The Masters has arrived with a host of questions on everybody’s lips before the opening tee shot is struck late on Thursday night Australian time.
Rory McIlroy returns for the first time with a green jacket and an Australian veteran took the honour of welcoming him to an elite club.
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Those who wear green jackets have also shown in the days leading up the tournament proper that they do not mess around when it comes to the prestigious club’s traditional rules.
A major champion felt the blowback first hand, while, of course, everyone wants to know who will win with a deep dive into the statistics proving a past winner’s estimate to be on the money.
Augusta National chairman Fred Ridley also took the chance to address the golfing world on an issue that sparks fierce debate, but little progress has been made on since a major announcement came from the game’s governing bodies six years ago.
Plus, another past champion’s future hangs in the balance as he continues to butt heads with a key stakeholder.
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“This is where all the drama starts” | 01:02
AUSSIE’S TOUCHING RORY GESTURE
A massive talking point leading into this year’s Masters was Rory McIlroy finally joining the Champions Dinner.
On Tuesday evening, he hosted 33 attendees for the famous annual dinner in the Augusta National clubhouse.
What happens at the most exclusive dinner in sport typically stays within the room.
But every so often stories escape the dining room’s four walls and it has happened once again this year.
It turned out that Australia’s Adam Scott took the liberty of officially welcoming McIlroy to the most sought after club in world sport.
The 2013 champion is a leader within the sport in as role as a player director for the PGA Tour.
And it turns out he is clearly held in high regard among his green jacket peers too.
“As a matter of fact, unplanned, Adam Scott stood up to address the room to talk about Rory McIlroy,” Golf Central’s Todd Lewis said on Live from the Masters.
“He talked about the first time they played together which was on the DP World Tour in 2007, when Rory was an amateur.
“And he was so impressed with him as a player and a person then.
“He also talked about watching Rory in that second nine on Sunday trying to win the Masters finally and how Adam had, quote, ‘his heart in his throat’.”
The gesture, as well as the evening itself, clearly meant a lot to the career grand slam winner.
“It’s not lost on me,” McIlroy told Lewis during the Par 3 contest.
“I said in the room last night, but all of us in that room were the envy of the sport’s world.
“Everyone else would love to be in that room and I certainly don’t ever want to take it for granted.
“I tried to treat it as if it was the only time I’d host the dinner.
“Hopefully it’s not, but if it is, I tried to do it the right way and I just hope everyone had a great night.”
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Rory speaks ahead of Masters defence | 03:30
THE GREEN JACKETS DO NOT MESS AROUND
It does not matter who you are, when at Augusta National you must play by their rules.
One of the most famous rules in place every Masters week is no phones.
Patrons must leave them in a locker upon entry and the absences of smart devices creates scenes from yesteryear beside the fairways, tees and greens of the famous venue.
Augusta’s “traditional atmosphere” is sacred and it is why the green jackets, the club’s members, enforce the policy strictly.
It does not matter if you are a major winner.
Mark Calcavecchia, who defeated Australians Greg Norman and Wayne Grady in a playoff to win the 1989 Open, found that out the hard way, according to a report by Golfweek.
The 65-year-old was removed from Augusta National by security after he was caught using his phone on Tuesday.
“I’ve got nothing negative to say about Augusta National Golf Club and the Masters, so I think we should literally hang up right now,” he told Golfweek’s Adam Schupak.
Calcavecchia is not the first to feel the wrath of Augusta’s hard line stance.
Former Golf Channel broadcaster Charlie Rymer was kicked out in 2011 after he stepped out of the media centre to take a phone call and was caught by security.
US Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley told Golfweek that is sister was once caught with her phone in the clubhouse, but was spared removal from the property.
“They were going to kick her out and she cried, and they let her put her phone in a safe and stay,” Bradley said.
The world’s best players are grateful for the no phone rule.
World No.1 Scottie Scheffler spoke in his pre-tournament press conference of his love of the “ very peaceful” atmosphere it creates.
“There are no people asking for selfies in the middle of the round,” he said.
“It’s very calm out there, and people follow the rules here. For us as players, it’s really an enjoyable experience.”
Fellow contender Ludvig Aberg agrees.
“It feels like the fans are a little bit more engaged in the golf,” he said.
“They’re a little bit more attuned to what’s going on. It’s a cool environment to play. It feels like good golf shots are being appreciated, in a different way.”
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Fun and games on Masters Eve | 02:46
WHO IS BEST PLACED TO WIN?
2018 Masters champion Patrick Reed believes the number of true contenders at Augusta National each year has roughly doubled.
But his estimate is still surprisingly low.
Reed told reporters during his pre-tournament press conference that earlier in his career he felt like there were “five or six, maybe seven guys” who could win the green jacket.
Now, he believes there are “10 to 12 guys who have a really legitimate opportunity to win the green jacket”.
With the Masters having the most exclusive field of the four majors championships – compromising the top 50 in the world ranking, past winner, major champions from the past five years – it is little wonder that the best of the best often claim the green jacket.
Five of the last six Masters champions have also been the number one ranked player in the world at some point in their career.
Across the last decade, there has been clear statistical patterns among green jacket winner.
CBS Sports crunched the numbers and used a process of elimination to leave six genuine contender standing.
Jack Nicklaus at age 46 forty years ago is the oldest player to ever win the Masters, so that rules out a host of past champions.
No one has won on their first trip to Augusta since Fuzzy Zoeller in 1979, thus eliminating 22 debutants.
