Course Guide: Augusta National is always a true test of every professional golfer’s mettle. Yes, the course is the most beautiful and manicured piece of golfing property in the world, but Alister Mackenzie’s creation is a very specialised test which stretches players’ skills and temperaments to their maximum.
Augusta National with its increased length (see below), contours, nuances and extremely fast Bentgrass greens makes shooting low numbers here difficult in normal circumstances. Throw-in recent weather and scoring – when the tournament has been played in it’s standard April spot – has been far higher than when we used to see. As Rory McIlroy described it “Good golf at Augusta feels like boring golf and I think that is something I have always struggled with because that isn’t my game.”
Augusta National GC, Augusta, Georgia: Designer: Dr Alister MacKenzie & Bobby Jones 1933 with 2022, 2023 and 2024 hole renovations; Course Type: Mid-Score, Classical, Long; Par: 72; Length: 7,565 yards; Holes with Water In-Play: 5; Number of Sand Bunkers: 44; Acres of Fairway: 79; Fairways: Overseeded Perennial Ryegrass with Bermudagrass-base; First Cut: Overseeded Perennial Ryegrass, with Bermudagrass-base 1.375″; Greens: 6,486 sq.ft average featuring A1 Penn Bentgrass; Stimpmeter: 13-14ft.
Course Scoring Average + PGA Tour Difficulty Rank:
- 2025: 72.81 (+0.81), Rank 7 of 50 courses.
- 2024: 73.91 (+1.91), Rank 3 of 51 courses.
- 2023: 72.96 (+0.96), Rank 6 of 49 courses.
- 2022: 73.95 (+1.95), Rank 3 of 50 courses.
- 2021: 73.06 (+1.06), Rank 7 of 51 courses.
Course Overview: The nuances of Augusta National are varied and unique. The whole Masters experience both on and off course is different from any other tournament in professional golf. Indeed a course rookie hasn’t won here since Fuzzy Zoeller in 1979. But in recent Augusta history, debutants continually feature. Jason Day (2011) and Jordan Spieth (2014) both finished T2, with Spieth the 54-hole leader. 2017 saw Thomas Pieters feature and land a full each-way payout at 80/1. The delayed 2020 renewal saw Sungjae Im contend as one of Dustin Johnson’s main challengers, as he finished T2 with Cameron Smith at 80/1. 2021 saw 80/1 chance Will Zalatoris finish second and 2024 also saw Ludvig Aberg have a genuine chance of victory at the turn on Sunday before landing a T2 on debut. Surely it’s going to happen at some point.
Course-wise, I’m sure you’ll have heard about the infamous Bentgrass greens that run at 14+ on the Stimpmeter (if the organisers get their way with the weather) which are the fastest of any golfing season. Their sheer size and contours make good birdie chances only viable from the smallest of target areas. Mown run-off areas mean that errant shots don’t stop and even great approach shots can lead to bogey or worse. The lack of rough around the green complexes creates indecision both with approach shots and recovery chips. Too many options can confuse players, so course experience and a patient outlook pays. Knowing that 9 of the holes are birdie opportunities and that the other 9 are holes where you can only realistically make par due to pin positions is something that over-aggressive players struggle to deal with. Put simply, and we see this year after year, you can’t chase a score at Augusta National. Another interesting course feature is that all shots are hit into the grain, be that drives or chips, the former shortening the roll on drives and the latter making scrambling very difficult.
Since 2022 changes to Augusta National have seen the course lengthened and re-modelled – no course responds to technological progress more than Augusta. The par-4 11th hole, White Dogwood, now features a re-positioned tee with the hole lengthened by 15 yards. The pivotal par-5 15th, Firethorn, was also lengthened by 20 yards, with that fairway also being re-contoured. It made going for the green in 2 shots less prevalent.
The par-5 13th, Azalea, has had a new tee box installed adding 35 yards to the hole. At 545 yards, the 13th still isn’t a particularly long par-5. But as a hard dogleg left, the tributary of Rae’s Creek guarding the green, and with the ball pretty much always lying above a player’s feet on the second shot, the extra 35 yards makes the decision to go for the green in two more difficult.
2024 also saw detailed changes to the course. New green complexes have been added to Holes 2 (Pink Dogwood), 4 (Flowering Crab Apple) and 6 (Juniper), with new mid and back hole positions available. Pink Dogwood, which is the first par-5 on the course, has had some significant work done to it as a new tee-box further back and to the left by about 10 yards has also been added in an effort to bring the right fairway bunker more into play.
The summer of 2024 dealt Augusta National one of its biggest challenges ever in the form of Hurricane Helene, losing a significant amount of trees, leading to a slightly roomier feel in some places. 4 of Augusta National’s greens were resurfaced ahead of 2025’s tournament. One of them, the 16th – Redbud, par-3 – was rebuilt exactly. 2026 sees the tee marker moved back on the par-4 17th Nandina adding 10 yards, extending it from 440 to 450 yards.
All of this remodelling takes the course to a quoted 7,565 yard, Par 72 – but don’t believe that as all fairways are traditionally mown against the grain and the hole direction to minimise driving distance, effectively meaning it will now play closer to 7,900 yards. So long, positional driving creating the right angle into the flag, plus the ability to hit towering approach shots is vital here.
To succeed you must be aggressive on the 4 par-5s and minimise bogeys across the rest of the property. Eagles on the par-5s and birdies on the par-4s are worth their weight in gold around here. But eventually the contest comes down to top-class game management, around the green positivity, and the ability to hole plenty of short to medium putts on Augusta National’s famously difficult pure Bentgrass putting surfaces.
Masters Tournament Winners: 2025: Rory McIlroy (-11); 2024: Scottie Scheffler (-11); 2023: Jon Rahm (-12); 2022: Scottie Scheffler (-10); 2021: Hideki Matsuyama (-10); 2020: Dustin Johnson (-20); 2019: Tiger Woods (-13); 2018: Patrick Reed (-15); 2017: Sergio Garcia (-9); 2016: Danny Willett (-5); 2015: Jordan Spieth (-18); 2014: Bubba Watson (-8); 2013: Adam Scott (-9); 2012: Bubba Watson (-10); 2011: Charl Schwartzel (-14); 2010: Phil Mickelson (-16).
- 2025: Rory McIlroy 72-66-66-73 -11/277
- 2024: Scottie Scheffler 66-72-71-68 -11/277
- 2023: Jon Rahm 65-69-73-69 -12/276
- 2022: Scottie Scheffler 69-67-71-71 -10/278
- 2021: Hideki Matsuyama 69-71-65-73 -10/278
- 2020: Dustin Johnson 65-70-65-68 -20/268
- 2019: Tiger Woods 70-68-67-70 -13/275
- 2018: Patrick Reed 69-66-67-71 -15/273
OWGR of Masters Tournament Winners: 2025: McIlroy 2; 2024: Scheffler 1; 2023: Rahm 3; 2022: Scheffler 1; 2021: Matsuyama 25; 2020: D Johnson 1; 2019: Woods 12; 2017: Reed 24.
