Tag: Masters

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PGA Tour

Tiger Woods likely to miss Masters due to injury

Tiger Woods at the 2024 Masters in Augusta. (Photo: Getty)
Tiger Woods at the 2024 Masters in Augusta. (Photo: Getty)

Tiger Woods will in all likelihood not be taking part in this year’s Masters Tournament. The reason for this is an injury that he sustained while training at home – a torn Achilles tendon.

“As I began to ramp up my own training and practice at home, I felt a sharp pain in my left Achilles, which was deemed to be ruptured,” the 49-year-old said in a message on Instagram and X.

The minimally-invasive surgery took place on Tuesday morning at the Hospital for Special Surgery in West Palm Beach, Florida. “The surgery went smoothly, and we expect a full recovery,” said the attending doctor, Dr. Charlton Stucken.

Tiger Woods: Comeback delayed by multiple setbacks

Woods is now at home and focused on recovery. Although he has not shared his plans concerning the Masters, it is considered unlikely that he will take part in the first major of the year, which begins in just over four weeks. The traditional tournament at Augusta National Golf Club will be held for the 89th time in April – Tiger Woods has won it five times, most recently in 2019.

It has been eight months since his last appearance in an official PGA Tour tournament. He played the British Open at Royal Troon in July. Since then, his tour comeback has been postponed again and again for various reasons. A return to the Masters seemed realistic, but now it has receded into the distance. With the injury to his Achilles tendon, Woods’ comeback remains uncertain.

The 15-time major champion has a long history of injuries: In April 2023, he competed in the Masters but had to withdraw during the third round. In the same month, he underwent surgery on his right ankle for post-traumatic arthritis, a result of his serious car accident in 2021. In September 2024, he had surgery on his lower back due to spasms and pain. Woods has been struggling with back problems on and off since 2014.

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Panorama

The Masters 2025: How Rory McIlroy is preparing for his most important tournament

Rory McIlroy talks about his preparations for the Masters. (Photo: Getty)
Rory McIlroy talks about his preparations for the Masters. (Photo: Getty)

As the year progresses, The Masters in Augusta is getting closer and closer, and anticipation is growing – but so is nervousness. This also applies to Rory McIlroy, for whom the first major of the season is known to be of the highest importance. Now he has revealed how he will prepare for the important tournament this year.

Rory McIlroy is fully focused on The Masters

The legendary tournament at the tradition-rich Augusta National Golf Club takes place from April 10 to 13. In addition to the prestige and history, there is another very personal reason for the Northern Irishman: it is the only major that is still missing from his career Grand Slam. A victory would not only crown his career, but also elevate him to the ranks of the greatest golfers of all time. Alongside a Ryder Cup triumph in the USA and an Olympic gold medal, winning the green jacket is one of his three main goals. Every year, he focuses on this one week in April when he has the chance to finally win The Masters.

With his team’s TGL elimination, McIlroy can now focus entirely on preparation. In recent years, he has tried various approaches to get in peak physical condition. During a press conference at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, he discussed his current plans. He has no tournaments scheduled between next week’s PLAYERS Championship and the Masters, but that could still change:

“I don’t like the idea of having three weeks off going into the Masters, so I may add one event, but I’m still between what event that may be. But it really just depends on how these two weeks go and how I’m feeling about my game.”

“It feels a little different”

He emphasizes that it helps him to travel to Augusta in advance and spend time on the golf course: “You can spend as much time as you want around there, like on those days that you go up outside of the tournament. You’re not under any pressure from a time constraint, like having to get to media or having any other obligations.”

He continues: “It’s funny, when you want to spend six hours on a practice round it doesn’t feel like it’s that bad, but the week of it you don’t really want to be out there for six hours and it feels a little different.”

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Highlights Tours

Ex-Employee Steals Millions in Masters-Memorabilia

The Augusta National club house. (Image: Getty)
The Augusta National club house. (Image: Getty)

Just two days after this year’s Masters Tournament, it became known that millions of dollars worth of trophies and memorabilia had been stolen from Augusta National Golf Club. Now 39-year-old Richard Brendan Globensky has pleaded guilty in a Chicago court to stealing and selling the green jackets, tickets from the 1930s and many other valuable memorabilia, as reported by CBS. A total of around five million dollars is believed to have flowed into the pockets of the former Augusta National employee.

