Ever since the emergence of LIV, McIlroy and Norman have been diametrically opposed.
AUGUSTA, Ga. – Ever since the emergence of LIV Golf, Rory McIlroy and Greg Norman have been diametrically opposed in their view of professional golf.
McIlroy served as the PGA Tour’s unofficial spokesman while Norman joined the Saudi payroll as LIV CEO with an unlimited budget to make his longtime dream of a new world order for golf a reality. They butted heads making headlines through a war of words, with McIlroy famously declaring that “Greg must go,” and throwing shade on Norman when he won the 2022 RBC Canadian Open for his 21st Tour title, or as he put it, “one more than someone else.” But when it comes to the majors and the Masters in particular, McIlroy might look in a mirror and see Norman’s sad reflection.
While McIlroy’s major total of four majors by age 25 is twice the haul that Norman collected, Norman was the dominant player of his era and shoulda-coulda-woulda won seven or eight majors. He dominated the game as the best driver of his generation much like McIlroy. The one major his game was designed for was supposed to be Augusta National. As the years passed by and Norman experienced his share of heartbreaking misses, he faced the inevitable question of how does he not win? Whenever McIlroy shows up at Augusta now, he faces the same relentless questioning in the lead up to April.
Both also endured their career low points at the Masters – Norman blowing a six-stroke lead heading into the final round in 1996 and McIlroy shooting 80 to squander the 54-hole lead in 2011. Both ended with the loser needing a hug – Norman from Nick Faldo, who lapped him with a 67to win the title and McIlroy from CBS’s Peter Kostis before he gave a heartfelt interview.
“Greg in 1996 was hard to watch,” said Butch Harmon, Norman’s coach at the time. “That was the longest day I’ve ever spent on a golf course. But it’s a cruel game and it will get you.”
As McIlroy attempts to complete the career Grand Slam for a 10th time this week and end a major-less streak nearing a decade in length, he’s facing his Norman complex by turning to, of all people, Norman’s old coach. He went to see Harmon in Las Vegas two weeks ago for a lesson.
“Rory wants it so badly that he can’t get out of his own way,” Harmon said. “I was trying to help him to relax, don’t be so aggressive in the first round. Just go shoot 70, put yourself in the mix and see what happens. He gets so amped up here because it’s the last one he hasn’t won. He understands it but understanding it and being able to do it are two different things.”
Rory McIlroy hits from the fairway on No. 10 during a practice round for the 2024 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club. (Photo: Rob Schumacher-USA TODAY Sports)
Golf Channel’s Brandel Chamblee noted McIlroy’s struggles out of the gate – in his last five Masters, McIlroy averages 73.8 in the first round.
“That speaks to not being in the right place mentally,” Chamblee said. “But whenever he is in a good place — when he does manage to get himself into a good place, say in 2018, he was second after 54 holes, he shot 74 Sunday. In 2016 he was second after 36 holes, and he shot 77 Saturday.
“He plays his best when it means the least, and he plays his worst when it means the most. Now, we can dive in and parse out technical reasons why that is, but the larger landscape is it’s just mental. I think him trying to get over that hurdle and become the sixth person to win the Grand Slam is mentally the most compelling thing that will take place at the Masters.”
Harmon has covered this territory before and spoke to McIlroy about the importance of being aggressive when he should be aggressive and conservative when he should be conservative. Just because he’s got six gears doesn’t mean he has to always be in sixth gear. Follow that mantra, the way another former Harmon world No. 1 did back in the day, and he’ll see Woods’s visage in the mirror and have a good chance to win.
“I explained to him that Greg was so amped up that he almost couldn’t play,” Harmon said of the fateful final round of the 1996 Masters. “You can’t tee off on Thursday and be aggressive on every shot. You can’t do that here. He has to let it happen.”
When Woods was asked Tuesday if he felt McIlroy would join him and Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player and Jack Nicklaus in exclusive company, he said, “No question, he’ll do it at some point. He’s just – Rory’s too talented, too good. He’s going to be playing this event for a very long time. He’ll get it done. It’s just a matter of when.”
