Masters 2026: A brutal test awaits at Augusta National

AUGUSTA, Ga. — Scottie Scheffler was on the 550-yard fifteenth gap throughout Wednesday’s observe spherical at Augusta National, having laid as much as hit his third shot from an space on the left facet of the golf green. For golfers who aren’t going for the inexperienced in two, it is going to be a preferred spot for a brief method as soon as the match begins on Thursday.

Scheffler hit what appeared like an excellent wedge, drawing it in from the appropriate and letting the slope of the inexperienced feed it towards the outlet on the entrance left.

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But the ball simply would not cease.

Little by little, it picked up pace. Suddenly, it was heading off the sting with out slowing down even a bit bit, settling proper into the pond that guards the entrance of the inexperienced.

It did not seem to be Scheffler, a two-time champion right here, had made an egregious mistake. But it did appear like a warning for the sphere as they ready to play the driest Masters since 2011. If Augusta National is as agency and quick because it appeared Wednesday, it is going to take nice photographs — not simply good photographs — to carry a few of these greens.

“You have to be more precise when it’s firm because you’re going to really want to land in your landing spot that you plan on hitting,” Kurt Kitayama mentioned. “Just whenever it’s firm and fast makes any course difficult, and especially with how sloped the greens are, it’s going to be even more penalizing by missing your spots.”

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Despite Augusta National’s myriad changes through the years to elongate the course and sustain with fashionable gear modifications, its finest protection towards an all-out birdie assault remains to be Mother Nature.

When it rains and the course will get moist and smooth — notably on the greens — the very best gamers on the earth have a greater likelihood to regulate their method photographs and shoot low scores. When it is dry, the course will get agency, the greens develop a little bit of a yellowish crust, the balls turn out to be harder to cease and the putts get lightning quick.

That seems to be the place Augusta National is headed this week, with the forecast calling for sunny skies and temperatures rising from 73 on Thursday to a excessive of 86 on the weekend. After eight straight years of the profitable rating being at least 10-under, is that this a 12 months that 9-under could be ok?

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“I always feel like it plays firm. Augusta is just different levels of firmness,” Matt Fitzpatrick mentioned. “I think mainly it’s just scoring that will change, but I think, if you look over the last five or six, I think the average winning score is like 11-under. I’m kind of looking at that target to set for the week really.”

Augusta National has by no means been overly involved about what rating wins its match. Thanks to the SubAir system beneath the greens, it additionally has the flexibility to dry issues out rapidly if there’s rain.

But expertise can solely accomplish that a lot to regulate the taking part in atmosphere. A scorching, dry course on the weekend means the ball will roll additional off the tee, but it surely additionally means gamers must hit their method photographs in the appropriate locations to offer themselves birdie possibilities. Missing on the mistaken facet of a inexperienced may very well be an enormous penalty.

And if Augusta places the pins in sure locations, you are going to see loads of gamers hit balls like Scheffler at No. 15 on Wednesday with an excessive amount of spin. Even if you happen to assume you hit an excellent shot, there is not any assure it will keep on the inexperienced.

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The solely factor within the gamers’ favor, if the forecast holds, can be a scarcity of wind.

“For me, I’m hoping that the tougher the better, because it just means that you need to have everything on from tee to green,” Jason Day mentioned. “It’s always imperative that if you don’t hit the greens here, that you leave yourself in the correct locations and if you leave yourself a good up-and-down, then you’re always moving forward. It’s very easy to try and force the issue here when you know that you shouldn’t.”

One factor appears doubtless: Dustin Johnson’s file 20-under par from the COVID Masters within the fall of 2020 might be secure.

“It’s all conditions,” Johnson mentioned. “It played fairly soft and it’s a completely different course this year. Starting to bounce a little bit. Makes it a little bit more difficult.”