The ticket lottery for the 2024 Masters opened Thursday morning, filling patrons around the world with hope that maybe this will be the year they earn their spot at Augusta National Golf Club next April.
Applications for the ticket process close on June 20th and patrons will be emailed in late July whether or not they’ve been selected.
The 2024 Masters is scheduled for April 11-14.
Although we’re 315 days away from the opening round, we wanted to take a way-too-early look at the betting odds for the ’24 edition.
Shockingly, Jon Rahm is the betting favorite at +650.
Masters badges are some of the most coveted in sports.
It’s June 1. That means it’s time for golf fans around the world to proclaim “maybe this is the year I finally get picked to buy Masters tickets.”
Masters badges are some of the most coveted in sports. If you’re not one of the lucky ones who knows someone who knows someone, your options essentially come down to a) paying through the nose in the secondary ticket market or b) getting your name drawn through the Masters ticket application process.
From now until June 20, anyone can create a free account on Masters.com and then apply to purchase tickets. Wannabe patrons can select Monday or Tuesday practice rounds, the Wednesday Par 3 Contest or any of the four tournament rounds, Thursday through Sunday. The 2024 Masters is April 11-14.
“Applicants may apply for any and all days, however, are eligible to win only one day,” according to Masters.com.
If you’re lucky enough to get picked, you’ll pay $100 for each ticket if you are selected for Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday or $140 for each ticket during tournament competition.
The Masters.com ticket website says: “All applicants will be notified in late July via email when the random selection process is completed.”
It’s unknown how many tickets are distributed this way but dreams do come true. Just remember:
As a reminder, Augusta National, Inc. is the only authorized source/seller of Masters® Tickets. The resale of any Masters Ticket is strictly prohibited. Holders of Tickets acquired from third parties, by whatever means, may be excluded from attendance to the Tournament.
There are no tickets for sale at the gates. If you are interested in tickets for 2025 and beyond, you have to reapply each time.
“I think that’s just the nature of playing professional golf, where every shot matters so much.”
When Patrick Cantlay’s name appeared on the RBC Heritage’s pre-tournament interview schedule, that shouldn’t have come as a surprise.
Cantlay fell to Jordan Spieth in a playoff last year, failing to get up-and-down from a bunker on the first hole. He also has two third-place finishes and a solo seventh in his five starts at Harbour Town Golf Links in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina.
What’s also not a shocker is Cantlay, ranked fourth in the world, was asked questions about last week’s Masters in the midst of preparing for the sixth designated event on the PGA Tour’s schedule.
During Sunday’s final round, Cantlay was with Viktor Hovland in the penultimate group. Eventual winner Jon Rahm and Brooks Koepka were in the final pairing, and on nearly every shot throughout the final round, they were forced to wait on the pair in front of them.
“Yeah, the group in front of us was brutally slow,” Koepka said. “Jon went to the bathroom like seven times during the round, and we were still waiting.”
However, Cantlay’s play, or his slow pace, was focused on more. Even Hovland seemed annoyed, as on the 13th hole, he hit a chip shot before Cantlay even reached the putting surface.
On Tuesday, Cantlay deflected the notion the slow play was his fault.
“(When) we finished the first hole, and the group in front of us was on the second tee when we walked up to the second tee, and we waited all day on pretty much every shot,” Cantlay said. “We waited in 15 fairway, we waited in 18 fairway. I imagine it was slow for everyone.”
A couple more questions went by, and another one was asked about whether Cantlay thought pace of play was an issue on the PGA Tour and how it could be resolved.
“One thing that’s interesting sitting on the PAC (Player Advisory Council) is you get all the numbers and the data, and rounds have taken about the same length of time for the last 10 or 20 years that they currently take,” Cantlay said. “When you play a golf course like Augusta National where all the hole locations are on lots of slope and the greens are really fast, it’s just going to take longer and longer to hole out.