Datagolf Ranking of Masters Tournament Winners: 2025: McIlroy 2; 2024: Scheffler 1; 2023: Rahm 2; 2022: Scheffler 3; 2021: Matsuyama 29; 2020: D Johnson 3; 2019: Woods 13; 2017: Reed 20.
Cut Line: 2025: +2; 2024: +6; 2023: +3; 2022: +3; 2021: +3; 2020: E; 2019: +3; 2018: +5.
Lead Score Progression:
- 2025: Round 1 -7; Round 2 -8; Round 3 -12; Round 4 -11.
- 2024: Round 1 -7; Round 2 -6; Round 3 -7; Round 4 -11.
- 2023: Round 1 -7; Round 2 -12; Round 3 -11; Round 4 -12.
- 2022: Round 1 -5; Round 2 -8; Round 3 -9; Round 4 -10.
- 2021: Round 1 -7; Round 2 -7; Round 3 -11; Round 4 -10.
- 2020: Round 1 -7; Round 2 -9; Round 3 -16; Round 4 -20.
- 2019: Round 1 -6; Round 2 -7; Round 3 -13; Round 4 -13.
- 2018: Round 1 -6; Round 2 -9; Round 3 -14; Round 4 -15.
Path to Victory: Below are end of round positions for The Masters winners:
- 2025 – Rory McIlroy: Round 1: 27th, Round 2: 3rd, Round 3: 1st.
- 2024 – Scottie Scheffler: Round 1: 2nd, Round 2: 1st, Round 3: 1st.
- 2023 – Jon Rahm: Round 1: 1st, Round 2: 2nd, Round 3: 2nd.
- 2022 – Scottie Scheffler: Round 1: 3rd, Round 2: 1st, Round 3: 1st.
- 2021 – Hideki Matsuyama: Round 1: 2nd, Round 2: 6th, Round 3: 1st.
- 2020 – Dustin Johnson: Round 1: 1st, Round 2: 1st, Round 3: 1st.
- 2019 – Tiger Woods: Round 1: 11th, Round 2: 6th, Round 3: 2nd.
- 2018 – Patrick Reed: Round 1: 4th, Round 2: 1st, Round 3: 1st.
- 2017 – Sergio Garcia: Round 1: 4th, Round 2: 1st, Round 3: 1st.
- 2016 – Danny Willett: Round 1: 9th, Round 2: 8th, Round 3: 5th.
- 2015 – Jordan Spieth: Round 1: 1st, Round 2: 1st, Round 3: 1st.
- 2014 – Bubba Watson: Round 1: 2nd, Round 2: 1st, Round 3: 1st.
- 2013 – Adam Scott: Round 1: 10th, Round 2: 7th, Round 3: 3rd.
- 2012 – Bubba Watson: Round 1: 4th, Round 2: 3rd, Round 3: 4th.
- 2011 – Charl Schwartzel: Round 1: 7th, Round 2: 12th, Round 3: 2nd
- 2010 – Phil Mickelson: Round 1: 2nd, Round 2 3rd, Round 3: 2nd.
Shots From the Lead: Below are the Masters winners and where they were positioned in terms of shots from the lead during the tournament:
- 2025 – Rory McIlroy: Round 1: 7 back, Round 2: 2 back, Round 3: 2 ahead.
- 2024 – Scottie Scheffler: Round 1: 1 back, Round 2: level, Round 3: 1 ahead.
- 2023 – Jon Rahm: Round 1: level, Round 2: 2 back, Round 3: 2 back.
- 2022 – Scottie Scheffler: Round 1: 2 back, Round 2: 5 ahead, Round 3: 3 ahead.
- 2021 – Hideki Matsuyama: Round 1: 4 back, Round 2: 3 back, Round 3: 4 ahead.
- 2020 – Dustin Johnson: Round 1: level, Round 2: level, Round 3: 4 ahead.
- 2019 – Tiger Woods: Round 1: 4 back, Round 2: 1 back, Round 3: 2 back.
- 2018 – Patrick Reed: Round 1: 3 back, Round 2: 2 ahead, Round 3: 3 ahead.
- 2017 – Sergio Garcia: Round 1: 6 back, Round 2: level, Round 3: level.
- 2016 – Danny Willett: Round 1: 4 back, Round 2: 4 back, Round 3: 3 back.
- 2015 – Jordan Spieth: Round 1: 3 ahead, Round 2: 5 ahead, Round 3: 4 ahead.
- 2014 – Bubba Watson: Round 1: 1 back, Round 2: 3 ahead, Round 3: level.
- 2013 – Adam Scott: Round 1: 3 back, Round 2: 3 back, Round 3: 1 back.
- 2012 – Bubba Watson: Round 1: 2 back, Round 2: 1 back, Round 3: 3 back.
- 2011 – Charl Schwartzel: Round 1: 4 back, Round 2: 6 back, Round 3: 4 back.
- 2010 – Phil Mickelson: Round 1: 1 back, Round 2: 2 back, Round 3: 1 back.
Incoming Form of Masters Tournament winners since 2010:
- Rory McIlroy: 5th Houston/1st Players/15th Bay Hill/17th Torrey.
- Scottie Scheffler: 2nd Houston/1st Players/1st Bay Hill/10th Riviera.
- Jon Rahm: 31st WMP/WD Players/39th Bay Hill/1st Riviera.
- Scottie Scheffler: 1st WMP/55th Players/1st Bay Hill/7th Riviera.
- Hideki Matsuyama: 30th San Antonio/42nd WMP/MC Players/18th Bay Hill.
- Dustin Johnson: 2nd Houston/6th US Open/1st Tour Champ/2nd BMW.
- Tiger Woods: QF WMP/30th Players/10th WGC-Mexico/15th Riviera.
- Patrick Reed: 9th WMP/7th Bay Hill/2nd Copperhead/37th WGC-Mexico.
- Sergio Garcia: 30th WMP/12th WGC-Mexico/14th PGA National/49th Riviera/1st Dubai.
- Danny Willett: 28th WMP/22nd Copperhead/3rd Doral/45th Malaysia/1st Dubai.
- Jordan Spieth: 2nd Houston/2nd San Antonio/1st Copperhead/17th Doral/4th Riviera.
- Bubba Watson: WD Bay Hill/2nd Doral/1st Riviera/2nd TPC Scottsdale/23rd Torrey.
- Adam Scott: 30th Copperhead/3rd Doral/10th Riviera.
- Bubba Watson: 4th Bay Hill/2nd Doral/13th Riviera/5th TPC Scottsdale/13th Torrey.
- Charl Schwartzel: 30th Houston/47th Bay Hill/24th Doral/14th PGA National/8th Abu Dhabi.
- Phil Mickelson: 35th Houston/30th Bay Hill/14th Doral/24th TPC Scottsdale
Tournament Stats: We’ve published some key player statistics for this week’s event that are well worth a look. Naturally they’ll help to shape a view on players who could go well this week: Current Form | Tournament Form | First Round Leader | Combined Stats | Recent Majors Stats.