But superstars from Lee Trevino to Tom Watson to Arnold Palmer fell short of the career Grand Slam. McIlroy has another chance this week to soar into the company of the all-time greats. Or he can go down alongside Norman as one of the greats who could only get one arm in a Green Jacket. Whose reflection will McIlroy see this week when he looks in the mirror?
“That’s almost like asking, you know, can we touch up the Mona Lisa a little bit.”
AUGUSTA, Ga. — Fred Ridley shot down any notion that the world-famous 12th hole would be lengthened at any time, if ever.
“Well, forever is a long time. I would say with a hundred percent certainty that it would not be lengthened during my tenure,” the Augusta National Golf Club and Masters Tournament Chairman said on Wednesday.
In his annual pretournament “State of the Masters” news conference, Ridley addressed a suggestion made this week by former Masters champ Vijay Singh that at least 10 yards be added to the 155-yard par-3 hole because he thinks it’s playing too easy.
“That’s almost like asking, you know, can we touch up the Mona Lisa a little bit. I mean, I think that the 12th hole at Augusta is the most iconic par-3 in the world. It has been and I won’t say it always will be, but I think it always will be,” said Ridley, who played the hole as a participant three times in the late 1970s, which makes him the first chairman in club history to have played in the Masters.
The 12th hole, called Golden Bell, is the signature hole at Augusta National Golf Club and is the lone one that has never been lengthened since the Masters debuted in 1934.
“There’s something about – I don’t know what it is, but there’s something about the topography, the trees, the wind, the beauty that just – it just captures your imagination,” Ridley said. “When you combine that with the history that’s been made there, I mean, the most recent being the tragedies and triumphs when Tiger Woods won in 2019.
“You know, Freddie Couples’ ball, you know, hanging up on the edge of Rae’s Creek, which is part of the – made part of the song ‘Augusta.’ And so I just think it is such an iconic hole that’s had so many important moments in the Masters that I’m not sure that another 10 yards would really make a difference. Players are hitting short irons, but doesn’t seem to matter, the hole is very difficult.”
Historically, the hole is the fourth-most difficult at Augusta National, playing an averge of .270 strokes over par.
That’s almost like asking, you know, can we touch up the Mona Lisa a little bit
In a wide-ranging news conference that included an update the Augusta National’s plans to take over the Augusta Municipal Golf Course with Augusta Tech, the biggest news centered around the breakaway LIV Golf tour, with Ridley saying there is a possibility some of its American players could receive a special invitation to play in the Masters in the future. Special invitations have only gone to international players in the past.
With no world ranking points for the players on that tour, some top players who left the PGA Tour for the money at LIV are not here this week, including Talor Gooch, the tour’s player of the year last season.
Jon Rahm tees off on No. 1 during a practice round at Augusta National Golf Club ahead of the 2024 Masters. (Photo: Michael Madrid-USA TODAY Network)
The top 50 players in the world at the end of each calendar year qualify for the Masters. Many of the LIV players have dropped out of the top 50 since jumping to the rebel circuit, which opened shop in June 2021. Thirteen LIV golfers are here this week and seven of them are former Masters champions who have lifetime invitations into the tournament.
“But I think in our case, we’re an invitational, and we can adjust as necessary … Now, historically, and as stated in our qualification criteria, we consider international players for special invitations,” he said.
That’s how LIV golfer Joaquin Niemann of Chile got into the field this year. After he concluded his LIV event commitments, he added tournaments like the Australian PGA and the Australian Open, which he won, to his schedule.
That caught the eye of Augusta National and helped him get the invite.
Familiar LIV members who have qualified for past Masters but not this year include Gooch, Louis Oosthuizen, Abraham Ancer, Mito Pereira, Harold Varner III, Paul Casey and Dean Burmester, a four-time DP World Tour winner before signing on the with LIV. He won last week’s LIV event in Doral, Florida.
“I will say that if we felt that there were a player or players, whether they played on the LIV Tour or any other tour, who were deserving of an invitation to the Masters, that we would exercise that discretion with regard to special invitations,” Ridley said.
Ridley discounted the idea of creating a qualification system for LIV golfers based on how they play on that tour.
“Yeah, I don’t know the answer to that,” he said. “I think it will be difficult to establish any type of point system that had any connection to the rest of the world of golf because they’re basically, not totally, but for the most part, a closed shop.”