“I think that may have been what attributed to some of the slow play on Sunday, and then also when the wind is gusting and the wind is blowing maybe inconsistently, that’s when guys will take a long time, too. I think that’s just the nature of playing professional golf, where every shot matters so much.”
Sounds like Cantlay isn’t concerned with the widespread bitterness being held over his head.
This season, he has three top-four finishes and has missed only one cut in nine starts. And with his track record at Harbour Town, he could find himself in the mix once again come Sunday.
Jon Rahm’s four-stroke win and his second major championship was the most-watched golf broadcast in the past five years on any network, CBS reported Tuesday. It averaged 12.058 million viewers, peaking at 15.021 from 7-7:15 p.m. ET. The numbers are up 19 percent from last year’s final round.
Sunday’s presentation on CBS totaled 16.251 million viewers in combined average viewership for the conclusion of the third and final rounds. Additionally, it also became the most-streamed round of golf ever on Paramount+, whilerecording double-digit year-over-year growth across households, minutes, and average minute audience (AMA) vs. last year’s final round of the Masters.
CBS Sports' Masters Marathon delivers 16.251 million combined total viewers on CBS for coverage of Sunday's Third and Final Rounds.
The previous high for a final round was 2018, when Patrick Reed slipped on the green jacket. That Sunday averaged 13.045 million viewers.
Rahm chasing down four-time major champion Brooks Koepka, combined with the PGA Tour vs. LIV Golf storyline, made for a compelling Sunday. And the numbers reflect that.
As always, Augusta National Golf Club leaves us too quickly. However, we’ve brought together some of the best items to help keep the vibes from Augusta flowing.
From apparel worn by players throughout the week to t-shirts and accessories, this list features top of the line items centered around the best week of the golfing calendar.
Nearly half the players who went for the green in two and didn’t hold it found the water.
AUGUSTA, Ga. – It’s been 21 years since Augusta National Golf Club first added extra length to Azalea, the par-5 13th hole at the end of Amen Corner.
The green jackets first moved the tee back 20-25 yards in 2002, then eight years later added another seven yards to the front of the tee box. Ahead of this year’s tournament, the 13th tee was moved back 35 yards.
“We believe this modification will put a driver in play more often and restore the element of risk and reward that was intended in the original design of the hole,” said chairman Fred Ridley during his annual address on Wednesday.
“And I certainly look forward on Sunday to having someone in competition with a 3- or 4-iron in their hand or even a hybrid hitting their shot into the 13th hole rather than an 8-iron,” he added. “I think on balance it’s going to prove to be the right decision.”
That begs the question: did Augusta’s plan work?
Sure, it’s a small sample size to use just one tournament’s worth of data, especially when two of the four rounds were greatly impacted with inclement weather and numerous delays, but let’s not let a little rain and wind get in the way of a fun thought exercise. After all, we have to start somewhere.
Here’s a look at how competitors played the 13th hole in Sunday’s final round of the 2023 Masters.
Apr 2, 2018; Augusta, GA, USA; Beauty shot of the 13th green during a practice round for the Masters golf tournament at Augusta National GC. Mandatory Credit: Michael Madrid-USA TODAY Sports
Lay up or go for it?
Augusta National’s depth of stats for the Masters is truly impressive, but there isn’t an annual stat breakdown for “Go or No” on No. 13. The closest thing we have to compare is from the folks at the Fried Egg, who took a look at how players approached the 13th on Thursday.
Of the 86 players in the field, 31 laid up (36 percent) in the opening round, 16 from the fairway (19 percent).
63% of the field went for the green in two, and 36% of second shots held the green. Three players attempted to reach the green from the pine straw right of the fairway. Eight approaches landed in the tributary of Rae’s Creek. — The Fried Egg
In the final round, four of the 53 players who made the cut went OB off the 13th tee. Of the 49 who were in play, 24 laid up (49 percent), 20 went for the green in two and didn’t hit it (41 percent), and only five went for it and held it (10 percent).
