The Masters 2023

[Splatt]

G’day Golfers,

A tradition unlike any other.

It’s finally here!

After months of regular season golf, including a couple of higher-profile designated events, the 2023 season’s first major has arrived. Get ready for those big gates on Magnolia Drive to swing open and drive on down towards the Augusta National Clubhouse because it’s time for The Masters, baby!

This week is like Christmas for a golf nut, but instead of unwrapping yet another pair of new socks, we’re treated to the greenest of fairways, the whitest bunkers, and (in my opinion) the best major of the year.

There is so much to get to for this event including what happened last year, this year’s dramas with LIV, Scottie’s dinner menu, potential storylines, course changes, who’s hot, and so much more. So let’s jump right into things with something that needs absolutely no introduction, the course.

The Masters is the only major that is held on the same course each year, Augusta National.
Augusta National Golf Club is a par 72 currently sitting at 7,545 yards, but that may change next year. Being the only course that holds a major every year, Augusta is constantly tweaking the course; adding yards to certain holes, re-doing greens, and adding whatever hazards they can.

For 2023, there’s been a significant change to the par-5 13th the last hole of Amens Corner. It has had the tee box pushed back and been lengthened by 35 yards to a total of 545 yards; the added distance is supposed to dissuade golfers from cutting the corner and hopefully see more golfers have a long iron for an approach rather than a wedge.
Amen Corner is a section of the course, comprising of the par-4 11th, par-3 12th, and par-5 13th. Many Masters runs have been made or broken in this stretch of holes.

Adding the distance to the 13th means that the total playing distance of 7,545 yards makes Augusta National the longest in Masters History. Maybe DeChambeau will upgrade his prediction to a par-69 for himself.

The Masters has so many traditions from jacket to dinner to 1950s-priced food, but one we can’t forget is the famed par-3 contest.
The Par 3 contest is always a favourite of mine as it’s a chance to see another side of many of the pros who are about to try and make history. Wives, girlfriends, children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews all happily serve as caddies. The par-3 comp is held on the Wednesday before the tournament and is normally a bit of a stress reliever for the players. It dates back to the 1960s when the inaugural one was won by Sam Snead (because of course it was).
Interestingly, no winner of the par-3 comp has ever gone on to win The Masters; take from that what you will.

Another tradition, before we get to the field and actual golf itself, is the Champions Dinner.
Scottie Scheffler won last year so he gets the honour of designing the menu for the Champions Dinner this year, and oh boy, if it isn’t Scheffler on a plate. Cheeseburger sliders, Texas rib-eye, mac & cheese; it all screams Scheffler. One of my favourite things to speculate on is what the Masters champion will have as his dinner the next year and I think I nailed Scottie’s 100% after his win last year.

Speaking of Scottie Scheffler, his phenomenal win last year topped off his stellar winning run coming only 2 months after his first-ever PGA Tour win and his 4th win in 6 starts. Scheffler dominated last year's tournament with his only stumble being a 4-putt on the 72nd hole of the competition, luckily he had enough shots up his sleeve that he was still crowned champion when the ball finally fell in the cup. 
 

The weather is set to play a part in this year’s Masters with the forecast looking pretty terrible. Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday all have scattered thunderstorms and potential rain showers anticipated. There’s also a high chance of some strong winds with possible 20-mph gusts. The last time a Master’s was pushed to a Monday finish was in 1983, let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.
 

The LIV boys are back in town. Despite the players on the LIV tour continuing to drop down the OWGR rankings due to not being eligible for ranking points, 18 players have managed to qualify for this year's tournament. The qualifications come from a top-50 OWGR ranking at the end of 2022, winning any other major within the last 5 years, or previously winning a Masters tournament.
I, for one, am not a fan of LIV, but I’m very intrigued to see how they will compete in this year’s competition. With 18 out of 88 players coming from LIV, there’s a high chance that one of them will be in the mix during the final round, most likely DJ or Cam Smith (or both), but also Talor Gooch, Jason Kokrak, Kevin Na, and Charl Schwartzel are in the field and all finished inside the top-15 last year.

