Bernhard Langer, recovering from torn Achilles, confirms 2025 will now be his final Masters

Prior to his injury, Langer had faired well at Augusta, making the cut in 2020.

AUGUSTA, Ga. — Bernhard Langer confirmed Tuesday that 2025 will be his final Masters Tournament.

The 66-year-old tore his Achilles tendon on Feb. 1, and had previously announced that 2024 would be his last competitive appearance.

“I plan to play next year,” Langer, the 1985 and 1993 Masters winner, said Tuesday. “That’ll be my last.”

When Langer steps away, it’ll stamp a final goodbye to champions from the 1980s.

Jack Nicklaus was the first 1980s victor to cease competing in 2005, while Larry Mize and Sandy Lyle stopped in 2023.

At 48-years-old, Nick Faldo exited the stage in 2006 to commentate for CBS.
“My decision was easy,” Faldo said. “It was a cold, windy day (in 2006) and I had my son on the bag. I hit driver at the ninth hole and didn’t make it down the hill. So I’m hitting 3-iron into the wind and thought, ‘That’s it. I’m done.’”

Prior to his injury, Langer had faired well at Augusta lately, making the cut in 2020, while missing the weekend by two shots in 2023.

Still, Faldo believes the German is making the right call.

“Bernhard’s done an incredible job staying on top,” Faldo said. “But as time goes on, we start to lose touch, and you can’t play Augusta without touch.”

As for 1990s champs, four past winners have already ceased competing, including Faldo (1989, 1990, 1996), Ian Woosnam (1991), Ben Crenshaw (1984 and 1995) and Mark O’Meara (1998).

In the timeline of champions, Fred Couples would be next to depart, but the 1992 winner hasn’t announced plans to give notice.

After all, in 2023, Couples, then 63, became the oldest player to conquer the cut.

“I can’t compete with Viktor Hovland or Jon Rahm or anybody, but I can compete with myself, and that’s really why I come,” Couples said. “That’s what I like to do: make the cut here at an older age.”

Couples added: “The last thing I want to do is embarrass myself. I know I can hit the ball. What is that? I don’t know if that’s a 73 or 75, but I’m not shooting 80. There’s no way. I’m just not that kind of person.”

When Langer steps away next April, it will duplicate his contemporaries, in that no champion from the 1980s missed the cut more than 10 straight years before quitting.

In contrast, 1957 winner Doug Ford, either missed the cut or withdrew in each of his final 30 appearances.

“I’m not coming up the last at 18 over,” Faldo said. “When CBS called, I went straight to the tower.”

When 1980s champions played their last Masters

1980, 1983 Seve Ballesteros — 2007
1981 Tom Watson — 2016
1982 Craig Stadler — 2014
1984 Ben Crenshaw — 2015
1985 Bernhard Langer — 2025
1986 Jack Nicklaus — 2005
1987 Larry Mize — 2023
1988 Sandy Lyle — 2023
1989 Nick Faldo — 2006

How to watch Tiger Woods at the 2024 Masters, first round grouping at Augusta National

Here’s everything you need to know for Tiger’s return to Augusta National.

AUGUSTA, Ga. — The Big Cat is back on the course this week with a shot at history at the 2024 Masters.

Tiger Woods will make his 26th appearance at Augusta National this week, where he’s looking to set the all-time record for consecutive Masters cuts made with 24 in a row. The five-time Masters champion tied Fred Couples (1983-2007) and Gary Player (1959-1982) for the current record of 23 at last year’s tournament before he withdrew ahead of the third round.

“Well, this tournament has meant so much to me in my life and my family. I think I’ve been playing here for, what, 29 years now,” Woods said during his pre-tournament press conference on Tuesday. “It’s been a part of my life to have won here as my first major as a pro. Hugging my dad, as you saw; then a full circle in 2019 to hug my son.”

“It has meant a lot to my family. It’s meant a lot to me,” he added. “I always want to keep playing in (the Masters).”

After a weathey delayed the first round, the 15-time major champion will now begin his quest for history at 3:54 p.m. ET on Thursday alongside Jason Day and Max Homa.

