Tag: The Masters

How a regular person can try to play a round of golf at Augusta National

It might actually be much harder than you think.

Editor’s Note: This story was originally published on April 7, 2023.

You’re watching The Masters, admiring the ridiculously green Augusta National course between shots and leaderboard check-ins, and thinking: Man, it’d be so cool to play a round of golf there.

It would probably be a major highlight for average golfers to try Augusta at some point. But too bad because the general public can’t just select an open tee time and play a round.

Masters Leaderboard: Live leaderboard, Schedule, Tee times

Augusta National is a private golf club with an extremely problematic not-so-distant past with rampant racism and sexism. It’s very exclusive, so the only ways to play a round are to either be a member or be invited as a guest by a member.

And the only way to become a member is to be invited. That’s it.

HOWEVER…

As Golf Digest and Golf.com have noted, there are a handful of ways nonmembers can try to play Augusta. The simplest, though surely not the easiest, is to befriend a member of the club and get them to invite you. They have extensive recommendations, but some of the more creative options include:

  • Volunteer at the Masters
  • Caddie for Augusta National
  • Get a job at Augusta National
  • Work for a big-time sponsor
  • Write a book officially sanctioned by Augusta National

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How to make The Masters pimento cheese sandwich at home

Get more invested in the action with this classic treat.

Editor’s Note: This story was originally published on April 5, 2023. It has since been updated. 

The 2024 Masters start this week, and its traditions are unlike any other in sports. One of the more timeless, especially for those wandering the course as fans at Augusta, is the delicious pimento cheese sandwich.

It’s cheap, delectable, and an ideal little treat while watching some of the world’s greatest golfers duke it out in the sport’s premier tournament. It also goes without saying that if you’re not in attendance at Augusta, you can still make a pimento cheese sandwich at home!

And you should really try because:

1. It’s delicious.

2. You’ll feel more involved when watching from your couch.

Here’s a simple recipe for a pimento cheese sandwich — Augusta style, via Golf.com — to get you prepped for The Masters:

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3 cocktails to sip while watching the Masters for a real(ish) Augusta experience

Peach-infused Georgia cocktails and the unofficial official drink of the Masters.

Editor’s Note: This story was originally published on April 6, 2023

The Augusta experience is more than just watching golf. It’s also taking part in the most reasonable concession prices in any major American sporting event.

Of course, the lure of a $3 sandwich and a $5 imported beer is tempered by the $450 ticket price — assuming you can win the lottery for those and aren’t shunted off to a constantly absurd resale market — but still. The Masters is an iconic golf event whose appeal goes beyond the action on the course. And whether you’re in Georgia or just watching at home, it’s an affair that practically begs you to enjoy it with a cocktail in hand.

Masters Leaderboard: Live leaderboard, Schedule, Tee times

So let’s take care of that. Thanks to my role as FTW’s booze scribe, I have a well-stocked liquor cabinet (and a fridge filled with entirely too many hard seltzers). Let’s whip up some drinks that’ll serve as a proper companion to that Tradition Unlike Any Other (tm … I’m assuming).

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Why Fred Couples is using a yellow ball at the Masters

Couples isn’t the only pro who has opted for a brightly colored ball.

Editor’s Note: This story was originally published on April 7, 2023. It has since been upated.

Fred Couples has played on the PGA Tour Champions since 2010, but as the 1992 Masters winner, he has a lifetime invitation to the event at Augusta National Golf Club.

Masters Leaderboard: Live leaderboard, Schedule, Tee times

If you’ve been watching Couples’ run at Augusta the past few years, you may have noticed something that differentiates him from the rest of the field: He uses a yellow golf ball.

The reason for this is quite simple — it helps him spot the ball better. He’s not the only golfer that has opted to make the switch to easier balls to track, but that doesn’t mean it’s a popular choice with everyone on the tour.

Tiger Woods told Golf.com that other golfers — himself included — often rib Couples for the choice. Woods said that he always thought yellow balls were for “hacks,” though he acknowledged that he would use one if he thought it would help his score.

“We give [Fred] grief all the time about using the yellow ball,” Woods said. “But he absolutely loves it because he can’t see anymore. You should see the font on his phone; it’s like one letter per screen.”

The yellow cover apparently provides no advantage (or disadvantage) beyond the increased visibility, but obviously, even a former Masters winner like Couples isn’t immune from some slight mocking about it.

[afflinkbutton text=”Shop Fred Couples’ yellow golf ball” link=”https://pga-tour-superstore.pxf.io/oqqqDe”]

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How do you get tickets to the Masters?

It’s not an easy process to get tickets for the Masters.

Editor’s Note: This story was originally published on April 6, 2023. It has since been updated.

So, you’re all pumped up about the 2024 Masters and ready to watch seemingly endless hours of golf, imagining what it’s like to attend Augusta National’s famed event.

Masters Leaderboard: Live leaderboard, Schedule, Tee times

Maybe you joke about wanting to go to the Masters someday, and maybe that joke becomes more of a serious question, making you wonder: How do you even get tickets to the Masters?

Well, like just about everything with Augusta National, it’s not easy, and you have to win a lottery.

Unlike a lot of other sporting events, the Masters doesn’t just put tickets on sale. Each year, the tournament asks fans to fill out an application and then hope for the best. If you’re selected, then you have the option to buy tickets.

In 2023 for those who won the lottery, tickets for practice rounds were $100 each while tournament days were $140 each, according to Golf.com.

For the 2025 Masters, applications will be accepted from June 1-20, per the Masters site.

