Five Things to Know for the first round of the Masters

AUGUSTA, Ga. -- The patrons are back at Augusta National and so is Tiger Woods.

Rory McIlroy spoke for many when he said, “It feels like a normal Masters again.”

This is the first Masters with full attendance since 2019, which also was when Woods won his fifth Green Jacket. Now he’s on the cusp of an incredible comeback. Woods has looked promising in his nine-hole practice rounds at Augusta National, drawing rave reviews from his playing partners, and said his recovery after each round has gone better than expected.

Woods’ presence adds another element to the year’s first major, where a wide-open field may have to overcome difficult weather conditions to win the Green Jacket. Here’s Five Things to Know for the first round from Augusta National.

1. CHANGE AGENT

Augusta National is ever-evolving. Changes are made to the famed layout on an annual basis. Sometimes they are subtle. Not this year. Two of the most famous holes on the second nine underwent dramatic changes, while tinier tweaks were made to three more holes.

The biggest changes came to the hole that serves as the introduction to Amen Corner, the long par-4 11th that is traditionally the second-hardest hole on the course. The renovations are expected to make one of Augusta National’s most difficult holes even harder.

It starts on the tee, which was moved back 15 yards and to the players’ left. The 11th hole now measures 520 yards, longer than the par-5 13th. New contours to the downhill fairway at 11 could give more roll to tee shots and leave players with a shorter second shot after a properly-executed drive, but changes around the putting surface make the penalty for a miss even more severe.

Gone is the thick strand of trees that lined the right side of the landing area. The fairway has been widened and only three trees remain from the cluster that were planted during the club’s Tiger-proofing era. But the removal of those trees is meant to tempt players to try a risky recovery shot.

The lake on the front-left portion of the green has been extended back toward the tee, while the area right of the green, a popular bail-out area for those playing away from the water, has been lowered, making a par save harder to come by.

“The tee shots may be slightly easier, but then it leaves you with a longer second shot in and I think that’s where the hole becomes a lot more difficult,” said Rory McIlroy. “The penalty for missing the second shot is greater than it was before. … That drop-off on the right side is significantly deeper than it used to be.”

The 15th hole has been lengthened 20 yards, as well, and the tee dropped below the level of the fairway. The fairway also was sloped right-to-left, allowing players to get added roll with a draw but also increasing the chances that their ball will roll behind the grove of trees on the left side of the fairway. The added length may force players to hit fairway woods and long-irons into this green again. Gene Sarazen used a 4-wood to hit the most famous shot in Masters history, his albatross on the 15th hole in the final round en route to a playoff victory over Craig Wood in 1935. In 1957, Doug Ford’s caddie, nicknamed Fireball, wouldn’t let Ford take 3-wood out of the bag in the final round. They tussled over the club, drawing laughter from the patrons. Ford finally won, hit his second shot on the green and two-putted for birdie en route to victory. Players have been hitting mid- and short-iron second shots into the 15th green in recent years, however.

There have been more subtle changes to the greens on three holes – Nos. 3, 13 and 17 – as well.

2. FORE-CAST

Augusta National is capable of controlling even the tiniest detail on its grounds. The weather isn’t one of them, however. The forecast looks like it could have a large impact on the week. Augusta National was playing firm and fast Monday but it was hit hard by rain the next day – the course was closed for the day at 10:55 a.m. because of thunderstorms – and more were in the forecast Wednesday.

Players will see cooler temperatures and stronger winds when competition begins. Gusts of 25 mph are expected for each of the first three rounds and the temperature on Friday and Saturday isn’t expected to get above the mid-60s, with lows in the 40s. The winds are expected to weaken for the final round, but the low will dip into the 30s.

3. QUESTION TIME

Which player is hotter, Scottie Scheffler, having won three of his last five starts, or Cameron Smith, who hasn’t teed it up since he made 10 final-round birdies and won THE PLAYERS Championship last month, adding to his record-setting victory at the Sentry Tournament of Championship? Here are the burning questions going into the 2022 Masters Tournament.

Can Tiger’s right leg hold up over 72 holes? Only 14 months removed from a single-car accident that nearly led to amputation, Woods is aiming to resume PGA TOUR competition for the first time in nearly a year and a half. And he’s doing so on one of the toughest walks in golf, where players seldom get a flat lie. “It's the recovery,” Woods said. “How am I going to get all the swelling out and recover for the next day? My team has been fantastic and worked very hard.” Virtually everyone who has played with him in the practice rounds – Fred Couples, Rory McIlroy, Justin Thomas, Cameron Davis – has been raving about how he’s been hitting the ball. Even Woods, who has five Masters titles among his 15 majors, and who would edge ahead of Sam Snead with his 83rd TOUR title, has said he’s hitting it well enough to win. How his leg holds up is clearly going to be the biggest question of the week.