The 88-man field this year is made up of 52 from the PGA Tour, 18 from LIV, 8 amateurs, 7 senior past champions, and 3 from the DP World Tour.
That’s a pretty competitive mix.

 

Field Highlights

·         Scottie Scheffler – Scottie is trying to become the first person since Tiger in 2001-02 to successfully defend a Masters Championship. He comes in after already successfully defending his WM Phoenix Open win, nearly defending his WGC Matchplay win by making it to the semi-finals, and winning The Players Championship. Scheffler also arrives at Augusta as the only player other than Tiger Wood and Jack Nicklaus to hold The Players and Masters titles concurrently. That’s some good company to be in. With the inclusion of world number 5, Cam Smith, to the field this is THE strongest field of the year, and Scottie still seems like the man to beat.

·         Rory McIlroy – Rory is looking to complete his career grand slam by adding a green jacket to his wardrobe. He looked unstoppable during his final round last year, his highlight reel-worthy bunker hole-out on the 18th closed out a final round 64 tied for the lowest final-round score in Masters history. I’m sure he’ll be hoping some of that momentum carries over to this year. McIlroy has taken his Masters prep even more seriously this year saying he has played 81 holes at Augusta over the past 2 weeks, including an 18-hole round where he had just 19 putts. If he brings this game to the actual competition then the green jacket is as good as his.

·         Jon Rahm – Rahm looked absolutely unstoppable earlier in the season. You’d be forgiven in thinking he would have won everything he played in, or even crazier, winning the grand slam this year. Since that amazing run earlier in the year, Rahm has fallen off the radar a little bit with a T-39 at the Arnold Palmer, withdrawing from The Players Championship due to illness, and a T-31 at the WGC Matchplay. But, if Rahm comes into this event firing on all cylinders then he’ll definitely be in the conversation on Sunday.

·         Cam Smith – The LIV defection that hurt me the most. Cam has been severely missed on the PGA Tour this season with his cool demeanour, no-nonsense putting, and shot-making ability. His win at The Players last year will go down as a classic despite his move to the rival tour. What is going to be interesting to watch is if he can match his performance at The Masters last year. Cam was in the final group with Scottie and came very close to taking a green jacket home down under. But, his last couple of outings at the LIV events leave a lot to be desired with a 29th at Orlando and 26th at Tuscon. These would be fairly average results in a full field, but in a limited field with no cut it’s even worse. I think Cam’s tournament is going to go one of two ways, he is either in the conversation on Sunday or he’s not even going to make the cut. Either way, it’s going to be interesting.

·         Tiger Woods – Will Tiger make the cut again this year? That is probably the more common question these days rather than, will Tiger win? However, Tiger himself says he feels better this year than he did last year, he feels much stronger and healthier and his golf game is in a much better spot. Also, Tiger isn’t going to play any tournament unless he thinks he has a realistic chance to win; that’s just who the guy is and why he’s the G.O.A.T (and no that doesn’t stand for Golfers On A Team). My gut says Tiger makes the cut, and if he’s anywhere near the top of the leaderboard come Sunday then everyone else will have quite the fight on their hands.

The groups and tee times for the first round can be found here

 

Whatever happens over the next few days The Masters always has a way of bringing out something special in those that compete.
What do you guys think?

 

Golfers, that’s it from me. May your picks make the cut.
And if you ever are fortunate enough to ever play a round at Augusta, don’t tempt fate and call it a par 67 

 

Splatt

[GolfSpy_APH]

This and Open week are the two tournaments I get most excited for and actually block time to watch. Thankfully with it being Easter I have holiday time and can fully take advantage of watching!

[Splatt]

Im glad it's over Easter weekend. The final round is normally on a Monday morning here in Aus so I usually book the day off to watch it

[Kanoito]

15 minutes ago, GolfSpy_APH said:

This and Open week are the two tournaments I get most excited for and actually block time to watch. Thankfully with it being Easter I have holiday time and can fully take advantage of watching!