This is the second year that the Masters – and golf in general – has dealt with the specter of LIV. Two LIV players – Phil Mickelson and Brooks Koepka – tied for second in the 2023 Masters, and winner Jon Rahm later jumped ship to LIV in December.
Since the 2023 Masters, the PGA Tour and LIV have agreed to a framework to possibly work together, but progress has been slow and an agreement might not be struck by the 2025 Masters.
Taking over Augusta Municipal
As for Augusta National’s plans for the Augusta Municipal Golf Course, the club will take over the lease in January 2025. It will be for $1 a year for up to 50 years. Ridley said work will start in January with a projected April 2026 completion date.
The Augusta Municipal Golf Course. (Photo: Katie Goodale/The Augusta Chronicle-USA TODAY Network)
“We have reached an agreement with the City of Augusta to lease this facility, and over the past year we have had multiple community input sessions with the many stakeholders who frequent The Patch,” Ridley said. “With the insightful feedback we received, we are on a great path to make significant improvements to The Patch and to the First Tee facilities. In that regard, we have retained two of golf’s most respected course designers, Tom Fazio and Beau Welling, to lead the renovation of this historic municipal course. So, while planning is still in process, we’ll have more details next year, I think it’s just going to be fantastic.”
Ridley praised the success of the Augusta National Women’s Amateur, which just completed its fifth edition, but doesn’t think women professionals will ever have a tournament or team competition at Augusta National.
“There are some fundamental difficulties in that,” Ridley said. “We happily were able to find a way to have a competition for juniors and a competition for women amateurs sort of wrapped around the Masters Tournament, and it just seems to fit really well. To have another tournament of any kind would be very difficult based on our season, based on the fact that this is essentially a winter and spring golf course.
“It’s not open in the summer. It doesn’t play the way we want it to play in the fall for a major tournament,” he said.
Dustin Johnson set the tournament record of 20-under 268 in the 2020 Masters, which was played in November because of COVID-19.
Ridley noted that the only hole that was lengthened on the course this year was No. 2, where 10 yards were added to the tee. The course has constantly added yardage – including 35 last year to No. 13 – in an effort to stay ahead of golf equipment technology and stronger athletes. He’s hoping that a proposed rollback of the distance the golf ball can travel will be approved in January 2028.
“Adding distance to the Augusta National golf course has become standard operation over the past two decades,” Ridley said. “For almost 70 years, the Masters was played at just over 6,900 yards. Today the course measures 7,550 yards from the markers, and we may well play one of the tournament rounds this year at more than 7,600 yards. I’ve said in the past that I hope we will not play the Masters at 8,000 yards. But that is likely to happen in the not too distant future under current standards. Accordingly, we support the decisions that have been made by the R&A and the USGA as they have addressed the impact of distance.”
Referring to what he called the 8,000 yard “red line,” Ridley said “We have some more room, but we don’t have a lot. So I’m holding to that 8,000-yard red line, and I just hope we never get there.”
There was much talk last year that the added distance to the 13th hole – the second-most famous hole at Augusta National after No. 12 – would take some excitement out of the tournament because fewer players would go for the green in two shots, making it a “three shot” par 5.
The club found that on the two dry days in the 2023 Masters that wasn’t the case.
“But one thing I do know for certain is that, in the two days we had data, that more players went for the green in two on their second shot, that went for the green in two, than did the previous year,” Ridley said. “Now, there’s a real simple reason for that. If you look at the scatter chart from the year before there were a lot of balls up in the trees. Last year those same drives didn’t reach the trees and they were a little bit further to the right, the perfect drive. They were further from the green, but they were in the fairway; 250 yards is not a problem for most of these guys. So, it kind of brought back, in a way, that momentous (risk-reward) decision that Bobby Jones talked about and really, in sort of a counterintuitive way, made the hole a more exciting hole. The concern by many was that by making it longer we were going to take the excitement out of it.
“So, I was really happy to see that data, because it really showed that more players are pulling out their hybrids or even three metals or five metals and going for the green and that was established by that data last year.”
Surprisingly, since Augusta National rarely announces club changes off the course, Ridley revealed what he called a “two-phase project that will significantly elevate the experience of all Masters competitors.”
