The Masters - 2024

[Splatt]

G’day golfers,

It’s finally here (almost)
The wait is over (almost)
THE FIRST ROUND OF THE MASTERS IS MOMENTS AWAY (almost)

Every year it feels like an eternity from the start of the season until The Masters arrives, and just like every year, all of a sudden it is here. Despite all of the hype and focus, The Masters has a way of sneaking up on you.

It’s comforting to know that, while golf is currently controversially fractured, the focus can still be narrowed a few times a year to celebrate the sport as a unit and host a tournament to find THE BEST player of that moment in time.
Although, that might not be different this year as Taylor Gooch is not in the field.

Let’s take a drive down Magnolia Lane and dig into The Masters 2024

 

The Masters is played at Augusta National Golf Course in Augusta Georgia and is a 7,555 yard, par-72 course and arguably one of the most famous golf courses in the world along side St Andrews Old Course and Pebble Beach’s Stadium Course.
Each year, Augusta tweaks and changes the course to keep it challenging for the ever improving crop of talent. Generally the changes are pushing the tee boxes back to lengthen or add a new angle to the fairway or green.
This years change is a minor one; they have pushed back the par-5 2nd hole back a whole 10 yards. This might not seem like a lot, but ifor some it could new the difference between a long iron and a wood into the green, and I know I’d much rather have an iron in my hand than a wood.

One thing I love about Augusta National is the names for each of the holes have become so synonymous that each one seems to perfectly capture the its unique layout and personality.

·         Hole 1 – 445-yard, par 4 – Tea Olive

·         Hole 2 – 585-yard, par 5 – Pink Dogwood

·         Hole 3 – 350-yard, par 4 – Flowering Peach

·         Hole 4 – 240-yard, par 3 – Flowering Crab Apple

·         Hole 5 – 495-yard, par 4 – Magnolia

·         Hole 6 – 180-yard, par 3 – Juniper

·         Hole 7 – 450-yard, par 4 – Pampas

·         Hole 8 – 570-yard, par 5 – Yellow Jasmine

·         Hole 9 – 460-yard, par 4 – Carolina Cherry

·         Hole 10 – 495-yard, par 4 – Camellia

·         Hole 11 – 520-yard, par 4 – White Dogwood

·         Hole 12 – 155-yard, par 3 – Golden Bell

·         Hole 13 – 545-yard, par 5 – Azalea

·         Hole 14 – 440-yard, par 4 – Chinese Fir

·         Hole 15 – 550-yard, par 5 – Firethorn

·         Hole 16 – 170-yard, par 3 – Redbud

·         Hole 17 – 440-yard, par 4 – Nandina

·         Hole 18 – 465-yard, par 4 – Holly

The most famous stretch of holes (on an already famous golf course) is Amen’s Corner which is made up of holes 11 (White Dogwood), 12 (Golden Bell), and 13 (Azelea).
Water plays a big part in the make up of this stretch of holes with a pond which sits to the left of the 11th, a creek which runs in front of the 12th (plenty of balls in there every year), and a steam which runs along the entire left side and in front of the green of the 13th.

 

There are two other big parts of the build up to the first tee time on Thursday, one is the Par-3 contest and the other is the Champions dinner.

 

The par-3 contest is a laid back contest held on Augusta’s par-3 course in the build up towards The Masters where players will have a bit of fun and sometimes have their caddies and family members take some shots for them. It’s history dates back to the 1960’s where Sam Snead won the inaugural contest.
Around 1 third of the players who have won the par-3 contest have gone on to miss the cut at The Masters and no play has ever won the par-3 contest and gone on to win The Masters in the same year.

The Champions dinner is a tradition in which every former champion has dinner together and it is hosted by the champion the year prior.
This year The Champions Dinner will be hosted by Jon Rahm after win fantastic win in 2023.
On part that fascinates me is the host gets to design the menu. Generally, this means listing some of their favourite dishes and meals that represent their home country.
This year is no different with Rahm’s menu.

Field Highlights

·         Scottie Scheffler – The current world number 1 and the outright favourite to pick up another Green Jacket this year. Scheffler already has 2 wins under his belt this year and then came in back-to-back weeks in March; he also went 3 weeks in a row but he finished 2nd at the Texas Children’s Open. What’s almost more impressive than the back-to-back wins is the consistency of his golf and that shows with the 7 top-10’s in 8 starts.
If Scotty is in form (which all evidence says he will be) he will be incredibly hard to beat.
 

