In the United States, golf is an $84.1 billion industry and directly affects over 2 million jobs.
With countless tournaments taking place on US soil every year, and 24 million Americans who say they actively play golf, you could say golf has become intrinsic to American culture
But did you ever wonder how it started out in America? Or how long it’s been around? Well, like most things that are considered American today, golf was brought over by immigrants.
The earliest traces of the sport in North America go back to Dutch immigrants in the 17th century who played Kolf in the streets of Fort Orange- now Albany, NY.
No that’s not a typo. Kolf is a Dutch game and an early variation of what we know today as golf. The sport was typically played a smaller scale than modern golf and is perhaps more comparable to mini golf. Some believe that Kolf contributed to the development of modern golf in Scotland. Although, as you might expect, there is a lot of debate around this.
Played in groups of four, the game involves hitting a ball over a certain distance whereby first people to reach their opponents’ starting point wins.
A painting by Hendrick Avercamp of people playing winter Kolf c. 1625. Kolf was traditionally played on ice in the winter and in fields or in the streets during the summer.
While it is a very traditional sport, it is still played in a few communities in the Netherlands. There are 14 courses still in operation and all but one of these are in the North Holland province.
Since the 17th century, golf (and variations thereof) steadily increased in popularity in the US. It was only in the 19th century that the competitive and commercial side of the sport really took off.
Long story short, it took roughly 275 years between the arrival of America’s first “golfers” and the first tee-off at the Augusta National Invitation Tournament (now The Masters) in March 1934.
This article is part of our Countdown to The Masters series. Join us every day between now and April 7 for fun facts and interesting stories about golf and The Masters tournament.
Get excited for the Masters 2021 with the start of our daily countdown!
With everyone looking forward to a slight return to normality at this year’s Masters – taking place in April as scheduled – Golf Post is brining you daily instalments in our countdown series as we get closer the Masters 2021.
Each day, you’ll get a daily dose of fun facts and interesting stories, both about the masters and golf in general. Each instalment will be related to the number of days left on the countdown before the first tee-off on April 8.
Sunday marks 18 days before the first round starts.
No points for guessing why we’re starting at 18. We all know that it’s the number of holes on a golf course but have you ever thought about why golf courses have 18 holes?
18 is now the standard but it’s not an obvious number to choose and it turns out that it wasn’t always that way. Go back to the early 1700s and you would find basic golf layouts with any number of holes.
Our story goes back to a group of golfers in St Andrews who decided to combine some short holes and reduce the number of the Old Course from 22 to 18. That was in 1764. Even then, you could have predicted that this would become the standard. The standard golf-course layout at that time was actually 10 holes, 8 of which were played twice in a normal round.
The Old Course in St Andrews, home to the R&A, is known fondly as the home of golf and has played a huge role in the history of the sport. (Image: Getty)
The original architect of Augusta National, Alistair MacKenzie, deeply admired the Old Course and is said to have based the design for his course on the layout in St Andrews.
By the 1900s, golf course design followed the St Andrews model and adopted 18 holes as standard. In 1958 the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews issued a set of new rules.
The very first of these new rules would make a round of the Links, or 18 holes a match, unless otherwise stipulated. What had become common practice was now official and the number 18 has ever since been central to the game of golf.
Other rumours about the number being based on managing the time it took to maintain early courses or even the time it takes to drink a bottle of whiskey while playing are interesting but unfortunately this cannot be proven!
Check back on Monday for number 17 on our countdown to the Masters.
The Galgorm Spa and Golf Resort hosted the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open in September 2020 (Image: Getty)
The European Tour, LPGA Tour and Ladies European Tour will join forces for another innovative mixed tournament at the ISPS HANDA World Invitational presented by Modest! Golf Management in Northern Ireland, hosted by Galgorm from July 29 – August 1, 2021.
The agreement heralds an exciting new chapter for the event, which has been elevated to European Tour status following a hugely successful inaugural edition on the European Challenge Tour in 2019. The 2021 event will continue to be played over two courses, Galgorm Castle and Massereene and will form part of the European Tour’s 2021 UK Swing, taking in tournaments in Wales, Northern Ireland, Scotland and England across July and August.
It will be the first time an event of this format is tri-sanctioned by the European Tour, LPGA Tour and Ladies European Tour in the northern hemisphere – following in the footsteps of the ISPS HANDA Vic Open in Australia which has the same format.
