Skip it and then in with it - the guide to taking an extra tenner off your flight partner! (Photo: Getty)
The practice rounds before the start of the first major of the golf year are usually accompanied by countless spectators. The players are free to decide whether and how they take part in the practice rounds, but most of them logically take the opportunity to sound out the course once again before the Masters Tournament begins. As Augusta National, perhaps the most exclusive club in the world, is not always playable for everyone, even for the professionals, very few miss out on the chance of a dress rehearsal. And towards the end of the round, a special appetiser awaits that the players won’t miss, even without spectators.
Martin Kaymer and Jon Rahm with chip-in at the Masters Tournament
The highlight of the dress rehearsal is the 16th hole. Here the players traditionally try to let the ball flit over the pond of the almost 160 metre long par-3 and then get up the bank onto the green. Martin Kaymer achieved an extraordinary feat in 2012: it felt like 25 taps over the pond and then in it goes! A hole in one of the “once in a lifetime” variety – and the crowd goes wild.
Jon Rahm performed this feat in November 2020 without a spectator – but the video went around the world.
The fact that Rahm and Martin Kaymer have mastered such a shot is not surprising. But the question is how you can take an extra ten from your flight partner in the next round if you do the same to Martin Kaymer – well, perhaps at least as well. Kelly Rohrbach and Blair O’Neal show you how to do it in the GolfDigest service.
So: long iron or hybrid – the main thing is low loft – then open up the stance and the clubface a little and, most importantly, hit the ball first. Balls that are hit fat rarely make it over the water. A flat punch swing does the rest and before you know it, the reward is secured in the clubhouse.
Flicking balls like at the Masters Tournament- here’s how
Bryson DeChambeau explains the science behind it. The ball has to hit the water at an angle of around 30°, he explains. His theory: the spin of the ball creates a higher water density under the ball than above it. If the ball hits the water with enough force, it will then orientate itself in the direction of the lower water pressure and bounce back up.
Tiger Woods in the run-up to The Masters Tournament 2024. (Photo: Getty)
The Masters Tournament 2024 is coming up and Tiger Woods is ready for Augusta National. Last year’s experience was not really positive. Woods made the cut but struggled badly with his walking and withdrew in Round 3 when the tournament was suspended due to weather chaos and it was clear he would have to manage 29 holes on Sunday. At the official press conference ahead of this year’s tournament, the 48-year-old spoke about his fitness, his love of golf and his chances of winning.
“If everything comes together, I think I can get one more.”
The Masters Tournament 2024: “It’s special. To come down Magnolia Lane.”
THE MODERATOR: Good morning, everyone, and it is always a very special pleasure to welcome back to the media center a five-time Green Jacket winner, Mr. Tiger Woods.
Tiger, thank you for being with us today. Thanks for spending a few minutes. It’s been five years ago, hard to believe, that you won your fifth Green Jacket. You started Thursday, if you remember, that first round, outside the top 10, and went on to win in dramatic fashion. It is rare for a player outside the top 10 after Thursday to win. You did it in 2019. And the last 20 years it’s only been done one other time. And that was 2005, and that was you.
THE MODERATOR: What a testament to your indomitable will over your career and your ability to make changes and adaptions to your practice, to your therapy, according to your body needs. And you executed that to perfection in 2019.
In 2021 there was that horrific accident that did serious damage to your leg. Could you share with us what adaptions to your healing, your rehab, your practice, your preparations that you have done that puts you in the best position to win your sixth Green Jacket.
TIGER WOODS: Well, I have an amazing medical staff that has really helped me get through this. Kolby has really been there through thick and thin to help me get into this position, and it’s daily adaption. We work at it each and every day, whether it’s trying to loosen me up or strengthen me or just recovery.
My practice sessions certainly aren’t what they used to be. I used to live on the range or live on a short game facility and just be out there all day. That’s no longer the case. So I just have to be more focused on when I do get a chance to go out there and practice and really grind out and make every shot count because I just really don’t have the ball count in me anymore.
So those adaptations have — hopefully I’ve made ’em for this week, I’ve got a chance to go out there on Sunday, take a look at the front nine. I played yesterday with Will on the back nine and came out today and played the front nine again with JT and Fred.
So this golf course is — when we came up here last weekend, it was in perfect shape. And it’s only gotten better, which is hard to believe, but it has. Hopefully we will get the weather to cooperate a little bit with us come Thursday.
Q. Given those physical challenges that you just described, why is it so important for you to keep playing in this tournament?
TIGER WOODS: Well, this tournament has meant so much to me in my life and my family. I think I’ve been playing here for, what, 29 years now. It was the ultimate to be able to stay in the Crow’s Nest and to watch Byron and Sam and Gene tee off on the first hole.
It’s been a part of my life to have won here as my first major as a pro. Hugging my dad, as you saw; then a full circle in 2019 to hug my son.
It has meant a lot to my family. It’s meant a lot to me. I always want to keep playing in this. And today I got a chance to play with Fred. And Fred’s been here a very long time, and we’re joking that he’s the oldest person ever to make a cut, and I think he can do it again this year.
So it’s great. I mean, that’s the neat thing about this golf course, and it’s the only major we play on the same site, the same venue, each and every year, and we get to tell stories and catch up with friends and for me get a chance to catch up with idols and the people that I looked up to my entire life.
