Monday, April 6, 2026

Weekend Wrap - Masters Week Edition

It's the best week of the golf year, one I'll try to not have ruined by dental surgery this afternoon....  No pimiento-cheese for this dude, at least until the ceremonial opening tee shots in the gloaming on Thursday.

As for the weekend reference in the header, not gonna even worry about paying that off.  What happens in San Antonio stays in San Antonio.

Shall we lede with this rather good forecast?

I wouldn't object to a bit more wind than the 6 mph they're showing for Friday-Sunday, but the course should be as firm as they want it.

The Venue - Geoff has been posting up a storm, and even limited to that which is before his paywall leaves much to discuss.  Shall we grab some of his "by the numbers" data?

By The Numbers
  • Augusta National Golf Club: Founded in 1932, opened in January 1933
  • Original Architects: Alister MacKenzie, Bobby Jones (1933)
  • Other architects known to have made adjustments: Perry Maxwell, Robert Trent Jones, George Cobb, Joe Lee/Byron Nelson, Bob Cupp, Jack Nicklaus, Tom Fazio, Beau Welling
  • Yardage: 7,565 yards (up ten yards in 2026)
  • Par: 72
  • Yards of Walking Between Tournament Tees: 1,236
  • Slope and Course Rating: 148, 76.2 (unofficial)
  • Course Record: 63 (Nick Price, 1986 third round; Greg Norman, 1996 first round)
  • Holes with hazards in play: 7 (2nd, 5th, 8th, 11th, 12th, 13th, 15th, 16th)
  • Elevation Change: 145 feet from the highest spot (10th tee) to the 11th green (lowest).
  • Elevation Rise: 59 feet from the tee to the 18th green
The 7th fairway.

There will be a quiz in the morning...

 And a separate set of agronomic bullets:

  • Fairways: Ryegrass overseed cut toward tees at .375”
  • Acres of Fairway: 79
  • Average Green Size: 6,486 sq. ft.
  • Greens: Bentgrass, cut at .125”
  • First: Set of bentgrass greens PGA Tour regulars have played in 2026
  • Bunkers: 44
  • Largest Bunker: 8th fairway, 6,107 square feet and 100 tons of sand
  • Holes With “Penalty Areas” In Play: 2, 5, 8, 11, 12, 13, 15, 16
  • Second Cut: Ryegrass overseed trimmed at 1.375”
  • Acres of “Second Cut”: 35
  • Collars: Bentgrass .250”
  • Approaches: Ryegrass overseed .312”
  • Tees: Ryegrass overseed .312”
  • Number of Course Maintenance Employees: 60
  • Number of Tournament Volunteers: 113
  • Senior Director of Agronomy: Brent Seyer, GCSAA (16th year, second as director)
  • Other Key Personnel: Director of Agronomy, Scott Waddell, Asst. Superintendent, Connor Castor, Asst. Superintendents Kurt Eller, Justin Henderson, Irrigation Senior Manager, Fred Hartenstein, Equipment Manager, PGA professionals J.J. Weaver, Ryan Sharp

I think the biggest surprise might be how few bunkers there are.  They do seem to always be in the right spot, no?

And this might be of interest to see the relative difficulty on a hole-by-hole basis:

What always jumps out to this observer is that start to the back nine.  

Almost no changes to be conscious of:

“The course isn’t real different,” Rory McIlroy said after a visit to Augusta National early in the year.

🚜 Architectural Changes Since Last Time: The quietest off-season in recent memory saw only one official change: the front of the 17th tee has been reduced by 12 yards, with the tee plate relocated to increase the official yardage by ten, to 450 yards.

😢 Notable trees return: Trees behind the 11th and 15th lost to hurricane Helene have returned, as noted by The Quad in February and confirmed by the official map and hole renderings.

And, in a bit of a digression, Geoff talks about last year's tribute pin on No. 16:

How Did The Tribute Play?

Last year’s final round moved away from the traditional and iconic hole location at the par-3 16th.

The upper back right placement was used on Sunday to celebrate Jack Nicklaus’ winning putt from 1975. The tribute coincided with a fairly elaborate rollout by CBS and Masters social media, even though there were complicating factors in re-creating some of the ‘75 magic:
  • The green is rolling at least three feet faster on the Stimpmeter compared to 1975.
  • The art of landing and keeping the ball on the upper shelf has become a greater challenge with modern speeds.
  • The tee was moved up about 20 yards for the final round. Rory McIlroy hit an 8-iron. Nicklaus hit 5-iron in 1975.
The 16th green was “new” after needing to be re-grassed in October, 2024 after a tall pine fell onto the surface during Helene.

