In-form Day set for Masters return after latest top-10

Former runner-up Jason Day has all but punched his ticket to the Masters following a fourth straight top-10 finish on the PGA Tour.

Day closed with a two-under-par final-round 70 to snare a tie for 10th at the rich and prestigious Arnold Palmer Invitational in Florida.

He picked up a cheque for $US525,000 ($A777,000) for finishing at five under alongside Viktor Hovland, Keegan Bradley and Cameron Young, four strokes behind American winner Kurt Kitayama.

More importantly than money, Day climbed another four spots in the rankings to No.43 in the world after following up his joint ninth at the Genesis Invitational, fifth at the Phoenix Open and tie for seventh at the Farmers Insurance Open.

The world's top 50 players as at April 2 will earn invitations to Augusta National for the year's first major championship.

Day still has The Players Championship this week and the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play events to further climb the rankings.

The two-time WGC Match Play champion would have to miss the cut at The Players and not win a match in Austin, Texas to risk falling out of the top 50.

Day failed to qualify for last year's Masters and missed the cut in 2020 and 2021.

But the 35-year-old had previously been a perennial contender, joint runner-up with countryman Adam Scott on debut in 2011 and third in 2013 when Scott broke Australia's infamous Masters drought.

Day boasts two other top-10 finishes at Augusta, in 2016 and 2019, and will return with confidence after restoring his flagging ranking after it fell to No.175 last September.

With world No.1 Jon Rahm missing the cut at Bay Hill, Day is the only player to have recorded top-10 results in their past four events.

Scott, British Open champion Cameron Smith and Asia-Pacific Amateur champion Harrison Crowe will also feature be in the Masters field.

Min Woo Lee, currently ranked 50th, and world No.51 Lucas Herbert are walking a fine line after missing the Arnold Palmer Invitational cut.

Lee is desperate to return to Augusta following a record-setting debut last year.

The 24-year-old equalled lowest-ever front nine with a six-under 30 in the final round to snatch a share of 14th place.

Both Lee and Herbert - as well as former winners Day and Scott - will tee up at The Players, where the fifth-ranked Smith is ineligible to defend his title from last year after joining the LIV Golf circuit.