·         Jon Rahm – The newest scalp that LIV managed to get at the end of 2023, Rahm is the defending champ and current world number 3. His performance over at LIV has been consistent with his performance on the PGA Tour, so I don’t expect anything different in his first major as a LIV player. This year at LIV he has finished T-3, solo-8th, solo-5th, and T-8th, and this is off the back of some DP World Tour events at the end of last season where he finished solo-4th, T-9th, and T-5th. That’s 7 top-10’s in 7 starts.
Last year, Rahm opened his Master’s tournament with a double-bogey, so let’s not count Rahm out until the final whistle.
 

·         Brooks Koepka – Another LIV player that lit up at The Masters last year. Brooks was the only player last year that gave Rahm a run for his money for the whole 4 days and looked favourable to topple the Spaniard, but a final round 3 over par saw him finish T-2 along with Phil Mickelson. Koepka is currently sitting at 31st in the OWGR world rankings, which is not bad considering he’s been on the ineligible LIV Tour since 2022. Although, Data Golf (an independent golf data website) still rank all players regardless of the tour they’re on and they actually have him ranked lower at 44th in the world. Koepka’s recent form over at LIV has been hit and miss with a T-5, T-12, T-12, and solo-28th.
 

·         Rory McIlroy – All eyes will be on Rory (again) to see if he can complete that elusive career grand slam of majors. His record the last few times here is the textbook example of hit and miss; in 2020 he placed T-5, in 2021 he missed the cut, in 2022 he placed solo-2nd, in 2023 he missed the cut. Expanding on that pattern then this should be a year where Rory is firing and could put himself into contention.
He's already had a win on the European tour this year and his best finish of the season on the PGA Tour came last week at the Valero, so he’s trending in the right direction.
 

·         Joaquin Niemann – Arguably the best player in the LIV roster right now, Niemann has been on fire since the end of last year where he travelled Down Under and won the Australian Open. Since then he’s won the LIV Mayakoba event and also the LIV Jeddah event, along side that he’s also finished T-4 at the Hero Dubai Classic on the European Tour, solo-3rd at the International Series Open on the Asian Tour, and T-4 at the Hong Kong LIV event. Last year he finished T-16 here at  The Masters and it looks as though he’ll better that result this year.

The rest of the field can be found here.

 

It’s officially major season and I’m pumped to watch some high level, high stakes golf.

Who do you guys think will take home the green jacket this year?

Will Tiger make the cut?

What ever happens I’m here for it!!!

 

SPLATT

[GolfSpy_APH]

So excited!

[buckpillar]

Masters week is the best golf week of the year for me. Watch the Masters Women's Amateur then the Drive Chip and Putt . Those Kids are awesome!

Can't wait to win the Vokey wedges with my picks.

[Josh Parker]

Going to be a great tournament!  

[buckpillar]

1 hour ago, Splatt said:

G’day golfers,

It’s finally here (almost)
The wait is over (almost)
THE FIRST ROUND OF THE MASTERS IS MOMENTS AWAY (almost)

Every year it feels like an eternity from the start of the season until The Masters arrives, and just like every year, all of a sudden it is here. Despite all of the hype and focus, The Masters has a way of sneaking up on you.

It’s comforting to know that, while golf is currently controversially fractured, the focus can still be narrowed a few times a year to celebrate the sport as a unit and host a tournament to find THE BEST player of that moment in time.
Although, that might not be different this year as Taylor Gooch is not in the field.

Let’s take a drive down Magnolia Lane and dig into The Masters 2024

 

The Masters is played at Augusta National Golf Course in Augusta Georgia and is a 7,555 yard, par-72 course and arguably one of the most famous golf courses in the world along side St Andrews Old Course and Pebble Beach’s Stadium Course.
Each year, Augusta tweaks and changes the course to keep it challenging for the ever improving crop of talent. Generally the changes are pushing the tee boxes back to lengthen or add a new angle to the fairway or green.
This years change is a minor one; they have pushed back the par-5 2nd hole back a whole 10 yards. This might not seem like a lot, but ifor some it could new the difference between a long iron and a wood into the green, and I know I’d much rather have an iron in my hand than a wood.

One thing I love about Augusta National is the names for each of the holes have become so synonymous that each one seems to perfectly capture the its unique layout and personality.