Featured group coverage will air on Masters.com and the Masters app, as well as on Paramount+. The first-round television broadcast runs from 3-7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN. SiriusXM radio will call the action from 2-8 p.m. ET.

Across 25 starts and 96 rounds at the Masters, Woods has a low round of 65 and a scoring average of 71.10. He’s finished inside the top 10 in more than half of his starts (14), 12 of which were top fives.

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Is Tiger Woods going to captain the U.S. squad at the 2025 Ryder Cup? ‘We’re still talking about it’

Tiger as Ryder Cup captain at Bethpage Black?

Is Tiger Woods going to captain the 2025 United States Ryder Cup team? He sure seemed to hint things are heading in that direction.

Woods spoke with members of the media Tuesday ahead of the 2024 Masters at Augusta National Golf Club, his first tournament appearance since withdrawing from the 2024 Genesis Invitational because of an illness. He was asked about myriad topics, from his pursuit of a 24th consecutive made cut, his body and Masters memories.

However, his answer to a question about the Ryder Cup makes it seem as if Woods will soon again be involved in the biennial competition between the U.S. and Europe, this time from a captaincy standpoint.

“We’re still talking about it,” Woods said while smiling when asked directly about his current position related to the captaincy.

Woods spent time as a vice captain in 2016, but his record in the Ryder Cup is one of the worst marks of his professional golf career. He’s 13-21-3 in the competition, including a 0-4 mark in his last appearance in 2018 at Le Golf National in Paris, site of the 2024 Olympic competition.

He is 4-2-2 in singles matches.

However, people have clamored since the 2023 Ryder Cup for Woods to be considered for captaincy at Bethpage Black in New York.

And it’s something he and PGA of America CEO Seth Waugh have discussed plenty in recent weeks. And according to Big Cat, there are more conversations to be had soon.

“It’s something that Seth and I are going to sit back and talk about it after this event,” Woods said. “I said I’m going to be busy for a couple weeks, so let me focus on getting through this week and hopefully getting another jacket, and then we can sit back and talk about it next week.”

Updated Masters 2024 first round tee times, how to watch Thursday at Augusta National

Defending champion Jon Rahm now tees off at 1 p.m. ET after an early weather delay.

AUGUSTA, Ga. — Augusta National Golf Club has once again opened its gates to some of the best players in the world for the 88th Masters Tournament, and on Tuesday morning the tee times for the first two rounds were announced.

Inclement weather on Thursday morning has delayed the start of the first round by two and a half hours, as the first group will now tee off at 10:30 a.m. ET. The Honorary Starters Ceremony will begin at 10:10 a.m. ET.

LIV Golf’s Jon Rahm will begin his title defense at 1 p.m ET alongside Matt Fitzpatrick and Nick Dunlap. World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler will be joined by world No. 2 Rory McIlroy and Xander Schauffele in the following group at 1:12 p.m. ET. Tiger Woods will highlight the afternoon featured groups when he tees off at 3:54 p.m. ET with Jason Day and Max Homa.

From tee times to TV and streaming info, here’s everything you need to know for the first round of the 2024 Masters at Augusta National. All times Eastern.

