Category: 2023 Masters

Augusta National to host celebrity video game challenge on eve of 2023 Masters Tournament week

Now on the tee: a celebrity video game challenge.

A year ago, it was the members of Dude Perfect using baseball bats and hockey sticks while they played Amen Corner for their popular YouTube channel subscribers.

Last week, a hip new commercial with a lot of young people having a good time was unveiled.

Now on the tee: a celebrity video game challenge.

Yes, the Green Jackets are working to appeal to the cool kids, and it seems to be working.

On Sunday, April 2, after the Drive, Chip and Putt and ahead of the first Monday practice round, Augusta National Golf Club will host the “Road to the Masters Invitational” in the club’s Press Building in front of a live audience. You can watch the official teaser for this event here.

The event will help hype the new EA Sports PGA Tour: Road to the Masters, which will be available on April 7.

The April 2 livestream will start at 6 p.m. ET and run for two hours and can be found in a variety of places:

  • Masters.com
  • @TheMasters on Twitter, YouTube and Facebook
  • @EA on Twitch
  • @EASPORTSPGATOUR on Twitter, Instagram and YouTube
  • @EASPORTS on Facebook
  • ESPN+ and the ESPN app

An edited version of the show will be televised at 7 p.m. EDT on ESPN2 on Wednesday, April 5, about 12 hours before the ceremonial first tee shots on the first hole ahead of the first round.

The participating celebrities have not been announced yet but in a news release, ANGC says: “A cross-section of participants from the worlds of sports, entertainment, gaming and social media will convene in Augusta National’s Press Building in front of a live audience to play EA Sports PGA Tour: Road to the Masters.”

Calling the action

What has been announced are the TV personalities who will be there to deliver commentary.

Golf Channel’s Rich Lerner will host with Amanda Renner of CBS Sports and Michael Collins and Marty Smith, both of ESPN, providing live analysis.

What’s the format?

There will be four teams of two who will play alternate shot for nine holes. Then, the top two teams will advance to Amen Corner for a three-hole, alternate-shot final round.

Invitation only

While streamed worldwide, the event is private and invitation-only. The audience will include Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Augusta and the First Tee of Augusta. Expected guests will also be the winners of the 2023 Drive, Chip and Putt National Finals, 2022 Asia-Pacific Amateur champion Harrison Crowe, 2023 Latin America Amateur champion Mateo Fernandez de Oliveira as well as competitors from the 2023 Augusta National Women’s Amateur.

Proceeds of the video game sales earned by Augusta National will be contributed to the Masters Tournament Foundation and support its work to grow interest in golf around the world.

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Masters survey 2023: More than two dozen pros, including Jack and Gary, were asked if they would have changed Augusta National’s 13th hole to make it longer

“The decision to go for the green in two should be a momentous one.”

After several years of rumors that the par-5 13th hole would be stretched like a rubber band to prevent players from blasting driver over the trees on the left and turning the par-5 into driver-wedge, Augusta National finally built a new back tee that will measure 545 yards in April, adding 35 yards to the iconic hole at the Masters Tournament.

The 13th ranks as one of the great risk-reward holes in golf. Going for it should be a “momentous decision,” in the words of Bobby Jones, who assisted Alister MacKenzie in its design. It originally measured 480 yards when the Masters debuted in 1934 and played to 510 yards for the 2022 Masters. But that distance is shorter than many par-4s in major championship golf these days.

Masters 2023 leaderboard: Get the latest news from Augusta

In recent years, powerful players such as Bubba Watson and Rory McIlroy have been able to blast balls over the trees that protect the dogleg-left hole, sometimes hitting it far enough around the corner to leave a short iron or even a wedge for the second shot to the green. The 13th played as the third-easiest hole on the course at the 2022 Masters, only more difficult than the two front-nine par-5s.

In 2017, Augusta National purchased a swath of land from Augusta Country Club, land that was actually part of a hole on the neighboriMastng course. Augusta Country Club was forced to reroute its layout to accommodate the land sale. In his 2022 news conference, Augusta National Chairman Fred Ridley said there was no timetable to use the land for a new tee but also hinted that changes to 13 could be coming.

“There’s a great quote from Bobby Jones dealing specifically with the 13th hole, which has been lengthened over time, and he said that the decision to go for the green in two should be a momentous one,” Ridley said. “And I would have to say that our observations of these great players hitting middle and even short irons into that hole is not a momentous decision.”