He said Phase 1 will include underground parking and will be operational next year. The second phase, he said, will be finished by the 2026 Masters and “will feature a three-level state-of-the-art facility, designed to anticipate every need for players, their families, and support teams.”
Bubba Watson is one of the better golfers in the world and a former Masters champion, and it looks like excelling in Augusta runs in the family.
During Wednesday’s Par 3 tournament for professional golfers and their families, Watson’s daughter Dakota showed off her incredible putting skills with two very impressive nudges that landed right on target.
Bubba Watson had to be a proud father watching Dakota wowing the Masters crowd like that, as her second putt in particular elicited the type of roaring cheer usually reserved for the weekend.
It’s been nine April’s since Jordan Spieth left Georgia in green.
AUGUSTA, Ga. — It’s been nine April’s since Jordan Spieth left Georgia in green.
And in case he forgot — albeit unlikely — his golf bag can serve as a reminder this week.
AT&T annually designs a commemorative bag for each major championship, according to Spieth. This year, instead of embroidering the golfer’s name in traditional bold letters, AT&T chose a different route — a golden nameplate.
Tiger Woods was forced to withdraw from the 2023 Masters after he made the cut in terrible conditions. It was rainy, windy and the temperature wasn’t what you’d call comfortable.
Players were forced to wear sweaters, winter hats, gloves and anything else in an effort to stay comfortable.
That kind of weather is less than ideal for Woods.
On Tuesday, Woods spoke with the media at Augusta National Golf Club and admitted he prefers hot temps.
“I ache. No, I ache every day. And I prefer it warm and humid and hot. And I know we’re going to get some thunderstorms. So at least it will be hot. It won’t be like last year.”
The rest of the week, however, looks gorgeous and a high of 83 is expected for Sunday’s final round. Exactly the weather Woods will need if he wants his body to perform at the highest level.
As of 2 p.m. ET Wednesday, Woods was listed at -115 to make the cut. He stands at +14000 to win (140/1, $100 would win $14,000), and +330 to finish inside the top 20.
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At Stand 12 — located in the heart of Amen Corner — designs being sold are called “The Hogan Bridge,” “Azalea” and “Florals.”
Each pair is $39.
According to a Goodr representative, the Hogan Bridge, which had black rims and an emblem of the famed stone bridge, is sold out.
“I love the case they come in,” Andy Mitchell, who attended his first Masters on Wednesday, said of the Florals pattern. “Even when I leave the course today, it’ll feel like I’m still here.”
From Stand 12, the nearest satellite stand is adjacent to No. 14 tee box, which are selling designs called “Augusta Pines,” “Badges” and “Peach Ice Cream.”
Similar to The Hogan Bridge, Augusta Pines was gone by Tuesday afternoon.
“These are perfect,” said Liz Garrett, who purchased two pairs of “Peach Ice Cream” glasses. “I forgot sunglasses at home, and was worried they weren’t going to sell any here.”
The final shop, Stand 7, is near No. 7 tee, and they sell orange rims called “Pimento Cheese” and blue glasses coined “Skip It.”
If a player not already exempt wants a spot in the Masters, it’s up to them to go and earn it, like Joaquin Niemann.
AUGUSTA, Ga. — When LIV Golf’s Joaquin Niemann was announced as one of three players to receive a special invitation to the 2024 Masters, the folks at Augusta National pointed to his three top-five finishes on the DP World Tour this season, including his win at the Australian Open last December.
They also referenced his previous Masters appearances and 2018 Latin American Amateur Championship. They did not, however, reference any of his accolades on the Saudi-backed league.
During his annual press conference on Wednesday ahead of this year’s Masters, chairman Fred Ridley addressed how the club evaluates LIV players and whether a special qualification criteria would be created for those who play outside of the Official World Golf Ranking jurisdiction.
“As you know, we’re on the board of the OWGR. We believe that it is a legitimate determiner of who the best players in the game are,” Ridley said. “There’s been communication that’s been public regarding, you know, the LIV’s application, which it subsequently was withdrawn after some remedial suggestions were made regarding pathways and access to players and concern about some of the aspects of team golf.”
