This Masters will be different, that's for sure. But the lack of patrons isn't the only big topic. There's Tiger Woods' defense, Bryson DeChambeau's length and a few sleepers to keep your eyes on this week.
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Phil Mickelson practices off the 10th tee with his personal launch monitor
And that’s not the predicted rainfall total by week’s end. Though you never know.
I can’t imagine a more nightmarish Tradition-Unlike-Any-Other storyline than talk of golfers and their driver shafts. And because, well you know why, we arrive at the 2020 rescheduled Masters without fans, without a Par 3 contest and without the usual spring delights, 48 inches is the talk of the town.
It didn’t have to be this way. Of course, Fred Ridley is the Masters chairman and he had his shot to ensure a focus on skill during his USGA Presidency, as have many other leaders.
Without further ado, I give you the 48-inch roundup.
Tiger Woods held court as the 2019 Masters defending champion and grew emotion recounting last year’s fifth Masters win.
From Steve DiMeglio’s story from Augusta:
“I’m getting chills thinking about it,” Woods said about his one-shot victory over Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson and Xander Schauffele, picturing in his mind a few moments from his magical journey to his fifth green jacket and 15th major championship triumph. “Coming up 18, and knowing that all I have to do is just two-putt that little 15 footer and to see my family there and my mom and my kids and all of the people that helped support me or were there for me in the tough times, and I was walking up there trying not to lose it, and still saying, ‘Hey, I’ve still got to two-putt this.’
“Then I walked off the back of the green, to see (son) Charlie there, just opened up our arms, it meant a lot to me and still does. It just reminded me so much of me and my dad (hugging after his 1997 Masters win), and to come full circle like that, it stills gets me you know, a little teary.
Video of Woods speaking Tuesday inside the media center:
While we focus on long drives and shafts, Masters numbers crunchers like the 15th Club’s Justin Ray will tell you iron play and very few three-putts will help you win a green jacket.
So with two aces in as many 2020 practice days, maybe Jon Rahm is someone to keep an eye on. And who says I don’t provide live tips?
This one is at 17.5 million views as of this posting because he was skipping the ball off the lake. Yes, I know, it’s a shot he won’t try on tournament play. Still, this takes iron skill and he’s just really good in general.
From pond to pin! Rahm skips to a hole-in-one on No. 16 at #themasters pic.twitter.com/JNNPWgW9OP
— The Masters (@TheMasters) November 10, 2020Rahn’s fourth hole ace Monday was not caught on camera but the moment he grabbed the ball was later posted by the 10-1 Spaniard:
The traditional Masters Champions Dinner is Tuesday night ahead of the tournament, postponed from April. Woods, as the reigning champion, is bringing back a menu he has used in the past.
Jon Rahm had a hole-in-one on Monday at Augusta National. How do you top that? By skipping one across a pond for another on your birthday the very next day.
Tiger Woods will tee off early Thursday morning at the Masters with Shane Lowry and Andy Ogletree.
Eureka Earth’s overhead from a few weeks ago shows a new grove of trees left of the 18th hole fairway bunkers (left side of image)
I felt like we were making such progress with Augusta National, down to public comments by Chairman Fred Ridley to uphold the original architectural vision of Alister MacKenzie and Bobby Jones.
So to read of Hootie Johnson-era manipulations to the course via rough and trees is, well, a setback given the well-stated views of the architects.
From ESPN.com’s Bob Harig Monday course assessment:
The rough appears longer. It's possible it will be cut prior to the first round, but on Monday it was thicker than what the "first cut'' would normally play and look.
Every shot. From every player. On every hole. That’s the pledge of “My Group”, the newest feature in the Masters app and website (with a Jimmy Roberts voiced tutorial here).
Developed by IBM, the 2020 Masters rolls out the next innovation in viewing after last year’s mostly excellent debut of every shot, every player (with just a few exceptions).
The latest twist: you can build a playlist of players and artificial intelligence will put together shots and highlights for you. They are also saying you can view (almost) live coverage of only the players you want to see.
I will be most interested to see how this “sounds” given the lack of fans on site or announcers adding big picture context to what you’re seeing. That’s also a nice way of saying you might want to have your Masters music playlist on a loop.