He added: “From our perspective, we will always do what’s necessary to maintain the integrity of our golf course.”

We asked more than two dozen pros – including past Masters champions, major winners, former World No. 1s and a World Golf Hall of Famer – if you were in charge, would you have changed the 13th hole?

New Balance releases Masters themed Limited Edition 997 golf shoe

Feel like you’re stepping onto Augusta National with the new limited-edition golf shoes from New Balance.

Themed colorways for the majors and the Players Championship have been a trend of late. Plenty of footwear companies have jumped into the mix, including Nike’s themed Air Max 90s and FootJoy’s Players collaboration with designer Jon Buscemi.

No such colorways turn heads like those designed for The Masters.

New Balance recently released their Masters themed Limited Edition 997 Golf shoe which gives a nod to the season’s first major.

[afflinkbutton text=”NB Masters Limited Edition golf shoe – $119.99″ link=”https://pga-tour-superstore.pxf.io/5gaB13″]

A white midsole and upper is splashed with green leather accents on the toe cap, tongue and collar while the New Balance logo is trimmed in Augusta National yellow. The outsole is green and yellow with a ridge for stability that, if stared at for long enough, looks like a nod to Rae’s Creek.

Made for players, the 997 Golf colorway reminds us more of the iconic coveralls that caddies wear at ANGC.

DonThe 997 Golf features a waterproof microfiber leather upper to help you stay dry and fresh during your round. An Abzorb midsole (10mm) gives premium responsiveness and lightweight cushioning step after step while the Ndurance rubber outsole is designed to move naturally with your foot.

The spiked shoe also features Fast Twist 3.0 Pulsar® replaceable cleats, a CUSH+ insole for added comfort and weigh in at an astonishingly light 11.4 ounces.

While you may never be able to play Augusta National, these shoes will have your feet saying Amen (Corner).

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[afflinkbutton text=”More Masters themed gear at PGA TOUR Superstore” link=”https://pga-tour-superstore.pxf.io/AW0YBN”]

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Masters survey 2023: What would Max Homa, Billy Ho, Willy Z and other pros serve at the Champions Dinner?

Chicken parm. Steak and potato. Fajitas. South African Braai. Those are just a few of the suggestions.

Tuesday’s Champions Dinner at the Masters is golf’s most exclusive gathering. Debuted in 1952 by Ben Hogan, it is hosted annually by the defending champion who has the honor of setting the menu and also graciously picks up the bill.

Over the years, it’s become standard procedure to serve a favorite delicacy from the winner’s homeland. Past champions have selected everything from wiener schnitzel (Bernhard Langer, 1986) to haggis, a Scottish specialty made of minced sheep organs (Sandy Lyle 1989) to chicken panang curry (Vijay Singh in 2001) and Moreton Bay Bugs (lobster) from Australia (Adam Scott 2014). Even Jordan Spieth, in 2016, went with Texas barbecue.

In 1998, at his first of five dinners, Tiger Woods served cheeseburgers and chicken sandwiches, fries and milkshakes. More recently, he’s gone a little more upscale with a sushi appetizer and chicken and steak fajitas. At long last, Scottie Scheffler announced his menu to be served on April 4, and he didn’t disappoint.

We asked more than two dozen players what they’d serve if they won the Masters and got to host the Champions Dinner as well as a handful of past champions what they’d do if they got to host it again.

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‘They are still my friends’: Scottie Scheffler isn’t sure what the vibe will be like with LIV golfers at Masters Champions Dinner

“I haven’t totally decided what I will say.”

Scottie Scheffler has picked his menu for the Champions Dinner on April 4. What will he say to the past champions, which includes many members of LIV Golf, such as Phil Mickelson, Sergio Garcia and Bubba Watson, his former partner at the Zurich Classic team event?

“I haven’t totally decided what I will say,” said Scheffler, who has the honor of hosting the dinner as the defending champion, during a media call Wednesday ahead of the Masters, which begins on April 6. “I’m aware I have to say a few words, but, for the most part, it’s kind of a group thing. I’m not quite sure what the vibe will be like, but I think we are all there to play in the tournament and celebrate the Masters and celebrate all being past champions.

“I think the dinner will be really special for all us to be able to gather again and I am sure we will put all that other stuff aside and have a good time together. Just because guys joined another tour doesn’t mean I’m not friends with them anymore and think differently of them as people. They are still my friends and we are all just gonna hang out and have a good time.”