Amen to that! 4 day Easter weekend, can stay up late to finish TV coverage!

[GolfSpy_APH]

Don't forget to get your picks in for the Vokey Wedges Pool!

[GolfSpy_APH]

So some very disappointing news for me. 

I have to watch Golf on Sky here in Switzerland which isn't bad. Normally actually pretty good coverage and enjoyable. However I saw (last week) that Faldo is coming back to announce only on Sky. I was so happy when he left and I just don't enjoy listening to him. Guess I will be watching all of it in German and using the Masters App. 

[Splatt]

1 minute ago, GolfSpy_APH said:

So some very disappointing news for me. 

I have to watch Golf on Sky here in Switzerland which isn't bad. Normally actually pretty good coverage and enjoyable. However I saw (last week) that Faldo is coming back to announce only on Sky. I was so happy when he left and I just don't enjoy listening to him. Guess I will be watching all of it in German and using the Masters App. 

Personally, I'm a fan (it must be the English in me), but I know what you mean. He can waffle on a bit

[Swood1994]

1 hour ago, GolfSpy_APH said:

So some very disappointing news for me. 

I have to watch Golf on Sky here in Switzerland which isn't bad. Normally actually pretty good coverage and enjoyable. However I saw (last week) that Faldo is coming back to announce only on Sky. I was so happy when he left and I just don't enjoy listening to him. Guess I will be watching all of it in German and using the Masters App. 

It’s a toss up between Faldo and Zing for hardest announcer to listen to on the broadcasts. They seem to never have something positive to say about a shot. 

[GolfSpy_KFT]

7 hours ago, Splatt said:

G’day Golfers,

A tradition unlike any other.

It’s finally here!

After months of regular season golf, including a couple of higher-profile designated events, the 2023 season’s first major has arrived. Get ready for those big gates on Magnolia Drive to swing open and drive on down towards the Augusta National Clubhouse because it’s time for The Masters, baby!

This week is like Christmas for a golf nut, but instead of unwrapping yet another pair of new socks, we’re treated to the greenest of fairways, the whitest bunkers, and (in my opinion) the best major of the year.

There is so much to get to for this event including what happened last year, this year’s dramas with LIV, Scottie’s dinner menu, potential storylines, course changes, who’s hot, and so much more. So let’s jump right into things with something that needs absolutely no introduction, the course.

The Masters is the only major that is held on the same course each year, Augusta National.
Augusta National Golf Club is a par 72 currently sitting at 7,545 yards, but that may change next year. Being the only course that holds a major every year, Augusta is constantly tweaking the course; adding yards to certain holes, re-doing greens, and adding whatever hazards they can.

For 2023, there’s been a significant change to the par-5 13th the last hole of Amens Corner. It has had the tee box pushed back and been lengthened by 35 yards to a total of 545 yards; the added distance is supposed to dissuade golfers from cutting the corner and hopefully see more golfers have a long iron for an approach rather than a wedge.
Amen Corner is a section of the course, comprising of the par-4 11th, par-3 12th, and par-5 13th. Many Masters runs have been made or broken in this stretch of holes.

Adding the distance to the 13th means that the total playing distance of 7,545 yards makes Augusta National the longest in Masters History. Maybe DeChambeau will upgrade his prediction to a par-69 for himself.

The Masters has so many traditions from jacket to dinner to 1950s-priced food, but one we can’t forget is the famed par-3 contest.
The Par 3 contest is always a favourite of mine as it’s a chance to see another side of many of the pros who are about to try and make history. Wives, girlfriends, children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews all happily serve as caddies. The par-3 comp is held on the Wednesday before the tournament and is normally a bit of a stress reliever for the players. It dates back to the 1960s when the inaugural one was won by Sam Snead (because of course it was).
Interestingly, no winner of the par-3 comp has ever gone on to win The Masters; take from that what you will.

