📋 The Masters Preview - Part 2

It’s Masters Week!!! The best week on the golfing calendar and we are pumped to bring you Part 2 of our Masters Preview. Last week we covered off The Course, The Traditions and The Holes to Watch. If you missed last week’s issue, you can catch up by clicking here.

This week, we’ll give you insight into the schedule that’s ahead at Augusta, the feast of golf courses to play in the Augusta area if you are lucky enough to get there, and we take a deep dive into the players to watch ahead of the tournament commencing Thursday morning (Augusta time) or late Thursday night (AEST).

Schedule for the Masters

Masters Week is not just about the 4 days of tournament golf. There is so much more to see and do throughout the entire week. Here’s a quick rundown of what unfolds during the week:

Monday/Tuesday - Players arrive in Augusta, Georgia, mostly via private jet into Augusta Regional Airport, which is about a 20-minute drive from ANGC. Practice rounds and press conferences are held across these days. For fans, the first couple of days of the week provide a great opportunity to get closer to the players on the range and also take photos of the course (cameras allowed on Monday and Tuesday). Also, getting to the Merchandise Stores early in the week is advisable to avoid missing out.

Wednesday - Players may go for another practice round in the morning before the Par 3 Competition is held later in the day. Whilst some players choose to skip the Par 3 Competition, it is a great tradition which many of the players use as an opportunity to get family and friends involved, either by caddying or walking inside the ropes. It’s usually pretty eventful, often with multiple hole-in-ones and the occasional unexpected development (remember Tony Finau dislocating his ankle!)

Thursday-Sunday - the Tournament Days. Thursday kicks off with the Ceremonial Tee Shots (Nicklaus, Watson, Player) early in the morning before the field takes to the course for Round 1. Friday gets interesting as players strive to make the cut and there’s usually a few big names that don’t make the weekend. Saturday of course is moving day, and then there is championship Sunday - we know the usual final round pin placements that produce drama (think 16 and 18) and the renown saying - “The Masters doesn’t begin until the back 9 on Sunday”.

Smorgasbord of Golf

The Augusta region has lots of opportunity for fans to play golf during Masters Week. Champions Retreat, Forest Hills and Augusta Country Club are all within reasonable proximity to ANGC. Also, just a short drive over the border into Aiken South Carolina, you’ll find some cracking golf courses including Sage Valley, Palmetto and The Reserve Club. All of these courses are presented in immaculate condition and have been designed or enhanced by some of the best in the business including Donald Ross, Tom Doak, Gil Hanse, Jack Nicklaus and Tom Fazio.

Most of these courses are private clubs that usually are not accessible to the public. During Masters Week, many clubs open the doors to guests, giving them the rare opportunity to play an incredible golf course which adds to the experience of The Masters. However, this access comes with a premium price. Playing on some of these courses will cost many hundreds of dollars, and possibly into the thousands, depending on the course and taking into account caddy fees and tips.

Players to Watch

Scottie Scheffler ($4.50)

The 2022 Masters Champion and current world #1 narrowly missed out on winning 3 weeks in a row (going 1st, 1st, 2nd) on the PGAT, before skipping last week’s Valero Texas Open to prep for The Masters. Scottie’s ball-striking is supreme despite his hot shoe shuffle swing. It’s all about the putting for Scheffler - if he can be in the top 3rd of the field for SG: Putting, then he’ll be right up there again. Expected him to be in contention when the back 9 starts on Sunday.

Jon Rahm ($11)

The defending Masters Champion caused shockwaves in world golf at the end of last year with his defection to LIV Golf. He has been consistently near the top of the leaderboard week after week on LIV. But the doubters are questioning how this form will stack up against the PGAT competitors. His T4 finish at LIV Miami was a solid showing on a very tough golf course. We expect Rahmbo to silence the doubters this week with an impressive performance.

Brooks Koepka ($16)

Brooksy is a 5-time major winner (more majors than Rory) and big-game hunter. He lives for the Majors and was runner up to Rahm at last year’s Masters after having the 54-hole lead. He will feel like last year was one that slipped through his fingers and that won’t sit well with him. There is a question mark over his current form finishing T45 at LIV Miami last week. But expect him to come out of the gates at Augusta looking for his 6th Major (which would equal Phil Mickelson 😲).

Joaquin Niemann ($21)

The current Australian Open Champ has been the big mover in the betting markets. Three weeks ago, he was paying $34. Now he has shortened significantly to $21. He’s won twice already this year on the LIV tour (Mayakoba and Jeddah) and likely would be a Top 10 ranked player in the world if the OWGR accounted properly for LIV results. His T16 at last year’s Masters was his best finish at Augusta in 4 outings. He is a much better player this year and is our dark horse pick.

