Tiger Woods has played 80 tournament rounds as a pro at Augusta National. He has played an additional six competitive rounds there as an amateur. Assume he has played it countless other times in preparation for his 22 Masters starts.
Needless to say, Woods, as a five-time Masters winner and this year’s defending champion, is more than familiar with the 18 holes at Augusta National Golf Club.
He has also played the course in the month of November, which will be key, as the 2020 Masters will be played in November for the first time.
“I have played there in November,” Woods said during his Tuesday news conference at Sherwood Country Club, site of the 2020 Zozo Championship. “And the few times that I have played in November, it’s been the same. It’s been cold, ball doesn’t go very far.”
Woods went on to say that he likes to pay a visit when changes are being made to the course.
“I normally have done it before some of the changes. You know, the last … the big change they made in, what, ’02, I guess it would be the fall of ’01, we went up there and it was driver, 3-wood into one. Eighteen was a driver, 3-wood. You know, it’s so different.”
The course is certainly expected to look different. There’s plenty of talk about the reduced daylight hours. And the weather will be unlike what we normally see.
“If you’re able to get the north wind that time of year, it can be awfully difficult and long and very different than what we normally play in April.”
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