The ISPS HANDA World Invitational will attract a field of 288 players, 144 men and 144 women. The women’s field will be split equally between the LPGA and the Ladies European Tour. The $2.35 million purse will be split evenly, with men and women competing for two equal prize funds.
The tournament will count towards the European Tour’s Race to Dubai and carry Team Europe Ryder Cup points, while the women’s tournament will count towards the Race to the CME Globe for women on the LPGA Tour, the Race to Costa del Sol on the Ladies European Tour (LET) and Solheim Cup points for both Team Europe and Team USA.
ISPS HANDA Founder and Chairman, Dr Haruhisa Handa, said: “We are absolutely thrilled to continue our support as Title Sponsor of the ISPS HANDA World Invitational, an event which epitomises our belief in the Power of Sport to unite communities and break down barriers. To see the tournament grow to a European Tour and LPGA sanctioned event is a testament to the importance of providing equal playing opportunities for men and women. I am grateful to the dedication to this cause by all tournament partners; Modest! Golf, Galgorm, European Tour, LPGA and LET.”
Economy Minister Diane Dodds said: “The decision to bring the ISPS HANDA World Invitational back to Galgorm is another ringing endorsement for golf in Northern Ireland. It is wonderful to welcome this innovative tournament which will bring together the best that both the men’s and women’s games have to offer. Following the recent successes of the Open Championship at Royal Portrush in 2019 and last year’s Dubai Duty Free Irish Open at Galgorm, I have no doubt this event will further strengthen Northern Ireland’s reputation for delivering high-profile international competitions.
“It is my hope that the situation with Covid 19 restrictions will improve sufficiently to allow as many spectators as possible to attend the event. However, as the event will reach hundreds of millions of homes across the globe, I am delighted that once again Northern Ireland will get the opportunity to show the world that it is made for golf.”
Niall Horan, owner of Modest! Golf Management, said: “This is a key moment for professional golf in this part of the world, and with the help of ISPS HANDA along with both the LPGA Tour, Ladies European Tour and European Tour we have been able to take the ISPS HANDA World Invitational to a new level, which will without doubt reach new audiences around the world.
“The message behind the tournament perfectly aligns with Modest! Golf’s ethos of providing opportunities for all and ensuring golf is a game for everyone. These are vital messages which we plan to further develop with The R&A having recently announced our partnership with them.
“I have been attending European Tour events for as long as I can remember. To host a co-sanctioned LPGA Tour and European Tour event on the island of Ireland gives me so much pride and I cannot wait to return to the amazing Galgorm Spa & Golf Resort this summer, the perfect venue to host such a tournament.”
Keith Pelley, Chief Executive of the European Tour, said: “We are excited to once again work alongside ISPS HANDA and Modest! Golf Management, both of whom share our vision of driving golf further through innovation and inclusivity.
“We thank Dr Handa for his continued support of the European Tour, and also Niall Horan and Modest! Golf Management for their hard work and determination in helping elevate this event after building strong foundations on the Challenge Tour in 2019. Galgorm Castle was a hugely popular addition to our Race to Dubai schedule in 2020 and we are all looking forward to returning there in July.”
Michael Whan, LPGA Commissioner, said: “ISPS HANDA has long been a visionary in how sports can be an agent of change, and now we are excited to help them move to a whole new level and deliver a message of equality to fans in Northern Ireland with the ISPS HANDA World Invitational.
“To have the best women and men compete alongside each other at the same venue for the same purse, is exciting for fans and it showcases what is great about this global game.”
Alexandra Armas, LET Chief Executive Officer, added: “Our members are delighted to be playing in this ground-breaking tournament, which marks another significant development for the LPGA-LET joint venture, and I would like to thank all of the sponsors and organisers for their support of our vision and desire to elevate European women’s golf to new heights.
“We are committed to providing more playing opportunities for Europe’s most talented golfers to thrive and flourish and to enable them to reach the highest levels in golf. This tournament offers a unique platform which will no doubt raise the game and inspire more women and girls to take up the sport.”
John McGrillen, Chief Executive of Tourism NI, said: “The ISPS HANDA World Invitational is an exciting opportunity that will deliver significant participant bed nights and positive media attention for Northern Ireland. The exposure will come at a critical time in our recovery, helping to rebuild our tourism economy and bolster consumer confidence. As demonstrated with golfing events last year we can still leverage opportunities for our destination with restrictions in place. Looking further ahead we are very eager to welcome spectators back when it is safe and appropriate to do so.”