The last ten winners all had a top 40 before winning with seven of them having a top five.
All of the past ten champions had a top 15 finish already that year and a top 15 finish in a major championship the year prior.
Unfortunately for Australian golf fans the latter statistics rules out Min Woo Lee.
Adding in key numbers for strokes gained categories for the year so far – minimums of +0.67 (total), +0.14 (off the tee), +0.41 (irons) and +0.22 (short game) – and the likes of world No.1 Scottie Scheffler are eliminated courtesy of his iron play being below his usual lofty standards.
Based on their criteria, Reed as well as defending champion Rory McIlroy and 2023 winner Jon Rahm headline a group of six contenders.
Ludvig Aberg has been a popular tip after bursting onto the scene with a runner-up finish on debut two years ago.
2022 US Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick is also on the list, while Si Woo Kim is the surprise member of the illustrious group.
The deep dive means perhaps Reed’s original inkling is right and if one of those six do win, it will look like a stroke of genius.
The Masters: Full Australian preview | 07:56
AUGUSTA’S PLEA FOR BALL ROLLBACK
In his annual pre-Masters address, Augusta National chairman Fred Ridley took his chance to weigh in on golf’s ball rollback debate.
Ridley declared “failure is not an option” and branded the modern game more “one-dimensional” as a result of longer distances being struck off the tee.
Golf’s governing bodies announced plans for a ball rollback in February 2020.
Three years late the USGA and the R&A released their rollout plan, but the initial target introduction date of 2028 is set to be pushed back to 2030.
Changes would be set to wipe roughly 15 yards (13.7 metres) off drives.
It may not sound like a huge amount, but it would help to protect some of game’s most iconic courses from being overpowered by the modern player.
In recent times, Augusta National has purchased more land and pushed back tee boxes to counteract players cutting corners.
But Ridley insisted that his stance his not purely about looking after his own course.
“I also want to be clear that our position is grounded on much more than protecting the Augusta National golf course,” Ridley said.
“We will continue to make modifications as are necessary to react to driving distances that in some cases exceed 350 yards.
“Unfortunately, many courses, including some iconic venues, do not have that option. Until recent years golf has been a game of imagination, creativity, and variety. The game has become much more one-dimensional.
“As players drive the ball prodigious distances and routinely hit short irons into par-fours and even some par-fives, this issue goes beyond competitive impacts. Increased course lengths results in more time, more cost, and more environmental concerns.”
When the rollback plan was announced three years ago, it received support from the likes of Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods.
But one of the key concerns from many golfers was on the impact of the average weekend social player.
Ridley insists they will be largely unaffected by measures targeted at the professional game.
“The data that has been shared with all stakeholders makes one thing clear: The impact to the recreational game will be immaterial,” Ridley said.
“All of us in this room and millions of weekend golfers around the world will be hard-pressed to notice the effects of this change, and I do not believe our enjoyment of the game will be affected.
“As for professional golf, we hold firm in our belief that the greats of the game are defined not merely by how far they hit the ball, but their extraordinary skill in all aspects of the game.
“Their ability to shape shots, to take on risk, and to execute under pressure is at the heart of championship golf and is best displayed through a full spectrum of shot-making opportunities.
“Regulation of the golf ball is not an attempt to turn back time or stifle progress. It is an effort to preserve the essence of what makes golf the great game that it is.”
30 years since Greg Norman’s collapse | 04:03
RAHM’S RYDER CUP STANDOFF
Jon Rahm has arrived at another major championship with a dark cloud hanging over his head.
The former world No.1, who won a green jacket in 2023 before defecting to LIV Golf later this year, is still at odds with the DP World Tour over unpaid fines.
Rahm was the only member of a group of LIV players not to cut a deal with the DP World Tour to sort out their existing fines and play in six designated tournaments outside of their LIV schedule.
The Spaniard currently owes fines that have hit seven figures for playing on LIV without the DP World Tour’s consent.
He initially appealed the sanction, but recently dropped his challenge.
It leaves Rahm and the Tour in limbo and needing to find a solution.
He has been urged by the likes of Ryder Cup teammate Rory McIlroy to sort out his issues to ensure it does not impact his spot on the European team as they chase a third straight victory next year.
Rahm remains confident that he will be at Ireland’s Adare Manor next September, replying “yes” when asked that question during his pre-Masters press conference, despite at present being ineligible.
“I didn’t think that going the legal route and going to court was good for anybody,” he added.
“I have faith in us and the DP World Tour, that we are going to find a good solution for both of us.
“We keep talking to them and we keep trying to negotiate. I have given in quite a bit in a few things.
“We’re going to work it out. It’s going to work out. As of now, the DP World Tour is doing what they need to do and following the channels they need to follow but I’m confident this will be sorted out before I tee it up in September.”
The fact Rahm does not intend to play in Europe until the major season is completed means there is time for the situation to be resolved.
But in a touch of irony, he named six DP World Tour events he would gladly play in this year.
“I’m not planning to play until September,” he said.
“So that’s a bit of a positive. If I were unable right now, it doesn’t matter since I’m not planning to tee it up until after August like I have done in my career.
“I do intend to continue to support the DP World Tour. I’ve been very thankful to be a member. I’ve been very thankful to support the Tour and play some wonderful events.
“The Irish Open has been very good to me, and I would love to make a return. Wentworth has been fantastic every single year, the Spanish Open, maybe even the Dunhill. We have some events like the French Open and the Omega (European Masters). Those are events that I’d love to have the chance to play.”