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It’s interesting to see a more even strategy during the final round compared to the first, but not shocking given Sunday’s amplified pressure, as well as windy and cold conditions. What was surprising was how even the split was for those who started off the first and 10th tees. Those at the bottom of the leaderboard (with seemingly less to play for) started on the second nine, with 11 opting to lay up and 11 choosing to test their luck. Among those who had a bit more to play for that started off No. 1, 14 went for the green in two and 13 laid up.
From those who laid up – 22 of the 24 did so from the fairway – seven made birdie and 16 made par. Mito Pereira was the lone eagle after holing out from the fairway.
Of the 20 players who went for the green in two and didn’t hold it, nine found the water (five bogeys, four pars). Scottie Scheffler (par) and Sepp Straka (birdie) were the only two who went for the green from off the fairway. In total, six who went for it made birdie, nine made par and five made bogey.
Here’s how the five who went for and held the 13th green fared:
Tommy Fleetwood: Birdie
Chris Kirk: Birdie
Phil Mickelson: Birdie
Justin Rose: Birdie
Cameron Young: Eagle
Over the last 22 years at the Masters, the 13th hole at Augusta National has been one of the three easiest holes 20 times. In the other two years (2008 and 2013) it was the fourth easiest hole. This year, the 13th played as the fourth easiest hole, and despite the weather and added yardage, the numbers were pretty similar.
Scores at No. 13 since 2002
Year
Rank
Eagles
Birdies
Pars
Bogeys
Double bogeys
Other
2002
16
4
83
133
35
7
3
2003
16
3
83
145
45
5
3
2004
16
7
89
135
31
12
0
2005
17
7
88
150
29
6
2
2006
17
14
96
120
33
9
2
2007
16
9
89
167
38
6
3
2008
15
8
87
137
33
11
1
2009
17
14
124
128
19
6
1
2010
16
10
107
129
33
7
1
2011
18
13
137
115
24
6
1
2012
16
10
128
127
39
9
1
2013
15
2
127
132
42
3
2
2014
18
8
122
123
39
3
1
2015
18
20
141
111
22
9
1
2016
17
7
119
122
37
5
2
2017
18
6
128
131
22
5
0
2018
18
9
128
112
24
7
0
2019
18
17
158
102
23
3
1
2020
16
8
139
120
34
2
0
2021
17
9
132
112
23
6
2
2022
16
6
91
139
37
6
4
2023
15
8
108
122
30
7
2
No. 13 played as the toughest of the four par 5s, and players averaged 4.74 for the week – down from 4.85 last year – but scored 4.85 on average in the final round, the highest of the par 5s on Sunday.
Players made more birdies and eagles compared to last year, and slightly fewer pars and bogeys. Double bogeys and others were about the same.
This is just one round of the first Masters with the added length to the 13th tee, and players are sure to figure out the best way to play the hole the more cracks they get. While more time will be needed for an accurate ruling on the changes, the risk/reward was back in the first year.
We’ve already taken a look into Rahm’s winning equipment, so let’s dive into the champion’s closet and see how Jon dressed for success in TravisMathew apparel at the 2023 Masters.
Rahm rescued Augusta National from the ignominy of having to put a green jacket on LIV Golf escapee Brooks Koepka.
AUGUSTA, Ga. — Here’s a message from the leaders of men’s golf, especially Augusta National Golf Club, for Spain’s Jon Rahm:
Thank you.
Thank you for winning the Masters so LIV Golf didn’t.
Thank you, they all must be saying, for saving us from ourselves.
Rahm rescued Augusta National from the ignominy of having to put a green jacket on LIV Golf escapee Brooks Koepka, currently suspended by the PGA Tour, who led by four strokes when the day began and ended up losing by four, a massive eight-shot swing in Rahm’s favor.
With his spectacularly steady victorious play over a marathon 30 holes Sunday, Rahm also saved Augusta National from the utter embarrassment of having to place another green jacket on the shoulders of the late-surging Phil Mickelson, in many ways the epitome of the greedy, preposterous world of LIV Golf, the Saudi-backed league that is using men like Koepka and Mickelson to help “sportswash” a laundry list of the kingdom’s atrocities.