A traditional 72-hole stroke play format will be in place with men and women competing at two venues, Galgorm Castle Golf Club and Massereene Golf Club, over the first two days before a halfway cut reduces the field to the top 60 professionals, including ties, in the men’s and women’s draws.
The third round will take place at Galgorm Castle before a further 54-hole cut takes place with the top 35 and ties from the men’s and women’s draws advancing to the final round on Sunday.
“We are delighted that our home-grown event has been elevated to this level and a special thank you must go to Tourism Northern Ireland, Mid & East Antrim Borough Council, who have been ardent supporters of the event since its inception in 2010,” said Gary Henry, Tournament Promoter and Managing Director Galgorm Castle. “Thanks must also go to Antrim & Newtownabbey Borough Council, Tourism Ireland, Sport NI and Golf Ireland for their continued support. I would like to make a special mention to the hundreds of volunteers who I’m sure will be thrilled and excited for what is to come in July, their ongoing support is invaluable and greatly appreciated.”
This year's Ryder Cup will take place from 21 to 26 September. (Image: Getty)
Ryder Cup Europe have announced that Rolex will become a Worldwide Partner of The Ryder Cup.
Read the press statement from Ryder Cup Europe Communications:
A landmark agreement with the PGA of America – Ryder Cup Europe’s partner in golf’s most celebrated team contest – will see the Swiss watch manufacturer align with Ryder Cup USA for the first time as Official Timekeeper, a role it has enjoyed with Team Europe since 1995.
Already the longest-serving partner of The Ryder Cup, this new global commitment and Worldwide Partner status further strengthens Rolex’s recognised stature in golf, having been at the heart of the game for over 50 years.
Guy Kinnings, Deputy CEO European Tour and Ryder Cup Director, said: “Rolex’s commitment to golf as a whole is unparalleled and this is therefore a truly momentous day both for The Ryder Cup and our sport as a whole.
“The invaluable support of Rolex for over a quarter of a century has helped both The Ryder Cup and the European Tour grow and prosper. With their new alignment and agreement with our friends at the PGA of America, I am incredibly excited at what the future holds for an event which is already recognised as one of the greatest in all of sport.”
Jean-Frédéric Dufour, Chief Executive Officer, Rolex SA, said: “Since 1967, Rolex’s commitment to golf has grown and flourished, permeating every level of the sport. We are delighted to stand alongside the PGA of America and Ryder Cup Europe in supporting The Ryder Cup, the game’s pre-eminent team competition. Through this landmark partnership, which builds on a relationship of more than 25 years with The Ryder Cup, Rolex takes the next historic step in further deepening our support for this iconic and unrivalled event.”
Rolex, who become the third Worldwide Partner of The Ryder Cup alongside AON and BMW, also assume the role of Presenting Partner of the weekly Ryder Cup Points Standings, which monitors the progress of the leading players on both sides of the Atlantic as they vie for automatic berths on both the European and the U.S teams.
Rolex is also committed to PGA Members, their events and grassroots initiatives, as the brand becomes the Presenting Partner of the annual PGA Professional Championship and the Official Timekeeper of PGA Golf Properties and PGA Frisco. Rolex also becomes Presenting Partner of the PGA’s three annual Player of the Year awards: the PGA Professional Player of the Year; Women’s PGA Professional Player of the Year; and Senior PGA Professional Player of the Year awards.
Rolex’s involvement in golf dates back to 1967 and its seminal partnership with Arnold Palmer who, joined by Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player, became the brand’s first golfing Testimonees. Since then, Rolex’s relationship with the game has grown and flourished, providing support for world-class players, the main professional Tours and governing bodies, as well as the finest events on the golf calendar. It now encompasses all Major tournaments – four men’s and five women’s – where victory represents the pinnacle of achievement in the sport.
Ryder Cup Qualifikation starts in January. (Photo: Getty)
The European Tour today confirmed that the qualification process for next year’s Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits in Wisconsin will resume on January 1, 2021 and conclude at the BMW PGA Championship on Sunday September 12, 2021.
The process, which began at last September’s BMW PGA Championship, was suspended after the conclusion of the 2020 Commercial Bank Qatar Masters in March this year as a result of the coronavirus pandemic which shut down the European Tour at that point.
Upon the Tour’s resumption in July, and due to the fractured nature of the season, it was decided then to freeze the Ryder Cup points for the remainder of the year although all points gained prior to the suspension still counted.
However, to recognise the in-form European players around the world, when the qualification process resumes next month it will feature a new weighting as the season progresses, a specific request from European Captain Pádraig Harrington that was ratified by the Tour’s Tournament Committee.