The 16th still played to a 3.019 average for Sunday’s final round with 10 birdies and 83% of the field hitting the green. This was in line with recent years, including 2024 when 11 birdies were made in the final round (nine in 2023).

Rory McIlroy parred the 16th after hitting a brilliant shot to ten feet above the hole, setting up one of the scariest downhill putts on the course. He has since said the shot was one of the best from his wild final round.

“After I missed the putt for the eagle on 15,” McIlroy said, “I stepped up and made another really good swing with an 8-iron on 16 and I didn’t make that putt, either. But that was a hole that I wouldn’t say I was worried about it all day, but it was always in the back of my mind because it wasn’t the traditional Sunday hole location.”

Verdict? Nice tribute. And please Lords, don’t ever do it again.

It's a great memory of perhaps the greatest Masters ever (Geoff has another post on an alternative candidate for that title), but a truly horrible pin position.  In fact, heresy alert, it's a pretty bad green in your humble blogger's opinion, with only the one position that works.  But Jack also hit 5-iron there in Geoff's other tribute....

Before moving on, let me just make you aware of a deep dive Geoff has done into ANGC's second hole.  I'll allow him to explain:

The Quad’s annual deep dive into an Augusta National hole continues with the 585-yard par-5 second hole. The selection process is at the whim of the Chief-Senior-Writer-At-Large, who, this year, selfishly decided to dig deep into the history behind one of his favorite greens in all of golf.

(Last year’s deep dive was a two-parter on the third hole: here and here).

So why dig into the easiest hole (statistically) that was always a bit of an afterthought until television coverage expanded to 18 holes?
  • No. 2 remains one of the few multi-dimensional par-5’s left in championship golf, depending on where the hole is cut, and elicits a fascinating range of emotions from
    players.
  • The second is often cited as one of the least-changed holes on the course. By Augusta National standards, that’s a bit like being the Kardashian family member who's made the fewest visits to Dr. Wecantightenthatup. On a scale of One to Bruce Caitlyn Jenner? No. 2’s a strong Seven.

 Geez, can't remember Jack saying anything that controversial, not least about Augusta.

There's a lot here (and it's a two-part post), including the origins of this old-time bit:

✈️ Origin of the Delta Counter story: The nightmare awaiting balls going into the left trees was dubbed the “Delta Counter” by pro golfer Gardner Dickinson. The 12-time Masters participant suggested players who drove left here should be ready to change their plane tickets since they wouldn’t be making the cut. (Yes, kids, golfers once flew commercial.)

 There's a name I haven't heard in decades, but it's be funnier if he had used Eastern or TWA, no?

And great old-time photos:

No 2 under construction (left) and the finished product, missing the greenside bunker that was in place by opening day (right)

Dive in if you're interested,.

I Saw It On TV - Geoff did a separate media preview, including this focus on our Prime Imperative:

The breadth and width of Prime’s year-one launch for only four hours of weekday coverage has been surprisingly…bold. At least by Masters media partner standards, where promotional pieces are studied as closely as the actual coverage.

Ads for Prime’s debut have been running everywhere. From local and national cable outlets to NBC’s coverage of PGA Tour events (including a surprising live read from Dan Hicks returning from two Texas Children’s Houston Open commercial breaks).

With Augusta National allowing Amazon to sell how the tournament “Now Begins on Prime” looks, smells, and really, really, really seems like a less-than-subtle warning shot at primary weekday coverage rightsholder, ESPN.

Prime’s first moves are exciting from a pure golf and Masters fanboy perspective. There are legitimate indications that Prime’s new pact with Augusta National will be more than just a way to bring in a new partner and cash a check to pay for the next tee extension.

Amazon’s streaming service commenced with a documentary produced in conjunction with Rory McIlroy’s Firethorn Productions. There will be a new Amen Corner feed focusing on stats and other on-screen goodies (even if it sounds as if they’ll be relying on the latest gizmos CBS has developed and leaves out of the shows in deference to the club’s longtime preference for minimizing screen clutter).

He takes the obvious shots at ESPN, which I quite agree adds little to the week:

Prime’s Thursday and Friday windows will be hosted by Terry Gannon, who will guide two hours of coverage featuring “interviews with current stars and special guests, including six-time Masters champion Jack Nicklaus.” Throw in Prime’s Rory doc, and it’s in stark contrast to ESPN’s often weird approach that screams obligation more than excitement. Under executive Mike McQuade’s watch, the worldwide leader has maintained a stabilizing presence with Scott Van Pelt and Curtis Strange on air, along with Andy North reporting. But ESPN’s inconsistency surrounding the Masters and sometimes unusual attempts at broadening the shows to reach a general audience come off as a lack of full buy-in. They’ve been almost apologetic at times for talking about something other than the NBA as the playoffs approached.