Another tradition, before we get to the field and actual golf itself, is the Champions Dinner.
Scottie Scheffler won last year so he gets the honour of designing the menu for the Champions Dinner this year, and oh boy, if it isn’t Scheffler on a plate. Cheeseburger sliders, Texas rib-eye, mac & cheese; it all screams Scheffler. One of my favourite things to speculate on is what the Masters champion will have as his dinner the next year and I think I nailed Scottie’s 100% after his win last year.

Speaking of Scottie Scheffler, his phenomenal win last year topped off his stellar winning run coming only 2 months after his first-ever PGA Tour win and his 4th win in 6 starts. Scheffler dominated last year's tournament with his only stumble being a 4-putt on the 72nd hole of the competition, luckily he had enough shots up his sleeve that he was still crowned champion when the ball finally fell in the cup. 
 

The weather is set to play a part in this year’s Masters with the forecast looking pretty terrible. Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday all have scattered thunderstorms and potential rain showers anticipated. There’s also a high chance of some strong winds with possible 20-mph gusts. The last time a Master’s was pushed to a Monday finish was in 1983, let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.
 

The LIV boys are back in town. Despite the players on the LIV tour continuing to drop down the OWGR rankings due to not being eligible for ranking points, 18 players have managed to qualify for this year's tournament. The qualifications come from a top-50 OWGR ranking at the end of 2022, winning any other major within the last 5 years, or previously winning a Masters tournament.
I, for one, am not a fan of LIV, but I’m very intrigued to see how they will compete in this year’s competition. With 18 out of 88 players coming from LIV, there’s a high chance that one of them will be in the mix during the final round, most likely DJ or Cam Smith (or both), but also Talor Gooch, Jason Kokrak, Kevin Na, and Charl Schwartzel are in the field and all finished inside the top-15 last year.

The 88-man field this year is made up of 52 from the PGA Tour, 18 from LIV, 8 amateurs, 7 senior past champions, and 3 from the DP World Tour.
That’s a pretty competitive mix.

 

Field Highlights

·         Scottie Scheffler – Scottie is trying to become the first person since Tiger in 2001-02 to successfully defend a Masters Championship. He comes in after already successfully defending his WM Phoenix Open win, nearly defending his WGC Matchplay win by making it to the semi-finals, and winning The Players Championship. Scheffler also arrives at Augusta as the only player other than Tiger Wood and Jack Nicklaus to hold The Players and Masters titles concurrently. That’s some good company to be in. With the inclusion of world number 5, Cam Smith, to the field this is THE strongest field of the year, and Scottie still seems like the man to beat.

·         Rory McIlroy – Rory is looking to complete his career grand slam by adding a green jacket to his wardrobe. He looked unstoppable during his final round last year, his highlight reel-worthy bunker hole-out on the 18th closed out a final round 64 tied for the lowest final-round score in Masters history. I’m sure he’ll be hoping some of that momentum carries over to this year. McIlroy has taken his Masters prep even more seriously this year saying he has played 81 holes at Augusta over the past 2 weeks, including an 18-hole round where he had just 19 putts. If he brings this game to the actual competition then the green jacket is as good as his.

·         Jon Rahm – Rahm looked absolutely unstoppable earlier in the season. You’d be forgiven in thinking he would have won everything he played in, or even crazier, winning the grand slam this year. Since that amazing run earlier in the year, Rahm has fallen off the radar a little bit with a T-39 at the Arnold Palmer, withdrawing from The Players Championship due to illness, and a T-31 at the WGC Matchplay. But, if Rahm comes into this event firing on all cylinders then he’ll definitely be in the conversation on Sunday.

·         Cam Smith – The LIV defection that hurt me the most. Cam has been severely missed on the PGA Tour this season with his cool demeanour, no-nonsense putting, and shot-making ability. His win at The Players last year will go down as a classic despite his move to the rival tour. What is going to be interesting to watch is if he can match his performance at The Masters last year. Cam was in the final group with Scottie and came very close to taking a green jacket home down under. But, his last couple of outings at the LIV events leave a lot to be desired with a 29th at Orlando and 26th at Tuscon. These would be fairly average results in a full field, but in a limited field with no cut it’s even worse. I think Cam’s tournament is going to go one of two ways, he is either in the conversation on Sunday or he’s not even going to make the cut. Either way, it’s going to be interesting.

