Tag: 13th hole

2023 Masters: How players approached No. 13 green at Augusta National in first year with new tee

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.

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Masters: True impact of changes to No. 13 at Augusta National might not be truly felt with such a dismal weather forecast

“I think on balance it’s going to prove to be the right decision.”

AUGUSTA, Ga. — Dustin Johnson expects to lay up every day around Amen Corner at the 87th Masters.

“Today, I had 4-iron in there,” said two-time Masters champion Bubba Watson of his Tuesday practice round. “I hit a good one to the middle of the green. It all comes down to under pressure, if you can pull that shot off.”

Statistically speaking, the 13th hole at Augusta National Golf Club, also known as “Azalea,” has been the easiest. With a cumulative scoring average of 4.775, going for the famed par 5 in two had become heavy on reward and light on risk, as players often hit 3-wood off the tee and stood with a low-iron in their hands over their second shots.

Last summer, Augusta National moved the tee back 35 yards in an effort to restore the risk/reward element deemed critical to the hole’s original design.

The forecast, however, isn’t exactly cooperating. The extended outlook calls for 70 percent chance of rain on Friday with gusts up to 25 mph. On Saturday, temperatures drop 20 degrees to a high of 52 with a 90 percent chance of rain and more wind. Sunday’s forecast calls for a breezy morning with a 50 percent chance of rain.

Masters 2023 leaderboard: Get the latest news from Augusta

“I don’t think the scoring average won’t be too different,” said Max Homa, “but I think you’ll be seeing a lot more guys laying up this year simply because of the weather. I think maybe a year we’ll get great weather, you’ll have a lot more of that in between a 3- and 4-iron. Are you going to do it? Are you not? I think that’s going to be really entertaining.”

Rory McIlroy hit two tee shots on the 13th Monday and cranked the second one a bit farther up the left side. He had 5-iron left for his second shot. The ball was a good 18 inches to 2 feet in elevation above his feet.

“It’s a big decision,” said McIlroy, adding: “Since I’ve played here since 2009, there’s never really been a choice. If you hit a good tee shot, you go for the green. But now, there’s a decision to be made.”

2023 Masters
Tiger Woods tees off on the 13th hole during a practice round ahead of the 2023 Masters at Augusta National Golf Club. (Photo: Michael Madrid-USA TODAY Network)

Tiger Woods carries a career scoring average of 4.38 on No. 13. In 94 rounds, he’s made 56 birdies, four eagles and one double-bogey. He’s a cumulative 58 under on the iconic hole, which features approximately 1,600 azaleas from tee to green.

Woods referenced the changes made in 2002, when the 13th tee moved back 20 to 25 yards. What seemed astounding then, he said, has become “a moot point” over the past 20 years. Without changes to equipment, Woods sees the same thing happening in another 20 years to the now extended hole.

“It seems dramatic to us right now,” said Woods of the changes, “but if these guys keep getting longer, they keep getting taller and more athletic and keep hitting the ball further, that hole is going to play, I think, with a driver and a mid-iron.”

2023 Masters
Caddie Josh Cassell watches Justin Rose on the 12th hole during a practice round ahead of the 2023 Masters at Augusta National Golf Club. (Photo: Michael Madrid-USA TODAY Network)

While the weather will likely keep golf fans from truly appreciating the impact of the changes, Fred Ridley, chairman of Augusta National Golf Club and the Masters Tournament, noted that when he played the course two weeks prior, World No. 1 and defending champion Scottie Scheffler hit 5-iron into the hole.

While more players may lay up this week and going forward in general, Ridley isn’t concerned about the drama dwindling.

“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 said. “I think on balance it’s going to prove to be the right decision.”

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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?

Masters survey: Should Augusta National move the 13th tee back?

Golfweek surveyed 39 golfers, including 14 green jacket winners and 24 major champions in all, to get their views on Augusta National.

Rare is the golfer who doesn’t light up when talking about Augusta National Golf Club and the Masters. The spiritual setting that warms the heart, the singular tournament that stirs the senses. The explosion of colors, the anticipation of a Sunday charge. A 12th hole that basks in beauty while serving as a devilish conquest, a green jacket that triggers dreams and lives on forever.

