The Masters: a look ahead to next week’s major championship
By Tim Letcher
The Masters is just about a week away. After waiting seven months past its usual spot on the calendar, the event will take place next week.
While it will be quite a bit different this year, the Masters will take place next week. This will be the third and final major championship of 2020, with the Open Championship being cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
As the Houston Open is played this week, and some players use that as a prep event, others have their sights set on the Masters. Here’s a quick look ahead at one of golf’s most storied tournaments.
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Defending Champion: Last April, Tiger Woods held off Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka and Xander Schauffele to win the Masters for the fifth time. Woods’s five green jackets is one short of Jack Nicklaus, who won the event six times during his Hall of Fame career.
The Course: Venerable Augusta National will once again be the host of the Masters. The course was founded by Bobby Jones and Clifford Roberts, with the course designed by Jones and Alister MacKenzie. It opened in 1932 and has played to every Masters tournament. This year, the course will play near 7500 yards.
What’s Different: There are a number of changes at this year’s Masters. First, the tournament is being played in November instead of it’s traditional spot in the second week of April. That likely means that Augusta National will play differently, although we’re not exactly sure how at this point.
The Masters has always gone off just the first tee. This year, due to the limited amount of sunlight in Georgia in November, groups will tee off on both number one and number 10.
The Par Three contest, held the day before the Masters each year, has been cancelled for this year due to the pandemic. Fans (or patrons, as they are called at Augusta National) will also not be allowed this season.
Augusta National itself will look different. Instead of blooming azaleas, the landscape will be highlighted by the leaves of trees changing colors. The course also figures to play softer in the fall than it normally does in the spring.
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The Favorites: After his win at the U.S. Open, Bryson DeChambeau (+750) is the favorite, according to VegasInsider.com, heading into the Masters. Jon Rahm (+1100) and Rory McIlroy (+1100) are next, followed by Dustin Johnson (+1200) and Justin Thomas (+1200). Woods is +2700 to win.