Q. What would a record 24th straight cuts mean to you at this event considering all the major accomplishments you’ve had in your career?
TIGER WOODS: Yeah, I think it’s consistency, it’s longevity, and it’s an understanding of how to play this golf course. That’s one of the reasons why you see players that are in their 50s and 60s make cuts here, or it’s players in their late 40s have runs at winning the event, just the understanding of how to play it. Now, you still have to go out and execute it, but there’s a lot of knowledge that goes into understanding how to play it.
Q. You said last year your hope or your ambition was to try and play once a month. I realize you have some limitations. I’m just curious what specifically determines whether you play, what kept you from — since playing from Riv?
TIGER WOODS: Well, I wasn’t ready to play. My body wasn’t ready. My game wasn’t ready. And I thought that when I was at Hero, once a month would be a really nice rhythm. Hasn’t worked out that way. But now we have major championships every month from here through July. So now the once a month hopefully kicks in.
Q. With everything that you go through in your career right now, what makes you get up and go through all the preparation and all the things you have to go through to get ready to play top-level major golf?
TIGER WOODS: I love golf. I do. I’ve always loved it. I played other sports growing up, but I just have always loved this sport. I love to compete. And be able to have the love I have for the game and the love for competition be intertwined, I think that’s one of the reasons why I’ve had a successful career. I just love doing the work. I love logging the time in, and I love preparing. I love competing, and I love that feeling when everything’s on fire with a chance to win and you either you do or you don’t.
Q. When you think of everywhere you’ve been, everything you’ve achieved and the life you’ve had, what does the game of golf mean to you?
TIGER WOODS: Well, it’s been my life. I started playing at nine months; so I’ve done it pretty much my entire life. I played my first tournament when I was five. I have been playing tournament golf and playing golf around the world, not just here in the United States but around the world; it’s allowed me to see places that I don’t think that I would ever have gotten a chance to see, people that I’ve got a chance to meet all around the world. The generational connectivity with the sport, right.
So, as I said, with watching Sam and Gene and Byron tee off, two years later to watch them drinking my milkshakes, to play practice rounds with Fred and Raymond, Seve over the years, those are — and Jack and Arnold, those are memories that I’ll have for a lifetime. And it’s all because of this sport.
Q. Curious, can you describe the feeling you get when you return to this property and get to put on your Green Jacket?
TIGER WOODS: It’s special. To come down Magnolia Lane. The first time I got a chance to see it, I came in the middle of the night. We played a Stanford-Georgia Tech event. So I came in the middle of the night, and I didn’t get a chance to see Magnolia Lane. My first time, right? So got a chance to stay in the Crow’s Nest and the next day got a chance to see the golf course and what this amazing property is.
Just the fact that I’m able to put on a Green Jacket for the rest of my life is just absolutely amazing. I’m just an honorary member, but I love it.
Tiger Woods about Rory McIlroy: “He’ll get it done. It’s just a matter of when.”
Q. As someone who knows what it’s like to win a career Grand Slam or slams, as Rory McIlroy tries to achieve that feat again this year, can you explain how difficult it is to win a slam, and do you think he will do it at some stage?
TIGER WOODS: No question, he’ll do it at some point. He’s just — Rory’s too talented, too good. He’s going to be playing this event for a very long time. He’ll get it done. It’s just a matter of when.
But, yes, I think that Rory will be a great Masters champion one day, and it could be this week. You never know. I just think that just, again, the talent that he has, the way he plays game and the golf course fits his eye, it’s just a matter of time.
Q. You keep talking — we all know that your body’s taken a lot. Is there anything about the ankle which is like still that is unknown to us? I’m sure there’s a lot unknown, but something that you are trying to prepare to make sure that you continue to play the game that you love and have given so much to?
TIGER WOODS: Well, the ankle doesn’t hurt anymore. It’s fused. It’s not going anywhere. So that’s fine. It’s other parts of my body that now have to take the brunt of it. So, yeah, once he put the rods in there, it’s good to go. But, the back, the knee, other parts of the body have to take the load of it, and just the endurance capability of walking a long time and being on my feet for a long time.
Q. You’ve talked a lot about some memories already today, but what do you feel like you’re capable of doing this week? What do you believe that you can do this week?
TIGER WOODS: If everything comes together, I think I can get one more.
Jon Rahm served Spanish tapas at the Champions Dinner of The Masters Tournament 2024. (Source: Instagram @themasters)
The Champions Dinner is traditionally held on the Tuesday before the Masters. The first Masters Champions Dinner was organized by Ben Hogan in 1952. Since the following year, the event has become a tradition at the club. Only the winners of the Masters are invited, with the exception of a few personalities such as Bobby Jones, Clifford Roberts or the President of Augusta National Golf Club. As a special honor, the reigning Masters winner, who is inducted into the Masters Club on this evening, may choose the menu for the dinner, but must also pay for it. At the Masters Tournament 2024, this honor goes to Jon Rahm, who served his favorite dishes from spanish cuisine.
