2022 Masters: Conquering Amen Corner Is Pivotal To Success

As the illustrious Masters Tournament quickly approaches, the field begins to prepare to battle one of the toughest courses on tour, Augusta National. Each year, we see the world’s best struggle to conquer the course, many finding the narrow fairways and unique greens tough to find success on over the span of 4 days.

However, none of that compares to the field attempting to simply survive through holes 11-13, also known as Amen Corner. Most years, it seems like the Masters is won or lost through Amen Corner, so let’s take a look at some examples of how these 3 holes can greatly impact the week.

The Masters, Augusta National, and Amen Corner

Jordan Spieth’s 2016 Collapse

Spieth entered the 2016 Masters looking to make history as the only golfer to ever win back-to-back Masters, after winning his first green jacket in 2015.

The week was going perfect for the young American who was en route to a second consecutive Masters victory after posting a 66-74-73 through the first three rounds, thus resulting in him taking a lead into Sunday. Spieth came out on fire Sunday, posting a -4 on the front nine and he was seemingly in cruise control.

Then comes Amen Corner. Spieth bogeyed the11th, combine that with his bogey on 10 and it seemed that the pressure around him was starting to close in. Then disaster struck on the 12th. Spieth put consecutive tee shots in the water and quadruple-bogeyed the hole. That dropped him to second place, where he finished behind eventual champion Danny Willett. This still remains one of the greatest Masters collapses in recent memory, and surely one that Spieth will not forget.

Hole-in-One Rarities

Within the 3 holes on Amen Corner, Hole 12, also known as Golden Bell, is the only opportunity for a Hole-in-one. However, with a historical average score of 3.27, it rarely happens. In fact, it has only happened three times in Masters’ history, and none since Curtis Strange in 1988.

In his second round, Strange used a 7-iron from 155 yards out to sink his tee shot for a historic moment in Masters history. This helped Strange finish the round with a -2, 70, and make the cut. From there, the American finished T-21 and it kickstarted a career-best season for Strange as would go on to win four tournaments, including the 1988 U.S. Open in a playoff over legendary golfer Nick Faldo.

Larry Mize’s Historic Victory

Larry Mize, the Augusta, GA native, finished 4 rounds at the 1987 Masters and found himself in a playoff with Hall of Famer Greg Norman and Seve Ballesteros, a true underdog story. After Bellestores was eliminated on Hole 10, Mize and Norman entered Amen Corner looking to make history.

After Mize hit the fairway with his tee shot, he faced a simple 140-yard shot, as he looked to find the green and stay in contention. However, he did one better, sinking his shot and defeating Norman for the green jacket. This remains one of the greatest shots in Masters history as it etched Mize’s name in the history books with the greats of the game.

As the 2022 Masters kicks off on April 7th, make sure you tune in to the madness that comes with Amen Corner as most networks are becoming smart enough to focus on these 3 historic holes. With so much history already made, who knows what kind of historic moments will take place this year. We shall soon find out!