Firstly, all Race to Dubai and Official World Golf Ranking points earned between January 1 and May 9 will be multiplied by 1.5. This means that the Sentry Tournament of Champions on the PGA TOUR (Jan 7-10) will restart the World Points List while the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship (January 21-24) will do the same for the European Points List.
Furthermore, all points earned from the Betfred British Masters hosted by Danny Willett, which concludes on May 12, through to the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth, ending on September 12, will be multiplied by 2.
The 12-man European Team will comprise the first four players from the European Points List, followed by the leading five players from the World Points List. Captain Harrington then has three wild card picks to complete his line-up, a decision which will be unveiled in the week after the 2021 BMW PGA Championship.
European Captain Pádraig Harrington said: “I am delighted to see the qualification campaign getting back underway next month. The weighting of the points will further reward our in-form players and will give added interest to what already looks like an exciting season ahead.
“I have been keeping a keen eye on all European players in action on both sides of the Atlantic in recent months and have been very encouraged by what I have seen. I look forward to seeing how that form translates into points on the two respective lists in the coming months.”
Similar to the process for The 2018 Ryder Cup, qualification points will not be available anywhere in the world from a tournament played opposite a Rolex Series event – excluding Challenge Tour tournaments – nor from the 2021 Men’s Olympic Golf Tournament.
Tommy Fleetwood, who made his Ryder Cup debut at Le Golf National in 2018, currently leads the European Points list, while Tyrrell Hatton, who also made his first Ryder Cup appearance in Paris is currently the first qualifier from the World Points List.
The 43rd edition of The Ryder Cup will be played on the Straits Course at Whistling Straits in Wisconsin from September 21-26, 2021.
Question: If you could wave a magic wand, what area of your game would you improve overnight? RORY McILROY: My iron play. Yeah, my iron play hasn’t been great since coming back from the lockdown. It sort of goes right through the bag. It goes from wedges all the way through to the long irons. I had two 5 irons from the fairway on 10 and 11 today, for example, and just didn’t hit great shots. It’s something to there’s always stuff to work on, but definitely something to work on going into the off season that we have here, and try to come out a little better in 2021.
Q: As you’ve had a little more time to reflect on what happened Thursday, what went wrong? RORY McILROY: Again, I said yesterday, I just got a little careful, a little tentative, a little guidey, just didn’t trust my swing, didn’t commit to what I was doing, and again, this course more than any other can make you do that at times. That was really what it was. The first day I actually did okay. I was even par. It wasn’t even par through 9 here is not that bad, and then just that second morning I just didn’t quite have it. I guess I need to take the positives, and played the last 54 really well and only made two bogeys in that 54 hole stretch, which is probably the best run of golf I’ve played here.
Rory McIlroy: “I miss the fans a lot”
Q: What did you miss the most this week, just the difference of playing in November? RORY McILROY: Yeah, the atmosphere, the crowds, the patrons, the feelings that you normally have here that you didn’t quite have. More than any other week of the year I feel like you’re nervous a little more often, and it didn’t quite have that. Not saying it’s a bad thing; I loved the feeling of being relaxed out there and it’s something I probably need to try to adopt going into five months’ time.
Q: Do you think there’s any advantage to coming right back here in April? RORY McILROY: Yeah I mean, look, I hope the course is much different in April than it is now. It’s very soft. It’s very I feel like there’s a lot of shots I hit this week where I hit my number and it would spin back off a green or it just wouldn’t do what you expect it to do, so I’d love to get another shot at it in April and have the course play maybe more what we’re accustomed to.
Q: You’re obviously a multiple major champion. What do you think this is going to mean to Dustin? RORY McILROY: Yeah, he’s been knocking on the door so long, and I think, again, since coming back out of sort of back in June, the lockdown, he has been by far the best player in the world. He’s won a few times, won a FedExCup, had a chance at Harding Park. And I think, yeah, it validates what he did at Oakmont a few years ago and he’s had so many chances and hasn’t quite been able to close the deal, but his resume speaks for itself, how many times he’s won on the PGA TOUR, how consistent he’s been. I played with him the first two days here. He’s got the ball on a string. It was really impressive.