The Masters Tournament 2024: Jon Rahms Champions Dinner
Jon Rahm took his guests on a journey to his Spanish homeland, more specifically to the Basque Country. A selection of tapas and pinchos was served as an appetizer during the cocktail reception: Idiazabal cheese with black truffle, tortilla de patatas, chistorra sausage with potatoes, chicken croquettes, traditional lentil stew based on Rahm’s mother’s recipe and, as a highlight, a fresh Iberico ham.
The menu continued with a basque crab salad followed by either basque ribeye steak or pil-pil style turbot. Finally, there were milhojas. A puff pastry with vanilla pudding and only very small layers. As the cake was also served at Rahm’s wedding, this course was a foregone conclusion for the Spaniard shortly after his victory.
A Night of Tradition: Jon Rahm joins the Masters Club
The annual Champions Dinner, hosted by Ben Crenshaw, saw Rahm take his place at the head of the table, alongside veterans and icons of the sport. Larry Mize, the 1987 champion, described the evening as both great and emotional, emphasizing the significance of honoring not only Rahm but also the legacies of Seve Ballesteros and Jackie Burke, who was remembered fondly by the attendees.
For Rahm, it was a momentous occasion, not only as the newest member but also as the first representative of LIV Golf to host the dinner, bridging the gap between traditional PGA Tour players and those associated with the emerging league. The evening began with Crenshaw extending a warm welcome to Rahm, presenting him with a symbolic gift—an inscribed gold locket in the shape of the Masters Club emblem. It was a gesture of acceptance and acknowledgment of Rahm’s place among the golfing elite. Stories of Seve Ballesteros echoed throughout the room, with Bernhard Langer sharing a captivating tale from the 1983 Ryder Cup. Langer recounted Ballesteros’ remarkable shot from a bunker.
Amidst the celebration, the passing of Jackie Burke, the 1956 Masters Champion, was also acknowledged, adding a bittersweet note to the evening. Burke, a revered figure in golfing history, left behind a legacy that continues to inspire generations.
Rory McIlroy in the run-up to The Masters Tournament 2024. (Photo: Getty)
In the run-up to The Masters Tournament 2024, Rory McIlroy spoke about the upcoming major tournament at the official press conference. The Northern Irishman has yet to win the ‘Green Jacket’ and is hoping for success at his 16th attempt this year. This would be tantamount to a successful career Grand Slam, as McIlroy would have won every major at least once. The now 34-year-old spoke about his preparation for the tournament, his mentality and special praise from Tiger Woods.
The Masters Tournament 2024: “I feel like I’ve got all the tools to do well this week”
THE MODERATOR: Good afternoon. Like to welcome Rory McIlroy back to the Masters Tournament. Without further ado, I’m going to open up the floor to questions.
Q. Can you take us through your off-season thoughts on how you developed your plan for bringing out your best performance in this year’s tournament?
RORY McILROY: Yeah, I think I, you know, this is my 16th start in the Masters, so I feel like I’ve done it quite a few different ways, and I guess just trying to bring a little bit of normalcy into what I sort of try to do week in, week out.
I play 25 weeks a year, and there’s no point in doing anything different this week compared to other weeks, I guess. So, it was nice to — I wanted to play quite a bit leading up to this just to feel like my game was sharp or, if it wasn’t sharp, to try to get it in the best shape possible. I feel like I made a couple of good strides in that direction last week in Texas.
Yeah, it’s just sort of nice to get home after a week and reset. And then I usually try to get into tournaments either Monday nights or Tuesday mornings, and that’s sort of what I’ve done this week. I came up here last week to play two practice rounds at the start of the week. So I feel like I’ve already got most of my prep work done. So it’s just about going out there and being relaxed and being in the right frame of mind. And the more I can do that, the more I’ll be able to execute on the golf course.
Q. Two things. What would you — how do you feel about having played more this year? Do you feel like it’s done what you had hoped in terms of your mindset? And then just also what’s your — what do you see is the biggest difference in the golf course since you first played here?
RORY McILROY: Yeah, I think it’s been beneficial to play a little bit more this year leading into not just this tournament but the spring and the summer. I think I’m a little more in tune with where my game is and where my misses are and how to — I think, once you play a lot, you learn just how to manage your game a little bit better instead of if you haven’t played that much and you’re a little rusty.
And I just think that patterns emerge the more that you play. I feel like I’ve got a big enough sort of data set of rounds to sort of know how to manage what I’m doing right now. So I think that’s been a good thing.
Then the course over the years, it’s obviously got longer. I would say some of the areas surrounding the greens have become a little sharper. So, like, the drop-off after the left side of the 3rd green, for example, that drop-off is sharper. The back right of the 6th green now, that fall-off is sharper.
Like there’s a lot of sharpness to the edges of the green compounds that didn’t used to be there, which makes it — the right of the 11th green, which makes it just a little trickier to chip to and just penalizes the misses a little bit more, which ultimately, I think, is a good thing.
Q. Tiger was in here a little while ago, and he said very forthright like, yes, Rory will get it done, he’ll win a Green Jacket someday. I know you have a lot of people in your life who are comfortable saying that, but it does it mean more when someone of his stature says it so forthrightly?
RORY McILROY: Yeah, it’s flattering. It’s nice to hear, in my opinion, the best player ever to play the game say something like that. So, yeah, I mean, does that mean that it’s going to happen? Obviously not. But he’s been around the game long enough to know that I at least have the potential to do it. I know I’ve got the potential to do it too. It’s not as if I haven’t been a pretty good player for the last couple of decades.