My published predictor is available here. Top 10 of my published predictor are: 1) Jon Rahm, 2) Scottie Scheffler; 3) Xander Schauffele; 4) Rory McIlroy; 5) Bryson DeChambeau, 6) Tommy Fleetwood; 7) Matt Fitzpatrick; 8) Collin Morikawa; 9) Si Woo Kim; 10) Hideki Matsuyama.
Our brand new predictor model is running alongside, where you can build your own rankings in live time, using the variables listed on the left hand side.
Masters Tournament Winners & Prices: 2025: McIlroy 13/2; 2024: Scheffler 4/1F; 2023: Rahm 9/1; 2022: Scheffler 16/1; 2021: Matsuyama 45/1; 2020: D Johnson 9/1; 2019: Woods 16/1; 2018: Reed 55/1; 2017: Garcia 45/1; 2016: Willett 66/1; 2015: Spieth 11/1; 2014: Watson 28/1; 2013: Scott 28/1; 2012: Watson 55/1; 2011: Schwartzel 90/1; 2010: Mickelson 10/1. Past 5 Renewals Average: 16/1; Average: 31/1.
Historical Weather:
- 2024: Thursday: Thursday: Mostly sunny. High of 76. Wind SW 10-15 mph. Friday: Partly cloudy. High of 70. Wind W 14-18 mph, gusting to 27 mph. Saturday: Partly cloudy. High of 68. Wind NNW 5-10 mph. Sunday: Mostly sunny. High of 71. Wind NE 3-6 mph in the morning switching to W 4-8 mph in the afternoon.
- 2024: Thursday: Due to inclement weather, the start of the first round began at 10:30 a.m. ET. Partly cloudy with showers in the morning. High of 79. Wind SSW 15-20 mph, with gusts to 35 mph. Friday: Sunny. High of 72. Wind W 15-20 mph, with gusts to 35 mph. Saturday: Sunny. High of 76. Wind WNW 10-15 mph, with gusts to 25 mph. Sunday: Sunny. High of 84. Wind WNW 5-10 mph.
- 2023: Thursday: Mostly cloudy. High of 85. Wind SSW 5-10 mph. Friday: Mostly cloudy with scattered showers in the afternoon. High of 79. Wind SSW 5-10 mph. Play was suspended at 3:07pm ET and for a second time at 4:22pm ET and did not resume. Saturday: Cloudy with showers. High of 48. Wind NE 14-18 mph, with gusts to 25 mph. The third round was suspended for the remainder of the day at 3:15 p.m. ET. Sunday: Partly cloudy. High of 62. Wind NE 14-18 mph, with gusts to 25 mph.
- 2022: Thursday: Mostly sunny with morning thunderstorms. High of 74. Wind W 10-15 mph, with gusts to 25 mph. Due to thunderstorms, all starting times were delayed 30 minutes. Friday: Mostly sunny. High of 66. Wind WSW 15-20, with gusts to 30 mph. Saturday: Cloudy. High of 56. Wind W 12-16, with gusts to 25 mph. Sunday: Sunny. High of 73. Wind W 6-12 mph.
- 2021: Thursday: Partly cloudy. High of 80. Wind SSW 10-15 mph, gusting to 20 mph. Friday: Mostly cloudy. High of 82. Wind SSW 8-14 mph. Saturday: Cloudy, with light showers late in the afternoon. High of 79. Wind SSE 10-15 mph, gusting to 25 mph. Play was suspended at 3:58 p.m. due to a dangerous weather situation. Play resumed at 5:15 p.m. for a delay of 77 minutes. Sunday: Mostly cloudy and breezy. High of 80. Wind W 10-15 mph, gusting to 23 mph.
- 2020: Thursday: Mostly cloudy with morning thunderstorms. High of 78. Wind WNW 4-8 mph. Due to inclement weather and thunderstorms play was suspended at 7:35 a.m. ET and resumed at 10:20 a.m. Friday: Partly cloudy. High of 79. Wind NW 5-10 mph. Saturday: Partly cloudy. High of 74. Wind ENE 5-10 mph. Sunday: Partly cloudy. High of 79. Wind SW 10-15 mph, with gusts to 20 mph.
- 2019: Thursday: Partly cloudy, with a high of 84. Wind SE at 10-15 mph. Friday: Mostly cloudy, with scattered showers and a high of 84. Wind SSE at 5-10 mph. Play was suspended at 5:05 p.m. due to dangerous weather and resumed at 5:34 p.m., a delay of 29 minutes. Saturday: Mostly cloudy, with a high of 85. Wind SE at 5-10 mph. Sunday: Cloudy, with occasional showers. High of 80. Wind SSE at 15-20 mph, gusting to 25 mph.
- 2018: Thursday: Sunny and cool with a high of 69. ENE wind at 6-12 mph. Friday: Sunny and cool in the morning. Partly cloudy in the afternoon with a high of 79. SSW wind at 10-15 mph. Saturday: Scattered showers and overcast with a high of 65. SW wind at 10-15 mph. Sunday: Cloudy and cool in the morning. Sunny in the afternoon with a high of 65. NE wind at 5-10 mph.
Weather Forecast: The latest weather forecast for Augusta, Georgia is here.
After some pretty weather-affected years at The Masters, 2026 look like the conditions I always remember here –warm, sunny with pretty light winds. If all goes to plan the organisers will be able to defend the course purely by pin positions and by making the green complexes nice and fast with the control of their Sub-Air system. Rain doesn’t look like a factor and this part of Georgia has been nice and dry in the build-up.
Thursday looks the windiest with gusts in the afternoon up to 25 mph from the north-east, but the rest of the week looks really calm. 20 degrees Celsius – 68 Fahrenheit – on Thursday, then rises to 24-28 Celsius – 75-82 Fahrenheit across Friday to Sunday. This is much warmer than 2025, so with the ball travelling further, maybe -12/276 wins this.
Player Strokes Gained Rankings: These top 25 in the field rankings are based on an 8-tournament window that stretches back to the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am which includes PGA Tour and DP World Tour events, where recorded. Player rankings are based on performance relative to the rest of the field:
- Top 25 SG Off The Tee: 1) Collin Morikawa; 2) Cameron Young; 3) Rory McIlroy / Aldrich Potgieter; 5) Min Woo Lee / Robert MacIntyre / Marco Penge / Sam Stevens; 9) Matt Fitzpatrick; 10) Tommy Fleetwood; 11) Ludvig Aberg / Scottie Scheffler; 13) Si Woo Kim; 14) Patrick Cantlay; 15) Gary Woodland; 16) Michael Brennan / Xander Schauffele; 18) Ryan Fox; 19) Jacob Bridgeman; 20) Akshay Bhatia; 21) Chris Gotterup; 22) Sam Burns / Ryan Gerard / Johnny Keefer; 25) Shane Lowry / Maverick McNealy
- Top 25 SG Approach: 1) Collin Morikawa; 2) Adam Scott; 3) Akshay Bhatia; 4) Matt Fitzpatrick; 5) Kurt Kitayama; 6) Wyndham Clark; 7) Xander Schauffele; 8) J.J. Spaun; 9) Cameron Young; 10) Corey Conners; 11) Daniel Berger / Nicolai Hojgaard / Rory McIlroy / Justin Rose; 15) Jordan Spieth / Nick Taylor; 17) Tommy Fleetwood / Brooks Koepka; 19) Min Woo Lee; 20) Ludvig Aberg / Nico Echavarria; 22) Jacob Bridgeman; 23) Viktor Hovland / Si Woo Kim / Shane Lowry / Hideki Matsuyama.