Former employee steals millions worth of Masters memorabilia

Among the stolen memorabilia were not only souvenirs of past Masters visits, but also the legendary green jackets of Arnold Palmer, Ben Hogan and Gene Sarazen. Palmer won the Masters four times, in 1958, 1960, 1962 and 1964, while Ben Hogan received his jackets in 1951 and 1953. Sarazan won in 1935, before the tradition of the special jackets was established, but received his model later in 1949.
Globensky has now pleaded guilty to stealing merchandise and memorabilia from 2009 to 2022 and transporting it away by truck. From a warehouse, the individual items were then sent to a fence in Florida, where they were sold in online auctions.

CBS reports that other memorabilia and fan items stolen by Globensky include Masters programmes from 1934 and 1935, an Augusta National clubhouse trophy, Masters tickets from 1934 to 1939, documents and letters signed by Augusta National founder Bobby Jones, as well as Masters flags, watches and other fan items.

By pleading guilty, Globensky faces only two to two and a half years in prison instead of up to ten years, and his sentencing was set for 29 October.
He must also submit a cheque for 1.57 million dollars within seven days to cover part of the compensation to Augusta National. In total, he owes the Masters venue around 3.5 million dollars and must forfeit the 5.3 million dollars in profits he made from the sale of the stolen items.

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Live

FedExCup Update: Scheffler Tops, Fleetwood Almost Top 30

Scottie Scheffler and Tommy Fleetwood at the Masters Tournament 2024. (Image: Getty)
Scottie Scheffler and Tommy Fleetwood at the Masters Tournament 2024. (Image: Getty)

As the PGA Tour’s season progresses, a notable total of tournaments have already been played thus far. The Masters Tournament, the most recent event, concluded with Scottie Scheffler emerging as the victor. With his second green jackett Scottie Scheffler secures his leads of FedExCup rankings, showcasing exceptional form throughout the season and at last weeks major. With six English players ranking among the top 100, the competition is as fierce as ever.

Key Movers in the FedExCup Rankings

Among the English contingent, Matt Fitzpatrick and Tommy Fleetwood are the top performers in the FedExCup standings. Fitzpatrick, with a current rank of 29, has a tally of 652 points and has participated in 10 events without registering a victory this season. However, his consistent play has resulted in two top-10 finishes. Fleetwood, on the other hand, stands at rank 31 with 627 points. His season so far includes seven events and mirrors Fitzpatrick’s performance with three top-10 finishes but no victories, the lates a T3 finish at the Masters.

Top 5 FedExCup Leaders’ Spotlight

Scottie Scheffler remains the man to beat at the peak of the FedExCup rankings, with an impressive portfolio that includes three victories and eight top-10 finishes across nine events and the Masters 2024, amounting to 3,942 points. Close on his heels is Wyndham Clark at second place, followed by Xander Schauffele, Ludvig Åberg, and Hideki Matsuyama rounding out the top five. These golfers have proven their mettle within a highly competitive field, each participating in at least nine events, with Matsuyama also claiming a tour victory.

How the PGA Tours FedEx Cup works

The FedExCup is the season ranking of the PGA Tour. The top 30 players in the FedExCup ranking are allowed to take part in the PGA Tour’s final play-off tournament at the end of the season. The season ranking also determines who is allowed to play on the PGA Tour the following year. At each tournament, the players who make the cut collect points. The total number of points earned at a tournament depends on the value of the event. Major tournaments earn the most points. The winner receives 500 points for winning a normal PGA Tour tournament.

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Highlights Tours

The Masters Tournament 2024 Stats – How Difficult the Augusta National Golf Course Was

The stats for the Masters Tournament 2024. (Image: Getty)
The stats for the Masters Tournament 2024. (Image: Getty)

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 Results

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.

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Highlights Tours

The Masters Tournament 20024: The Highlights of the fourth round

Scottie Scheffler on this way to receive the second green jacket in his career. (Photo: Getty)

The final round of The Masters Tournament 2024, part of the prestigious PGA Tour, has concluded at the prestigious Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia, USA. This exclusive golf club, synonymous with the Masters Tournament, unfurled its flawless greens and challenging pin positions for the world’s top golfers during the four rounds of the tournament. Among the players, five stood out on the leaderboard with their remarkable total scores.