The gathering every April among the Georgia pines is matchless, from Augusta National Women’s Amateur to the Drive, Chip and Putt competition. While we won’t be seeing any of these events in the coming days due to the coronavirus pandemic, we think you’ll still be interested in reading about Masters traditions, the iconic holes at Augusta National and your favorite golfers who would have been in the field this month.

Golfweek surveyed 39 golfers, including 14 winners of the green jacket and 24 major champions in all, to get their views on certain features of Augusta National and the Masters. From putting to eating to predicting to offering their architectural viewpoints, we’ll roll out their takes on a variety of topics in the next 10 days.

Should the tee at the 13th hole be moved back?

“No. You could solve the problem, if, instead, the golf ball is brought back. If you keep taking the 13th tee back, half the field won’t be able to get to the green in two. Even with the current golf ball, you can get yourself in trouble. But if you take the tee back farther, anybody who can’t get it around the corner is just going to hit it out to the right and make it a three-shot hole, and the hole loses all its character.” – Six-time Masters champion Jack Nicklaus

“Definitely not. Augusta National members, I could have saved you $25 million, or whatever the land cost. Here’s all you do. You plant a tree 20 yards off the tee on the left toward the corner. Now guys can’t go left. They have to go around the corner. I’ll buy them the tree.” – 2012 U.S. Open champion Webb Simpson

Adam Scott on the 13th hole during the 2013 Masters Tournament at the Augusta National Golf Club. (Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images)

“Can they move it left a little bit? That would make it more challenging.” – 2013 Masters champion Adam Scott

“Yes. Because the second shot, the risk-reward shot, there is too little risk when you’re hitting an 8- or 9-iron in.” – Three-time Masters champion Phil Mickelson

“I don’t care.” – 2016 U.S. Open champion Dustin Johnson

“I think so. Now, there are a few guys where it’s become almost like a driving range shot, a short par-4 hole. Distance is an advantage but I think the fairways should be the same width everywhere, and if you move it back, it’s still an advantage to move it back further because you’d hit iron vs. hybrid. You’d still have to hit the drive straight. Right now, the long hitters don’t have to.” – 2015 Masters champion Jordan Spieth

“If they move it back 10 yards, maybe just five yards even, and just put a slightly different angle it would be very hard for anyone to fly it over the trees. For me, I don’t want it to go back. But I can see why they should do it, because the bombers fly it over the trees and have an 8-iron in and that’s not right.” – Two-time Masters champion Bernhard Langer

Rory McIlroy hits his tee shot on the 13th hole the 2018 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club. (Rob Schumacher-USA TODAY Sports)

“No. The tee could be lowered by a few feet and then people couldn’t take it over the trees. I’ve always said you should be able to hit driver on a par-5, but I don’t see them needing to go back. It’s a great risk-reward hole. I get seeing them wanting guys to hit longer clubs into the green, but if they lowered the tee box by 5 feet, then people couldn’t go over the trees.” – Four-time major champion Rory McIlroy

“No. It would take away the 3 and the 7 and bring in a lot more 4s, 5s and 6s.” – 2013 U.S. Open champion Justin Rose

“Yeah, probably. More and more guys are cutting the corner. It’s not easy to do, but still. It pays to be long there.” – 2015 PGA champion Jason Day

“I think you can lengthen it 15, 20 yards, and shift it 5 yards to the left. That would take the chance of the really longer hitters taking it over the trees and having wedge in their hand. If you move it too far back, then you take out the chance of getting home in two because no one’s going for that green in two with a 3-wood.” – 2018 Masters champion Patrick Reed

“No. Because then I don’t know if I could get home in two.” – 2007 Masters champion Zach Johnson

“No, because it’s a fun risk-reward hole. You still have to hit a very good tee shot around the corner to get home in two. Yes, I know what Bubba did that one time, but 99% of the guys still have to make the ball turn and take on that corner to have a mid-iron into that green.” – Luke Donald