Wyndham Clark ($26)

The 2023 US Open winner has shown great form on the PGAT this year so far winning the Signature Event at Pebble Beach and finishing runner up in two other Signature Events - The Players and The Arnold Palmer Invitational. Clark has prodigious length off the tee and shown that he can compete in the big events. This will be his first time playing in The Masters and is pretty good value at $26.

Aussies in the Field

There are 6 Aussies in the field at Augusta this week:

• Cam Smith ($41) - had to withdraw from LIV Miami with food poisoning, so less than ideal prep for Augusta. Has blown out in betting markets. Write him off at your peril though - probably should have won here in 2022 and his short game will be a massive asset around ANGC.

• Jason Day ($67) - has been competitive here on many occasions (especially 2013). Great putter which should serve him well on these tricky greens. Word is that JDay has been on the ground at Augusta since mid-last week, so looks like he’s got the desire, but will he have the game?

• Min Woo Lee ($67) - Woosy has been a rising star on the PGAT but has struggled in recent weeks. Took a few weeks off for prep, so hopefully that stands him in good stead this week. Has shown that he can go low around ANGC.

• Adam Scott ($81) - the only Aussie to have won The Masters, Scotty knows his way around this course. We’d love nothing more than to see him capture his second Major by winning again here, but time is slipping away for Adam and he struggles to keep the bogies off the card.

• Cam Davis ($301) - Cam hasn’t been in the best of form on the PGAT of late. His best and only finish at The Masters is 46th in 2022. This will be his second appearance at The Masters and would need a big turnaround to contend.

• Jasper Stubbs ($1001) - Jasper gained entry to this year’s Masters by winning the Asia-Pacific Amateur last year at Royal Melbourne. His appearance at Augusta will be all about the experience and not about contending. What an incredible week for Jasper regardless of what score he shoots. Making the cut will be a massive achievement.

So that concludes our Masters Preview for 2024. One thing is for sure, there will be plenty of great golf and drama ahead over the next few days. The Masters has produced some of the most memorable tournament golf in history. Click below for a selection of our favourite shots from The Masters.

🍴Quick Bites

Here are some golf quick bites for you to snack on:

• Akshay Bhatia goes wire to wire in Texas - After having a six-shot lead, and shooting a 5-under par final round, Bhatia still had to win in extra time, fending off a fast-finishing Denny McCarthy in a playoff at the Valero Texas Open.

• Mean Dean wins LIV Miami as Sergio stumbles - South African Dean Burmester nudged out Sergio Garcia in a playoff at Trump National Doral. Sergio had a 5-footer to win in regulation but hit a terrible putt that never looked like going in. Mean Dean closed it out with a par on the second playoff hole.

• Nelly Korda wins 4 straight on LPGA - in what is an astonishing achievement that is unlikely to be repeated by any man or woman golfer, Nelly Korda has claimed her 4th LPGA title on the trot winning the T-Mobile Match Play. She beat Euro Solheim Cup player Leona Maguire 4 and 3 in a totally dominant display of match play.

• Speith TIO rules fiasco - Jordan Speith demonstrated what a joke the “temporary immovable obstruction” (TIO) rules are on the PGAT. Speith found himself stymied by a concrete sewer structure whilst playing the Valero Texas Open. He had no line to the pin, so he decided to hit his shot on to the roof of an adjoining building, which inexplicably was not out of bounds. Speith was allowed free relief under the Tour’s TIO rules which gave him a much better next shot to the green. There’s no criticism of Speith, who was simply using the rules to his advantage. The criticism is entirely of the PGAT and the softball approach they adopt to giving players relief. No club golfer enjoys such cushy rulings in their local competitions, so why should Tour players?

• Cam Smith goes on LIV pod - LIV Golf has recently launched its own podcast, Fairway to Heaven (pretty cringey title🤢), hosted by Jerry Foltz and Su-Ann Heng. Our mulleted-mate Smithy joined them for the most recent episode where he talks about married life, the joy of being able to play multiple professional golf events a year down under, and what he’s most proud of so far in his career.

📅 Schedule for the Week

All other tours take a break this week whilst The Masters is held. Your golfing schedule for the week, and how to watch is below:

• Major: The Masters - Augusta National Golf Club (Georgia), $18m purse, Friday 12/4 to Monday 15/4 - Coverage on Foxtel & Kayo, Main Coverage starts 1.45am AEST Friday, Featured Groups from 11.00pm Thursday.

• LIV Golf: No Event

• DPWT: No Event

• LPGA: No Event