Tag: The Masters

17 photos of Rory McIlroy through the years

A look back through Rory McIlroy’s pro golf career.

Rory McIlroy has had an enviable golf career. He turned pro in 2007, joined the PGA Tour in 2010 and finished his first season with a tour victory.

Fast forward more than a decade later, and now-33-year-old McIlroy has 23 PGA Tour wins — including at the U.S. Open, the British Open and the Players Championship — along with being the FedExCup champion in 2016, 2019 and 2022.

Although McIlroy finished 2022 as the world No. 1, he’s now ranked second behind Scottie Scheffler, the 2022 Masters champion, with one win so far this season.

Here’s a look at McIlroy through the years, starting with his debut on the PGA Tour.

Masters Leaderboard: Live leaderboard, Schedule, Tee times

Will Zalatoris gave bettors a huge break by withdrawing from the Masters before his tee time

Bettors can breathe a huge sigh of relief that Will Zalatoris withdrew from the Masters before his tee time.

Bettors caught a huge break as golfer Will Zalatoris withdrew from the 87th annual Masters Tournament on Thursday.

With Zalatoris stepping away due to a back ailment ahead of his scheduled tee time, any bets placed on the golfer will be returned to the bettors as he never actually started the tournament.

Zalatoris had +5000 odds to win the Masters heading into Thursday’s start. Action Network Darren Rovell reported that 2.3-percent of the bets and 2-percent of the money were placed on Zalatoris to win the tournament with BetMGM.

The withdrawal is a shakeup in the Masters competition pool, but bettors caught a huge break as Zalatoris said he wasn’t golfing this tournament before the bets on him were locked.

With the tournament underway, there are still a bunch of golfers vying for the title that could be wise bets.

While it may not be Zalatoris sporting the green jacket this year, bettors can breathe a sigh of relief that their bets won’t be going to waste.

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Through the years: Remembering every Masters Tiger Woods has played

Here’s how Tiger has performed in his 24 Masters appearances.

When thinking of Augusta National, what is the first thing that comes to mind?

Is it the manicured grounds, the famous Masters logo, the excitement of tradition and competition? Or is it one of the golfers most synonymous with victory in Augusta, Georgia?

Tiger Woods has played in 24 Masters Tournaments and totaled five victories. The only golfer to have won more at Augusta National Golf Club is Jack Nicklaus, who has six green jackets.

Beginning in 1995 as an amateur and through with his fifth Masters win in 2019, we document each of Woods’ 24 Masters appearances with a photo and his result.

Eight Georgia Bulldogs competing in the 2023 Masters

Georgia has the most golfers of any college competing in the 2023 Masters

Georgia has the most golfers of any college competing in the PGA Tour, so it should come as no surprise that the Bulldogs have the most players of any college competing at the 2023 Masters.

Georgia Bulldogs golfing at the Masters have bragging rights because their favorite college football team has won back-to-back national championship.

Bubba Watson is the last Georgia Bulldog to win the Masters. Watson, who has two wins at the Masters, last won the event in 2014.

The Masters will be held at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia, from April 6-9.

Here’s every Georgia Bulldog golfer who is competing in the 2023 Masters:

How many golfers have repeated at the Masters?

Scottie Scheffler could join a very exclusive club in 2023.

The 2023 Masters is finally here, and much of the talk leading into competition at Augusta National has been about Scottie Scheffler.

Not only is the 26-year-old player the reigning Masters champion — and his Masters Champions dinner menu is incredible and includes “cheeseburger sliders, served Scottie-style” — but Scheffler is also the current No. 1 player in the world with two victories in the last two months.

Now, of course, it takes a lot of elements lining up perfectly, including a little luck, to win the Masters. It takes all of that and a little something extra special to win it twice.

And winning it in back-to-back years? That would be remarkable, but Scheffler is among the 2023 Masters favorites.

Masters Leaderboard: Live leaderboard, Schedule, Tee times

The red jackets all over Augusta National at the 2023 Masters, explained

It’s not just green jackets at this year’s Masters Tournament

Everyone knows that the signature jacket of the Masters Tournament is green. The best golfer at the end of the four rounds gets to take home a trophy, a few million dollars and that evergreen garment. But this year, you may see some other fancy sport coats floating around Augusta National.

Masters Leaderboard: Live leaderboard, Schedule, Tee times

Fireball Cinnamon Whisky ran a contest to give 10 golf fans the chance to don a bright red jacket (and take home $1000) at this year’s tournament, asking people to submit their favorite “Fireball golf tradition.”

They certainly aren’t subtle, but that’s pretty much the point. For a members only club that’s notoriously strict on decorum, this is a pretty sneaky way for advertisers to get around the rulebook.

We’ll see if more companies try it out in the future — or if Augusta National finds a way to stop the practice altogether.

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2023 Masters: A look at the record book at Augusta National Golf Club

We offer some of the most interesting records at the Masters: birdies, eagles, cuts made and more.

There have been plenty of records set since the Masters Tournament started in 1934. Hole-by-hole scoring records, round records, tournament records – tons of interesting marks and a Hall of Fame list of familiar names stacked in the official book for Augusta National Golf Club.

Which record matters most?

That has to be most wins, and that would be Jack Nicklaus with six (1963, 1965, 1966, 1972, 1975, 1986). Tiger Woods is entered this year, and a victory by Woods (1997, 2001, 2022, 2005, 2019) would tie Nicklaus for that record. They are followed by Arnold Palmer with four titles (1958, 1960, 1962, 1964), then five players with three wins at Augusta National (Jimmy Demaret, Sam Snead, Gary Player, Nick Faldo and Phil Mickelson).

Check out some of the other interesting records below, courtesy of the official Masters media guide.