- Top 25 SG Around The Green: 1) Scottie Scheffler; 2) Alex Noren; 3) Ludvig Aberg / Tommy Fleetwood; 5) Nick Taylor; 6) Rory McIlroy; 7) Jason Day; 8) Harry Hall; 9) Matt Fitzpatrick; 10) Russell Henley; 11) Justin Thomas; 12) Collin Morikawa; 13) Ben Griffin / Brian Harman; 15) Max Greyserman / Maverick McNealy; 17) Patrick Cantlay; 18) Keegan Bradley / Min Woo Lee / Robert MacIntyre; 21) Andrew Novak / Xander Schauffele; 23) Akshay Bhatia / Ryan Fox / Chris Gotterup / Sungjae Im / Hideki Matsuyama / Jordan Spieth.
- Top 25 SG Tee to Green: 1) Collin Morikawa; 2) Rory McIlroy; 3) Tommy Fleetwood; 4) Matt Fitzpatrick; 5) Ludvig Aberg / Akshay Bhatia / Xander Schauffele; 8) Cameron Young; 9) Min Woo Lee; 10) Scottie Scheffler / Adam Scott; 12) Corey Conners / Si Woo Kim; 14) Patrick Cantlay; 15) Jordan Spieth; 16) Jacob Bridgeman / Robert MacIntyre; 18) Hideki Matsuyama / Nick Taylor; 20) Kurt Kitayama / Sam Stevens; 22) Wyndham Clark / Maverick McNealy; 24) Chris Gotterup / Shane Lowry.
- Top 25 SG Putting: 1) Jake Knapp; 2) Jacob Bridgeman; 3) Harris English / Robert MacIntyre; 5) Min Woo Lee / Alex Noren; 7) Sam Burns / Akshay Bhatia; 9) Scottie Scheffler; 10) Collin Morikawa / Xander Schauffele; 12) Sepp Straka; 13) Cameron Young; 14) Ludvig Aberg; 15) Russell Henley; 16) Nicolai Hojgaard / Hideki Matsuyama; 18) Harry Hall / Maverick McNealy; 20) Justin Thomas; 21) Nico Echavarria; 22) Shane Lowry / Justin Rose; 24) Jason Day / Matt Fitzpatrick / Max Greyserman.
- Top 25 SG Total: 1) Casey Jarvis / Collin Morikawa; 3) Jacob Bridgeman; 4) Min Woo Lee / Xander Schauffele; 6) Ludvig Aberg; 7) Matt Fitzpatrick / Scottie Scheffler; 9) Akshay Bhatia / Tommy Fleetwood / Robert MacIntyre / Cameron Young; 13) Patrick Reed; 14) Jake Knapp; 15) Nicolai Hojgaard; 16) Adam Scott; 17) Hideki Matsuyama / Alex Noren; 19) Maverick McNealy; 20) Sam Burns; 21) Patrick Cantlay / Russell Henley / Si Woo Kim; 24) Jordan Spieth; 25) Corey Conners / Shane Lowry / Rory McIlroy.
Player Strokes Gained Rankings: These top 25 in the field rankings are based on an 8-tournament window that stretches back to the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am/ LIV Adelaide which includes PGA Tour, DP World Tour and LIV Golf events, where recorded. Player rankings are based on performance relative to the rest of the field:
- Top 25 SG Off The Tee: 1) Bryson DeChambeau / Jon Rahm; 3) Collin Morikawa; 4) Cameron Young; 5) Tyrrell Hatton; 6) Rory McIlroy / Aldrich Potgieter; 8) Min Woo Lee / Robert MacIntyre / Marco Penge / Sam Stevens; 12) Carlos Ortiz; 13) Matt Fitzpatrick / Tom McKibbin; 15) Tommy Fleetwood / Sergio Garcia; 17) Ludvig Aberg / Scottie Scheffler; 19) Si Woo Kim; 20) Dustin Johnson; 21) Patrick Cantlay; 22) Gary Woodland; 23) Michael Brennan / Xander Schauffele; 25) Ryan Fox.
- Top 25 SG Approach: 1) Collin Morikawa / Jon Rahm; 3) Adam Scott; 4) Akshay Bhatia; 5) Carlos Ortiz; 6) Tyrrell Hatton; 7) Matt Fitzpatrick / Sergio Garcia / Kurt Kitayama / Charl Schwartzel; 11) Wyndham Clark; 12) Xander Schauffele; 13) Bryson DeChambeau / J.J. Spaun; 15) Cameron Young; 16) Corey Conners; 17) Daniel Berger / Nicolai Hojgaard / Rory McIlroy / Justin Rose; 21) Jordan Spieth / Nick Taylor; 23) Tommy Fleetwood / Brooks Koepka; 25) Min Woo Lee.
- Top 25 SG Around The Green: 1) Cameron Smith; 2) Scottie Scheffler; 3) Jon Rahm; 4) Alex Noren; 5) Bryson DeChambeau; 6) Dustin Johnson; 7) Ludvig Aberg / Tommy Fleetwood / Tom McKibbin / Carlos Ortiz; 11) Nick Taylor; 12) Rory McIlroy; 13) Jason Day; 14) Harry Hall; 15) Sergio Garcia / Charl Schwartzel; 17) Matt Fitzpatrick; 18) Russell Henley / Bubba Watson; 20) Justin Thomas; 21) Collin Morikawa; 22) Ben Griffin / Brian Harman; 24) Max Greyserman / Maverick McNealy.
- Top 25 SG Tee to Green: 1) Jon Rahm; 2) Collin Morikawa; 3) Rory McIlroy; 4) Bryson DeChambeau; 5) Carlos Ortiz; 6) Tommy Fleetwood; 7) Matt Fitzpatrick; 8) Ludvig Aberg / Akshay Bhatia / Xander Schauffele; 11) Cameron Young; 12) Min Woo Lee; 13) Sergio Garcia; 14) Scottie Scheffler / Adam Scott; 16) Tyrrell Hatton; 17) Tom McKibbin; 18) Corey Conners / Si Woo Kim; 20) Patrick Cantlay / Charl Schwartzel; 22) Jordan Spieth; 23) Jacob Bridgeman / Dustin Johnson / Robert MacIntyre.
- Top 25 SG Putting: 1) Jake Knapp; 2) Cameron Smith; 3) Jacob Bridgeman; 4) Harris English / Robert MacIntyre; 6) Dustin Johnson; 7) Bryson DeChambeau / Jon Rahm; 9) Min Woo Lee / Alex Noren; 11) Sam Burns / Akshay Bhatia; 13) Scottie Scheffler / Bubba Watson; 15) Collin Morikawa / Xander Schauffele; 17) Charl Schwartzel / Sepp Straka; 19) Cameron Young; 20) Ludvig Aberg; 21) Tyrrell Hatton / Russell Henley; 23) Nicolai Hojgaard / Hideki Matsuyama; 25) Carlos Ortiz.