·         Tiger Woods – Will Tiger make the cut again this year? That is probably the more common question these days rather than, will Tiger win? However, Tiger himself says he feels better this year than he did last year, he feels much stronger and healthier and his golf game is in a much better spot. Also, Tiger isn’t going to play any tournament unless he thinks he has a realistic chance to win; that’s just who the guy is and why he’s the G.O.A.T (and no that doesn’t stand for Golfers On A Team). My gut says Tiger makes the cut, and if he’s anywhere near the top of the leaderboard come Sunday then everyone else will have quite the fight on their hands.

The groups and tee times for the first round can be found here

 

Whatever happens over the next few days The Masters always has a way of bringing out something special in those that compete.
What do you guys think?

 

Golfers, that’s it from me. May your picks make the cut.
And if you ever are fortunate enough to ever play a round at Augusta, don’t tempt fate and call it a par 67 

 

Splatt

Great write up as usual, @Splatt! I didn't think I could get more excited with anticipation, but then I read this post and now want to skip out on work and watch old Masters highlights. Bring on Thursday and Round 1 (with some GREAT groups I might add)!

FWIW...I am still also wounded/salty about Cam's defecting to LIV. Was one of, if not my favorite, golfer to watch last year.

[GolfSpy BOS]

Really looking forward to the Masters this year.  The LIV angle is interesting as I want to see how well those golfers can do, and it looks like it might be wet so do the bombers pull through to the top of the pool?

I'm currently listening to the NLU masters preview podcast and they're talking about so many angles that make this a very interesting year for the Masters!

I think I've changed my fantasy lineups 3 or 4 times already..... and I'm probably not done.

[TitleistMike]

As another noted....Masters and The Open are the ultimate measures of golf talents and capabilities. I've been fortunate to walk ANGC on practice rounds and regular play. I have a picture of Arnold after teeing off # 3 that is classic pose.

 

I am an LIV supporter so I hope the vocal anti LIV golfers tone it down and focus on golf rather than egotistical drama. Let the golf be the story this week.

[Jim Shaw]

soooo, is anyone going to beat Scottie Scheffler? such a golf stud right now... every aspect of his game is fantastic, his chip in on number 3 last year locked it up... I am picking Scottie, sentimental favourite- Jason Day, Tiger will make the cut... that's all I got lol... enjoy the tournament everyone...

[richk9holes]

Obviously Tiger's group is going to be followed closely. Looking at the pairing, the group I'm most excited to watch is Morikawa/Fitzpatrick/Zalatoris

[Swood1994]

8 minutes ago, Jim Shaw said:

soooo, is anyone going to beat Scottie Scheffler? such a golf stud right now... every aspect of his game is fantastic, his chip in on number 3 last year locked it up... I am picking Scottie, sentimental favourite- Jason Day, Tiger will make the cut... that's all I got lol... enjoy the tournament everyone...

Scottie is going to be tough to beat, I think. Hoping Rory can complete the Career Grand Slam and would also love to see Tiger make the cut and if he could even be in contention would be a bonus. I feel like Jason Day has not had a bad year at Augusta. He plays this course so well.

[revkev]

Since moving to Florida 17 years ago I've stopped watching the final round of the Masters as I'd rather play golf than watch on TV.  However when Easter falls on a Sunday I watch because I'm too tired to play - so I'm excited for this year's Masters plus I'd love to see Rory finally get his grand slam - it's about time for him, there's really no way that he shouldn't play well on this course.

 

I'm looking forward to this year's Masters which is very unusual for me.  Lot's of story lines. 