This apathy may explain why golf fans still consistently turn to Golf Channel for pre- and post-round coverage in big numbers, even as ESPN has the right to pop in for things like the Honorary Starters or some early birdie runs. ESPN’s approach generally suggests The Masters is more obligation than honor to cover. (Which is in contrast to its Wimbledon approach, where they generally exude a vibe suggesting it’s a privilege to be there.)

I know, but Golf Channel has guys that actually know golf, whereas ESPN shoves randos down our throats.  And by randos I mean....

News this week of retired Eagles center Jason Kelce handling interviews during the Par 3 Contest has been met with overwhelming derision online. Kelce’s hiring was undoubtedly approved by Augusta National as part of the ongoing and successful effort to make the Par 3 broadcast unwatchable. But the move accidentally revealed another annoyance for Augusta National: ESPN’s propensity for its internal drama to spill out publicly. This time with the Masters getting a mention.

“The Internet goes on to say ‘we don’t need Jason Kelce at the Masters,’” the odious Pat McAfee said on his simulcasted ESPN show. “And that’s probably a valid point if I had to guess. I’m only saying that strictly because we have attempted to be a part of the Wednesday coverage of the Masters at the par-3 thing for three consecutive years now. For the people that are mad about Jason Kelce being a part of the Masters, I have a good piece of news for you: They told us to go to hell.”

I think it's great that we have expanded Thursday-Friday coverage, but the channel-flipping involved is getting way old.

On The Come - Shall we riff on the Tour Confidential panel's musings?  Yeah, that's rhetorical:

Welcome to Masters week, where we won’t see Tiger Woods or Phil Mickelson but have a bunch of other storylines ready to unfold at Augusta National. What’s one you’re watching for?

Zephyr Melton: Is Scottie Scheffler’s slump for real? Or has his (relatively) poor play been a
simple case of early-season malaise. If he struggles to find his form at Augusta — where he’s had a boatload of success — it might be time to start ringing the alarm bells.

Jack Hirsh: That’s a good one Zephyr, I really like zoning in on Justin Rose this week. He’s in his mid-40s now, but yet, he comes into this week as the 7th-ranked player in the world and the most recent runner-up at Augusta. It’s incredible to think he’s now lost two playoffs at the Masters. He rebounded from a lull after his win at Torrey Pines with a T13 at the Players. Is this the week he gets a Green Jacket?

Josh Schrock: I second both of the above. Rose would be my top storyline, but I am curious to see what Brooks Koepka has in the bag next week. His major record has been poor since his 2023 PGA Championship win, but he said he fixed a putting issue that has plagued him for two years and was playing good golf until the MC in Houston. Is this the major where Brooks Koepka emerges as a threat?

I have no clue what was up with Scottie, but Meredith and he just had their second child, so not sure this sets up great for him.  But you'll not find Brooks on my bingo card, not that my bingo card has anything to recommend it.

Which big-name player’s recent form has them either trending or fading as the first major of the year approaches?

Melton: I’m buying Ludvig Aberg’s stock heading into Augusta. He’s been in excellent form of late, with three top 10s over his last three starts, and he’s got a great track record in the Masters, albeit in a small sample size. I like Ludvig to be a factor this week.

Hirsh: Tommy Fleetwood is my pick for this week and I think his game fits perfectly for Augusta National. As for his trends? He’s finished in the top-10 in three of his five starts this season, and while he didn’t this weekend in Texas, he was in the mix going into the weekend. I think this is his week.

Schrock: I’m buying Xander Schauffele returning as a major threat. After winning two majors in 2024, he got sidetracked by the rib injury to start last year and never seemed to get his swing right. He has been playing well of late, with the irons leading the way. I think Rose wins but I expect Xander to be a factor come Sunday.

Lots of love for Rosie, and he'd be an awfully popular winner.  But how likely is that storybook ending?

Bryson DeChambeau won both of his LIV Golf starts prior to the Masters, and he’s finished in the top six in each of the last two years. Are you more bullish on Bryson than ever before? And is he your top pick this week among LIV players?