Here is a setup video hosted by Scott Van Pelt featuring a distinctly pharmaceutical ad vibe with actors pretending to look at screens in places no normal person would watch golf. I’m not sure they should be encouraging viewing while behind the wheel unless, of course, AI is also driving your Tesla. Then it’s okay:
The Augusta National veteran initially didn't want to carry for the up-and-comer in 1995, but together they made history. The caddie reflects on the fates that brought them together that week, and what he sees now as Woods readies his title defense.
Callaway Q3 Financial Report – Key Takeaways
Callaway reports a record third quarter, with $476 million in sales worldwide.Golf equipment fueled the quarter with a 27-percent increase over Q3 of last year.Growth is almost entirely homegrown, with U.S. sales outpacing the rest of the globe.TopGolf merger positions Callaway to top $3 billion in sales by 2022.The golf industry’s giddiness continues. The Callaway Q3 financial report shows a record quarter for the company with sales totaling $476 million. That represents a 12-percent ($50-million) increase over Q3 of 2019.
What’s more, the report shows a quarterly $52-million net profit, a whopping 69-percent increase over Q3 of last year.
While the numbers aren’t quite in line with Acushnet’s Q3 performance, there’s still a lot of information to unpack, so let’s get to it.
Callaway Q3 Financial Report – Riding the Industry Wave
The entire golf equipment industry set a sales record in Q3 according to Golf Datatech, with sales up 42 percent compared to last year’s third quarter. In addition, the National Golf Foundation is reporting a 25-percent increase in rounds played in September. On top of that, rounds played for the year are up compared to last year, even with two months’ worth of shutdown.
Yup, people want to play golf, and they need the tools of the trade to do so.
Who really has a shot to win this unique Masters? We got through every tier -- and you might be surprised where you'll find Tiger Woods.
Beginning with the 2020 Masters Tournament, the low 50 players and ties will qualify for the final 36 holes. This is the first change to the cut since 2013.
— The Masters (@TheMasters) November 9, 2020Certainly with daylight at a premium and a bleak weather forecast, you can understand the Fall Masters going to a 50-and-ties cut format.
But as GolfDigest.com’s Alex Myers notes, the vaunted ten shot rule helped nine others make the cut in 2019 and on a course where a huge comeback is not out of the question. Yet today’s Tweet suggests the change is permanent.
Feeling symptoms on his Saturday night drive back to Austin following the Houston Open, Sergio Garcia got tested in advance of the Masters and “informed” the club of his plant to withdraw. It’s obviously concerning any time someone experiences coronavirus and was participating in a PGA Tour event while positive, but hopefully it’s a minor event for the 2017 Masters winner and those closest to him.
He becomes the second player to WD due to a positive test. Garcia’s incredible run of 21 years and 84-straight majors ends, as GolfDigest.com’s Alex Myers notes here.
Adam Scott, who recently covered from a short bout with the virus, commented on the bad break for Garcia. Jim McCabe reports for Masters.com:
But with the aura of the Masters here and both Garcia and Niemann back at home in Texas and Florida, respectively, Scott shakes his head. “Terrible timing. I feel for Joaquin and certainly for Sergio, a past champion,” he said. “It’s got to be tough to miss out. I hope they are both just feeling OK, nothing serious.”
Long overdue and a small token of compensation for any number of pitiful actions, Augusta National announced that Lee Elder’s pursuit of a Masters invitation and overall career arc will be acknowledged several ways.
I’m not sure why the honorary starter role isn’t starting this year, but he will be invited to kick off the 2021 Masters according to the club’s press release. Here it is:
Fred Ridley, Chairman of Augusta National Golf Club, announced today that Lee Elder, the first Black man to compete in the Masters Tournament 45 years ago, will be honored by establishing scholarships in his name and inviting him to be an Honorary Starter for the 2021 Masters.
At a press conference at Augusta National, Ridley revealed the creation of the Lee Elder Scholarships at Paine College, a Historically Black College and University located in Augusta. Two scholarships will be awarded annually, one each to a student athlete who competes on the men’s and women’s golf team.
As part of this effort, Augusta National also will fund the creation of a women’s golf program at Paine College. Soon, the Lee Elder Scholarships will help foster opportunities for Black men and women alike as they pursue their dreams on and off the course.
Bryson DeChambeau was hitting his tee shots far past his peers Monday, but still thinks he can add more distance is he lowers his spin rate.
Lee Elder, the first Black golfer to compete in the Masters, will be an honorary starter for the 2021 tournament. Additionally, Augusta National will fund the start-up of a women's golf program at nearby Paine College, an HBCU.
