Tag: Masters 2023

Jason Kokrak’s hideous shirt pays tribute Augusta history and gets worse the more you look at it

Who let Jason Kokrak onto the course like this?

The Saudi-backed LIV Golf circuit likes to boast that it produces “golf but louder”. Jason Kokrak is really taking that stance to heart.

As the 2023 Masters began play on Thursday, Kokrak took the course in one of the more hideous outfits you’ll ever see in a sport that has no shortage of fashion faux pas. That Kokrak was attempting to pay tribute to Augusta National doesn’t really help his case.

Masters Leaderboard: Live leaderboard, schedule, tee times

Oh there’s so much more than just birds on this monstrosity. The William Murray Greenskeepers polo tries to cover nearly a century’s worth of history at the grounds:

No lawnmowers are necessary when you have these fiends in charge of the greens. Inspired by the great legends of Augusta, Greenskeepers highlights some of the original greenskeepers in the game. Hired first for the job, the cows quickly shifted their taste from grass to the famous Azaleas before they were let go and replaced with turkeys.

Find all the ways these cows and turkeys slacked off on the job hidden throughout this iconic WMG Southern Collection print.

Cows, azaleas, and turkeys. Oh my.

But it gets worse (so much worse) because of LIV Golf’s contractual obligations. Not only does Kokrak have the name of his LIV team emblazoned on the front — or whatever Smash GC is supposed to represent in that exhibition league — he also has an advertisement for “Golf Saudi” on his collar.

Just an all-around terrible look that should probably have Viktor Hovland feeling a lot better about his wardrobe this week.

[afflinkbutton text=”Shop Jason Kokrak’s Polo” link=”https://pga-tour-superstore.pxf.io/QyOaa9″]

We occasionally recommend interesting products, services, and gaming opportunities. If you make a purchase by clicking one of the links, we may earn an affiliate fee. FTW operates independently, though, and this doesn’t influence our coverage.

Jon Rahm pulled an Ernie Els on his first Masters 2023 hole with an awful 4-putt

Brutal.

This was not how Jon Rahm wanted to start the 2023 Masters.

The superstar golfer stepped up at his very first hole of Thursday, got to the green … and proceeded to have a putting meltdown. Specifically, he had to tap a ball three times before his fourth finally fell for a double bogey on No. 1.

Masters Leaderboard: Live leaderboard, schedule, tee times

It reminded everyone of what happened to Ernie Els back in 2016. The golfer putted six — SIX — times on a hole for a nine on No. 1.

Now, if anyone can fight back from this one, it’s Rahm. But that’s a really tough hole to put yourself in right away.

 

Mike Weir played the most serene back nine after LIV Golf’s Kevin Na withdrew from the Masters

The unexpected opportunity of a lifetime

It’s pretty well-documented how impossible it can be to get a ticket to the Masters, let alone qualify for the event. So you can imagine how bizarre and serene Thursday at Augusta National was for Mike Weir.

The 2003 Masters champion was paired up in a twosome with LIV Golf’s Kevin Na for the first round but that only lasted for nine holes.

[afflinkbutton text=”Watch The Masters on Paramount+” link=”https://paramountplus.qflm.net/Jzr2KN”]

A disastrous start for Na — one of 18 LIV players in the field — turned into an unfathomable finish as he was forced to withdraw due to illness at the turn with a 4-over par 40 on his card. With no other playing partner in his group, that meant Weir had to play on by himself for a solo back nine. Which sounds…really awesome, actually.

Masters Leaderboard: Live leaderboard, schedule, tee times

This is possibly the coolest way you could ever experience Augusta National. Check it out:

It might’ve taken Weir a moment to get used to playing at a different pace. He bogeyed holes Nos. 10 and 11 before settling back in for a par at No. 12.

This is very likely a one-time deal for Weir, who will almost assuredly get placed into one of the remaining twosome pairings for the second round of play on Friday.

At least he’ll have a wild story to tell his partners the rest of the week — and retell at every Masters Champions dinner from now until the end of time.

Shot-by-shot updates: Tiger Woods’ 2-over 74 Thursday at the 2023 Masters

Woods shot a 1-under 71 in last year’s opening round at Augusta National. What will he do this year?

AUGUSTA, Ga. — If you couldn’t watch Tiger Woods’ opening round of the 2023 Masters, don’t worry, we’ve got you covered.

The 15-time major champion is back at Augusta National and began his quest for a record-tying sixth green jacket on Thursday morning alongside Xander Schauffele and Viktor Hovland.

Woods, 47, made his return to competitive golf last April at Augusta National and made the cut just 14 months after a single-car accident where he nearly lost his leg. He then shot consecutive rounds of 6-over 78 on the weekend to finish 47th.

On Thursday he shot a 2-over 74 thanks to a handful of poor putts and iron shots. Follow every shot of Tiger’s opening round below with shot-by-shot updates from Augusta National.

Masters 2023 leaderboard: Get the latest news from Augusta

A 29-year-old optometrist briefly led the 2023 Masters

Get to know Matthew McClean, the Irish optometrist who led briefly in Round 1.

As of you reading this, Matthew McClean might not be on the top of the leaderboard at the 2023 Masters.

But let the record show: For a brief moment, earlier in the first round at Augusta, long before the big names teed off, McClean — a 29-year-old optometrist from Northern Ireland — led.

Masters Leaderboard: Live leaderboard, schedule, tee times

Yes, you read correctly. McClean, from Belfast, is one of the amateurs playing in the tournament. Per Golfweek, he was “just the second international golfer to win a U.S. Mid-Amateur” in 2022.

