It is that time of year again everyone, spring has sprung the days are getting long and The US Masters is just around the corner. It is arguably the major every Golfer wants to win out of the four majors which in order consist of The US Masters, The PGA Championship, The US Open and The Open Championship. They are played in April, May, June and July respectively. If you win the US Masters you win a green Jacket in which last years winner presents it to you and you are guaranteed to play Augusta whenever you want for the rest of your life. They are not known as spectators in Augusta they are called patrons because they are more formal.
Augusta unlike other Majors is very restrictive with television coverage meaning that it is always 8pm Irish time when television is allowed show a full round of live Golf. This is down to an old traditional Masters committee who have not moved with the times as of yet.
The current world number one heading into this weeks Masters is Scottie Scheffler from the USA followed by Spain’s Jon Rahm who was last years US Open champion in Pebble Beach. This tournament has always seemed to elude Rory McIlroy who has now gone eight years without a major title. McIlroy’s last one was the PGA Championship at Valhalla in August 2014. He has always been talked up as a possible winner of the tournament and he has not come up with the goods each time. He will look back at 2011 when he squandered a four shot lead on the final day and 2018 when he finished fifth to Patrick Reed having went into to the final day second on the leader board.
It is brilliant to see Tiger Woods making a recovery from a serious car accident that could easily have cost him his life in February 2021. It remains to be seen whether he will play or not but it is fantastic to see the most successful golfer with fifteen majors back. He has won the US Masters five times in total (1997, 2001, 2002, 2005 and 2019). His famous chip in at number 16 in 2005 will live long in the memory.
Augusta National is a very good for the television viewer at this time of the year with the lovely azaleas and other plants starting to fully bloom. All the holes at the course from 1-18 are named after plants. The three most famous holes on the course and possibly Golf are 11-13 known as Amen corner. This stretch of the course is known to either make or break masters aspirations if you think back to Greg Norman in 1996, Rory McIlroy in 2011 and Jordan Spieth in 2016. Amen corner as always will play a crucial role in the winning and losing of the Masters.
This promises to be a Masters to remember and whoever captures the green jacket on Sunday they will certainly deserve it. It will be great to see a full crowd back at the Masters again after a three year absence.