[cnosil]

Watching the live at the range coverage and they are showing JT.   He has a cleaning brush attached to his belt and cleans his club after every shot.   Wondering when the posts will start asking what brand it is and will we start seeing local golfers sporting the groove cleaner on their belt?   

[Swood1994]

15 minutes ago, cnosil said:

Watching the live at the range coverage and they are showing JT.   He has a cleaning brush attached to his belt and cleans his club after every shot.   Wondering when the posts will start asking what brand it is and will we start seeing local golfers sporting the groove cleaner on their belt?   

LOL I was watching that too. All I could think about is how much that would bug me swinging around through the follow through. I barely can play with a phone in my front pocket.

[mikeanthony]

2 hours ago, GolfSpy_BOS said:

Really looking forward to the Masters this year.  The LIV angle is interesting as I want to see how well those golfers can do, and it looks like it might be wet so do the bombers pull through to the top of the pool?

I'm currently listening to the NLU masters preview podcast and they're talking about so many angles that make this a very interesting year for the Masters!

I think I've changed my fantasy lineups 3 or 4 times already..... and I'm probably not done.

I hope every single LIV player misses the cut. And their silly LIV team names/logos on their shirts is silly as well. 

All done with the subject and I feel better!

Now, Rory … LFG!!!  

[GolfSpy SAM]

God I love the Masters.  Par-3 Contest going right now, and I just overheard Danny Willett tell his little guy, after three-putting from 7 feet, "you clearly get your putting skills from your mother." lol - so sweet to see everyone out there with their kids and wives and girlfriends.  Such a great event.

[IndyBonzo]

Isn't it amazing watching these gents throw darts on the par 3 course?  

Seeing the families and the past champions in the Par 3 is a highlight every year.  

I hope Tony Finau lets his eldest hit on 9.  Apparently he is a pretty good junior golfer.

[GolfSpy SAM]

43 minutes ago, IndyBonzo said:

Isn't it amazing watching these gents throw darts on the par 3 course?  

Seeing the families and the past champions in the Par 3 is a highlight every year.  

I hope Tony Finau lets his eldest hit on 9.  Apparently he is a pretty good junior golfer.

He did! Almost skipped it across (by accident - but that was awesome.  

Did you see Bubba just now???? Love seeing him so excited at making it - "Gosh DARN, man! I've never had one out here - always wanted one!"

[tony@CIC]

I just saw Phil being interviewed - did he lose weight? I didn't recognize him. 

[MacTourney]

If Cameron Smith putts anywhere near his performance @ the Open everyone else is playing for runner-up.

[GolfSpy SAM]

8 minutes ago, tony@CIC said:

I just saw Phil being interviewed - did he lose weight? I didn't recognize him. 

He's lost a ton of weight, yeah.  He looks great.

[tony@CIC]

2 minutes ago, GolfSpy_SAM said:

He's lost a ton of weight, yeah.  He looks great.

Guess a couple of hundred mil takes the stress off. 

Oh and Dustin looks the opposite. Married life= extra 20 lbs? 

[GolfSpy TCB]

8 hours ago, cnosil said:

Watching the live at the range coverage and they are showing JT.   He has a cleaning brush attached to his belt and cleans his club after every shot.   Wondering when the posts will start asking what brand it is and will we start seeing local golfers sporting the groove cleaner on their belt?   

That is what the bottom of my shoe is for...;) 

[Javs]

4 hours ago, tony@CIC said:

I just saw Phil being interviewed - did he lose weight? I didn't recognize him. 

It’s because he has no more friends and doesn’t get invited to dinner anymore! Ha ha

[richk9holes]

Haha, he also drinks that coffee concoction he markets and goes on fasts.

[Javs]

Hoge won the par 3 and is now cursed!

Edited April 5, 2023 by Javs

[cnosil]

4 minutes ago, Golfspy_TCB said:

That is what the bottom of my shoe is for...;) 

I went to practice this afternoon and I should have clipped the brush to my belt, the shoe wasn't working and I didn't feel like walking back to my car to get the brush.