Melton: With Rory and Scottie having a slow start to their seasons, I’d say this is the most wide-open the race for the green jacket has been in several years — so why not Bryson? Hard not to like how he’s trending. It’ll all come down to how well he can control his distance with the irons.

Hirsh: Yawnnnnn, no. A LIV victory just doesn’t have much credibility to me. It was a good sign for Brooks a couple of years ago when he lost to Rahm, but I just don’t see Bryson winning at Augusta. Will he contend again? Probably, but I just don’t see him winning.

Schrock: I agree with Jack. I have a hard time seeing it all come together for Bryson at Augusta. He seems to have figured things out since his MCs in 2022 and 2023, but he contended last year while being mostly unable to control the distance with his irons and he’s been talking about trying to “dial in” his wedges. I think Jon Rahm, not Bryson, is the LIV player who is in the mix at Augusta this week.

Yeah, I still think the Gods of Augusta will not let go of that Par-67 dis....

Are you taking a combination of Scottie and Rory, or the field? And why?

Melton: The field. Neither of the two top dogs have shown enough consistency so far this year for me to back them versus the rest of the field. Does that mean they won’t win? Not necessarily, but the odds favor the field.

Hirsh: The field. Not because I don’t think Scottie and Rory won’t contend, but I’m not convinced Scheffler is comfortable with his driver based on when we saw him last (although it’s been three weeks) and that’s a pretty important club to win the Masters. Rory I expect a little more out of right now, but I don’t think either is in the world beating form they have been in the last couple years.

Schrock: I’ll take the field. Between Scottie’s un-Scottie-like iron play and Rory’s back issue, I think it’s more than likely that someone outside of the top two takes home the green jacket. I am interested to see how Rory plays now that he has finally submitted the mountain at Augusta. I think he contends, but repeating is a monumental task. I’m really not sure what to make of where Scottie’s game is right now and if the iron play is in Augusta shape.

I don't especially like either of those two this week.  

Last year, we asked who needed a Masters win the most, with our panel agreeing it was McIlroy. Well, now that he’s won it, who’s next on your list?

Melton: Justin Rose. He’s had one arm in the green jacket twice, yet couldn’t quite get it done. Father time may catch up soon, and his chances are running out. A green Jacket for Rose may be more meaningful than for any other player in the field. (Plus, a swing that sweet deserves more than one major on the resume.)

Hirsh: Tommy Fleetwood. He was the best player in the world at the end of the year last season and he’s still in great form in 2026. Time to get that major.

Schrock: Agree with Zephyr. It’s Rose. He has held the lead or co-lead at the Masters nine times after Round 1, 2 and 3. That’s third all-time after Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus. He’s -18 under par in the last 10 Masters, which ranks seventh. Five of the six players ahead of him have won jackets during that period. It’s time.

Between those two, it's pretty clear who will have the fewer chances going forward.   There's only two guys that have lost two Masters playoffs, Rosie and a guy named Hogan....

What’s your final, parting Masters thought?

Melton: I think we’ll see a hole-in-one on No. 16 Sunday with the traditional funnel pin.

Hirsh: I think this is the year our Alan Bastable wins the media lottery. Ever since Brooks Koepka asked him in a press conference if he had played the course, I’ve been dying to see that come true.

Melton: I second this motion.

Schrock: Ten years after his collapse at No. 12, I think Jordan Spieth holds the 54-hole lead this year and we’ll have another memorable Sunday on our hands at Augusta National.

Geoff has a post up about an ace on No. 12, which would be a far rarer occurrence.

The Greatest Masters Evah? - Another Geoff post celebrates the 40th anniversary of THAT Masters:

All sorts of great bits, first about that putter:

The putter. Nicklaus’s ridiculous-looking Response ZT MacGregor putter was scaled up 32% from the Ping Pal model it was mimicking. An initial prototype was rejected by the USGA, and Nicklaus asked designer Clay Long if it was “some kind of joke.” But after hitting putts with it, Nicklas couldn’t write it off entirely. MacGregor sent two black painted versions to Nicklaus, who put it in the bag while the company ramped up production for the public. But a Honda Classic mishap with the super lightweight putter nearly saw it get benched. During a pre-tournament scouting trip playing with Augusta Chronicle chairman William Morris (yes, the five-time champion needed to be hosted by a member), Nicklaus putted beautifully with the Response yet gave one of the two versions to Morris.

It just looked so damn big....

