Molinari brothers among 13 qualifiers for Masters

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AUGUSTA, Georgia (AP) -- Francesco and Edoardo Molinari, the Italian brothers on Europe's winning 2010 Ryder Cup team, are among 13 players who have qualified for the Masters through the world rankings.

In the final 2010 rankings made available Monday because there are no tournaments the rest of the year, Francesco is ranked No. 15 and Edoardo No. 18.

The Masters invites players who are in the top 50 at the end of the year. The criteria is mainly for international players who are not PGA TOUR members and have fewer avenues to qualify, such as winning a TOUR event or getting into the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup finale.

Rickie Fowler, who was on the United States' losing Ryder Cup team, is ranked No. 28 and among the 13 additional qualifiers after his first full year as a professional.

Others include Robert Karlsson of Sweden (No. 17), Charl Schwartzel of South Africa (No. 34) and Ryo Ishikawa of Japan (No. 36).

That brings to 92 the number of players who have qualified for the Masters, which has the smallest field of the four majors. Augusta National prefers to keep its field at about 100.

Players still can qualify for the Masters by getting into the top 50 a week before the tournament, or winning a PGA TOUR event that offers full FedExCup points.

The Masters will be played April 7-10, with Phil Mickelson the defending champion and Tiger Woods trying to end his longest drought without a major or a green jacket. Woods last won the Masters in 2005, and he has gone 10 majors without winning.