There’s a good chance it will be awkward between Mickelson and Tiger Woods, who had emerged as ‘frenemies’ in recent years and now find themselves on opposite ends of the LIV-PGA Tour kerfuffle, and extra chilly with Garcia, who didn’t hide his feelings about the PGA Tour and DP World Tour on his way out the door.

“We as a whole need to honor Scottie, Scottie’s the winner, it’s his dinner,” Tiger Woods said last month. “So making sure that Scottie gets honored correctly but also realizing the nature of what has transpired and the people that have left, just where our situations are either legally, emotionally, there’s a lot there.”

Zach Johnson, the 2007 Masters champ, echoed Tiger, saying cooler heads should prevail and the dinner will be a celebration of its champion.

“I’ve had a couple of conversations with the powers that be,” he said. “We all look through the lens of what that evening is established to be and what it forever is going to be and the mere fact that we are honoring another man. That’s going to be my outlook and how I’m going to approach it. Bottom line, that guy played really good last year and deserves a celebration and all of us to be there and let him buy me dinner.”

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Masters survey 2023: Pimento cheese, anyone? Contestants past and present answer the question: You have $20 for concessions. What do you buy?

What’s your order?

You’re at Augusta National Golf Club for the Masters Tournament.

You give your caddie a $20 bill to go to a concession stand.

What’s your order?

That’s the question we proposed to more than two dozen pros — from Jordan Spieth to Gary Player — who have been there, done that and tasted the pimento cheese, egg salad and ice cream sandwiches and have strong opinions on how they’d spend their dough.

Many noted they’d probably have some change, but who knew Max Homa didn’t eat eggs or that Collin Morikawa uses Masters drink cups at his house. And there are some very mixed opinions on Pimento cheese. Check out their answers…and keep the change.

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Report: Tiger Woods made trip to Augusta National last week

Woods is a five-time Masters champ, who won the tournament most recently in 2019 for his 15th career major title.

Tiger Woods elected to skip the Players Championship, the flagship event on the PGA Tour, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t tee it up last week.

According to Sports Illustrated’s Bob Harig, Woods traveled to Augusta, Georgia, and played the home of the Masters on Thursday, the day of the first round of the Players in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.

Woods never issued a statement on why he didn’t play last week, but an Augusta National practice round just weeks before the tournament is an encouraging sign that he intends to be in the field at the season’s first major at one of his favorite hunting grounds.

It’s not uncommon for Masters contestants to visit Augusta National in the weeks leading up to the tournament being contested in April. This year, players will be interested in seeing the new tee at the par-5 13th hole, which has stretched the risk-reward gambit to 545 yards.

Woods is a five-time Masters champion, who won the tournament most recently in 2019 for his 15th career major title. Last year, he played a practice round a week before the tournament alongside his son, Charlie.

Rory McIlroy confirmed he would be making a reconnaissance trip this week, and reportedly played there Monday as did reigning champ Scottie Scheffler.

Last year, Woods surprised the golf world when he not only was a late addition to the Masters but made the cut in his first start since being sidelined with a slew of injuries sustained in a single-car accident in February 2021. (He previously had played in December 2021 in a two-person scramble at the PNC Championship, where he was allowed to use a cart.) Woods tired on the weekend at Augusta, arguably the toughest walk on the PGA Tour, shooting a pair of 78s and fading to a T-47 finish.

Woods was able to play in three of the four majors last season, skipping the U.S. Open. He continues to struggle with injuries to his right leg, ankle and foot, which have required multiple surgeries. He last played at the Genesis Invitational in February, where as tournament host he managed to make the cut.

“Hopefully this year I can get all four and maybe sprinkle in a few here and there. But that’s it for the rest of my career,” Woods said after finishing T-44. “I know that and I understand. That’s just my reality.”

The 87th Masters begins April 6.

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Masters survey 2023: What are the personal Masters traditions of Jack, Jordan, JT, Collin and other pros?

Here’s a list of traditions unlike any other for more than two dozen pros.

No matter whether you’re a contestant or a fan, everyone seems to have their own Masters tradition.

It could be as simple as playing the Par-3 contest or skipping it across the pond at 16. But part of what makes the Masters so special to so many of us is it is the same course every year and we know it like the back of our hand and we count the days until the week of the Masters in April so that we can enjoy all the things that make the Masters matter to us. To each his own, right? Here’s a list of traditions unlike any other for more than two dozen pros.

