Learning to Play Augusta National Well Enough to Win the Masters Is an Acquired Taste
Rory McIlroy spent a couple of days at Augusta National Golf Club earlier this week, straying from tradition by staying off sight and playing the course on his own, hoping to glean more knowledge for the Masters.
Tiger Woods was there testing his right leg, foot and ankle. So was Justin Thomas. And past Masters champions Patrick Reed and Dustin Johnson.
It’s an annual rite of spring. Not just the Masters itself, but the run-up to the tournament and the preparation that goes into playing. Players who are eligible are allowed to play practice rounds at any time the club is open. Some take advantage more than others.
Collin Morikawa doesn’t go at all, choosing to do all of his major championship preparations on site during the week of the tournament.
There is always something to be learned at Augusta National, one of the game’s most iconic courses and home to the Masters since its inception in 1934.
Morikawa, just 25 and with two major titles to his credit, has already taken some knowledge from his two Masters appearances.
“The first two years when I was there, I tried playing a draw type of game and obviously that’s not me," said Morikawa, who has finished T44 and T18. “And everyone says you have to play a draw there and you don’t. I will 100 percent believe for the rest of my career that you don’t have to play a draw on every hole. There are some holes where you absolutely have to hit a draw or have to hook the ball, but there are holes out there where it’s a straight fairway.
“I was trying to hit a super neutral or almost a slight draw when there was no need to. I could aim left and play my cut. It forced me to hit these shots that I wasn’t comfortable with and I didn’t know my misses and then my misses were even a bigger dispersion, and it just made golf harder to play. I’ve got to stick to my strengths of what I can do."
Lesson learned. And it’s a good one for other players who embark on their Masters journey: it’s better to stick with what you know best.
But there are other nuances to Augusta National that take time. It’s no coincidence that the only first-time Masters participant to win the tournament since the first two years it was played in 1934 and 1935 was Fuzzy Zoeller in 1979.
And he needed Ed Sneed’s misfortune of bogeying the final three holes to fall into a playoff.
Jordan Spieth finished second in his first attempt in 2014 and then won the following year. Woods won in just his third try and first as a pro. It’s not impossible to play well at Augusta early. But history is against it.
“I’m probably just a little more comfortable on the areas to miss it," said Brooks Koepka, who has played in six Masters, with two top-10s, including a runner-up finish to Woods in 2019. “Some areas around the green seem like they might not be the best place to miss it, but they really are. I wouldn’t say there’s adjustments, it’s just more about understanding where to miss it. The more and more you play, the more and more you just don’t want to be short-sided out there.’’
Does it take awhile to learn those places?
It depends upon who you ask.
“I think every round you play out there you learn something new," Viktor Hovland said.
Justin Thomas believes he may own a couple of wins in six Masters appearances instead of one top-5 finish had he executed his shots better.
USA Today Sports | Rob Schumacher
“I feel like I did my homework really well and I played practice rounds with the right guys," said Thomas, who has one top-5 finish in six Masters appearances. “I picked the right guys’ brains. And to be honest, I feel like all of my finishes at Augusta are just due to poor execution.
“I feel very confident that I know how to get around that place and I know what pins, where to hit it, where to go off the tees, how holes play with certain wins, etc. But I’ve got to catch a remotely hot putter that week and it’s just about making those putts or hitting those shots when you just quite need to and I think that’s why I have a handful of 10th to 25ths instead of a couple of wins.’’
Matt Kuchar, who is not in this year’s field but has competed in 15 Masters, said he is often puzzled when players make more out of it than necessary.
“As far as course knowledge, course breakdown, I don’t think it’s that tough to learn," he said. “I think most people know 99 percent of it without walking on the property. Once you do it as a first-timer and you take a local caddie with you and learn where not to miss it on each hole, it’s pretty basic. I don’t have any unique things that come to me.
“I think trying to prep pre-tournament is really tricky in that the course changes so drastically. Even Monday to Thursday. So there’s preparation that is not preparation. The only real preparation is tournament week where you can do yourself any justice.’’
That doesn’t keep players from going to Augusta National early. Part of that is no doubt due to the great perk it is just to be able to enjoy the property, whether it’s staying in the cabins, eating in the clubhouse, visiting the wine cellar or just playing the Par-3 Course.
Getting to know the course better certainly helps, but the real knowledge comes tournament week.
“To me, it’ll never get old," said Louis Oosthuizen, who 10 years ago lost a Masters playoff to Bubba Watson. "Driving in on Magnolia Lane, it never gets old. Every time, I sort of get that tingly feeling. It’s a different feeling. And it’s pretty cool."
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- Tiger Woods Plays Augusta National as Speculation Swirls
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