Thursday tee times

Time	Players
10:30 a.m. ET	Erik van Rooyen, Jake Knapp
10:42 a.m. ET	Jose Maria Olazabal, Taylor Moore, Santiago de la Fuente (a)
10:54 a.m. ET	Danny Willett, Austin Eckroat, Stephan Jaeger
11:06 a.m. ET	Charl Schwartzel, Luke List, Christo Lamprecht (a)
11:18 a.m. ET	Gary Woodland, Thorbjorn Olesen, Bryson DeChambeau
11:30 a.m. ET	Zach Johnson, Corey Conners, Jasper Stubbs (a)
11:42 a.m. ET	Sergio Garcia, Chris Kirk, Ryan Fox
11:54 a.m. ET	Lucas Glover, Byeong Hun An, Harris English
12:06 p.m. ET	Phil Mickelson, Sepp Straka, Tony Finau
12:18 p.m. ET	Nick Taylor, Joaquín Niemann, Russell Henley
12:36 p.m. ET	Patrick Cantlay, Min Woo Lee, Rickie Fowler
12:48 p.m. ET	Hideki Matsuyama, Will Zalatoris, Justin Thomas
1 p.m. ET	Jon Rahm, Matt Fitzpatrick, Nick Dunlap
1:12 p.m. ET	Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy, Xander Schauffele
1:24 p.m. ET	Wyndham Clark, Viktor Hovland, Cameron Smith
1:36 p.m. ET	Lee Hodges, Adrian Meronk, Grayson Murray
1:48 p.m. ET	Camilo Villegas, Denny McCarthy, Cameron Davis
2 p.m. ET	Mike Weir, Ryo Hisatsune, Neal Shipley (a)
2:12 p.m. ET	Vijay Singh, Si Woo Kim, Emiliano Grillo
2:24 p.m. ET	Fred Couples, Adam Hadwin, Stewart Hagestad (a)
2:42 p.m. ET	Justin Rose, Eric Cole, Peter Malnati
2:54 p.m. ET	Akshay Bhatia, J. T. Poston, Shane Lowry
3:06 p.m. ET	Bubba Watson, Nicolai Hojgaard, Adam Schenk
3:18 p.m. ET	Patrick Reed, Sungjae Im, Kurt Kitayama
3:30 p.m. ET	Keegan Bradley, Matthieu Pavon, Tyrrell Hatton
3:42 p.m. ET	Adam Scott, Sam Burns, Cameron Young
3:54 p.m. ET	Tiger Woods, Jason Day, Max Homa
4:06 p.m. ET	Brian Harman, Brooks Koepka, Tom Kim
4:18 p.m. ET	Jordan Spieth, Ludvig Aberg, Sahith Theegala
4:30 p.m. ET	Dustin Johnson, Collin Morikawa, Tommy Fleetwood

TV, streaming: Viewing options for Masters week

How to watch

Thursday, April 11

Live From the Masters: 8 a.m., Golf Channel

Honorary Starters Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player and Tom Watson: 10:10 a.m., Masters.com

On the Range: 8:30-10:30 a.m., Masters.com/Masters app, CBS Sports Network, Paramount+

Featured holes, featured groups, Amen Corner: 9:15 a.m.-7:30 p.m., Masters.com/Masters app, Paramount+

Welcome to the Masters: 1-3 p.m., ESPN

First round: 2-8 p.m., SiriusXM

First round: 3-7:30 p.m., ESPN

Live From the Masters: 7:30 p.m., Golf Channel

First round replay: 8-11 p.m., ESPN

First round highlights: 11:35-11:50 p.m., CBS, Paramount+

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Jon Rahm on ‘nerve-wracking’ 2024 Masters Champions Dinner, his failed attempt to expedite golf’s unification

“But I would hope it would be something that would help expedite that process,” Rahm said of his LIV move.

AUGUSTA, Ga. —At the start of last year, Jon Rahm wanted to be a fly on the wall for what he predicted would be a “tense” Champions Dinner as a handful of LIV Golf players reunited with their former PGA Tour colleagues at the 88th Masters.

Fast forward to this week and the 29-year-old is hosting the annual Tuesday night gathering at Augusta National Golf Club as the defending champion, and he’s brought a little Spanish flair down Magnolia Lane.

“Everybody I talked to seems very excited about the menu, which, if anything, has put a lot more pressure on me, even though I’m not cooking, right. So, yeah, I’m definitely a little nervous,” said Rahm Tuesday during his pre-tournament press conference. “It is quite daunting to think about the room you’re going to be in and having to stand up and talk to that group of players, right. I mean, it’s basically all the living legends in this game, active and non-active. Everybody who’s been somebody in this game is there. So as wonderful as it is to be a part of, it’s still, yeah, a little nerve-wracking for sure.”

MORE: Champions Dinner menus over the years

The big man from the Basque region didn’t just dish on his menu, he also talked about his best memories with the green jacket – not many get to throw out the first pitch at a World Series – as well as the divided professional game and what needs to happen to get more LIV players in major fields. LIV had 18 players in last year’s field, and that number has dropped to just 13 this year.