·         Hole 1 – 445-yard, par 4 – Tea Olive

·         Hole 2 – 585-yard, par 5 – Pink Dogwood

·         Hole 3 – 350-yard, par 4 – Flowering Peach

·         Hole 4 – 240-yard, par 3 – Flowering Crab Apple

·         Hole 5 – 495-yard, par 4 – Magnolia

·         Hole 6 – 180-yard, par 3 – Juniper

·         Hole 7 – 450-yard, par 4 – Pampas

·         Hole 8 – 570-yard, par 5 – Yellow Jasmine

·         Hole 9 – 460-yard, par 4 – Carolina Cherry

·         Hole 10 – 495-yard, par 4 – Camellia

·         Hole 11 – 520-yard, par 4 – White Dogwood

·         Hole 12 – 155-yard, par 3 – Golden Bell

·         Hole 13 – 545-yard, par 5 – Azalea

·         Hole 14 – 440-yard, par 4 – Chinese Fir

·         Hole 15 – 550-yard, par 5 – Firethorn

·         Hole 16 – 170-yard, par 3 – Redbud

·         Hole 17 – 440-yard, par 4 – Nandina

·         Hole 18 – 465-yard, par 4 – Holly

The most famous stretch of holes (on an already famous golf course) is Amen’s Corner which is made up of holes 11 (White Dogwood), 12 (Golden Bell), and 13 (Azelea).
Water plays a big part in the make up of this stretch of holes with a pond which sits to the left of the 11th, a creek which runs in front of the 12th (plenty of balls in there every year), and a steam which runs along the entire left side and in front of the green of the 13th.

 

There are two other big parts of the build up to the first tee time on Thursday, one is the Par-3 contest and the other is the Champions dinner.

 

The par-3 contest is a laid back contest held on Augusta’s par-3 course in the build up towards The Masters where players will have a bit of fun and sometimes have their caddies and family members take some shots for them. It’s history dates back to the 1960’s where Sam Snead won the inaugural contest.
Around 1 third of the players who have won the par-3 contest have gone on to miss the cut at The Masters and no play has ever won the par-3 contest and gone on to win The Masters in the same year.

The Champions dinner is a tradition in which every former champion has dinner together and it is hosted by the champion the year prior.
This year The Champions Dinner will be hosted by Jon Rahm after win fantastic win in 2023.
On part that fascinates me is the host gets to design the menu. Generally, this means listing some of their favourite dishes and meals that represent their home country.
This year is no different with Rahm’s menu.

Field Highlights

·         Scottie Scheffler – The current world number 1 and the outright favourite to pick up another Green Jacket this year. Scheffler already has 2 wins under his belt this year and then came in back-to-back weeks in March; he also went 3 weeks in a row but he finished 2nd at the Texas Children’s Open. What’s almost more impressive than the back-to-back wins is the consistency of his golf and that shows with the 7 top-10’s in 8 starts.
If Scotty is in form (which all evidence says he will be) he will be incredibly hard to beat.
 

·         Jon Rahm – The newest scalp that LIV managed to get at the end of 2023, Rahm is the defending champ and current world number 3. His performance over at LIV has been consistent with his performance on the PGA Tour, so I don’t expect anything different in his first major as a LIV player. This year at LIV he has finished T-3, solo-8th, solo-5th, and T-8th, and this is off the back of some DP World Tour events at the end of last season where he finished solo-4th, T-9th, and T-5th. That’s 7 top-10’s in 7 starts.
Last year, Rahm opened his Master’s tournament with a double-bogey, so let’s not count Rahm out until the final whistle.
 

·         Brooks Koepka – Another LIV player that lit up at The Masters last year. Brooks was the only player last year that gave Rahm a run for his money for the whole 4 days and looked favourable to topple the Spaniard, but a final round 3 over par saw him finish T-2 along with Phil Mickelson. Koepka is currently sitting at 31st in the OWGR world rankings, which is not bad considering he’s been on the ineligible LIV Tour since 2022. Although, Data Golf (an independent golf data website) still rank all players regardless of the tour they’re on and they actually have him ranked lower at 44th in the world. Koepka’s recent form over at LIV has been hit and miss with a T-5, T-12, T-12, and solo-28th.
 

·         Rory McIlroy – All eyes will be on Rory (again) to see if he can complete that elusive career grand slam of majors. His record the last few times here is the textbook example of hit and miss; in 2020 he placed T-5, in 2021 he missed the cut, in 2022 he placed solo-2nd, in 2023 he missed the cut. Expanding on that pattern then this should be a year where Rory is firing and could put himself into contention.
He's already had a win on the European tour this year and his best finish of the season on the PGA Tour came last week at the Valero, so he’s trending in the right direction.
 

·         Joaquin Niemann – Arguably the best player in the LIV roster right now, Niemann has been on fire since the end of last year where he travelled Down Under and won the Australian Open. Since then he’s won the LIV Mayakoba event and also the LIV Jeddah event, along side that he’s also finished T-4 at the Hero Dubai Classic on the European Tour, solo-3rd at the International Series Open on the Asian Tour, and T-4 at the Hong Kong LIV event. Last year he finished T-16 here at  The Masters and it looks as though he’ll better that result this year.

The rest of the field can be found here.

 

It’s officially major season and I’m pumped to watch some high level, high stakes golf.

Who do you guys think will take home the green jacket this year?

Will Tiger make the cut?

What ever happens I’m here for it!!!