Tiger Woods admitted this could be his last Masters tournament and it’s heartbreaking to hear

It’s almost time for Tiger Woods to call it a career.

Nothing lasts forever, man. Especially not in sports. But, with that being said, it’s hard to picture the game of golf without including Tiger Woods in it.

That time is coming and it’s coming fast. At least, according to Woods himself.

Masters Leaderboard: Live leaderboard, Schedule, Tee times

In a press conference ahead of the 2023 Masters, Woods talked about where he was physically heading into the tournament. He was also asked whether he thinks about when each appearance could potentially be his last on the tour.

What followed that was an extremely open and honest admission from Woods — he knows his time in the golf world will be up soon. And he’s cherishing the moments and opportunities he has now more because of it.

Here’s what he had to say.

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LIV Golf players have their pride at stake during the 2023 Masters

There’s no hiding from the expectations for LIV Golf defectors

Once upon a time golfers like Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, Sergio Garcia and Patrick Reed could walk into the clubhouse at Augusta National with their green jackets on and nothing to prove.

That time was about a year ago and oh so much has changed.

When the mostly washed-up golfers who defected from the PGA Tour to LIV Golf return to Augusta this week for the 2023 Masters Tournament, everything is on the line for them.

Masters Leaderboard: Live leaderboard, Schedule, Tee times

Their reputation, the legitimacy of the Saudi-backed league they’re playing in and, of course, their own wallets. Plenty has been made about the fact that LIV Golf just simply isn’t competitive enough for the best in the world. With only 54 holes (three rounds) and no cuts — compared to the standard 72 holes with only the top half of the field making the weekend on the Tour —the notion of LIV events as glorified exhibitions isn’t so far-fetched.

The players who took ungodly amounts of money to join LIV and sacrifice their PGA careers know this, too. Just look at what Cam Smith said last week before arriving in Georgia, per Golf Channel’s Rex Hoggard:

“For me I’m trying to go there and play the best golf I can,” Smith said Thursday at the LIV Golf Orlando event. “Is it important for LIV? I think it is important to go there and play well. Really show a high standard of golf which we know we’re all capable of.”

…

“Maybe we just show a really hardy effort. For us, internally, it’s kind of a pride thing. There’s a lot of chatter going around about, ‘These guys don’t play real golf anymore.’ I think it’s BS. We just want to show people,” he said.

It says so much that this is coming from Smith — who is essentially the only LIV player oddsmakers are remotely giving a chance this year.

You know who isn’t arriving in Augusta with the weight of justifying their career choices and breakaway league? Every other golfer who didn’t join LIV. The same guys who didn’t have to play in a mandatory LIV event in Orlando over the weekend and could instead get to Augusta early for some extra practice rounds.

Maybe it won’t matter out on the course when play begins. It certainly matters outside the ropes. If LIV golfers are constantly getting questions about whether or not they’re good enough to win major tournaments, and if the highest-ranked player in LIV feels pride is on the line this week, that’s an advantage for the rest of a field.

It would also make someone like Cam Smith winning a green jacket this year all the more memorable if he’s able to pull it off.

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19 ways golfers can qualify to play in the Masters

Earning an invitation to the Masters is a massive career achievement by itself

If you thought trying to get tickets to the Masters was difficult, getting invited to play in the tournament itself may feel like climbing Mount Everest.

Maybe it shouldn’t come as a surprise given that Augusta National prides itself on exclusivity, but of all four major tournaments, the Masters boasts the smallest field — typically around 100 players get invited.

Masters Leaderboard: Live leaderboard, Schedule, Tee times

There are no qualifying tournaments to play your way into the field. No sponsor exemptions to get a fan favorite a tee time, either. There are just 19 possible ways to qualify for one of golf’s greatest challenges and each one requires a major career accomplishment.

Here is how to qualify for an invitation to the Masters:

  1. Masters Tournament Champions (Lifetime)
  2. US Open Champions (Honorary, non-competing after five years)
  3. The Open Champions (Honorary, non-competing after five years)
  4. PGA Champions (Honorary, non-competing after five years)
  5. Winners of The Players Championship (Three years)
  6. Current Olympic Gold Medalist (One year)
  7. Current US Amateur Champion (7-A) (Honorary, non-competing after one year) and the runner-up (7-B) to the current US Amateur Champion
  8. Current The Amateur Champion (Honorary, non-competing after one year)
  9. Current Asia-Pacific Amateur Champion (One year)
  10. Current Latin America Amateur Champion (One year)
  11. Current US Mid-Amateur Champion (One year)
  12. The first 12 players, including ties, in the previous year’s Masters Tournament
  13. The first 4 players, including ties, in the previous year’s US Open
  14. The first 4 players, including ties, in the previous year’s The Open Championship
  15. The first 4 players, including ties, in the previous year’s PGA Championship
  16. Individual winners of PGA Tour events that award a full-point allocation for the season-ending Tour Championship, from previous Masters to current Masters
  17. Those qualifying for the previous year’s season-ending Tour Championship
  18. The 50 leaders on the Final Official World Golf Ranking for the previous calendar year
  19. The 50 leaders on the Official World Golf Ranking published during the week prior to the current Masters Tournament

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That’s it. Those are the only opportunities available. Which makes sense when you want to call your tournament “The Masters”. Multiple players will qualify in more than one way, but winning a green jacket is the only way to guarantee yourself an invitation back every year for life.

This includes any golfer who defected the Saudi-back LIV Golf was suspended by the PGA Tour.

In 2023, only 89 golfers were invited to play at the Masters with 12 of those earning their way into the field solely because they previously won the tournament. That includes all-time greats like Tiger Woods, Fred Couples, Bubba Watson and Sergio Garcia.

Past champions Trevor Immelman, Nick Faldo, Angel Cabrera and Tom Watson have declined the opportunity to play this year.

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