Graeme McDowell moved up from 257th in the world rankings to 133rd with victory in the Dominican Republic
Graeme McDowell opened his bid for a late invite to the Masters with a fine three-under-par 69 at the Texas Open.
The Portrush golfer is three shots off the lead held by South Korea's Si-Woo Kim with Seamus Power also three under and Padraig Harrington on level par.
The event winner in San Antonio will secure the final place at next week's Masters in Augusta, providing they have not already qualified.
McDowell ended a four-year wait for a win at the PGA Tour event last week,
After last week's victory at the Corales Puntacana Resort and Club Championship in the Dominican Republic, McDowell boosted confidence level furthers with a bogey-free opening round in Texas.
His patience paid off with one birdie on the front nine and two on the back nine, though only managed to birdie one of the four par five holes.
If the Texas Open winner has already qualified for Augusta, the Masters field will remain at 86.
McDowell, meanwhile, has confirmed that he will compete in this year's Irish Open at Lahinch in July.
The Northern Irishman joins a field that will include Tommy Fleetwood plus major winners Louis Oosthuizen and Danny Willett.
McDowell will return to the county Clare links 19 years after winning the South of Ireland Amateur Championship.
This year's Irish Open tournament host is Paul McGinley, who was European Ryder Cup captain when McDowell made his last of his four appearances in the biennial match in 2014.
"After my win last week in the Dominican Republic, I'm feeling really confident about the summer ahead and hopefully I can bring my A game to Lahinch," said McDowell.