“I understood my position, yes. And I understood that it could be, what I hoped, a step towards some kind of agreement, yes. Or more of an agreement or expedited agreement,” Rahm said of the ongoing talks between Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund and the PGA Tour. “But, unfortunately, it’s not up to me. But I would hope it would be something that would help expedite that process. But at the end of the day, I still did what I thought was best for myself.”

“I still love the PGA Tour, and I still hope everything the best, and I still hope that at some point I can compete there again,” he added later.

As far as a way to get more LIV players involved in the majors, Rahm echoed what many of his cohorts have said over the last year: there’s smarter people who can figure out how to unify the game. Players like Phil Mickelson and Bryson DeChambeau, who were among the first to break away and leave for LIV, have called for new qualification categories for LIV players since the Saudi-backed league isn’t recognized by the Official World Golf Ranking. Rahm agrees.

“But the obvious answer is that there’s got to be a way for certain players in whatever tour to be able to earn their way in. That’s the only thing can I say,” he explained. “I don’t know what that looks like. But there’s got to be a fair way for everybody to compete.”

Jason Day gets a hug from Jon Rahm at the practice facility during a practice round for the 2024 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club. (Photo: Katie Goodale-USA TODAY Network)

“They’ll need to figure out a way to evaluate how the LIV players are doing and how they can earn their way. And I understand there’s less players and you can’t give, right, 10 people or 15 people a start, but there’s got to be a way for some players to earn their way in,” Rahm continued. “That’s the best way I can say it. I just don’t really know what that looks like.”

Add Rahm to the long list of LIV players who are quick to point out a problem without offering up any solution.

As far as his title defense is concerned, Rahm is riding a weaker wave of momentum into the first men’s major of the year compared to last season. Instead of three PGA Tour wins in eight tournaments, he’s played five LIV events with finishes of T-3, 8, 5, T-8 and T-4. His team, Legion XIII, have won two events, including last week at LIV Golf Miami at Trump National Doral. Many view fewer competitive rounds as a negative, but the two-time major champion actually sees this year’s change in preparation as a positive.

“Well, you’re saying like playing a little bit less is a bad thing. Which I wouldn’t think it is. If anything, for the, if I had would go based on how I feel today on a Tuesday, I feel physically better than I did last year,” Rahm said. “But then once competition starts, it doesn’t really matter. Once the gun goes off, whatever you feel is out the window. You got to go out there and post a score.

“So it’s not something that I have in mind, but I do feel, I do feel fresh and ready for it.”

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Viktor Hovland still making changes at Augusta National after last year’s swing reached ‘the pinnacle’

“I just felt like I got to basically the pinnacle of what my golf swing was able to do last year.”

Viktor Hovland isn’t ruling himself out at the 88th Masters Tournament. But he’s honest about the additional challenges he faces as he works through swing changes.

Hovland, 26, has never missed at cut at Augusta National and has enjoyed an upward trend in his performances, cracking the top 10 for the first time last year with a share of seventh.

But while the affable Norweigian won three times last season, Hovland said winning the FedExCup title and the $18 million bonus came as a bit of surprise given how many hours he spent grinding on the range at the Scottish Open and British Open last season.

“I was always trying to learn, but at the same time, I just felt like I got to basically the pinnacle of what my golf swing was able to do last year,” he said during a pre-tournament press conference, “and just when I keep looking back at my swings from 2020, 2021, I just really had more control of the golf ball, in my opinion.”

Hovland said he went searching for other opinions on his golf swing because he felt like he got everything he could out his game last summer and didn’t believe that level of golf was sustainable. After an extended break during the offseason, Hovland said his game wasn’t the same when he returned to the range.

So far, Hovland said, the changes he’s working on haven’t clicked, which is why recent results have been lacking. In 2024, Hovland has only one finish in the top 20 at The Genesis Invitational, where he took a share of 19th.