But back to the whole optometrist thing. McClean had this to say via The Guardian recently about balancing that profession with golf:

“I went to school, did my degree then worked for a couple of years,” he says. “The plan in 2018 was to take some time out to play golf. I was looking at four years to play, practise then take a decision over whether to turn pro. Covid changed things obviously in 2020 and 2021. Basically I’ve got this year; if I’m turning pro it would be at the end of this year. It’s very much an ‘if’.

Very cool. We’ll see if he ends up being the top amateur by Sunday.

[afflinkbutton text=”Stream The Masters on ESPN+” link=”https://go.web.plus.espn.com/GmjgKB”]

[pickup_prop id=”32963″]

 

Masters 2023: 24 great photos of golfers and their families at the annual Par 3 Contest

The Par 3 tournament always delivers.

The Masters is all about strict adherence decorum, respect for the famed course at Augusta National and more rules than the constitution of every country in the world combined.

The Masters Par 3 Contest is the exact opposite.

Masters Leaderboard: Live leaderboard, Schedule, Tee times

Held annually since 1960 on the day before the first round of the Masters, the Par 3 Contest is about embracing the goofier side of golf. Contestants typically have their families on the course with them, if not serving as caddies, while having a bit of fun with trick shots and ace attempts.

There might actually be more pressure on losing the Par 3 than winning it. No golfer who won the Par 3 Contest has gone onto win the Masters in the same year.

Just another one of the quirky traditions down in Georgia.

[afflinkbutton text=”Watch The Masters on Paramount+” link=”https://paramountplus.qflm.net/Jzr2KN”]

Ranking Masters contenders by their Zurich Classic walk-up songs

Ranking 2023 Masters golfers on vibes alone.

The Masters is one of the most carefully protected artifacts of the golf world. It’s an event where tradition and decorum rule and players’ personalities play second fiddle to the game and the course itself.

The Zurich Classic is not that.

The New Orleans event isn’t quite the raucous party the Waste Management Open is, but it’s becoming a destination for golf fans looking for a little less artifact and a little more fun in their tournament. One way the Zurich Classic pulls that off is by borrowing a tradition from baseball: walk-up music.

Masters Leaderboard: Live leaderboard, Schedule, Tee times

Two-man teams are given the opportunity to choose their own intro songs when they take the first tee at TPC Louisiana. Sometimes this results in cliche. Other times it’s a testament to a player’s roots. And sometimes, it’s a perfect vibe for a player’s being.

But the Classic isn’t for another two weeks. How can we use it to divine Masters contenders?

My friends, I am glad you asked. Using 2021 and 2022 Zurich Classic walk-up songs, I have scientifically determined the eight most likely candidates to put on the green jacket in 2023.

Here’s how to stream the 2023 Masters

How to stream the Masters in 2023

It’s springtime in beautiful Augusta, Georgia, and that means the year’s biggest week of golf is here.

The 2023 Masters begins on Thursday, April 6, and wraps up on Sunday, April 9. The best golfers from around the world will go head-to-head for the opportunity to win the storied major and don the iconic green jacket. But how can you catch all the action this week without setting foot on Augusta National? From ESPN+ to Paramount+, here’s how to watch every second of the Masters.

Stream the 2023 Masters Tournament on ESPN+

Stream the 2023 Masters Tournament on Paramount+

Recommendations are independently chosen by Reviewed, USA Today’s product review site. Purchases made through the links below may earn us and our partners a commission.

How to build 3 perfect Masters meals for a day at Augusta that’ll cost just $27.50

So much good food at such a low price!

The Masters food prices are, as always, legendary.

We called them the best bargain in all of sports, and that’s correct. Augusta doesn’t charge much at all for some amazing grub at the course, making the experience for patrons that much better.

The best part is: You could spend all day watching one round of the golf tournament and eat three meals without spending much at all. And if you’re going? I’m here to help you navigate all that while making the bargain even better.

I’ve put together three meals off the menu that you can get for not a lot of money. Let’s go:

Phil Mickelson’s awkward Masters dinner is a preview of what’s to come at Augusta

This sounded so awkward for Lefty.

This is the online version of our daily newsletter, The Morning Win. Subscribe to get irreverent and incisive sports stories, delivered to your mailbox every morning. Here’s Charles Curtis.

You might be wondering if it’s going to be awkward for LIV golfers heading into the 2023 Masters, where it’s the first time they’ll be playing with PGA Tour vets.

Although it’s hard to predict — you figure everyone will be cordial, no on-course shots will be taken during play, right? — it might just be really icy if the Masters Champions dinner was any indication.

It was that dinner — where “Scottie-style” sliders were served — that Phil Mickelson attended on Tuesday night, and per a quote from champ Fuzzy Zoeller via Golfweek, it was SO AWKWARD for Lefty:

“We’re just 33 past champions in a room, all trying to get along. Nobody said a word about [LIV]. Phil sat near the end of the table and kept to himself. He didn’t speak at all.”

Masters Leaderboard: See the schedule for Masters week

Uh. Yeah. I probably wouldn’t talk in that room filled with golfers who probably weren’t happy about me defecting to a Saudi-backed league that has threatened the PGA Tour.

But that’s how I’m reading what it’ll be like for Lefty, Cameron Smith, and the rest of the LIV crew. Maybe they’ll shake hands after rounds with PGA Tour guys, perhaps they’ll give nods to each other at the driving range (as long as Patrick Reed doesn’t throw a tee at Rory McIlroy again) … but really, it’s going to be the most awkward.

And I am here for it.

[pickup_prop id=”32958″]

Quick Hits: BAAAA! … Manny Machado tossed due to pitch clock argument … Masters picks! … and more.

(AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

— LeBron James’ Lakers teammates drowned out his postgame interview with goat sounds.

— Manny Machado became the first player to be ejected over a pitch clock violation.

— Masters picks are here!

— The newest meme? Barbie movie posters. They’re hilarious.