“But I think in our case, we’re an invitational, and we can adjust as necessary. I mean, a great example is this year Joaquin Niemann was given a special invitation,” Ridley added. “We felt that Joaquin had not only a great record coming up to this year, but after his season, you know, he went to Australia, played very well there, finished fourth in the Australian PGA, won the Australian Open, one of the great, great championships in the world. And we thought he was deserving of a special invitation.”
Once again, no mention of his pair of LIV Golf wins this season.
“Now, historically, and as stated in our qualification criteria, we consider international players for special invitations,” Ridley continued. “But we do look at those every year and we, I will say that if we felt that there were a player or players, whether they played on the LIV tour or any other tour, who were deserving of an invitation to the Masters, that we would exercise that discretion with regard to special invitations.”
Long story short, and much to the chagrin of the likes of Bryson DeChambeau and Phil Mickelson, LIV players shouldn’t be holding their breath for any new qualification criteria in the near future.
With guaranteed contracts and very little turnover due to LIV’s forgiving relegation system, the chairman noted how it would be difficult to establish a point system that had any connection to the rest of the world of golf because of LIV’s “closed shop” format. That said, as an invitational, the Masters has the ability to give, as Ridley calls it, “subjective consideration” to players based on talent and performance.
“Our goal is to have, to the greatest extent possible, the best field in golf, the best players in the world,” Ridley explained. “Having said that, we never have had all the best players in the world because of the structure of our tournament. It’s an invitational. It’s a limited field, it’s a small field.”
The Masters and Augusta National play by their own rules, and as an independent major, they have every right to do so. Here’s the quiet part out loud: playing 14 LIV events isn’t going to cut it for the green jackets to extend an invite. If a player not already exempt wants a spot in the exclusive field, it’s up to them to go and earn it, like Niemann. It won’t be handed out like a signing bonus.
Professional golf has long been a meritocracy, and it’s no surprise that a club steeped in tradition like Augusta National is sticking to that spirit.
Future Masters champion in the making? Only time will tell.
If Jordan Spieth’s son is anything like he is, he’s bound to be exciting on the golf course.
Well, Sammy Spieth sure provided the crowd some good highlights during the Par 3 Contest on Wednesday at the 2024 Masters. Paired with Rickie Fowler and Fred Couples, Jordan, his wife Annie and kids Sammy and Sophie were one of the first groups out during the annual competition.
And Sammy even had a couple of his own clubs. And took some swings.
“I’m pleased to announce that the second phase of Map & Flag will debut during the 2025 tournament,” said Augusta National Golf Club chairman Fred Ridley said early into his annual Wednesday gathering with the media in Interview Room.
“One final piece of news on facilities I would like to share with you is the commencement this summer of a two-phase project that will significantly elevate the experience of all Masters competitors,” he went on to explain. “Phase 1 will include underground parking and will be operational next year. The second phase of this project will open in 2026 and will feature a three-level state-of-the-art facility, designed to anticipate every need for players, their families, and support teams.”
The Press Building was abuzz with chatter about the underground parking. The exact location isn’t known but it’s likely to be up and running in a year’s time.
The “three-level state-of-the-art facility” could bring to fruition the long-rumored on-site accommodations for players and their families.
“We’ll have more details when we are together next April,” Ridley said.
Famously, no one has ever won the Par 3 Contest and then gone on to win the Masters in the same week.
AUGUSTA, Ga. — A Masters tradition since 1960, the Par 3 Contest takes centerstage Wednesday at Augusta National Golf Club.
Played on a nine-hole, par 27, 1,090-yard course, the contest is a family affair, with players mostly using wives, girlfriends, sons and daughters as their caddies.
Famously, no one has ever won the Par 3 Contest and then gone on to win the Masters in the same week.
Sam Snead on the first-ever contest on a course originally designed by George Cobb and club co-founder Clifford Roberts in 1958.
“I agree completely that the construction of this golf course will be an important contribution to the beauty of the place. The Par 3 would give us a pretty complete golfing layout.” — Bobby Jones, in a letter to Clifford Roberts regarding architect George W. Cobb’s plan for the Par 3 course
There have been 107 holes-in-one in the event’s history, including a record nine in 2016. There were five aces last year.