- Top 25 SG Total: 1) Jon Rahm; 2) Casey Jarvis / Collin Morikawa; 4) Bryson DeChambeau; 5) Jacob Bridgeman; 6) Min Woo Lee / Xander Schauffele; 8) Ludvig Aberg; 9) Matt Fitzpatrick / Scottie Scheffler; 11) Akshay Bhatia / Tommy Fleetwood / Robert MacIntyre / Cameron Young; 15) Carlos Ortiz; 16) Patrick Reed / Cameron Smith; 18) Jake Knapp / Dustin Johnson; 20) Nicolai Hojgaard / Charl Schwartzel / Adam Scott; 23) Sergio Garcia / Tyrrell Hatton; 25) Hideki Matsuyama / Alex Noren.
For a summary of the Strokes Gained Performances from this week’s field here at Augusta National click here.
Trends & Key Factors: Analysing the Strokes Gained Stats of the Masters winners since 2021 gives us a little more insight into the requirements for Augusta National:
- 2024, Rory McIlroy (-11). SG Off the Tee: 7th, SG Approach: 1st, SG Around the Green: 9th, SG Tee to Green: 1st, SG Putting: 43rd.
- 2024, Scottie Scheffler (-11). SG Off the Tee: 2nd, SG Approach: 14th, SG Around the Green: 1st, SG Tee to Green: 1st, SG Putting: 22nd.
- 2023, Jon Rahm (-12). SG Off the Tee: 2nd, SG Approach: 6th, SG Around the Green: 7th, SG Tee to Green: 1st, SG Putting: 22nd.
- 2022, Scottie Scheffler (-10). SG Off the Tee: 9th, SG Approach: 6th, SG Around the Green: 3rd, SG Tee to Green: 2nd, SG Putting: 13th.
- 2021, Hideki Matsuyama (-10). SG Off the Tee: 21st, SG Approach: 9th, SG Around the Green: 3rd, SG Tee to Green: 2nd, SG Putting: 18th.
Strokes Gained Tournament Skill Averages:
- SG Off the Tee: 8th, SG Approach: 7th, SG Around the Green: 7th, SG Tee to Green: 1st, SG Putting: 24th
Tournament Trends & Key Factors: Analysing the final stats of the Masters Tournament winners since 2022 gives us a little more insight into the requirements for Augusta National:
- 2025, Rory McIlroy (-11). 330 yards (2nd), 62.5% fairways (50th), 65.3% greens in regulation (13th), 64.0 % scrambling (4th), 1.55 putts per GIR (3rd).
- 2024, Scottie Scheffler (-11). 305 yards (13th), 78.6% fairways (13th), 63.9% greens in regulation (7th), 61.5 % scrambling (10th), 1.54 putts per GIR (3rd).
- 2023, Jon Rahm (-12). 298 yards (24th), 85.7% fairways (4th), 72.2% greens in regulation (3rd), 60.0 % scrambling (9th), 1.62 putts per GIR (8th).
- 2022, Scottie Scheffler (-10). 299 yards (16th), 76.8% fairways (10th), 68.1% greens in regulation (5th), 56.5 % scrambling (9th), 1.57 putts per GIR (4th).
Tournament Skill Averages:
- Driving Distance: 14th, Driving Accuracy: 19th, Greens in Regulation: 7th, Scrambling: 8th, Putting Average 5th.
Let’s take a view from players as to how Augusta National sets up and what skill sets the course favours:
Rory McIlroy (2025): Friday: “Yeah, from the pine straw I only had, I think it was like 189 front. So it was, I don’t think it was really a decision to go for it or not, but it was, I was between a 4- and a 5-iron. And usually the ball comes out of it spinnier out of the pine straw. So I hit a 4-iron, and the follow-through, definitely I saved it, and I was glad that I hit 4-iron. I covered that little corner there. But yeah, when the ball was in the air, I was like, you idiot, what did you do? It’s one of those ones, as well, it’s a pin that even if you do hit it into the hazard, it’s a pretty, not a routine up-and-down, but it’s a little easier than, say, where the pin was yesterday in that front section. Yeah, I rode my luck a little bit with that second shot, but was nice to take advantage of it.
Yeah, you know, I hit two good shots into 15 yesterday, and I felt like I hit a pretty good chip shot. I was really surprised at not so much the speed – I knew it was a fast chip; I’ve hit that chip a hundred times around this golf course, it was just more the first bounce was so firm. I mean, that green is so much firmer than any other green, even the other- the three newer greens. And like at that point, I didn’t know that, you know, a couple of people had done that before I did it, as well. Yeah, and then I actually- you know, I was obviously surprised that I had done that. And I forgot that I could try to play it again. I went straight to the drop zone, and then afterwards, I was thinking, like, oh, I could have tried to just chip that again.
But I was, you know – it was just one of those things where, you know, I think that’s the thing. I was so frustrated last night because I played so well, and you can make these big numbers from absolutely nowhere on this golf course, just like the most benign position. So it was a good reminder. It was a good reminder last night that you just have to have your wits about it you on every single golf shot. And then today, when the second shot was in the air, it was a little touch and go. Even where the ball finished sort of on the slope, I was thinking of running to mark it to make sure it wasn’t going to run back down the hill. It was nice to make a 4 there. I guess just keep the momentum going that I had built up through those previous holes, 10, 11, 13.”
Saturday: “Yeah, obviously it was a dream start to get off to the start that I did. Hit two perfect shots on 1 and converted. Felt like I hit sort of three perfect shots on 2. Three perfect shots on 3.It was such a great way to start, and you know, just to come out of the blocks like that, I think, as well, from finishing yesterday afternoon to teeing off today, it’s quite a long time. You know, there’s a lot of anticipation and sort of anxious energy that builds up. You just want to get out there and play. So you know, with all of that, to go out and start the way I did, was amazing .And then I had that a little bit of a wobble around the turn there with the bogey on 8, the missed chance on 9 and then the three-putt on 10.
I thought that the par putt on 11 was huge, just to sort of get some momentum back. You know, to get through 11 and 12 at even par was great. And then, you know, all I was trying to do then was take advantage of the par 5s coming in, and thankfully I was able to do that.
Yeah, I was fast on the range. You know, that’s– talking about even that anxious energy that built up, I was probably three or four miles an hour faster on the range than I have been all week, which is nice. So I knew I didn’t have to worry about the bunker on 1 or 2 if I just made a good swing. It wasn’t really about being aggressive. It was just, you know, it was making good, committed swings and knowing that if I did that, I could set myself up on those first few holes.”