So, but, yeah, it’s nice to hear it when it comes out of his mouth.
Q. With what’s at stake this week, how much focus have you put on simply trying to enjoy yourself?
RORY McILROY: (Laughing.) Yeah, I think so. I think that’s the — you know, I just drove in probably 30 minutes ago, and, yeah, I think you have to sort of treat this week with the — if I cast my mind back to 18-year-old Rory and I’m driving down Magnolia Lane for the first time, how would I feel and I think, it’s just always trying to go back to being grateful and feeling incredibly lucky that you can be a part of this tournament and you get to compete in it every year.
Thankfully, I’ve improved a bit since my first start here, and I feel like I’ve got all the tools to do well this week. But, again, to bring those tools out, I think one of the most important things is to enjoy it and smell the — I guess not the roses, the azaleas along the way.
Q. Time with Butch, whether it’s technical, and I’m sure there’s part of that, but he’s a great mind manipulator, so when you’re with him — and I mean that in a complimentary way.
RORY McILROY: I was going to say (laughing).
Q. No, he’s like Lombardi, he’s — so when you’re with him, is it nourishing immediately, or is it something that you reflect on over time, things that he’s imparted upon you in your communication with him since you’ve seen him? Is it regular?
RORY McILROY: Yeah, it’s regular. We probably text on a daily basis. But I think that, if anyone that has been to see Butch over the years, the first thing he’ll do is he’ll bring you into his office. And we sat and had a 45 minute conversation before he even looked at a swing or even before we really talked about golf at all. Talked about a lot of other stuff.
Yeah, he is, he’s part sort of psychologist, part swing coach. Like I always joke about you spend four hours with Butch and you go away with two swing tips and 30 stories. But you always go away hitting the ball better than when you came.
So, yeah, it was really beneficial trip for the technical side of things, which I think I made progress in that department last week, especially with my strokes gained approach numbers, which is what I really wanted to do.
But, yeah, it’s also just spending time around someone like that that’s coached a lot of the best players in the world and sort of him giving you his blessing on things, I think that’s nice validation as well.
Q. The long-standing tradition in golf is that you sign your scorecard and you say, This is what I shot today. Do you think things have changed in recent years where we should maybe get away from that model a little bit and give more authority to rules officials like we see in other sports? Or do you like the system as it is?
RORY McILROY: I mean, in a way I would like to give more responsibility to the rules officials because it takes responsibility off us in a way. Yeah, but, you know, I think most of you in this room know that I’m a traditionalist. And there’s a lot of things about golf and the traditions of golf that I really enjoy and I almost cherish because I think, if you can play golf the right way, it sort of makes you feel like you can live your life the right way at the same time. It’s a great metaphor for life.
Yeah, I think there’s, you know — I’m quite nostalgic when it comes to those sorts of things in the game, and it would be a shame to get rid of all of them. But we do have — in the top level of professional golf, we do have everyone keeping our score, whether it’s through apps or through walking scorers or through whatever.
Yeah, I mean, I think what happened to Jordan at Riviera, for example, is — it was unfortunate. And obviously we all know what to do, but I don’t think that an error like that should mean a disqualifications from a tournament.
Q. From a mentality and emotional perspective in regards to attitude, when you come into this week, how do you manage wanting to win this tournament but not the desire being so big that it becomes an obstacle?
RORY McILROY: Yeah, I would say not trying to win it from the first tee shot. I think that’s something that I’ve tried to learn. It’s a 72-hole golf tournament. I’ve won from 10 strokes back going into the weekend. There’s loads of different ways to do it. I think trying to, you know — and, again, I’ve said this, this golf course gets you to chase things a little more than other golf courses, if you make a bogey or if you get yourself out of position, because it always tempts you to do something you think you can do.
And I’m pretty confident in my golf game. I think I can do most things, but sometimes you just have to take the conservative route and be a little more disciplined and patient.
With a 72-hole golf tournament, you can be patient, you can be disciplined, and you can stick to your game plan. And that’s something that I’ve really tried to learn at this tournament over the years.
THE MODERATOR: Thanks very much, Rory, we really appreciate it. Thanks very much, ladies and gentlemen.
Jon Rahms Interview before the Masters Tournament 2024. (Image: Getty)
As defending champion Jon Rahm of course has to talk about his year with the green jacket. In his pre round interview the Spaniard talk about the difficulties preparing for the Masters Tournament 2024 with a full schedule, the LIV Golf League comes up as well.
Jon Rahms Pre-Round Interview at The Masters Tournament 2024
THE MODERATOR: The last time you were in this room you were wearing a Green Jacket for the first time. Could you maybe reflect on the experience of winning the Tournament and maybe when it all sunk in?
JON RAHM: It’s so hard to put that experience into words. I had heard from a few other players, a few Masters champions and a few that have won other majors rather than the Masters, that they said there’s something different, something special when you win one.
I can confirm it’s absolutely true; that the jump from no majors to U.S. Open was smaller from than what it was from the U.S. Open to the Masters. It is the biggest tournament in the world, with no offense to anything else, but it’s probably the most followed one by people that don’t even play golf.