Q: What are you going to do this off season to kind of get away from golf and reboot? Any TV shows you’re going to catch up on? RORY McILROY: Yeah, not particularly. I don’t know. I’m just going to be a man of leisure for a couple months. It’s going to be nice. Lie by the pool a little bit, get back on the bike, get back on the Peloton. I’ve sort of given that a bit of a miss over the last few months. Yeah, just some stuff. Obviously watch my daughter grow up a little bit and have fun with that. But yeah, I’ll try to get away from it, but yeah, as I said before, there’s certainly some stuff in my golf game that I want to work on before next year.
Q: Is there anything in DJ’s personality from your close interaction with him or traveling with him that you’ve seen of him that maybe we don’t that maybe you could share? RORY McILROY: He’s smarter than you think.
Q: How so? RORY McILROY: He’s switched on, more so than he lets on, more so than everyone in the media thinks. I’ll just put it that way.
Question: Why is this so meaningful to you? DUSTIN JOHNSON: Well, just growing up so close to here, it’s always been a tournament that since I’ve been on Tour, since I played my first Masters, it’s been the tournament I wanted to win the most. You know, being close the last couple years, finishing second last year to Tiger, this one was just something that I really wanted to do. Obviously starting today with a four shot lead, you know, I knew it wasn’t going to be easy. I knew I was going to have to play well if I wanted to win, and you know, still, played probably better than especially from really 7 into the clubhouse, I played really, really solid. Hit a lot of great shots. But it was still hard. I mean, I was nervous all day, but I felt like I controlled myself very well. Controlled the golf ball very well in difficult conditions. I felt like the wind was really tricky. The course, the greens were a little bit faster. Felt like you really had to be careful around here today.
Q: On 7, did you do what you were trying to do? Were you trying to hit into that front bunker? DUSTIN JOHNSON: I was. I didn’t have a shot. I was just in the right first cut, the tree limbs there. I was trying to run it up in between the bunkers, but if I was going to favor one side, it was the left bunker. Hit a really good shot right in the front bunker where I wanted to and made a really easy 4.
Brother support given
Q. Austin said that on 18, as you’re walking up, he asked you where you stood. Did you not know? DUSTIN JOHNSON: I did not. Not exactly. I mean, I assumed I had the lead, but I didn’t know by how many. I mean, that was kind of my goal. I kind of looked at the leaderboard a little bit early, and after that, I just, you know, told myself, don’t worry about what anybody’s doing. Just play as good as you can. You know, so I didn’t look at the leaderboard at all from probably 7, 7 on. I tried not to. I just tried to play my game. When I felt comfortable with the wind and the number that I had, I would play aggressive. If not, I would try to play just to the fatter side of the green, and pars are a good score on a lot of these holes, especially when you’re 9, 10, 11, 12, take par all day on those holes, especially with the wind, the way it was blowing today.
Q. Did you have that attitude because you knew if you played well, a 68 would get it done today no matter what anybody else did? DUSTIN JOHNSON: I did. I knew if I played well, especially from 8 to the house, that I was going to put myself in a good position and have a chance to win. I just didn’t want that to affect the way that I played. I just didn’t look at it. I played I took what the course gave me and hit the shots I felt I could hit.
Q. Could you speak to your growing relationship with your brother and what it means to win when he’s by your side? DUSTIN JOHNSON: It’s unbelievable having my brother on my bag. You know, but he’s a big help, too. He does he reads the greens a lot for me. He does a great job reading them. I read them, too, myself, but I like to he definitely helps. He’s really good at it. I just love experiencing all these moments with him. I wouldn’t want it any other way.
Q. And was there any extra special meaning, the fact that Tiger put that jacket on you? DUSTIN JOHNSON: Yes. But I mean yeah, obviously having Tiger put it on was awesome and unbelievable and, you know, you couldn’t you wouldn’t want it any other way. But any guy could put it on me and I’d be just fine (laughter).
Q. You won THE TOUR Championship in September and now you’ve won the year’s last major in November. It’s been a strange season. Can you compare how that moment and this moment, maybe each felt like the end of a season? DUSTIN JOHNSON: Yeah, I mean, for me, we don’t really have an end of the season because there’s just so many golf tournaments and we play pretty much all year long. But you know, winning the FedExCup was huge. It was something that I really wanted to do in my career. And then obviously coming here and winning Augusta was probably is on the very top of the list for sure. I know 2020 has been a really strange year, but it’s been good to me. I’ve played some good golf. You know, I can’t thank Augusta enough for just having the Masters. Obviously when it canceled in April, none of us knew if we were going to be able to play in it. I was just happy to be here playing, and it worked out okay for me.