Scottie Scheffler (2024): Thursday: “When I was walking up to the first tee, I was fairly surprised with how many people were under par already. Going into today with the forecast the way it was supposed to be, and I’ve played this tournament once before in some pretty high winds, and it’s an extremely challenging golf course. And, yeah, I felt like today I just did a really good job. Teddy, I would say, did a really good job of kind of guessing the wind correctly, if that makes sense. You know, we stole a few shots on the par 3s, I felt like, and then I played the par 5s well. I think in terms of these tournaments, yeah, I think limiting your mistakes, obviously a lot easier said than done. But, yeah, limiting your mistakes is important. It’s important to kind of keep that momentum of the round going. And I felt like today, when I was in some challenging spots on some tough holes, did a good job of pitching it up there nice and close.”
Friday: “Yeah, it was extremely challenging. The winds were up very high, and it blows from everywhere out here. I think even par this afternoon was a really good score. And, yeah, I couldn’t really describe how windy it is and how difficult the gusts are just because, I mean, I think you just have to be out there and experience it. Like hitting shots into 11 and 12 today, it’s so difficult. And like when you have putts — had a putt from about four or five feet on No. 9, and on a typical day would have been just outside the hole with no wind. But I could hit it on that line, and the wind — so the putt is breaking right-to-left, wind is blowing left-to-right, and, I mean, it can change the break of the putt by a cup on either side. Especially at the speeds that these greens are at.
I mean, like 13 for me today was a good example of I hit a good tee shot and hit a really good second shot, and then you just get gusted by the wind, and then stuff like that happens, you make bogeys. You get to 15, a hole that’s typically reachable, like yesterday I hit driver, 3-iron onto the green, and today — and it was still a little bit into the wind yesterday actually and I hit driver, 3-iron onto the green, and today it was so into the wind and I hit driver, 3-iron, and I had 70 yards left.”
Saturday: “Enjoy the lead? No. I think, just like any human would, your mind starts to wander a little bit out there on the golf course. I mean, we’re out there for four or five hours at a time. You got to let your mind wander. I tried to soak in stuff around me today. I looked up at the trees at times. I looked up at the fans occasionally to try to soak in some of their energy. But did not ever let myself get attached to the lead. I just tried to keep pushing. I mean, I think if I would have played a little bit defensively it would have been a significantly different finish. I went for the green in two on 13, was able to make birdie. I attacked the pin on 14 and was able to make birdie. Went for it again on 15 and made a nice par, and I hit a really good shot on 16 to make birdie.
If I was just trying to make pars the whole back nine, I would have been standing on 18 having to make par and hoping Ludvig would only make a par. Around this golf course you have to stay aggressive. You have to hit the right shots. There’s no way around it out here. You can’t play too defensive, and you can’t play too aggressive. You just have to hit the right shots. And fortunately today I was able to do that.”
Jon Rahm (2023): Thursday: “If you’re going to make a double or four-putt or anything, it might as well be the first hole, 71 holes to make it up. I’ve always said and I’ve always told Adam and I tell people who ask me about the Masters, if you can somehow make it through the first 6 1/2 holes, and what I mean is putting the ball in the fairway on 7 and you’re around even par, I think it’s a pretty good start. It’s easy to make bogeys. It’s not easy to make birdies. So if you can get through that, you have a short iron into 7, 8, 9 to maybe make some birdies and maybe get the round going. I was able to do that and took advantage of it the rest of the day.
So the eagle on 8, it was about as hard a drive as I can hit. I mean, I hit that perfect down the centre, high cut. And I had, it was 210 meters slope, adjusted already, to the front of the green, and I believe it was 244 to the pin. So knowing that you can carry at the pin, my goal was to hit a draw 4-iron and hopefully cover five to ten on and get the right bounce and get towards the back of the green, right. I hit it a little bit lower than I wanted and it carried about 8 on and obviously on a perfect line and released all the way to three feet. I would hope I would get that close, but being realistic, it doesn’t usually happen that often. I’m happy it did. I mean, it was a really good swing, and for that to end up that close is a huge bonus.
Then the two birdies, I would say, both 13 and 15 were good in their own merit, really good chip shots, but I would say the one on 18 takes the cake. The one on 18 was just perfect drive, great second shot at two feet and tap-in for birdie. You don’t usually get a walk-off birdie over here, and those two swings were about as good as they could feel.”
Saturday: “With the temperature we had and how long the golf course was going to be playing with the ongoing little rain and that drizzle, I was very happy if I was able to play that back nine even-par. Thanks to a couple of great par saves on 11 and 13, I gave myself a really good chance of making a few birdies on a couple of the holes. Man, I’m really happy I was able to play that 1-under par. Too bad, a good putt on 16 that didn’t go in, and 18 was brutal. It was really difficult. I would have taken even-par on the last four holes either way, and going towards this afternoon — hopefully we play — and go in with a lot of confidence.
The most difficult of the round was the second shot on 18. I mean, 4-iron had a very slim chance of getting on the green. But I thought anywhere short was better than whatever the 5-wood could end up. Just because it was going to have to be some kind of fade 5-wood and if you get a water ball the wrong place that can be halfway over to 8 over there on the slope somewhere, right? So I just kind of wanted the safe play. So I would say that. Obviously the tee shot was no picnic either. Tee shot on 17, 18 or that second shot there on 18. Because I couldn’t play the shot I wanted to, I would say 18.”
Sunday: “Well, it’s soft, but it’s quick enough on the greens. Obviously fairways are not going to be rolling out too much. I’m assuming they’re going to have the SubAir going all afternoon, so it might get a little bit firmer towards the end. I doubt it just because of how much rain they had, but it’s in good shape. It’s better than I thought it was going to be with how much it rained yesterday.
Well, with the wind we’re going to have today, the main thing is staying committed to whatever shot you pick. Have a clear picture and commit to it. It’s always going to be better to maybe have the lower percentage shot but commit to it than the higher percentage not and not committed.”
Scottie Scheffler (2022): Thursday: “I would say judging the wind for the most part and staying in the right spots. When the wind gets gusty like this around this golf course, it can blow from a lot of different directions. So just kind of managing your game and hitting the appropriate shots. I got out of position a couple of times, and after that I got the ball back into play to somewhere where I could make a par. I had some really good par saves on the front nine that kept me going.
Yeah, I think Augusta National is really fun to play. Sometimes I have to watch myself around here because, for instance, on 15 today, I had an opportunity to hit a really cool shot that seemed like a lot of fun. Definitely wasn’t the right play, so I didn’t hit the shot. Sometimes you’ve got to watch yourself because there’s always something you can do. Especially a hole like 11, if you hit it over there on the right side, you can do something really cool, but you can get in trouble really quickly. Like I said, when I was out of position, I did a really good job of getting myself back in position and made some nice saves.”
Friday: “To be completely honest, the front nine was such a grind. The wind was crazy. There was some times where we saw the sand blowing up out of the bunkers out there. It was ridiculous. I think we were a little bit fortunate that it did die down a little bit towards the end of the day. It was still gusty, but you were able to find some spots where, for instance, on 16 I almost didn’t even play any wind. We were definitely fortunate in that sense, but we were also playing in some pretty aggressive winds at the beginning of the round.”