That’s I think what makes the difference. Your notoriety goes up quite a bit. But it’s also the tradition. By being the only venue, we keep coming back year after year, all the traditions, all the shots, all the stories make it so, so special.
In my case, last year being Seve’s birthday, Easter, and all the many coincidences that happened to happen on that Sunday is what made it so special.
It’s, I think, the one memory that I keep remembering. Obviously, all the family moments at the end were great, but I still have a picture where I’m holding my son, and I’m giving a hug to my dad and my son’s in between us. And just to see that moment of me and my dad and having my son there was quite special. And that’s why I say it’s hard to put it into words because I really can’t describe it.
Q.As the champion of last year, I believe you have been wearing your Green Jacket on many, many occasions throughout the year. So my question is: What are your best memories wearing the Green Jacket outside of Augusta National? How is your feeling now as you need to return it to the club?
JON RAHM: Best memories? Well, you do hear a lot of things that people did to remember having the jacket. In my case, I mean, I kept it in my closet in a spot where I would walk by it every single day, and obviously inevitably every once in a while you put it on and take it off and put it back there.
The most memorable one for me has to be the first pitch. Just doing the first pitch in the World Series is quite unique. Sort of having to compete for the jacket is about as nervous as I’ve ever been related to that jacket, having to be in front of all those people trying to not make a fool of myself.
Q.You made some comments to BBC about understanding the gravity of your decision to go to LIV Golf. When you did that, was part of that motivation to try to bring the game together, and did you expect there to be kind of more movement toward that by now?
JON RAHM: I understood my position, yes. And I understood that it could be, what I hoped, a step towards some kind of agreement, yes. Or more of an agreement or expedited agreement.
But, unfortunately, it’s not up to me. But I would hope it would be something that would help expedite that process. But at the end of the day, I still did what I thought was best for myself.
Q.I’m wondering, as you look back on the period of time since you went over to LIV to now, how you would describe the experience and what are the things that you maybe miss about not being around the TOUR anymore and around the guys and competing against the Schefflers and Rorys, et cetera.
JON RAHM: You know, actually, that’s a good question. I haven’t given it that much thought because I’ve been so focused on what I have to do myself.
I mean, there’s no secret, I’ve mentioned a few times, there’s some venues that I miss not being at, not only because I won but just because I love it, right? And that’s the reason why I played well in those tournaments. Not being at Palm Springs, Torrey, Phoenix and L.A. wasn’t the easiest. And I’ll keep saying that because those are venues that I absolutely love.
And driving by Phoenix as often as I had to, seeing the stands, and knowing that I wasn’t going to be there was quite hard. Right? I still love the PGA TOUR, and I still hope everything the best, and I still hope that at some point I can compete there again.
Yeah, I mean you do miss competing against certain people, right? But at the end of the day, I’ve had so much to focus on the dynamic a little bit has changed, obviously. I’m a team leader, a team captain, to an extent. It’s still golf. I can’t really influence what they do on the golf course.
And a lot of good, a lot of positive to look forward to. I’ve had a lot of fun playing in those events. The competition’s still there. Yeah, they’re smaller fields, but you still have to beat some of the best players in the world and you still have to play at the same level you have to play on the PGA TOUR to win those events. So that doesn’t change.
It’s been fun to be part of a team. It’s one of the driving factors for me to make the change. It’s fun to be a part of a family and part of a common goal as a team, right. And enjoying those team victories has been really, really fun.
Usually on a Sunday, like last week, I would not have been thrilled by the way I finished, not that I would have been sad or upset, but I wouldn’t have been thrilled and, you know, had a team goal to actually celebrate. I mean, that is actually kind of fun.
Something that I was jealous of from many other sports, right. When you win as an individual, right, like take it here, for example, last year, you do all your commitments, you wake up the next day, and that’s it. It’s not like there’s a shared emotion after that like you see when a team maybe wins a Super Bowl or the NBA Finals or the World Series.
Q.You mentioned team. Are you concerned about — it’s a year plus away — about what the Ryder Cup situation would be for you since that’s so special to your heart?
JON RAHM: Am I concerned? Yeah, I hope I can be there. I hope I play well enough to earn my way there. And if I have to be picked, I hope I can get picked.
Yeah, I want to be there. That’s definitely something I want to do and I don’t want to miss.
Q.I was wondering just this week how being the defending champion, doing the Champions Dinner tonight, how has that affected sort of your preparation? Has it made it more difficult, or do you just kind of see it same as every year?
JON RAHM: It hasn’t made preparation any more difficult. The Champions Dinner, you just have to work around it, right. Just got to make sure I’m ready at a certain time, which I almost made the mistake of not being on time because so used to not having anything to do on Tuesdays that I scheduled my practice round a little too late yesterday and had to start backtracking to a few people. So I’m hoping I can be there on time today.
But besides that, no, I mean, we always have things to do. In the past on Tuesdays, I’ve had other sponsor engagements as well. So it actually doesn’t feel that different to that extent. Obviously, it’s a much bigger deal to be part of that dinner. But, no, I don’t feel like it makes a difference.
Q.Do you think you’re looked at this week as the reigning Masters champion or as a LIV player?
JON RAHM: Both.
