to finish in the top 15 to have a chance to pass Gay.

If not, then Holmes can still get into next year's Masters with another win at the FBR Open (hey, the course obviously suits his game) or by moving into the top 50 in the world rankings by next March.

"I'm going to try real hard to get in that tournament," Holmes said.

But it would be a shame if one of the players who has a legitimate shot at winning the Masters can't play, in part because the FedExCup standings continue to be tweaked to get the system as good as possible.

But here's a thought: Maybe Masters officials might want to consider giving a Masters exemption to the players on the winning Ryder Cup team.

Augusta National officials have made it clear they don't want the field to get too large, but we're usually only talking about one or two players here. Fact is, years ago the Masters used to give automatic exemptions to players who made the most recent Ryder Cup and Walker Cup teams.

That would add even more excitement to the international team competitions, knowing a trip down Magnolia Lane was also on the line.

Holmes is everything John Daly used to be: A crowd favorite who hits the ball out of sight with a top-notch short game to win majors.

As long as he qualifies for them.

Craig Dolch is a freelance columnist for PGATOUR.COM. His opinion does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the PGA TOUR.