Q. The emotion you showed in those interviews right after winning, is that more of the man the public has not seen over the years? You’re so calm and even keel out on the course. DUSTIN JOHNSON: Absolutely. On the golf course, I’m pretty good at controlling my emotions, you know, because I’m out playing golf. But yeah, I had a tough time there speaking with Amanda on the putting green. Just because it like I said, it means so much to me. It means so much to my family, Paulina, the kids. They know it’s something that I’ve always been dreaming about and it’s why I work so hard. You know, I put in a lot of work off the golf course, on the golf course, and I think it’s just you know, it’s something that you push yourself for. That’s why I work so hard is to be in this position. And you know, to finally have the dream come true, I think that’s why you see all that emotion.
Q. First, sitting in that hotel room in Vegas a month ago or so, you had a lot of time to think. Did you ever think that maybe this chance was slipping away a little bit while you were in quarantine? DUSTIN JOHNSON: No, I didn’t. That never I knew I was going to play the Masters for sure, so that was a bonus, because I had already, you know, had gotten COVID and had to quarantine. So I knew there was no chance of me missing the Masters, so that kind of gave me a little bit more of a drive to practice. I knew I was playing well. Granted, you sit in the hotel room for two weeks, it doesn’t do a lot for the golf game. But I put a lot of work in last week at Houston, and this week. Fortunate that I was able to keep the game in good form, and played well last week in Houston, even though I didn’t if you had asked me on Wednesday what was going to happen, I probably would have told you I was going to miss the cut and I would be here at Augusta practicing because I really had not played much, and even through my first few days of practice, things weren’t going very well. But ended up working out okay for me there. And then coming into this week, I had had some rounds, and that was the reason I was playing there was just to get some more reps in tournament conditions it. Really helped out this week.
Dustin Johnson: “I wanna win a lot of Majors”
Q. You talked about dreaming of winning the Masters. Do you also dream of winning seven, eight, nine majors? DUSTIN JOHNSON: I do. I do.
Q. Do you have a specific number? DUSTIN JOHNSON: I want to get to No. 3 first, but I do. I dream of winning a lot of majors. Just hadn’t quite happened yet. Hopefully this one will help, though, give me a little spring.
Q. The weekend seemed pretty laid back on the course. Did you feel like not having Patrons helped you or did it hurt you as you were playing the last two rounds? DUSTIN JOHNSON: I mean, I like the Patrons. I think they bring a lot of excitement and a lot of, you know it just they make the Masters, really. But I would say if I had to say one way or the other, probably made it a little easier to get it done today without having all the fans or however many thousands that are here. But for me, all the tournaments we’ve played this year and the ones that I’ve won, looking back to before when we had fans, I mean, I feel the same way, whether the fans are here or not. I like having them here. They bring excitement, especially when they are cheering for you, they can pull you along. I miss them, and hopefully we get to see them in April.
Question: Not having a crowd out there, you mentioned it, there was no way you could tell what was happening. JUSTIN THOMAS: No. I mean, I had no idea. Yeah, that’s the weird part is you know what the guys are doing in front of you from whenever you see your watch. If you happen to turn around and see what the guy’s shots are, but with no crowd, yeah, you have no idea what’s going on.
Q: How would you assess your week as a whole? JUSTIN THOMAS: I mean, it was far from my best stuff. So to finish fourth, it looks like it’s going to be, with that is a positive. I mean, I keep getting better. I’m very confident I’m going to win around this place at some point. I just don’t know when or if it will happen. I’m very comfortable. I just need to execute a little bit better. This week with the conditions being softer, the course knowledge didn’t come in play as much. You still had to leave it in the right spots, but not near as much when it was this soft. So I wish the tournament in April started tomorrow. I’ll just say that.
Q: A little bit of a slow start today. JUSTIN THOMAS: Yeah, a little bit of a slow start is an understatement. Yeah, I hit four great golf shots on 1 and made par. Yeah, I mean, you just can’t bogey two in the scenario I was in. No, I didn’t hit the ball very well to start, and any time I had a birdie chance, I didn’t hit a very good iron shot. Then I found a little bit of rhythm on the back nine. It’s just one of those weeks. Stuff didn’t go my way. Kind of ended the week, my ball landed on the fairway, and it’s my first ever mud ball in a fairway bunker on 18. So it was just one of those weeks.