Q.Brian Harman was here yesterday. He was talking about how important it was for his game to be tested against the pressure of a PGA TOUR event. I know it’s been a short sample in terms of your time on the LIV Tour, but do you feel the same level of pressure in spite of the team event in a LIV event, the level of intensity of feeling the pressure?
JON RAHM: Yeah. Yeah. To me, that’s an argument that, if you haven’t experienced being playing in a tournament, you can’t really understand. I understand there’s less people. I understand the team format’s a little different. I understand we’re going shotgun and things are a little bit different to how they are in a PGA TOUR event. But the pressure’s there. Like, I want to win as bad as I wanted to win before I moved on to LIV.
So, yeah, going down the stretch when you’re in contention is the exact same feelings. That really doesn’t change. The same way it was when I went through the Spanish Open or many other events where the field might not be up to the level that it could be on a designated event, right, that doesn’t really — winning is winning, and that’s what matters.
Q.Piggybacking on the Green Jacket question earlier, how does it feel knowing that the only way you get to take it back off property is if you win again?
JON RAHM: (Laughing). I think if I were not to win this year, I’m probably not going to regret — I’m going to regret not wearing it more often and just taking it everywhere for just — for whatever, just because you have it.
But, yeah, it is a weird feeling, right. Essentially, it’s the only trophy you can’t really keep at home. You do get a trophy, but the one that we all care about is the jacket. I think it’s something really special to know, when you win, that the only jacket that ever leaves Augusta National is that one. I think that’s the most special part of all.
So, it’s a little bit — is it added motivation? No, because you still — I mean, winning is winning, right. But it would be quite special to be one of the few players that have won it more than once and be able to have it at home for more than one year.
The full Interview from Jon Rahm before the Masters Tournament 2024:
What are the odds of Jon Rahm defending his title in The Masters Tournament 2024? (Image: Getty)
As the The Masters Tournament 2024 is coming closer, the discussions about possible title contenders are getting louder. Of course a relevant influencing factor to suggest who’s could be coming out on top is the current form. When looking at the PGA Tour, names like Scottie Scheffler, Windham Clark, or Rory McIlroy come to mind. However, at the Masters, one should not forget about players who currently play on the LIV Tour. Among them – the defending champion Jon Rahm.
The Masters Tournament 2024: 3 reasons why Jon Rahm will defend his title
With his latest move to the LIV Golf League Jon Rahm may have been off the radar for some golf fans. The Masters Tournament 2024 will be his first major after leaving the PGA Tour. Here are three reasons why Jon Rahm is keen to defend his title at this weeks major tournament.
1. Stats don’t lie
To silence critics right away, let’s start with some of his statistics, which are famously indisputable. Within his last 20 major appearances, he finished within the top 10 ten times, meaning half of his majors played since 2019. Overall, he has won two of these majors and narrowly missed victory in several others. The statistics also suggest a rising form curve throughout his career in these events since first turning pro in 2016.
2. Jon Rahm is in good form
Which leads us to the next argument as to why Jon Rahm will win the Masters again: His current form speaks for itself. Since joining LIV Golf, the Spaniard is yet to finish outside of the top 10. Starting off early in February, the reigning Masters champion finished tied for 3rd at the Mayakoba event. He followed up finishing 8th and 5th, then tied for 8th place in Hong Kong, with a tied 4th place at last weeks event in Miami. It can’t be denied that these are impressive and very consistent results, although there is one flaw. He did not yet win a tournament this year.
3. He is the reigning champion
Maybe reminiscing on his last victory may bring back his winner qualities. It surely is one he will fondly remember and dates back exactly one year today. With a very convincing 4-shot-lead, he brought his last Masters to the finish line, securing his second major victory of his career after winning the US Open in 2021. Even though it is difficult to predict the outcome with the tough conditions at the Augusta National Golf Club, it surely helps when players can start the tournament with some good confidence.
Patrons witness a rare natural spectacle at the The Masters Tournament 2024. (Image: Getty)
There is only a few days left to wait until the prestigious The Masters Tournament 2024 officially begins. And although the tournament’s opening round doesn’t tee off until Thursday, many golf enthusiasts were already treated to the first highlight on Monday. Taking place off the course – a solar eclipse left many spectators in awe.
The Masters Tournament 2024: An unparalleled setting for a natural spectacle
The start of the Masters week already offered plenty on Monday. A majority of the 89 players qualified for the tournament in Augusta played their first practice round. Among them was Tiger Woods, whom spectators could follow early in the morning on the back nine alongside Will Zalatoris. However, the event that garnered the most attention took place in the sky. Through the eclipse glasses distributed at the event, spectators, caddies, and players could witness the partial solar eclipse in its maximum obscuration around 3 p.m. in the afternoon.
Total Solar Eclipse in Some Parts of the Continent
In a narrow strip, the rare natural phenomenon traveled from Mexico across the USA to Canada. During this event, the moon moved directly in front of the sun, obscuring it and causing relative darkness in the middle of the day. While 14 states in the USA experienced a total solar eclipse, the venue of the The Masters Tournament 2024 in the state of Georgia enjoyed at least a partial solar eclipse of up to 76%. The next solar eclipse of a similar magnitude is not expected until 2044.