Sunday Round: “Then the chip shot on 15, we talked about a couple different things. The approach shot, I was walking up to or right when we got off the tee, I was like, Go for it, Teddy? He’s like, let’s see where it is. I hammered that drive. And I didn’t expect it to be over there behind the trees, but with the way the lie was and I only had a 5-iron, so it’s kind of like, it’s a 5-iron, just trying to hit it in that right bunker. And if I push it, it goes in the crowd; and if I pull it, it will go on green. And to us it seemed like the safest play at the time, so that’s what we did. I had to start at right edge of the bunker. Those trees were probably in line with the middle of the bunker, the ones right in front of me. And then after that, just trying execute.
I feel like, once again, just trusted Teddy. And, you know, we’re walking down, seeing the layup, I just told him. I was like, Hey, man, thanks for that, I really don’t want to hit this wedge shot right now. The thing looks scary.”
Hideki Matsuyama (2021): Thursday: “The greens were firm and fast. It was very important to hit your second shot on the proper side of the pin, and I was able to do that. I felt very good about my round today. It’s my tenth year, but I’ve never seen the greens so firm and fast. So it was like a new course for me playing today, and I was fortunate to get it around well.”
Saturday: “During the rain delay, or right before the rain delay, I probably hit the worst shot I’ve hit this week. And during the rain delay, I just figured, I can’t hit anything worse than that. And so maybe it relieved some pressure, I don’t know, but I did hit it well coming in after the delay. At 15, I hit a 5-iron in. 16 was an 8-iron. 17 was a pitching wedge. But the 5-iron at 15, by far, probably the best shot I’ve hit this week.”
Sunday Round: “First hole hit a 3-wood off the tee into the right trees. Second shot, I laid up short of the green with a 5-iron, just punched it out. Third shot was a 60-degree wedge at 45 yards, and then 2-putted for bogey. Second hole, hit a driver. Had 253 left. Hit a 4-iron into the right bunker. Blasted out just a couple of feet. Made birdie. Third hole, teed off with a 4-iron. Had 120 yards. Hit a 52-degree wedge over the green. Chipped up close and made par.
4, I hit a 4-iron back edge of the green. Had about 38, probably 40 feet, and 2-putted from there. 5th hole, I hit a driver into the left bunker. Blasted out with a 52-degree wedge. Had a hundred yards left. Hit a 56-degree wedge to 20 feet and made that putt for par. No. 6, had 183 to the pin. Hit 8-iron 15 feet and 2-putted for par.
7, I hit a driver. Had 115 yards to the pin. Gap wedge to three feet. Missed the birdie putt and made par. On 8, hit a driver. Second shot was 280 yards. Hit a 3-wood over the green. Chipped back on. Chipped to two feet and made that for birdie. No. 9, hit a driver from a hundred yards and then hit a 56-degree wedge to two feet for birdie.
“10, hit a 3-wood with my tee shot. 175 yards left. Hit a 7-iron to about 20 feet, 2-putted for par. 11, hit a driver. Had 196 yards in. 6-iron to the right edge of the green, the collar, and 2-putted from there. 12, I hit 157 yards. Hit a 9-iron to the back bunker. Hit it out short. Had 15 feet and 2-putted from there for a bogey.”
13, I hit driver 215 yards in and hit a 5-iron left of the green. I chipped up to there to two feet and made a birdie. 14, hit a driver 127 yards. Hit a gap wedge 15 feet right of the pin. 2-putted for par. 15, hit a driver. Had 227 yards in, 4-iron over the green into the water. Had 40 yards back to the pin. 60-degree wedge just short of the green. 2-putted from there for bogey.
16, 183 yards, hit a 7-iron to the right part of the green 40 feet, three-putted from there for bogey. 17, hit a driver 140 yards in. Hit a pitching wedge to 20 feet. 2-putted for par. 18, hit a driver. Had 140 yards in. Hit a pitching wedge into the right bunker. Blasted out to five feet and 2-putted from there to be the Masters Champion.”
Dustin Johnson (2020): “Obviously this golf course it’s tough. They have made it a lot longer through the years. You know, it’s really playing long right now. But yeah, obviously you need to take advantage of the par 5s. I mean, if you look back through the past winners, they always play the par 5s well. That’s something if I want to shoot good scores out here, I need to play the par 5s well.
There was so much rain this morning. We were watching on TV, you could tell the course looked really soft. You kind of need to come out and take advantage of the conditions right now because there wasn’t really a whole lot of wind and really soft conditions, you can fire it at the flag. I mean, with the conditions being soft, you can be really aggressive no matter what club you have in your hand, as long as you feel comfortable with how far you’re going to fly it. I feel like the golf course is in really good condition just with all the rain, it’s just so soft. So you’ve got to be aggressive and you’ve got to attack the flags. The par3s here, you’ve just got to hit it the right distance. That’s the biggest key around here, especially on the par3s, because there’s a lot of slopes on the greens, and just seems like if you can hit it the right distance, you can play them pretty solid, and I think I’ve done a really good job of that so far.
For me, it took me a little bit of time to figure the course out. I mean, when I first came here, I love the golf course, but I just, playing my first few Masters, I just didn’t play the course very well. But I feel like every year, I kind of learned something. Kind of figured out a little bit more about the course, how to play it. You know, when can you attack the golf course and when do you just need to try to make an easy 4. But the more and more I play it, the more comfortable I get.”
Tiger Woods (2019): “Yeah, you know, especially with it as warm as it is, the ball’s going a long way so that we can get down there where we’re going to have irons into these par‑5s, excluding 8. Yeah, it helps having the wind down on 13 for me. I don’t quite carry it as far as some of these other guys who hit it 320 in the air. So that’s, that helps me a little bit. But it’s interesting that, how they moved the tee markers over so that we can’t hit that gap up the left. They do a lot of little things that make this golf course a little tricky.
No, you know, after looking at the pin locations and watching some of the early morning telecast, the greens were soft, obviously it rained this morning, so it’s going to be soft and the guys were taking advantage of it. It’s not the normal Augusta National where the balls repel, they’re holding. We were able to stop 6‑irons and 5‑irons, that’s something that you don’t normally see here and with it being so hot, the ball’s flying forever. So it’s nice to, we’re hitting short irons into a lot of the holes because of it, if it got cooler from the same distance it would be a totally different deal but it with it being so warm the ball’s flying forever.”
Patrick Reed (2018): “I just think it was a long time coming. I felt like throughout the past I’ve hit a lot of really good golf shots here, played really solid, but I always seem to leave myself just above every hole. With doing that you have to putt so defensive around here and going into today and real throughout the round I really felt like I managed that really well. I left myself below the hole on a lot of the holes or at worst pin high. But the only one I felt like I didn’t really learn from was on 16, because you know from that middle left flag you can’t go past it. And what do I do, I hit it 30 feet past the flag. I was luckily able to 2‑putt that by making a long come back putt, but all in all it was just kind of one of those steady days, just go out, just played normal golf, let the birdies come to you, because around this place pars are good. Even though you might have a pitching wedge or 9‑iron in your hand, depending where the flag is, depending on what kind of lie you have, what fairway, etcetera, pars are good with short clubs. And I was able just to kind of plot myself around and when I had opportunities, capitalize on it.
