The Masters Tournament 2024 was characterised by adverse weather conditions. Strong gusts of wind left the pros at Augusta National baffled at times and pushed the balls of golf’s best players into unusual positions. It is therefore hardly surprising that some of the results of the Major opener were well over par.
The Masters Tournament 2024: Augusta National presented itself as a monster
The time-honoured Augusta National had some “hellish” conditions in this 88th Masters. The wind turned the fast greens into glass slabs and the challenging greenside bunkers almost magically attracted errant shots. The water hazards, especially in the Amen Corner, also caused some pros to lose golf balls and some penalty strokes. With gusts of up to 50 km/h, the wind swept across the course, driving the sand from the bunkers into the eyes of the stars and causing the balls on the greens to tremble.
But first the positive results of the Major week:
With a total of 21 eagles over the four days of the tournament, the stars of the golf world created some terrific memories. Hole-outs from the fairway and incredible putts from long range were anything but the order of the day, but the jubilation of the happy players was all the more rousing. The second hole of the course recorded the most two-under-par results. The 585-yard (535-metre) par 5 was holed seven times for an eagle, with holes 8 and 13 sharing second place in this statistic with four each.
Birdies were also played, albeit significantly fewer than in previous editions or other major tournaments. With 866 birdies, the Masters 2024 nevertheless achieved a considerable number. The two birdies by Rahm and DeChambeau certainly stood out, with both players saving themselves the trip to the green and holing out directly from the fairway.
Frustration and penalty strokes at the 2024 Masters
However, the 866 birdies were offset by 1099 bogeys. With around 90 more on the back nine, the first and last two holes of the back nine were particularly difficult. The average score on the par 4s was between 4.2 and 4.5 strokes and therefore well over par. In addition to the many bogeys, there were also 176 double bogeys or worse, again with more than twice as many high scores on the back nine compared to the first half of the round. Jordan Spieth’s renewed drama on hole 15 will probably be most memorable, when the American had to record a 9 in his first round after missing the green, chipping into the water and then needing a further four shots to hole out.
The result of the final round was that only eight players were able to maintain a total score of under par. Sunday seemed to be a little more favourable in terms of playing conditions, with eleven players recording a round in the 60s, compared to just seven players on Day 1.
Viewing figures for the Masters 2024 on an upward trend
Away from the action, the American media also repeatedly focuses on the dwindling viewer numbers for PGA Tour events. The Masters 2024, with the LIV golfers once again facing off against the PGA Tour ranks, resembled a kind of “test run”. And it seems that golf fans would rather watch their stars in a tournament field. As ESPN reported, viewer numbers rose significantly compared to the previous year, by 28 per cent to 3.2 million viewers in Round 1 on the American channel. The following days also delivered new top results last seen in 2018, with a high of 3.6 million on Friday.