For me, the strangest moment involving Seve at ANGC was Clifford Roberts asking his height in a typically awkward Butler Cabin moment.  But see what you think of this bizarre exchange from '86:

Seve. Ballesteros was somewhat of a villainous character because of his ongoing, multi-year spat with Deane Beman over membership issues. The language barrier and overall tension surrounding those pesky foreigners, led to this epic story, as relayed in Boyette’s book when longtime sports columnist Furman Bisher asked a question about Ballesteros’ round.

“Seve, you played like you were on a crusade today. Are you trying to prove something to the PGA Tour?”

“Did Deane Beman pay you to ask that question?” Seve said.

“No, it’s a legitimate question,” Bisher said. “Are you on a crusade?”

“You talk too sophisticated for me,” said Seve. “I don’t understand.”

“You ought to know what a crusade is, Bisher said. ‘They started in Spain.”

Dan Jenkins later wrote of the exchange, “Seve didn’t have a kicker line because, like most everybody else in the press building, he’d never learned that the Crusades had actually started in Rome.”

And that ends today's history lesson....

Wither Tiger -  I have a literal answer to the question:

I had heard reports that he got a judge to allow him to travel overseas for treatment, which seems totally on-brand for the guy.  Remember his cos-play therapy for sex addiction?   

Mike Bamberger, who let us know recently that everyone in golf knew Tiger is an addict, is back with an optimistic take that falls way flat (at least to this observer):

The great tragedy of modern life is that everything has turned into a product. Golf is a product, per PGA Tour brass. Journalism is a product. Clicks are monetized. It’s deadening. Hogan,
Palmer, Nicklaus and Watson were dominating golfers and unique personalities who captured our imaginations. But they weren’t products. Tiger Woods has been packaged and sold since he was 3. Woods knows his state of mind that morning in February 2021, when he was pulled out of another wrecked car. Cry for help is a hoary cliché but that crash had to be a cry for help. In the end, not a very loud one. His crash last week, a mile or so from his South Florida home may prove to be a louder one.

This time, his hand was forced, just as it was after his 2017 DUI arrest by police in Jupiter, Fla. In golf’s various and cloistered circles — on Golf Channel, on websites and in newsletters, in a release from the CEO of the PGA Tour — Woods’s statement on Monday was met with relief and admiration. He said he was “stepping away for a period of time to seek treatment and focus on my health.” You hope, of course, he can get the treatment he, by his own admission, needs. But there’s more going on here.

As this second DUI charge in Florida goes down its jurisprudence road, prosecutors were going to require that Woods seek treatment. Woods is trying to avoid a jail sentence here, of any length. He’s trying to avoid the spectacle of a public trial. There’s nothing for him to fight here. There are lawyers and advisors deep in his life. Signing up for treatment, on a voluntary basis, was a smart and necessary first step in an effort to keep a bad situation from getting worse.

Nicklaus wasn't a product?  Maybe, Mike, it's not that Tiger is product, it's that he never developed into a man like Jack or Tom Watson before becoming commoditized.... 

Mike even throws this in:

Woods has been down the treatment road before. In early 2010, some weeks after running over a fire hydrant in the middle of the night outside his home in the Isleworth development near Orlando, Woods reportedly went to a residential treatment facility in Mississippi to deal with addiction issues. His 2017 plea required counseling as well. A statement is a statement. Last year, when Woods turned to X to announce his relationship with Vanessa Trump, he wrote, “Love is in the air and life is better with you by my side!” Please insert air quotes around wrote. Does that sound like Tiger Woods to you? Monday’s sober announcement has a completely different tone, of course. We don’t know anything about Tiger’s state of mind, and he doesn’t owe us that — or really anything.

To me, Mike falls into the rather obvious trap of assuming that going for therapy is the same as taking the therapy seriously.  I assume that Tiger is doing what he needs to avoid prison, but is this, in fact, a wake up call, or just another crisis to be manages.

I'm going to leave you with this from Geoff's media preview post:

I’ve been at this golf writing thing a while now and have seen “stuff” that I’d classify as surreal-adjacent. And a few things I’d classify as downright surreal.

Yet nothing prepares even the most tired eyes for the extended cut of the Tiger Woods arrest body cam videos. Coppola didn’t capture this much footage for Godfather II. And at least Francis used a long lens to not be so damn raw, up-close, and absolutely devastatingly brutal to see.


It’s all just a little much with the Golf’s High Holy Days upon us.

Yeah, I've seen this movie before.  But for those keeping a scorecard at home, this is at least the fourth time that Tiger is "getting the help that he needs", yet folks seem completely credulous that Tiger is, in fact, looking to change.  

Have a great week.  As is typical, I've no concrete plans for my blogging schedule, so check back early and often. 

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