All Masters Tournament Scores

In a culmination of the day Scottie Scheffler claimed his second Masters title at Augusta National, finishing with a four-shot lead. At the eight hole, he managed to score three consecutive birdies with which he first expanded his lead from the previous round. Despite challenges at Amen Corner, Scheffler managed to keep his lead with fewer mistakes than his competitors and concluded his victory with with a total score of -11. Close behind, Ludvig Åberg from Sweden secured second place with a score of -7. Englishman Tommy Fleetwood, alongside Americans Max Homa.

Relive Scottie Schefflers road to victory, capturing every key moment of Scheffler’s remarkable journey to his second Green Jacket.

The Masters Tournament 2024: Scottie Schefflers highlights in round 4

About the PGA Tour

The PGA Tour is the largest American professional golf tour. There are 36 tournaments on the tour’s schedule this season. The tournaments mainly take place in the USA, but there are also some international venues over the course of the season. The signature events introduced in 2023 offer higher prize money and a smaller field of participants. There will be a total of eight of these events in the 2024 season. The four Majors and the Players Championship are also part of the PGA Tour. At the end of the tours season, the 70 best players in the FedEx Cup season rankings will play in a three-tournament play-off for overall tour victory and an extra 18 million dollars in prize money.

(This text was created with the help of AI)

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Highlights Tours

The Masters Tournament 2024 Live Blog: Scottie Scheffler’s Way to Victory

Live Blog: Scottie Scheffler during The Masters Tournament 2024. (Photo: Getty)
Live Blog: Scottie Scheffler during The Masters Tournament 2024. (Photo: Getty)

2022 was Scottie Scheffler’s finest hour. The young up-and-coming player first appeared on the radar of the golf world when he won four tournaments in the space of six weeks. Among these four victories, he celebrated the biggest success of his career: Scottie Scheffler won the Green Jacket at the Masters Tournament.

Scottie Scheffler and the Masters Tournament

2022 was not Scheffler’s first time taking part in golf’s most traditional major tournament. He had already made his debut two years earlier in 2020, where he finished tied 19th, improved to tied 18th the following year and 2022 ultimately celebrated one of his greatest triumphs. The then 25-year-old beat the experienced Rory McIlroy by three strokes to secure not only the famous Green Jacket but also his position at the top of the world rankings.

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With four rounds under par (Scheffler was the only one to achieve this that year), he proved that he could cope with the extraordinary challenges of Augusta National Golf Club. Scottie Scheffler makes no secret of his love for the tournament. In his acceptance speech after his 2022 victory, he reveals: “I love this place. I love this golf course. If I had to choose one tournament to win, it would be this one.”

Scheffler’s chances at the Masters Tournament 2024

Last year, the now 27-year-old was unable to defend his title and was beaten by Spaniard Jon Rahm. However, the American has nothing to hide with his tied tenth place and records his fourth top 20 finish in his fourth Masters start. This year, the cards will be reshuffled.

Scottie Scheffler will once again start the race as the world number 1 and is therefore one of the favorites. Having been in top form for several years now, he will go into the first major of the year in a stronger position and will certainly be in for an exciting battle with his strongest rivals. He has also impressed with his performance in the current season. In eight starts, Scottie Scheffler has finished in the top 20 eight times and won two of the tournaments. Among his two victories, the Players Championship was the unofficial “fifth major” of the PGA Tour – there could not have been a better dress rehearsal for Scheffler.

Besides his Masters victory in 2022, Scottie Scheffler has yet to win another major, but has finished in the top 25 at every single major since 2020. Last year, he finished three out of four majors in the top 10.

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Highlights Tours

The Masters Tournament 2024 Live Blog: Rory McIlroy finishes Masters with solid 1-over 73

Rory McIlroy at the Masters Tournament 2024 - all Scores in the Live Blog. (Image: Getty)
Rory McIlroy at the Masters Tournament 2024 - all Scores in the Live Blog. (Image: Getty)

Rory McIlroy is one of this generation’s top golfers. The now 34 year old Northern Irishmen captured various PGA Tour titles and DP World Tour victories all while winning several Major Championships as well. But the Masters Tournament and its prestigious green jacket is still missing in McIlroy trophy collection. Previous to the Masters 2024 McIlroy changed his routines and plays the Valero Texas Open as a test run for Augusta National. He also misses out on the famous Par 3 Contest on Wednesday.