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What’s the potential for awkwardness with LIV defectors at the Masters Champions dinner? Tiger Woods, Scottie Scheffler weigh in

“I know that some of our friendships have certainly taken a different path, but we’ll see when all that transpires.” — Tiger Woods

PACIFIC PALISADES, Calif. – It’s safe to say there will be a different vibe this year at the Champions Dinner on Tuesday night at the Masters. Tiger Woods conceded as much.

The annual gathering of the past champions for a meal of the defending champ’s choosing could be, in a word, awkward with LIV defectors Phil Mickelson, Sergio Garcia and Bubba Watson among several green-jacket holders that have departed the PGA Tour for the upstart league.

On Tuesday, during his pre-tournament press conference ahead of the Genesis Invitational, Woods addressed the elephant at the dinner, which will be hosted by Scottie Scheffler.

“I don’t know, I don’t know what that reaction’s going to be,” Woods said. “I know that some of our friendships have certainly taken a different path, but we’ll see when all that transpires. That is still a couple months away.”

Woods continued: “The Champions Dinner is going to be obviously something that’s talked about. We as a whole need to honor Scottie, Scottie’s the winner, it’s his dinner. So making sure that Scottie gets honored correctly but also realizing the nature of what has transpired and the people that have left, just where our situations are either legally, emotionally, there’s a lot there.”

Masters Tournament 2020
2019 Masters champion Tiger Woods presents Dustin Johnson with the green jacket after winning the 20202 Masters Tournament at Augusta National GC. (Photo: Rob Schumacher-USA TODAY Sports)

Indeed, there is. Last month Jon Rahm said, “I think the Masters Champions Dinner’s going to be a little tense compared to how it’s been in the past.”

Scheffler, for one, said he hasn’t given the dinner much thought – and for the thousandth time said he hasn’t determined the menu for the feast yet. Last month, he joked that Bubba Watson, his former partner at the Zurich Classic team event, would have to sit at a “separate table.”

“Yeah. I haven’t seen many of the LIV guys,” Scheffler said. “I saw Bubba on vacation this year, and I told him that I was just going to have a separate table for him in the corner by himself, only kidding, obviously.”

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On Tuesday, he was more diplomatic about the dinner.

“I haven’t looked that far ahead. I definitely, I don’t know exactly what you’re supposed to say that night. I haven’t really gotten too much info. I’ve got to talk to a few of the guys and figure out what actually goes on that night because I’m still kind of clueless,” he said. “I’m hoping that it will be a fun night. Gathering all those guys together in a room, I mean, it should be a lot of fun. It’s an historic group of people, Masters champions and I’m sure that week all put our personal opinions aside and just have a good night and just kind of enjoy what the night really is.”

The Champions Dinner will be held at Augusta National on Tuesday, April 4.

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Vanderbilt’s Gordon Sargent first amateur to accept a special invitation to Masters in 23 years

There are now 80 golfers who have received invitations to the 2023 Masters Tournament.

There are now 80 golfers who have received invitations to the 2023 Masters Tournament.

Count reigning NCAA champion Gordon Sargent of Vanderbilt among them.

Sargent and six-time winner on the Japan Golf Tour, Kazuki Higa, were announced by Fred Ridley, Chairman of Augusta National Golf Club, on Thursday morning as the two latest invites. Both will be making their Masters debuts.

“The Masters Tournament prioritizes opportunities to elevate both amateur and professional golf around the world. Thus, we have extended invitations to two deserving players not otherwise qualified,” Ridley said in a statement released by the club. “Whether on the international stage or at the elite amateur level, each player has showcased their talent in the past year. We look forward to hosting them at Augusta National in April.”

Sargent, 19, is a sophomore at Vanderbilt who won the individual title at the 2022 NCAAs in Scottsdale, Arizona, after surviving a four-way playoff. He is the first freshman to win the national title since 2007 and the first amateur to accept a special invitation to the Masters since 2000. There were six amateurs in the field in 2022.

Higa, 27, won four times on the Japan Golf Tour in 2022, and has six wins on the circuit in all. He finished first on the tour’s Order of Merit last year.

There are still spots in the 2023 Masters up for grabs, including the winner of the 2023 Latin America Amateur Championship, winners of upcoming PGA Tour events as well as those who are ranked in the top 50 in the Official World Golf Ranking the week prior to the Masters, which is April 6-9.

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