Hovland worked with former PGA Tour winner Grant Waite earlier in the season and was seen with Dana Dahlquist earlier in the week at Augusta. With so much focus on his long game, Hovland said there hasn’t been any time left to work around the greens, an area where he had vastly improved as a pro.

Though he has yet to win one, Hovland has been a force at the majors over the past year. He leads the way with the best cumulative score to par at the last five majors at 30 under alongside Rory McIlroy. Scottie Scheffler is next at 27 under.

In addition to his top 10 at the Masters last year, he took a share of second at the PGA Championship in 2024 and tied for fourth at the British Open in 2022.

As a kid, Hovland liked to dive into YouTube videos to learn more about the why. While he’s not a student of other people’s golf swings, he does like to get technical about his own in terms of the biomechanics and forces and torques.

The goal though, of course, isn’t to have all those swing thoughts swirling around.

“Your confidence level is going to be a little bit different than when you don’t have any conscious thoughts,” he said. “That’s obviously the end goal when you play this game, is that you show up and you go through your routine and there’s almost, like, a blackout. You just react to what you’re doing, and you see the shots, and the ball flight translates into what you’re seeing. That’s the goal. When you’re not doing that, you have to obviously work to get there.”

Masters: TaylorMade’s ‘Season Opener’ collection pays homage to Augusta National and Georgia

Check out TaylorMade’s limited-edition gear for the 2024 Masters.

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For decades, golf equipment brands have made special bags, headcovers and accessories for staff players to use in major championships to serve two purposes. First, at the most prestigious events, the cool gear makes it easier for companies to showcase how many players use their equipment. Second, if they are creative and appealing enough, the limited-edition items can also be sold to fans online.

This week at Augusta National Golf Club, TaylorMade staff players will be using “Season Opener” bags, headcovers and accessories designed especially for the Masters, and fans can pick up the gear on TaylorMade’s website.

The Staff Bag ($599.99) is covered in symbols, some of which are subtle, like the three gold flags with a halo near the handle that pay homage to Amen Corner (the 11th, 12th and 13th holes), while others like the azalea-patterned TaylorMade logo are easy to understand. The lining of the pockets are covered in a peach pattern.

The headcovers for drivers, fairway woods and hybrids ($99.99) and both blade-style and mallet putters ($119.99) also have peach linings.

TaylorMade also designed special-edition TP5 and TP5x Pix balls for the 2024 Masters ($59.99) that are covered in peaches instead of the orange and black diamond pattern found on the standard 2024 version of the Pix balls. According to TaylorMade, Tommy Fleetwood, who uses a TP5x Pix in competition, plans to use the Season Opener edition during this season’s Masters.

[afflinkbutton text=”Shop 2024 Season Opener Collection” link=”*”]

How Brian Harman is approaching sixth Masters after winning first major at The Open

“You definitely feel different when you walk onto this property as opposed to any others.”

AUGUSTA, Ga. — Brian Harman has always been known for playing golf with a bit of a chip on his shoulder.

A three-time All-American during his stellar career at the University of Georgia, the Savannah native gained national prominence when he won the U.S. Junior Amateur in 2003 as a rising junior at Savannah Christian.

His professional career was by all means successful entering last summer, as the 5-foot-7, 155-pound left hander had wins in the 2014 John Deere Classic and the 2017 Wells Fargo Championship. He has won more than $30 million in prize money, but was looking for his Major breakthrough after a second place finish in the 2017 U.S. Open.

Everything came together at Royal Liverpool last July as Harman blew away the field by six strokes to win the Open Championship with a dominant display of his shot making skills combined with a stellar short game and cerebral mental approach. He is ready for his sixth appearance at Augusta National, looking to improve on his best Masters finish — a tie for 12th in 2021.

On Monday, Harman was in Augusta National’s interview room for the first press conference of the 88th Masters Tournament with his confidence level at an all-time high.

“I don’t like thinking of it as like an arrival because I’ve always felt that way,” Harman said of his win at the Open Championship. “I don’t really like thinking of it that it’s like a justification of all the hard work that I’ve done. It’s just like this long process of a career, and that’s obviously a highlight.