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Rory McIlroy – Carreer and Past Results

Rory McIlroy won his first professional event at the age of just 20, launching his great career on the DP World Tour (formerly known as European Tour). Two years later, he achieved his first major title when he captured the win at the US Open with 16 strokes under par, that is the best score ever achieved at this tournament so far. In March 2012, he became the second youngest number 1 in the world golf rankings of all time being just 22 years old, crowning this success with his second major at the PGA Championship in August of the same year.

McIlroy scored his third major title in 2014 with his victory at the Open Championship. In the same year, the Northern Irishman also achieved his fourth Major success when he won the PGA Championship for the second time. That means McIlroy is now only missing a Masters Tournament victory for the career grand slam. And is on a “major drought” for around ten years.

Away from the majors, Rory McIlroy also won the Players Championship, the flagship tournament of the PGA Tour, in 2019. In addition to his impressive performances at the season highlights on the Tour calendar, McIlroy has already secured overall victory in the PGA Tour’s annual rankings twice, winning the Tour Championship and the FedExCup in 2016 and 2019 respectively.

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Highlights Tours

The Masters Tournament 2024: Bryson DeChambeau holes out on 18

Delighted about his hole-out on 18: Bryson DeChambeau at the The Masters Tournament 2024. (Image: Getty)
Delighted about his hole-out on 18: Bryson DeChambeau at the The Masters Tournament 2024. (Image: Getty)

On the third day of the The Masters Tournament 2024 yesterday, several players struggled with the demanding requirements of the Augusta National. Good results were achieved only rarely.

To the Highlights of Round 3

This also applies to Bryson DeChambeau, who had to relinquish his shared lead from the second day and now trails the leader Scottie Scheffler by four strokes.

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The Masters Tournament 2024: Bryson DeChambeau with good conclusion

Despite his rather modest round with too many bogeys, DeChambeau was able to conclude the third day with a hole-out at the 18th.

All in all, the American can start the final day with a good feeling and hopes for an overall victory. Scottie Scheffler, as the solo leader, has the best chances, with Collin Morikawa closely behind him after a very good third day.

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Highlights Tours

The Masters Tournament 2024: Highlights of Round 3

Had a good Moving Day at the The Masters Tournament 2024: Collin Morikawa. (Image: Getty)
Had a good Moving Day at the The Masters Tournament 2024: Collin Morikawa. (Image: Getty)

The third day at the The Masters Tournament 2024 in Augusta has concluded, and an interesting Moving Day with many changes at the top of the leaderboard provided some highlights for the spectators.

The remaining 60 players after the cut once again struggled with the challenging conditions in Georgia. Only a few players were able to achieve under-par scores, with Scottie Scheffler leading the way, followed by Collin Morikawa, who had a good day, at the top of the leaderboard.

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The Masters Tournament 2024: Highlights of Round 3 on video

While the wind subsided somewhat on the third day in Augusta, it didn’t make it any easier for the players. Challenging pin positions required thoughtful and precise play, making birdies a rarity. However, despite or perhaps because of the demanding conditions, there were still some highlights in the third round.

The Masters Tournament

The US Masters 2024, taking place from April 11th to 15th, is set to thrill the hearts of many golf fans. In 2023, Jon Rahm triumphed at the Augusta National Golf Club, securing his second major title. The US Masters Tournament in Augusta is the first of the four annual major tournaments in professional golf. It always takes place in April and is held on the same golf course – the Augusta National in Georgia, USA. For professional players, the Masters in Augusta is a true prestige event and perhaps the most important of the four golf major titles. The winner of the US Masters Tournament receives a lifetime membership at the Augusta National Golf Club and, additionally, the iconic Green Jacket, which can be worn for one year before being returned to the Augusta National Golf Club for safekeeping. Furthermore, the tournament winner gets to take home a small trophy in the shape of the Augusta clubhouse and can look forward to the annual invitation to the Champions Dinner as well as a lifetime exemption.