And if you don’t win the Masters lottery, as Golf.com notes:

Now, if you still want to go to the Masters but don’t win the lottery, there is a secondary market, but it’s not cheap. Tickets for practice rounds this year start around $700, and a ticket for Masters Sunday will cost you at least $1,000.

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The high-tech drainage system keeping Augusta National playable after rain, explained

How Augusta National and the Masters keep the course playable after it downpours.

Editor’s Note: This story was originally published on April 7, 2023.

Welcome to FTW Explains, a guide to catching up on and better understanding stuff going on in the world. If you’re watching the 2023 Masters, you already know the weather is gross. And maybe you’re wondering how golf can carry on in the rain. No worries, because we’re here to help.

Going into the 2023 Masters weekend, players and fans surely knew what to expect because if the weather remotely resembled the projected forecast from earlier this week, it was going to be a wet one.

The wind and rain had an impact on the tournament during Friday’s second round before play was briefly suspended multiple times thanks to inclement weather.

Masters Leaderboard: Live leaderboard, Schedule, Tee times

So what happens if the weather at Augusta National stays terrible all weekend? What if it’s just raining a lot, but the weather isn’t bad enough to stop playing? How can anyone play the course after rain?

We’re here to break it all down.

2024 Masters announcers: Who’s calling the tournament on Masters Live, ESPN and CBS?

Who is broadcasting The Masters this year on CBS and ESPN?

The Masters is one of the great spring sporting events we have, and the broadcasts of it are always integral parts of the famous golf tournament.

CBS will be broadcasting this year’s Masters once again, and the network has unveiled its broadcast roster for this April’s latest edition of the golf event.

Masters Leaderboard: Live leaderboard, Schedule, Tee times

Jim Nantz will once again return as host, while 2008 Masters winner Trevor Immelman will serve as the lead analyst for a second time.

Verne Lundquist will work as a part of CBS’ golf team for a final time after 40 Masters tournaments, while Dottie Pepper will return as the network’s on-course reporter.

Broadcasters like Ian Baker-Finch, Andrew Catalon, Amanda Balionis, Frank Nobilo will join in with the CBS coverage.

Over at ESPN, Scott Van Pelt will lead the ESPN telecasts along with Curtis Strange. Michael Eaves will join the two for interviews.

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Sean McDonough will broadcast the Masters Par 3 contest with Strange. Marty Smith will join the two for interviews during that time.

Streaming on Masters Live, Shane Bacon, Colt Knost and Billy Kratzert will have the featured groups morning coverage while Brian Crowell and Smylie Kaufman will serve as announcers in the afternoon. Grant Boone and Mark Immelman will guide coverage from Amen Corner.

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Why Tiger Woods can’t (and won’t) just use a golf cart to compete in The Masters, explained

Golf carts make perfect sense to me! But apparently not to anyone else.

Editor’s Note: A version of this story was originally published April 5, 2022.  

As we all know, Tiger Woods injured his leg in the horrific car accident he was in 2021. It’s still an issue. He can physically play golf well, but as he’s said, walking the course is more of an issue.

This point from Woods brought up what I thought was a very valid question in my mind which was, “why would Tiger not just use a golf cart?” Yup. I asked my For the Win coworkers. I had to.

Masters Leaderboard: Live leaderboard, Schedule, Tee times

Let me preface this by saying I don’t know nothing about golf, y’all. The closest I’ve gotten to a legitimate course was Top Golf. And I’m not very good at that. (I can hit the ball kind of far but not super far, you know?)

Luckily, my colleagues didn’t roast me there. Instead, they told me golf carts are basically not allowed. Which was news to me! I mean, golf carts exist for golf. Why would they not be allowed, right? Right.

That sent me on a (slightly) deep dive into why carts are taboo in professional golf. Here’s what I came up with.

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Bubba Watson’s daughter wowed the Par 3 tournament crowd with her stellar putting ability

Bubba Watson’s daughter wowed crowds at Wednesday’s Par 3 tournament.

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.

Maybe Dakota Watson will be competing in professional golf one of these days and carry on the family legacy of winning in the majors.

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Wyndham Clark has support of Dan Lanning and the Ducks ahead of Masters debut

We know who Dan Lanning is pulling for this year at The Masters.

Growing up, every golfer’s dream is to make it to the PGA Tour, and eventually have a chance to drove down Magnolia Lane in Augusta, Georgia, gearing up for The Masters Championship. It is among the most legendary tournaments in all of golf, and awards arguably the most prestigious trophy in all of sports — the green jacket.

That’s a trophy that former Oregon Duck Wyndham Clark will be competing for later this week down in Augusta, making his Masters debut. While Clark has been finding success on the PGA Tour for a few years now, it was his win in the U.S. Open a year ago that got him qualifying status for the first major of 2024.

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While Clark has a large group of fans rooting him on from across the country in Eugene, the most notable may be Oregon Ducks head football coach Dan Lanning.

“I’m going to try and catch as much as I can,” Lanning said when asked about The Masters on Tuesday. “We’ll be busy with practice on Thursday and Saturday, but I hope Wyndham goes out there and takes care of business.”

Clark has three career wins on the PGA Tour, one of which came earlier this year at Pebble Beach. He is playing alongside Viktor Hovland and Cameron Smith, teeing off at 7:54 a.m. PT on Thursday morning, and 11 a.m. PT on Friday morning.

At the moment, according to FanDuel Sportsbook, Clark has +4000 odds to win the tournament, which is tied for the 12th best in the field.

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