Wait, what? Phil? Him?
Jon Rahm reacts on the 18th green after winning the Masters on Sunday.
Yes, Mickelson, the 52-year-old, three-time Masters champion, became the oldest player in history to finish in the top five at a Masters with a surprising seven-under-par 65 in the final round. He was birdieing 18 when Rahm and Koepka were walking down the 10th fairway, posting an eye-popping, red 8-under near the very top of the leaderboard when Rahm at the time was just two better at 10-under. What an interesting development that was.
With Koepka trading shots with Rahm on that back nine for more than two hours, and with Mickelson’s name just hanging out there, as noticeable as a neon sign, and with another LIV man, Patrick Reed, also in the hunt, LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman had to be absolutely giddy watching from afar.
(We can only surmise what Norman was doing, and where he was doing it. He was not invited to attend the Masters because of concerns that he would be an unwanted distraction. Ya think?)
Scottie Scheffler sits beside Jon Rahm at the green jacket ceremony as Augusta National Golf Club Chairman Fred Ridley speaks after the final round of The Masters golf tournament. Mandatory Credit: Danielle Parhizkaran-USA TODAY Network
But LIV’s presence at the top of the leaderboard meant that basically every third shot being shown in the late afternoon and early evening Sunday on CBS was hit by a LIV golfer. How about that? CBS ended up giving the no-cut, exhibition-style, silly golf tour more publicity than it will ever get itself with its underwhelming TV deal on the CW Network.
When the Masters was over, there were three LIV golfers among the top six finishers. This is the significant issue facing the four men’s majors, each of which has failed to ban LIV golfers from their events, meaning they will end up rolling the dice on the legitimacy of their championships just as the Masters did Sunday.
Let us make no mistake what Koepka, Mickelson, Reed and the other 15 LIV golfers who arrived here have done. They left their regular tour jobs to go into the “sportswashing” business with Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman, the mastermind of the killing and dismemberment of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018, as well as his golf-bro buddies in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the nation responsible for the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the United States and abysmal human rights violations against women and the LGBTQ community.
One golfer who was adamant that he would never leave the PGA Tour for LIV’s fat paychecks is Rahm, the man who held off the LIV charge Sunday.
“Shotgun (start), three days to me is not a golf tournament. No cut. It’s that simple,” Rahm said. “I want to play against the best in the world in a format that’s been going on for hundreds of years.
“I’ve never really played the game of golf for monetary reasons,” he added. “I play for the love of the game, and I want to play against the best in the world. I’ve always been interested in history and legacy, and right now, the PGA Tour has that.”
That man won the Masters Sunday. And because he won, LIV lost. That’s the story. That’s the headline. At the end of the day, that’s really all that matters.
The money has certainly changed over the years. Jack Nicklaus played in 45 Masters and made a record 37 cuts. His career earnings at the tournament are $772,359. Arnold Palmer, who played in 50 Masters and made 23 cuts, earned $204,013.
Also new in 2023: Brooks Koepka enters the top 20 as he is the 15th golfer to surpass the $3 million in Augusta earnings. That means Ernie Els drops out of the top 20.
There have been 87 Masters. Here are the top 20 money winners all-time at the event. (Source: masters.com).
Augusta National Golf Club members began wearing the jackets in 1937.
Augusta National Golf Club members began wearing the jackets in 1937. The idea was to have them be easily identifiable so they could answer questions from patrons.
Brooks Uniform Co. in New York made the original jackets, which featured heavy wool material. Those soon gave way to a lightweight version that could be custom-ordered from the club’s pro shop.
The green jacket is reserved for Augusta National members and golfers who win the Masters. Jackets are kept on club grounds, and taking them off the premises is forbidden.
The exception is for the winner, who can take it home and return it to the club the following year.
