One of world golf's most consistent performer Peter Lonard will be shooting for more than just the lion's share of the $1 million PGA Championship purse here this week with a chance to grab a last minute start in next year's US Masters at Augusta.

Lonard, who made the cut in 24 of his 25 tournaments in America this year, earning a career-best $US1.4 million ($A2.5 million) in prizemoney missed an automatic invite to the Masters by finishing 41st on the US Tour's money list.

The top 40 players gain a Masters invite while the top 50 players on the world rankings at the end of the year are also invited to play the famed Augusta tournament.

Lonard is currently 57th on the world rankings.

This week's PGA and the Australian Masters though offer him late chances to get into the top 50 depending on performances of players on other world tours.

A win in either tournament may get him to Augusta which his manager Michael Graham said would be something Lonard would cherish.

"There are four majors but with all due respect there is only one Masters and I think for Pete to play Augusta would be something special," Graham told AAP.

"It's the only major he hasn't contested."

Lonard, who at 35 does not expect to named US Tour rookie-of-the-year despite his fabulous season, is already qualified for the 2003 British Open and the US Open courtesy of his great finishes in both event this year.

He is also odds on to get an invite to play in the US PGA after finishing 17th this year, two places outside an automatic return invite.

The complicated world points rankings makes it almost impossible to work out what Lonard needs to do in the PGA and Australian Masters to move into the world's top 50 and earn an invite to play for the green jacket.

"It's impossible to work out but I'd be fairly confident he'd get a Masters invite he wins this week," said Graham.

Lonard is currently in 13th place on the Australian order of merit with $131,256 in earnings from five tournaments and a long way behind money leader Craig Parry ($588,601), Scott Laycock ($401,218) and Peter O'Malley ($398,705) who top the earnings.

This week's winner will get an automatic invite into the lucrative NEC Invitational in Ohio next August with a first prize purse of $US1 million.

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