Can Scottie Scheffler be stopped? The world No. 1 and FedExCup leader was winless two month ago, but now he’s won in three of his last five starts, most recently at the grueling World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play in Austin two weeks ago. He was T18 at the Masters a year ago, and T19 at the Masters in November, 2020, and has been learning the course as fast as he can. “I've been fortunate,” he said. “I played the first two rounds last year with Phil (Mickelson), and then in 2020 I got paired with Tiger on Sunday.” As for his recent rise, Scheffler credited Collin Morikawa, Sam Burns, Viktor Hovland and others for inspiring him. “When you get to see those guys that you've been playing with and competing against for years come out here and have success,” he said, “that's kind of a boost for you, like I can do that, too.” One caveat: Scheffler admitted Burns, a two-time winner this season (Sanderson Farms Championship, Valspar Championship) has been winning their practice-round matches this week.

Is Cameron Smith the favorite? He authored a wildly entertaining final round with 10 birdies in winning THE PLAYERS Championship last month. After that? Nesting mode. Smith spent a few additional days with his mom and sister, who were visiting from Australia for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic began, and recovered from a tiring week at TPC Sawgrass. Now, after making the four-plus-hour drive north from his adopted home of Jacksonville, Florida, he’s gearing up to play Augusta National, a course that suits him even more. “I think it just allows me to be creative,” said Smith, who has three top-10 finishes in his last four Masters starts, including a T2 in 2020. “Reminds me a lot of home, the Sand Belt courses, kind of firm and fast. You know, you have to be smart around here, too.” Fewer and fewer fans are overlooking the Australian with the sweet putting stroke and the knack for clutch play.

Are Rory and Jordan still good picks? McIlroy is making his 14th Masters start, with his solo fourth in 2015 his best effort. He needs a win for the career Grand Slam and is coming off a missed cut at the Valero Texas Open. “I think it was beneficial in the end,” he said. “I learned a few things. … If there's a cut to miss, it wasn't a bad one to miss. I got home, did two really good days of practice on Saturday and Sunday, and actually felt a lot better about where things were heading up here Sunday evening.” McIlroy, who picked up his 20th TOUR win last fall, has played just four times so far in 2022. Spieth, meanwhile, said his putting has never been as bad as it was at the Valero Texas Open, where he still shot a bogey-free 67 (T35) in the final round thanks to strong iron play. He’s hoping he sorted it out with coach Cameron McCormick. “If I'm just myself on these greens, then the rest of the game is coming around really nicely,” said Spieth, who has five top-3 finishes, including a win, in eight Masters starts. “I've come in here after missing the cut and had a chance on Sunday, and I've come in here playing well and had a chance.”

4. CADDIE CORNER

Two of the favorites this week have already won a combined five Green Jackets. Well, their caddies have.

Both Justin Thomas and Scottie Scheffler are playing their first Masters with caddies who’ve had plenty of success at Augusta National. Scottie Scheffler, the FedExCup leader and world No. 1, has Ted Scott on the bag. Scheffler and Scott, the longtime caddie for two-time Masters champion Bubba Watson, connected in the fall, and it’s proven to be a fruitful partnership.

Thomas hired Jim “Bones” Mackay full-time last fall, luring Mackay away from his gig as a Golf Channel broadcaster. Mackay caddie for Phil Mickelson in Mickelson’s three Masters triumphs.

“He obviously knows the course amazingly (well), and I feel like I know the course very well too,” said Thomas, whose solo 4th in 2020 is his best result in six Masters. “It's just about going out and doing it at that point. … Hopefully we can create a little bit of the success he's had here.”

Scheffler praised Scott’s work ethic but said the caddie knows how to keep it light.

“I don't know how much time you spend around Ted, but he's a pretty goofy guy, and we have a lot of fun together,” Scheffler said. “He tells a lot of good jokes. Not everybody may think they're funny, but his dad jokes are pretty good, and we get a good chuckle out of them.”

Meanwhile, Joe LaCava (Tiger Woods) and Michael Greller (Jordan Spieth) offer veteran guidance, as well, each having at least one Masters victory under his belt.

“He absolutely loves this place,” Spieth said of Greller, the former teacher with whom he’s spent his entire pro career. “Because of that, he just wants to spend sunrise to sunset out here.”

LaCava not only caddied for Woods for his emotional 2019 Masters victory, he also was on the bag when Fred Couples collected his lone major title here in 1992.

5. TOP SPOT

Thanks to three wins in his last five starts, Scottie Scheffler will start the year’s first major as the No. 1 player in both the FedExCup and Official World Golf Ranking. No one can supplant Scheffler from the top spot in the FedExCup this week. He has a commanding 780-point lead over Sam Burns, his close friend, fierce board-game rival and housemate this week. The winner this week will earn 600 points.

It’s a different story in the Official World Golf Ranking, where five players have a chance to take the top spot from Scheffler, the 25-year-old from Dallas. Jon Rahm needs to finish at least solo sixth to regain the No. 1 ranking that he lost when Scheffler won the World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play. Collin Morikawa needs to finish no worse than a two-way tie for third to become No. 1 for the first time. Viktor Hovland, who like Morikawa turned pro less than three years ago, can become world No. 1 for the first time with a solo third. FedExCup champion Patrick Cantlay needs to finish at least solo second to reach the top spot, while Cameron Smith could become No. 1 if he joins Tiger Woods as the only player to win the Masters and THE PLAYERS in the same year.