 

SPLATT

I like Spieth, Tiger won't make the cut, he's not playing. I will watch when I can then re-watch it all every night at work.

Awesome job putting all the information together, Thank you

[BobBC78]

Always a great time of year when The Masters happens. While its hard to bet against Scheffler, a lot can happen which is why the tournament is so fun to watch.!

[bens197]

I’m ready…

[Mike10487]

Good luck to everyone!  Those sure are some sweet looking wedges! I love the Masters because of the course and history. I love the US Open because of the Rough, I love the Open because of the weather, and I love the PGA for the underdogs!  But is there anywhere else that has a better drive into the course than Augusta??? I think not. 

[nickp91]

It's also the final trip to Augusta for the legend Verne Lundquist as the voice of The Masters for CBS

[JStapp]

Is it too early to call it for Aberg to win? 

[StrokerAce]

one of the top 5 irons shots I've ever seen...

 

[TSauer]

Truly, a tradition unlike any other.

[Shankster]

Hello Friends.

[FirthofFore]

I think Scottie is the obvious choice now his putting is better 

would love to see Rory win it but he’s lost the experience of closing out a major 

Speith could be a good outside bet, and would also love Tommy to win it

[cnosil]

18 minutes ago, FirthofFore said:

I think Scottie is the obvious choice now his putting is better 

 

His putting isn’t better. 

[higherplane]

Not sure this year, but live in Colorado and we typically have terrible weather on Master's weekend, perfect for watching a great tournament, with the fracture in men's pro golf, the majors are event more of a treat.  

[Kaden_Marcell]

Well considering it's masters week, it's good to know that I will see Tiger woods with another green jacket on Sunday, gives me something to look forward too!

[Kaden_Marcell]

1 hour ago, cnosil said:

His putting isn’t better. 

Stats show that it is by far. The Genesis he lost 4 shots to the field off putting, the players he had gained 1 shot (and won), and the AP he gained 4 shots on the field, and he won by 5. His putting is better.

[cnosil]

12 minutes ago, Kaden_Marcell said:

Stats show that it is by far. The Genesis he lost 4 shots to the field off putting, the players he had gained 1 shot (and won), and the AP he gained 4 shots on the field, and he won by 5. His putting is better.

Stats show he is streaky and always has been.  He putted poorly in individual rounds and putter poorly at the Houston open.   

[Kaden_Marcell]

7 minutes ago, cnosil said:

Stats show he is streaky and always has been.  He putted poorly in individual rounds and putter poorly at the Houston open.   

He gained .495 shots putting at the Houston, and 1.67 putts per GIR which ranked 3rd that week, and average 28 putts per round. That seems like pretty solid putting to me. Is he streaky, yes, however so is everyone else in the world.

[cnosil]

7 minutes ago, Kaden_Marcell said:

He gained .495 shots putting at the Houston, and 1.67 putts per GIR which ranked 3rd that week, and average 28 putts per round. That seems like pretty solid putting to me. Is he streaky, yes, however so is everyone else in the world.

His .495 had him ranked 45th in the field which is generally where he ranks week to week.   He is improving and has always been a great lag putter but still8# a middle of the pack performer 

[BreakfastBall15]

Is it Thursday yet?!?

[bens197]

3 hours ago, TSauer said:

Truly, a tradition unlike any other.

Exactly!  Added it back this AM. 
 

There is no app in the world that competes with this masterpiece. 

[Donn lost in San Diego]

4 hours ago, JStapp said:

Is it too early to call it for Aberg to win? 

Yes.  Too soon, usually 3 or 4 years before the nerves calm down enough to let you win.

[Donn lost in San Diego]

26 minutes ago, BreakfastBall15 said:

Is it Thursday yet?!?

I think it is , in The Twilight Zone, Season 14 Episode Sub 70.

[snoopy79]

The crowds....for a practice round *from the Masters' website.

Woods & Zalatoris on No. 18 4/8/24

[Splatt]

15 hours ago, TSauer said:

Truly, a tradition unlike any other.

One of the best sporting apps out there!

[JockyCalvert]

Im not saying he will win - but I have a sneaky feeling that Adam Scott could go deep this week. His ball striking just looks solid, he's made peace with the flatstick and is actually rolling the rock really well. If he got hot then his game could be good enough for a top (dare I say) 5 finish. 

My other 'sleeper' picks would have to be Xander Schauffele and Wyndham Clark. I actually also really like Akshay Bhatia to have a good week, especially as a leftie. 

Its going to be a great week!

[Splatt]

 

Great article from Dan Rapaport here.

Detail on every player in the field to get you hyped

[Donn lost in San Diego]

It's easier to predict the next earthquake than it is who might win this year.  Way too many good golfers.  And some of them are also good putters.