Indeed, this natural event was not the first to attract attention at a Masters. In 1940, an annular solar eclipse occurred, obscuring about 90 percent of the sun. It happened just after 5 p.m. and lasted about 2½ hours.
As one of golf’s most prestigious events, the Masters Tournament 2024 commands attention worldwide. Starting April 11, golf’s elite will gather at Augusta National Golf Club, vying for the legendary “Green Jacket.”
But the tournament excitement already begins before Thursday’s opening tee-off, featuring unique events like the Champions Dinner on Tuesday and the Par-3 Contest on Wednesday. Golf Post will guide you through the year’s first major, from the initial preparations to the final putt.
Your Guide To The Masters Tournament 2024
Players arrive on Sunday and Monday for practice rounds. By tradition, former champions can play the course with a guest of their choice on the Sunday preceding Masters Week. Up until Wednesday, all players will be preparing at Augusta National. Pay special attention to Hole 16, where players often attempt to skip the ball over the water hazard to reach the green on the other side.
Tuesday, April 9
The traditional Champions Dinner, hosted by defending champion Jon Rahm, promises a feast for the senses. Rahm, who made history at Augusta National last year, honors his Spanish heritage with his menu selection. This year, the interaction between LIV Golf League representatives and the PGA Tour is highly anticipated, especially since Rahm switched to the LIV Tour just eight months after his Masters win.
Additionally, on Tuesday at 6:00 PM, the tee times and pairings for the first and second rounds will be announced, ensuring fans know when to tune in to see their favorites.
Wednesday, April 10
The Par-3 Contest, a cheerful prelude to the serious competition, brings players, their families, and fans together in a relaxed setting on Augusta National’s Par-3 course. Children serving as caddies, light-hearted moments, and the occasional hole-in-one make this event a true highlight. Yet, historically, winning this contest has not been a good omen for securing the Masters victory that same year.
Thursday, April 11 to Sunday, April 14
With the start of the first round on Thursday, the battle for one of golf’s most coveted symbols, the Green Jacket, commences. Honorary starters, golf legends like Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus, and Tom Watson, initiate the tournament with the traditional first tee shot. Thursday and Friday see the Masters tournament field begin in threesomes. The first tee-off is expected early afternoon local time. Only those within the Top 50 and ties or within ten strokes of the lead will advance to the weekend at Augusta.
Over the days leading to Sunday, the field narrows until only the champion remains, earning not just the traditional Green Jacket but also a $3.24 million prize.
Who Is Competing In The Masters Tournament 2024?
The participant list reads like a who’s who of golf: Jon Rahm, Rory McIlroy, and Scottie Scheffler are just a few names expected to make waves at Augusta’s fairways. Tiger Woods also returns to professional tournament play here, his first since having to withdraw from the second round of the Genesis Invitational 2024 in February.
Tiger Woods listed in 2024 US Masters field. (Photo: Getty)
The anticipation for the Masters Tournament 2024 is growing and it seems that we will also be able to look forward to Tiger Woods‘ next tournament start. The 48-year-old was recently added to the field of participants listed on the Masters website. As a former winner of the prestigious tournament at Augusta National Golf Club, Woods has a lifelong expemption to participate in the major tournament. He has won the Masters a total of five times, including his first major victory in 1997 and his last major victory to date in 2019 following his magnificent comeback from back surgery.
The Masters Tournament 2024: Tiger woods returns to the Augusta National
Tiger Woods last competed in the Genesis Invitational, which he hosted, but had to withdraw during the second round due to illness. At the Hero World Challenge in December 2023, he had announced that he planned to play more tournaments in 2024, ideally one a month, starting with Genesis. Tiger Woods skipped the Players Championship this year, but played the Seminole Pro-Member Tournament for the first time the week before.
Instead, Woods has been particularly active off the golf course and involved in the affairs of the newly formed PGA Tour Enterprises and negotiations with the PIF.
The Masters now appears to be the next big event on his schedule. Last year’s experience was not really positive. Woods made the cut but struggled badly with walking and withdrew in round 3 when the tournament was suspended due to weather chaos and it became clear he would have to complete 29 holes on Sunday.
With the exception of his illness at the Genesis Invitational, however, the 15-time major winner appears to be in better physical condition and more confident on his feet again.
Normal golfers face some difficulties at Augusta National. (Photo: Getty)
There are plenty of them, places of longing, with which the average golfer would like to measure himself. One of them surely being Augusta National Golf Club. Anyone who doesn’t have a “bucket list” in this regard, as it’s called, probably lacks the sense of dreamy longing. Many of these flags on the golf globe are certainly attainable – if the appropriate travel budget is available, no pandemic is currently grounding air traffic and blocking the joy of travel, one has a lucky hand in a starting time draw … And so on.
Experience before result?
For many, Augusta National, where the 87th Masters is currently being held, is probably high up on the leaderboard. So, assuming there was a chance for the once-in-a-lifetime pleasure of a round of the legendary course behind Magnolia Lane – and there is – how would “normal mortals” fare on the Major turf between hole 1, “Tea Olive,” and 18, “Holly”? Or would the result not matter anyway, because the experience outweighs everything?