“I could go either way. But if they put a tree to the left just off the tee box, that’s all they have to do to make it harder to cut the corner.” – Rickie Fowler

“Yeah. So many players are making that hole look silly. It used to be only Bubba could do it, hitting it over the trees. Now there are at least 10 guys who can blow it over the trees on the left.” – 2010 U.S. Open champion Graeme McDowell

“No. Because it has so much turn to it now that the new golf balls make it very difficult to make it turn that much, so it requires a perfect golf shot.” – Kevin Kisner

Retief Goosen watches a shot on the 13th hole during the 2007 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club. (Harry How/Getty Images)

“The thing about 13 is it favors left-handers. For the right-handers you have to hook it and that’s not an easy shot. But it would be quite nice to see them push it back a little and have the guys go into the green with long irons and even woods.” – Two-time U.S. Open champion Retief Goosen

“No. When you look back at it from history’s standpoint, you don’t mess with that. You leave it as is. And trees are growing, so it’s going to get tougher. Let us create more history.” – Two-time Masters champion Bubba Watson

“I do not make any recommendations at that place.” – Matt Kuchar

“No. It’s a great risk-reward hole at the distance it is right now.” – Tony Finau

“No. That risk-reward makes that hole great.” – Patton Kizzire

“It doesn’t need to go back. For me, in my 60s, if I hit a really good drive, I could have a 5-iron into the green. But it’s not an easy shot because of all the slope.” – 1988 Masters champion Sandy Lyle

“I don’t think so. It’s one of the best par-5s in golf. I get what they want, but they can just move that tee box a little to the left.” – 2019 U.S. Open champion Gary Woodland

“It shouldn’t be moved back, it should be moved left. Five or 10 yards. That would make all the difference. It would make the guys have to curve the ball more to get around the corner and you couldn’t go over the trees. Without making it longer, you’re still making it more difficult.” – Brandt Snedeker

“Last year it felt OK to me, but obviously, we’re getting into an era in the modern game where these guys are hitting the ball so far, with such great accuracy, that there may be a time when moving the tee back needs to be done. But we haven’t gotten to that point yet.” – 2008 Masters champion Trevor Immelman

“No. It’s my favorite par-5 in all of golf. I love that hole. Yes, as we’ve seen over the years some guys hit unbelievable drives and have wedges into the green, but it’s just a few guys and they have to hit it perfect on a perfect line. It will be a sad time if they move that tee back.” – Billy Horschel 

“No. It’s such an iconic hole, so if you can swing it around that corner, you deserve to have a shorter club into the green. That hole is too exciting to change anything.” – 2011 PGA champion Keegan Bradley

“I think it could be moved back a little and moved to the left a little, just to make it a little more challenging. They’re so powerful now. Maybe move it back 10 or 15 yards and a little to the left.” – 1998 Masters champion Mark O’Meara

“No. In a perfect world, the bombers of the bombers would have to clear some taller trees, but the dogleg is in a pretty cool spot. But I’ll say this – those guys who do hit it over the trees, they’ve hit an unbelievable shot. Not just because they’re long, it’s not an easy shot. You go left there you’re dead. I think it’s a great reward for them because they’ve earned the right to be rewarded for their bombs.” – Bill Haas

Justin Rose and Charles Howell III walk to the 13th green during the 2007 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club. (Andrew Redington/Getty Images)

“No. It’s not like that fairway is wide open and you can blast away. You still have to curve it and you know if you mis-hit it Rae’s Creek is there to make you pay. It’s not as easy to get it around the corner as some think it is.” – Charles Howell III

“No more than 20 yards. But I’d say no, because you have to think on that tee shot. I think 20 yards would be fair, but as long as they make it where you can still take on the corner, which isn’t easy, then OK. But if they take that out of the equation, no way. You need risk-reward there.” – Keith Mitchell

“No. The charm of 13 is you came make 3 and 7 just like that. If you move it back, it will take more 3s and 7s out of play.” – 2003 U.S. Open champion Jim Furyk

“No, it’s a great hole the way it is.” – Nick Watney

Editor’s note: Check back each day for another Masters Survey.

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