What to look out for as the Masters begins in Georgia
AUGUSTA From the renegade LIV tour to Scottie Scheffler’s bid for a second straight green jacket to an elongated 13th hole, golf’s first major of the year provides its usual abundance of compelling storylines.
Not to mention Tiger Woods.
Welcome to the Masters, where the golf season officially begins on Thursday among the blooming azaleas and towering pines of Augusta National Golf Club.
Here are some things to keep an eye on over the next four days:
The Super Bowl of golf
The Masters is the biggest showdown yet between the PGA Tour and the brash challenger LIV.
While there were no overt signs of hostility during the practise rounds and champions dinner, the rivalry between those who chose the PGA and those who chose the generational wealth doled out by LIV’s Saudi backers is unavoidable.
All eyes will be on the scoreboard to see how LIV’s 18 competitors fare against the rest of the field.
If one of them won the green jacket, it would undoubtedly be compared to the New York Jets defeating the Baltimore Colts in the third Super Bowl — an incredible result that put the nascent American Football League on equal footing with the NFL.
Of course, golf is an individual sport, but so many harsh words have been exchanged in the last year that it’s impossible to ignore the Masters’ significance to both tours.
“I’d love to see one of us guys get to the top of the leaderboard and really give it a good shot,” said Cameron Smith, the reigning British Open champion who defected to LIV.
The Big Three
Only three players have won the Masters multiple times: Jack Nicklaus, Nick Faldo, and Tiger Woods.
With two victories and nine straight finishes inside the top 12, Scheffler appears poised to join that illustrious trio.
“Just because you’re defending doesn’t mean I get to start at 1-under,” he explained. “I’ll approach it the same way I do a lot of other tournaments.”
Rory McIlroy and possibly Jon Rahm, the next two men in the world rankings, are expected to give Scheffler a run for his money.
These three dominated the first quarter of the year.
Rahm became the first player in nearly 50 years to win three times on the West Coast swing, despite struggling in March. McIlroy has two victories and two top-three finishes in the last six months.
According to FanDuel Sportsbook, Scheffler and McIlroy are co-favorites at the Masters, with Rahm right on their tails.
McIlroy, like Scheffler, is chasing history.
The Northern Irishman needs the Masters to complete his career Grand Slam. Only five players have won all four major championships in golf.
“It’s just a matter of time.” Rory is gifted. He’s got the game. “He has all the tools,” said Woods, the most recent player to complete the modern career Slam. The others are Nicklaus, Gary Player, Ben Hogan, and Gene Sarazen.
Unlucky 13th
The 13th, dubbed “Azalea,” has long been the easiest hole on the course.
Finally, it’s playing like a par-5.
After acquiring a parcel of land from the neighbouring Augusta Country Club, the tee box at 13 was moved 35 yards back.
This increased the hole’s length to 545 yards, more in line with other par 5s at major tournaments. Expect a lot more intrigue on the back nine on Sunday if everything goes as planned.
According to Masters Chairman Fred Ridley, the changes will help “restore the element of risk and reward” that was intended in the course’s original design. Golfers will have to choose between going for the green in two from a much longer position and laying up and focusing on the green with their third shot.
For Xander Schauffele, it’s a no-brainer.
“It puts you in that no-land,” man’s Schauffele said of the extra yards. “You just lay down. There’s not much to it.”
Woods is only a part-time player these days, but no one knows Augusta National better than the five-time champion.
Woods made the cut a year ago despite still limping from a car accident.
A slight limp remains, a reminder of all the physical hardships he has faced over the last decade and a half.
But that swing looks as smooth as ever.
“You know, if he didn’t have to walk up these hills and have all of that, I’d say he’d be one of the favourites,” McIlroy exclaimed. “He’s got all the shots.”
Woods never plays without believing he has a chance to win, but he knows the odds are stacked against him capturing a sixth green jacket — a feat only Nicklaus has accomplished, back in 1986 at the age of 46.
Woods is now 47 years old.
“I don’t know how many more I have in me,” he admitted.
erratic weather
The unpredictable weather of early April is expected to be on full display this week, potentially leading to significant changes on the course.
The day before the tournament, temperatures neared 90 degrees, and more of the same was predicted for the first round.
However, a storm front was bearing down on east Georgia, bringing potentially heavy rain and dropping temperatures into the low 50s by the weekend, forecasters said.
The player who demonstrates the greatest adaptability to that wide range of conditions will most likely be the one wearing the green jacket come Sunday evening.