Colleague Auf der Heyde and his birdie at the 16
That was the case for our colleague Peter Auf der Heyde. The South African, who has been reporting on-site from the Masters for Golf Post for many years, was one of the chosen few at the traditional “after-work” golf for media representatives in 2013 and was allowed onto the course of the Augusta National Golf Club on Monday after Adam Scott’s play-off triumph over Angel Cabrera.
“On the first hole,” Peter writes of that day of all days, “I felt like Scott [in the playoff] on the tenth.” And when the mid-handicapper shot birdie on “Redbud,” the par-3 16th, from the tournament tees moreover, “none of the world’s best golfers would have beaten me on that hole, because there was no hole-in-one in the four rounds.” By then, at the latest, the overall score was a minor matter anyway; even today, Auf der Heyde “merely” goes into raptures when asked about 2013. So it doesn’t help.
High 90 on a perfect day
Let’s perhaps quote the playing professionals instead of the writer. The answers are unanimously sobering. At “Golf.com” Jason Day once said in 2018: “Someone with a 15 handicap? If you’re in a really good mood, everything goes according to plan and the weather also plays along, then maybe a mid to high 90 is in there. But for that, everything really has to fit.” Of course: “Under tournament conditions, an average golfer will never crack 100 – no chance! Something between 100 and 105 would be possible, I would say. On a bad day, more like 110,” added Adam Hadwin at the time.
Incidentally, the worst Masters round by an active player “ever” was completed by US amateur Charlie Kunkle in 1956. The self-taught golfer needed 95 strokes for the par-72 layout on the final Sunday and finished the tournament with a total score of 340 (52 over par). By comparison, then-winner Jack Burke Jr. of Texas had a 289-stroke total.
“The breaks are huge”
Augusta National’s green complexes in particular are a brutal touchstone, their enormous undulations and false fronts, as well as the undulating surface contours, forming the true defensive bulwark of the vaunted terrain. “It’s mainly the chipping and putting that counts,” Nick Wright noted for Today’s Golfer. The 8.1 handicap journalist played Augusta two years ago and says, “The breaks on the greens are tremendous.”
On 16, where Peter Auf der Heyde had holed out from 40 centimeters to win the shot six years earlier, Wright aimed for a break of 1.2 meters and had to be corrected by the caddie: “Better aim for three meters!” The player did as instructed and felt he was “putting 90 degrees off the hole.” Nevertheless, the ball ran straight into the target with a clean curve – also for birdie.
Speed control is the key at Augusta National Golf Club
“The most difficult thing for mid handicappers is the uneven lies around and on the greens,” says equally Rickie Fowler, who would be playing his eleventh Masters this year, meanwhile has slipped to world number 95 and therefore has to watch. “Even if you play the ball ‘in regulation’ in the middle of the green, the par is by no means certain,” he said. “A good putt can still end up 1.5 to 1.8 meters from the hole – and then converting those is no fun at Augusta, and certainly not a given.” Speed control is key on the greens, he said, and three-putts should be more the norm for amateurs and already a success.
Hardly bad locations – but the bunkers…
For all that, the course itself, with its sweeping fairways, is “pretty benign from the members’ tees,” judges Nick Wright: “With a little precision, it’s easy to keep the ball in play. There are hardly any bad lies, even off the fairways, in the ‘second cut’ or even in the pine litter.” Dr. Alister MacKenzie, the mastermind behind the congenial creative duo with Bobby Jones, wasn’t big on rough; he wanted to see a weak shot punished not by ball loss or chopping, but by an awkward angle of play; that philosophy holds true to this day.
Moreover, the Scottish architect was stingy with bunkers for cost reasons, but the twelve in the fairways and the 32 around the greens are really something despite the innocent-looking white sand. Literally. The hazards are deep, and it is often difficult to see over the edge from the bottom of the fairway; it is not unusual for a sideways escape shot to be the better option.
The real genius of design
What impresses everyone who experiences Augusta National Golf Club is the ondulation and expansiveness of the terrain. On hole 10, for example, the tee is 34 meters above the green.
And although holes 1 and 18, 2 and 8, and 3 and 7 run almost parallel, it is almost a “day trip” to Amen Corner and the wonderful “Golden Bell” (hole 12) as the centerpiece.
You don’t have to favor Parkland golf to still state that the Masters course is a perfect course: full of beauty and tranquility, varied and strategic, spiced with “risk-and-reward” options, well dosed with water. “The most striking feature, however,” says Nick Wright in “Today’s Golfer,” “is the fact of offering golfers of any skill level the appropriate challenge. In this, in particular, the real genius of its design is revealed.”
Game with highest scores per hole
The 8.1 handicapper shot a fine 81 in his round – from the Members Tees; he found the course “manageable and well playable.” Nevertheless, the “bunkered” portal had the fun of extrapolating the worst possible round at Augusta National. For each hole, the highest score ever played in Masters history was picked out – Ernie Els’ 9 on hole one in 2016, for example, Henrik Stenson’s 8 on the fourth in 2011, Tom Weiskopf’s 13 on the 12th in 1980 or Sergio Garcia’s 13 on the 15th three years ago.
No matter on which hole, the “worst case” was everywhere at least 7 strokes, and in total a notional round score of 169 comes out. In words: one hundred and sixty-nine. 78 for the first nine, 91 for the second, 97 over par. At least to underplay that should be doable.
