The Masters always feels a bit like home, even for golf fans who have never been lucky enough to be patrons on the ground at Augusta National. Every year we see the course and as time wears on we, like the players, become extremely familiar with traditional hole locations each day and the ebbs and flow of how a round goes on the most hallowed grounds of American golf.
The Masters rarely deviates from tradition, especially with its final round hole locations, but this year as Rory McIlroy and Bryson DeChambeau duel in the final pairing, when they arrive at Augusta’s closing stretch they will be greeted by a new (to them) hole location on the iconic No. 16.
Gone is back left pin at the bottom of the bowl that has produced legendary holes-in-one and one “in your life” chip from Tiger Woods. In its place is an even more difficult back right hole location, perched up on the back shelf, just a few paces from the back edge and back bunkers.
It is a throwback to 50 years ago when Jack Nicklaus won the Masters in 1975, as that was the hole location for the fifth of his six green jackets. Nicklaus poured in a long birdie putt from the lower section of the green on his way to his latest Masters triumph.
The hole location shift on No. 16 will change the game plan for the second nine pretty significantly. The 16th was always the last great birdie opportunity on the second nine, as a smart shot to the center of the green would work its way down towards the hole. This year, the ridge that funneled countless golf balls towards the hole on Sundays over the last few decades will usher them away, making par a very good score at the par 3. A birdie will require something special, either off the tee or on the green like Jack produced.
With that change, the two par 5s on the second nine figure to play an even more pivotal role in Sunday’s drama; those will be the last two great birdie chances. With two long hitters in the final pairing, capitalizing on those scoring chances will become even more paramount for their green jacket chase.
The 16th, meanwhile, will feature a different type of drama. There won’t be the buzz of anticipation for a potential tournament-changing hole-in-one, but instead there will be a different tension, as bogey is a much larger possibility with a more precise shot required to the back shelf.
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