“But it happened. I’m really proud of it. But I live to feel those moments, that’s like the drug for me. I want to get in contention in big golf tournaments. So my goal is to try and get to those uncomfortable places as many times as I can.”

More: Peter Malnati Masters Rookie Diary: ‘Wanna go on a date with me?’ and getting over the awe factor at Augusta National

Harman, an avid outdoorsman, said he got to play Augusta National for the first time as a 14-year old as a guest of a friend who introduced him to duck hunting. He’s in the middle of turkey hunting season right now and said he had a proud dad moment when he was with his seven-year-old daughter when she took her first bird a couple weeks back.

“When you’ve got three kids at home, it’s hard to prepare as well as you would want to. For me the preparation came last week at Valero. It’s a hard golf course, really good preparation for this week,” Harman said. “It’s just hard for me to get into that same sort of competitive space. I need the pressure to know so I can test my game against that pressure. That’s how I figure out what I need to work on going into a bigger golf tournament.”

Harman said the experience at The Open could pay off as he plays in his next major.

“I feel as though I’m more prepared to handle whatever comes my way,” Harman said. “Winning The Open and then the Ryder Cup, just these pressure-packed situations, and I’ve seen myself perform pretty well under that pressure. I may not execute under certain situations, I might just miss a golf shot, but I would like to think that the pressure wouldn’t get to me quite as bad as it may have at some point.”

Harman, who lives in St. Simons, Georgia, said he hopes to get back to Savannah soon to see old friends and fans. He is looking to make his mark this week at a course that is special to him after breaking through to win The Open.

“It’s something I’ll remember forever. My game was really trending…I got to play the week before at the Scottish Open, had some really good feelings and getting used to the weather and it just all timed up at the right time, which is really fortunate.

“I wanted to play last week, knock the rust off, and be as ready as I can to try and contend this week,” he said. “You definitely feel different when you walk onto this property as opposed to any others. Just the aura and the history and the beauty of this place makes you want to come back every year, and certainly makes you want to play well.”

Geoff Ogilvy ‘dipping a toe’ into TV this week with ESPN and answers the question could it lead to an even bigger role with NBC?

“It’s dipping the toe in the ocean without fully committing.”

AUGUSTA, Ga. — It’s been nearly a decade since Geoff Ogilvy last was a playing contestant in the Masters but he’s back this week to do television and was a popular figure under the famous oak tree Monday.

The past U.S. Open champion and eight-time PGA Tour winner is joining the ESPN coverage team and will appear as an analyst on SportsCenter all week from the event.

“This opportunity came along and I thought, ‘This is pretty good,’ ” said Ogilvy. “It’s dipping the toe in the ocean without fully committing.”

There was speculation that Ogilvy, widely regarded as one of the top quotes among players and an avid reader on golf history who has branched out into the golf course design business, was a top candidate to replace Paul Azinger as the lead analyst for NBC Sports, but Ogilvy has politely declined so far.

“NBC was scratching around but that doesn’t feel right at the moment. I’m not ready to commit to 20 weeks,” he told Golfweek on Monday.

Ogilvy, 46, had a legit chance to win a Green Jacket in 2011, finishing T-4. He still has limited status on the PGA Tour as a past champion and he’s not ready to hang up the spikes and trade in holing putts potentially worth millions for a microphone. He’d like to see if he can still compete against the young pups on Tour and prepare for PGA Tour Champions when he becomes eligible in a little more than three years. So far, he’s been able to make just one start this season at the Puerto Rico Open, where he missed the cut.

“I’d prefer if I can play although it doesn’t look like I’m going to get very many starts, but you never know,” said Ogilvy, who speculated he might go play some on the DP World Tour to help fill his playing schedule.

Asked why he didn’t take a spin in the lead analyst chair during NBC’s portion of the broadcast schedule leading up to the Masters, Ogilvy said he hasn’t closed a door to the idea but the timing just isn’t right.

“It’s not like I turned down the job,” he said. “The job might be there but it wasn’t like it was there, you know? I’m just not ready to commit to half the year.”