A lot of the other places we play, if you hit it to six feet or eight feet, whether it’s above the hole or below the hole, it’s not that big of a deal. But here you hit it, even if you hit it six feet above the hole, a lot of those, if you don’t see such a high line and just tap it, it misses the hole, you have eight feet coming back. And we don’t have that at other places we play. So it truly is a course knowledge golf course. You need to know where to put the ball on certain pins and if you miss you need to miss it in certain spots because there’s some areas around here that it’s literally impossible, unless you make a 15‑, 18‑footer.”
Sergio Garcia (2017): “I mean, my relationship with Augusta has definitely improved. There’s no doubt about that. Nothing wrong with Augusta. I think that the main thing that has improved is the way I’m looking at it the last, probably, two or three years, and obviously this year. But, yeah, I mean, I think it’s the kind of place that if you are trying to fight against it, it’s going to beat you down. So you’ve just got to roll with it and realize that sometimes you’re going to get good breaks, like has happened to me a few times this week and sometimes you’re going to get not‑so‑good breaks. But at the end of the day, that’s part of the game.”
Danny Willett (2016): “You look at the conditions, it’s not really American conditions, you know. You need the ball flight control. And the greens, a lot of them are obviously raised up, which is very tricky to putt. Holing out on 4, 5, 6 holes, they’ve already got a ball rolling off a break on greens that are probably at 12 or 13, and you tuck a bit of wind in there, and it’s just one of them that you hope you’re hitting it the right time and you don’t get a gust that can knock it off line, that’s how windy it can get on a few of them. The golf course is only going to get firmer and faster. But this golf course, even if you’re hitting it really well, you still got to make putts on these greens. Obviously crosswinds and fast greens, it’s never easy. So, the golf course has firmed up day by day so, hopefully, tomorrow if the wind does die, we can still keep the control of the ball flight and hopefully roll a few in.”
Jordan Spieth: “Another part of me says, you know, let’s not over think this place, keep it simple and make it like a regular event because that’s how I’ve had success in the last few tournaments is just trying to hit as many greens as possible, get into a rhythm with the putter. Once that happens, you know, see a couple go in, the hole gets bigger. You just really have to have an imagination on these greens, because putts that typically you play a ball out, even downhill putts, and you’re still going to take it easy; you have to play three, four times the amount of break on a lot of the putts out here, not only with the influence of Rae’s Creek, but also just the speed of these greens.”
Phil Mickelson: “Yes, it’s playing very long and it’s playing soft. So I think that distance is going to be a huge element this week. And we’ve talk about it in the past, but the reason I think this week, especially, is that the greens are very soft and receptive, and so the longer hitters are going to be able to reach the par5s and get the ball stopped on the greens. When we have bad weather like we had in 2007, you might be able to get to the greens, but you can’t keep it on the green. That really didn’t help the longer hitters, and I think guys like Dustin and J.B. Holmes and Bubba Watson and Rory McIlroy, the usual suspects who really hit the ball long and far, have a distinct advantage coming into these greens. I think distance is going to be a factor and I’m going to be trying to swing as hard as I can. I won’t be able to keep up with them, but hopefully I’ll be able to keep it in the same zip code and have short irons into greens so I can have opportunities at lots of birdies.”
First Round Leader Analysis: First round leader(s), their wave and winning score since 2010. Full First Round Leader stats are here.
- 2025 – Rose – Group 23 12:00 -7/65 70/1.
- 2024 – DeChambeau – Group 5 11:18 -8/64 40/1.
- 2023 – Hovland / Koepka / Rahm – Group 12/20/14 -7/65 40/1, 40/1, 18/1.
- 2022 – Im – Group 25 12:57 -5/67 55/1.
- 2021 – Rose – Group 24 12:48 -7/65 66/1.
- 2020 – Casey / Frittelli / D Johnson – Group 10/28/27 -7/65 60/1, 18/1, 125/1.
- 2019 – DeChambeau / Koepka – Group 27/29 13:38/14:00 -6/66 Both 33/1
- 2018 – Spieth – Group 28 13:49 -6/66 18/1
- 2017 – Hoffman – Group 27 13:08 -7/65 80/1
- 2016 – Spieth – Group 9 09:48 -6/66.
- 2015 – Spieth – Group 29 13:15 -8/64.
- 2014 – Haas – Group 14 10:08 -4/68.
- 2013 – Garcia / Leishman – Group 26/9 12:57/09:28 -6/66.
- 2012 – Westwood – Group 27 12:58 -5/67.
- 2011 – McIlroy / Quiros – Group 11/32 09:24/13:59 -7/65.
- 2010 – Couples – Group 28 11:58 -6/66.
For the record, here’s the breakdown of pure Bentgrass green PGA Tour victors in the field since 2008:
- 9 – Rory McIlroy.
- 7 – Justin Rose.
- 6 – Dustin Johnson, Scottie Scheffler.
- 5 – Patrick Cantlay, Jason Day, Zach Johnson, Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas.
- 4 – Brooks Koepka, Hideki Matsuyama, Xander Schauffele, Bubba Watson.
- 3 – Keegan Bradley, Angel Cabrera, Bryson DeChambeau, Adam Scott.
- 2 – Sergio Garcia, Brian Harman, Patrick Reed, Sepp Straka.
- 1 – Daniel Berger, Michael Brennan, Sam Burns, Brian Campbell, Wyndham Clark, Nico Echavarria, Ben Griffin, Harry Hall, Max Homa, Viktor Hovland, Sungjae Im, Michael Kim, Kurt Kitayama, Matt McCarty, Collin Morikawa, Jon Rahm, Davis Riley, Charl Schwartzel, Danny Willett.
Augusta trends are plentiful, but here are the ones that have had any bearing over recent Masters history: Since 2010, Hideki Matsuyama was the lowest placed in the PGA Tour Driving Distance charts arriving at Augusta prior to winning. His average of 297 yards saw him in 92nd place.
However a high ball flight is just as, if not even more, important around Augusta with all winners going back to Trevor Immelman in 2008 ranking in the top 80 on the PGA Tour Distance to Apex statistic in the season they placed a Green Jacket on their shoulders.
As already mentioned, course experience is key and there are undoubted form links to Riviera Country Club, Doral (WGC CA & Cadillac Championship 2007 through 2016), Quail Hollow, Bethpage Black, TPC Scottsdale and even Sheshan, host course of the WGC Champions event in Shanghai, China.
You can also throw into the mix the fact that no defending champion since Tiger Woods in 2002 has captured the Green Jacket and, more tellingly for punters, only Tiger himself in 2003 and 2006 and Scottie Scheffler last year have finished in the each-way places when defending. Not exactly a huge endorsement for Rory McIlroy – let’s face it, the omens aren’t good.
So this week I’m looking for longer hitters who can also handle firm conditions and who can hit lots of greens in regulation to keep out of trouble on the par-3s and par-4s. We also need players who are long enough, aggressive enough and subtle enough (Strokes Gained Around the Green wise) to take advantage of the par-5s. One other angle is that recent previous Major contending performances are also a huge positive this week.
2026 Golf Betting System Majors Competition sponsored by bet365