Justin Thomas :”I hit it really solid”
Q: Ball striking‐wise, it seems like you had a very, very good week. Are you going to take that from this week as far as going forward? JUSTIN THOMAS: Yeah, sure. I did a little bit of everything. I didn’t hole anything the last three days, but I hit the ball beautifully yesterday. Like I hit it really solid. I didn’t hit it really close to the hole a lot, but the shots that didn’t go where I wanted, they still were hit really well, and I felt like they were good shots. But it was just the fact of the matter today, I had so many bull pins and so many pins that I needed and I should have hit close to, that I hit to 30 feet. I guess the long way to answer your question, yes, I did hit it well this week.
Q: After a week of seeing it this soft, would you like to see it firm and fast in April? JUSTIN THOMAS: 100 percent. I’ll take firm and fast over soft any day.
Q: You see D.J. at 20. What do you think? Pretty incredible? JUSTIN THOMAS: Yeah, it is. I don’t think it will ever happen in April, but if we have another pandemic and it plays in April, I think it’s in play.
Tiger, a second nine like we’ve never seen from you, starting with that 10 on the 12th but then you birdie five of your last six. Take me through what was going through your mind on the 12th hole and how mentally tough you had to be to finish the way that you did. TIGER WOODS: Well, I committed to the wrong wind. The wind was off the right for the first two guys, and then when I stepped up there, it switched to howling off the left, which ‐‐ and the flag on 11 was howling off the left. I didn’t commit to the wind, and I also got ahead of it and pushed it, too, because I thought the wind would come more off the right and it was off the left, and that just started the problem from there. From there I hit a lot more shots and had a lot more experiences there in Rae’s Creek, and then as you said, this is unlike any other sport in which you’re so alone out there and you have to figure it out and you have to fight and no one is going to pull you off the bump and you just have to figure it out, and I did coming in.
Question: You said the conditions are getting tougher out there, winds coming from all over the place. As our leaders start coming down this stretch, what do you think we can expect to see in terms of the most challenging spots? TIGER WOODS: Depends on timing. You just have to time it up. You have to commit and time it up with the right wind. Hopefully the guys, they’ll be talking to their caddies and try to get a beat on it because it just started coming up now, and it is all over the place. It’s going to be a bit of a challenge for the guys there on the back.
Q: Interesting round out there today? TIGER WOODS: Yeah, to say the least. I’ve hit a few too many shots than I wanted to today, and I will not have the chairman be putting the Green Jacket on me. I’ll be passing it on.
Tiger Woods: “That’s what makes this game so unique and so difficult mentally”
Q: How much pride do you take in the fight back after 12? TIGER WOODS: That’s part of our sport. As I was saying in there earlier, this sport is awfully lonely sometimes. You have to fight it. No one is going to bring you off the mound or call in a sub. You have to fight through it. That’s what makes this game so unique and so difficult mentally. We’ve all been there, unfortunately. Unfortunately I’ve been there and you just have to turn around and figure out the next shot, and I was able to do that coming home.
Q: How would you sum up the year? TIGER WOODS: Well, starting out the year, it was like any other year, but we all quickly realized that this year is unlike anything we’ve ever experienced. We’re lucky to have the opportunity to have our sport continue to go. Unlike any other sport, our sport is actually growing right now. We never ‐‐ we’ve been struggling with participation and the growth of the game for a number of years, and unfortunately this is an event and circumstances that’s allowed our game to grow and flourish. Yeah, but at the beginning of the year normally we would have this tournament in April. We didn’t have that opportunity, but there have been so many people that have put the work into giving us this opportunity to have this event here in November, and all of us who have been a part of it who have been here and been on these grounds participating or just being involved were so very lucky.
Q: How would you sum up your year? TIGER WOODS: My year? As I said earlier, the year didn’t start off ‐‐ it started off like any other year. I had a busy December and then the normal ramp‐up to the West Coast Swing and then all of a sudden it came to a halt.
Q: Is it any better knowing that this tournament is actually close the next time? It’s less than five months away. It’s normally such a long way for the Masters. TIGER WOODS: Yeah, it is normally nine months, and trust me, I know because I’ve had to deal with it, trying to go for four in a row and all the media and dealing with all the different circumstances leading into it. Hopefully if everything continues the way it is going right now, then we’re able to have this event in April.
Q: Given what you go through to get ready to play, obviously it’s the back and just the prep, working out, do you fear the motivation not being there to do this, to keep going, to try to push? Do you expect it to still be there? TIGER WOODS: Well, there are days when mentally I just ‐‐ it’s harder to push than others just because physically it’s just ‐‐ my body just has moments where it just doesn’t work like it used to. No matter how hard I try, things just don’t work the way they used to, and no matter how much I push and ask of this body, it just doesn’t work at times. Yes, it is more difficult than others to be motivated at times. Yes, because things just ache and have to deal with things that I’ve never had to deal with before.