But golf fans will get a taste of just how good his analysis and insights can be this week during ESPN’s coverage and if all goes well, he should assume a similar role during the PGA Championship in May at Valhalla.

“That’s the plan,” he said.

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Masters: 3 things you didn’t know about equipment at Augusta National

You know about the green jacket, the back-nine charges and the pimento cheese, but did you know these things about equipment at the Masters?

Whether you are lucky enough to have a badge and plan to attend this year’s Masters Tournament in person or will be watching the action at Augusta National Golf Club from home, you already know plenty of details about the season’s first major because it is the only one that returns to the same venue every year. Green jackets, pimento cheese sandwiches, epic collapses, back-nine charges and the hole locations on Sundays – they all combine to make the Masters unique.

But there are a few things related to golf equipment that most patrons and Masters fans are unaware of, but that also make the tournament special.

No Equipment Vans on Site

At week-to-week PGA Tour events and the other three major championships, golf equipment makers like Titleist, Ping, TaylorMade, Callaway, Cobra and Cleveland/Srixon park large trucks near the practice area because technicians, fitters and other reps work closely with the players on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays as they prepare for the tournament. The vans arrive on Sunday afternoon and leave as a group shortly in the early afternoon on Wednesday to start the drive to the next event.

Equipment at the Masters — At the Masters, PGA Tour reps have to park trailers across the street and walk back and forth to service players. (Google Earth)

However, there are no equipment vans on-site at the Masters Tournament. The trucks park in a large lot across the street at the corner of Washington Road and Azalea Drive. The technicians and PGA Tour reps who are credentialed to work at the Masters Tournament need to cross Washington Road and then go through a special gate to gain access to the grounds, then they walk either around or through the caddie building before arriving at the practice range.

Like the patrons, the PGA Tour reps and company workers are not allowed to bring their cell phones into Augusta National, so communication can be challenging and there is a lot of walking back and forth between the practice area and the trucks.

Masters Practice Area — PGA Tour reps and technicians work with players in the practice area but do not linger on the range, keeping it much more open. (David Dusek/Golfweek)

Also, fitters and technicians need to be brought to the practice area by a player or requested by a player. Loitering around the range or near the practice green is not done. If business discussions need to happen, those conversations typically happen either under the massive oak tree behind the clubhouse or in a quiet place away from the practice area.

No Demos

Like the rest of us, when pros start missing putts and get frustrated, they can be tempted to look for a new putter to turn things around, and at nearly all PGA Tour events, companies leave large bags filled with demo clubs, prototypes and other putters for competitors to try. However, at the Masters Tournament, that doesn’t happen.

Odyssey putters at the practice area — An assortment of Odyssey putters available for golfers to try at Riviera Country Club during the Genesis Invitational. (David Dusek/Golfweek)

There are two practice greens at Augusta National for competitors to use. There is a large one next to the driving range in the practice area, and a second putting green behind the clubhouse and just a few steps away from the first tee. Players make use of both practice greens throughout the week, but the only golf bags you will see are those being used by the players. There are no demo bags or areas with gear left for players to try at the Masters.

Unique Wedge Prep

The greens at the Augusta National Golf Club are famous for being fast and for having massive slopes and undulations. There are also tightly mowed areas where players need to chip and pitch the ball, and those factors combine to put a premium on wedge play and generating spin, so you might think that competitors use brand-new wedges at the Masters Tournament. They don’t.

Justin Thomas Masters Wedge — In 2019, Justin Thomas had his jacket size stamped into his Titleist wedges. (David Dusek/Golfweek)

During the Florida Swing in March, PGA Tour reps who are responsible for wedges often chat with players who are already in the field at the Masters about what clubs they will want to use at Augusta National. Based on those conversations, the technicians will then either give the players what they want at a tournament or send the clubs directly to the player’s home. Next, the players will “break in” the wedges by either using them in one or two practice sessions or non-competition rounds. The goal is for the player to feel how the soles work through the turf and how the bounce feels, and to gain trust in the wedges’ performance. Once that is established, the golfers will set the broken-in wedges aside and save them for the Masters.

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