Photo: Getty
Q: DJ looks like he’s in good shape to win the Green Jacket. You’ve spent a lot of time with him. What impresses you most about him from the time you’ve spent with him? TIGER WOODS: Well, as we’ve all seen, he’s an amazing athlete. He’s one of the first guys to ever bring athleticism to our sport. DJ has just an amazing ability to stay calm in tough moments, and in order to win this event, and we all know as past champions how hard it is, the emotions we have to deal with out there. There’s no one more suited to that, I think, than DJ.
AUGUSTA, GEORGIA - NOVEMBER 12: Tiger Woods of the United States reacts to a putt on the first hole during the first round of the Masters at Augusta National Golf Club on November 12, 2020 in Augusta, Georgia. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
Tiger Wood remarks on his bogey free first round at the US Masters 2020.
US Masters 2020: Tiger Woods Interview
Q. That was a pretty good start today; can you just talk about the whole day and how you felt?
TIGER WOODS: Yeah, I did everything well. I drove it well, hit my irons well, putted well. The only real bad shot I hit today was I think 8. I had a perfect number with a 60 degree sand wedge and I hit it on the wrong shelf. Other than that, I just did everything well. The only thing I could say is that I wish I could have made a couple more putts. I missed everything on the high side. Putts just aren’t moving, so it’s just different with as slow as they are and then with the weather delay, the amount of rain they’ve had. The golf course is going to change a lot. You hear all the SubAir is on, so it’ll change over the next few days.
Q. What about the rough; it’s higher than ever, right?
TIGER WOODS: Yeah, they haven’t been able to put mowers on it, and yeah, it is high. The guys that drive the ball in the rough, if you have a down grain lie, yeah, you can get to the green, maybe even control it, but you’ve got to when the grain is sitting down, there’s really no chance, so you’re going to have to rely on short game and angles.
Q. Was it weird starting on 10 or how did that factor into the round?
TIGER WOODS: Yeah, there were a lot of differences today, playing on 1 and 10 today. This morning I was on the putting green putting and getting ready for my round, and when they were introducing Gary, we were on the putting green and we couldn’t hear them. There was a drone flying over the putting green. Down 1 today you could hear the drone over there. You don’t hear drones here. There’s no patrons, no roars. Yes, as the camera guys would say, where did the ball end up, because we just don’t know. That’s very different. A lot of firsts today. That’s kind of the way this entire year has been. The fact that we’re able to compete for a Masters this year, considering all that’s been going on, it’s a great opportunity for all of us.
Q. What is the satisfaction level of a fast start at a place where you always haven’t had fast starts?
TIGER WOODS: Well, yeah. I got off to a fast start today, which is good, but I think everyone is. Everyone is going low out there today. With these conditions, you have to. You have to be aggressive. There’s no reason why you can’t fire at a lot of the flags. Like today on 5, I hit a little squeezer off the tee and had 227 to the hole, hit a 4 iron to the back edge and it only rolled out a foot. That doesn’t happen here.
There are balls wedges that are ripping back, that you have to watch spin. That’s probably not the case, you’re trying to find spin around here. But this is the way the golf course is going to play for the next couple days. As I said, you can hear all the SubAir is on, so it’ll be a little bit different.
Q. Did you surprise yourself out there today, even what you knew about your game coming in?
TIGER WOODS: Well, I think that understanding how to play this golf course is so important. I was saying there that I’ve been lucky enough to have so many practice rounds throughout my career with so many past champions, and I was able to win this event early in my career and build myself up for the understanding that I’m going to come here each and every year, and the fact that this tournament is played on the same venue each and every year, you have to (indiscernible) every time. So understanding how to play it is a big factor, and it’s one of the reasons why early in my career that I saw Jack contending a lot, I saw Raymond contending late in his career, now Bernhard and Freddy always contend here late in their careers. Just understanding how to play this golf course was a big part of it.
Q. You mentioned the lack of roars. Was that something that had an impact on you? Did you have to get used to not hearing
TIGER WOODS: Well, we’re trying to get used to that this entire year. It’s so different. Shane was telling me today that it was pretty exciting last week to have the energy level of 200 people out there following his group. We haven’t had that this entire year. It’s been very different. This world that we live in is not what we’ve had the last throughout my career, and that’s something we’re going to have to get used to for some time.
