The inaugural men’s major of the year is set to commence at Augusta National, Georgia on April 11th, Thursday. The green-jackets revered as legends of the tournament, Jack Nicklaus, Tom Watson and Gary Player, who altogether reign with 11 Masters titles, will in keeping with traditional protocol, give a ceremonious start to the tournament. The competition is planned to continue until Sunday, April 14th.
Want to keep up with every detail?
The tournament’s exclusive broadcasters for the week are Sky Sports and NowTV. Featured group coverage initiates at 14:00 on the opening day, transitioning into complete coverage from 19:30. A highly recommended method of experiencing the Masters is by getting the dedicated Masters app on your mobile, which provides the luxury of viewing every single shot of the tournament. Truly a wonder.
When do they tee off?
Tee times will be announced in due course. And now, let me introduce the contenders of the 88th version of the Masters, in alphabetical sequence:
A-E
Ludvig Åberg, Patrick Cantlay, Wyndham Clark, Eric Cole, Corey Conners, Fred Couples, Cameron Davis, Jason Day, Santiago de la Fuente, Bryson DeChambeau, Nick Dunlap, Austin Eckroat, Harris English, Akshay Bhatia, Keegan Bradley, Sam Burns and Byeong Hun An.
F-J
Stewart Hagestad, Brian Harman, Tyrrell Hatton, Russell Henley, Ryo Hisatsune, Lee Hodges, Nicolai Højgaard, Max Homa, Viktor Hovland, Sungjae Im, Stephan Jaeger, Dustin Johnson, Zach Johnson, Adam Hadwin, Emiliano Grillo, Lucas Glover, Ryan Fox, Rickie Fowler, Tommy Fleetwood, Matthew Fitzpatrick and Tony Finau.
K-O
Jake Knapp, Chris Kirk, Tom Kim, Si Woo Kim, Kurt Kitayama, Brooks Koepka, Christo Lamprecht, Min Woo Lee, Luke List, Shane Lowry, Peter Malnati, Hideki Matsuyama, Rory McIlroy, Denny McCarthy, Adrian Meronk, Phil Mickelson, Taylor Moore, Collin Morikawa, Grayson Murray, Joaquin Niemann, Thorbjørn Olesen, Jose Maria Olazabal.
The original text poses questions regarding the performance of Irish players at the Augusta Masters. For the past couple of years, four Irish players had been participating in the Masters. However, this year we only have two representatives from Ireland, namely Shane Lowry and Rory McIlroy, due to the absence of Seamus Power. Comparatively, only a handful of players in history have participated in the Masters 13 or more times prior to securing their maiden victory. McIlroy will be marking his 16th presence while Lowry will be playing for the ninth time. 2017 saw Sergio Garcia triumphant in his 19th shot, therefore hope should never be given up.
The question as to whether Rory McIlroy could secure a victory is not clear cut. On one hand, he arguably possesses the skills to triumph given that he had a four-shot lead in 2011 and has had strong finishes in the past, clocking in at second, fourth and tied fifth twice. Theoretically speaking, he could be 26-under-par if one combined his best round of each day over the years, six shots above the tournament record. However, his past failures have undoubtedly left a psychological impact on him. His performances are often hampered by a rough day or two, with slow starts being a consistent issue. In fact, only on two instances has he been able to shoot better than 70 on the first day, which is quite significant considering how the victors tend to emerge from the top 10 leaderboard on that day.
There were concerns regarding McIlroy’s shots gained on approach this year, a crucial statistic when predicting Masters champions. His performance had been lacklustre until the Texas Open last week, where he made a substantial progress and ranked third in this statistic. This increased his gains to seven shots. Following this, he declared that he was seeking assistance from the famous coach Butch Harmon to work on his swing, which could potentially have a positive impact on his game.
In reference to Shane Lowry, the text asks about his prospects.
[ Once upon a time Rory McIlroy was free, enjoying his time in Augusta but it has confined him to itself for years now ]
Lowry might not be amongst the favourites, but he’s still a solid prospect within the pursuing group, currently ranking third in the critical approach to green stats on tour. Such a statistic is indeed favourable for Augusta where the emphasis is heavily on iron play – with the goal being to secure uphill putts which are of vital significance, as downhill putts might lead you nowhere. After finishing joint third in 2022, he appreciates the course and is modestly optimistic about his forthcoming performance. He would feel unsatisfied if he doesn’t leave a lasting impression this week.
As for the favourites, Scottie Scheffler possesses an impressively high Tiger Woods-like 7-2 tournament odds, and rightfully so. As a two-time champion of signature events in March – Arnold Palmer Invitational and Players Championship, his high-quality ball-striking on fast greens cannot be overlooked. His putting was his undoing, but an alteration to the mallet putter at Bay Hill has helped amend this weakness, thereby making him a formidable competitor for others. Moreover, he already holds the title of 2022 champion.
Evaluating the proficiency of LIV Golf participants can be challenging, given the structure of their tour. Nonetheless, reigning champion Jon Rahm and five-time Major winner Brooks Koepka, who competed strenuously in last year’s final group, are anticipated to be in the running on Sunday once again. First-time participants have possibly never had a more significant chance of clinching victory, with budding talents like Sweden’s Ludvig Aberg, US Open victor Wyndham Clark, and last week’s top-place finisher Akshay Bhatia, being amongst them.
Speaking of Tiger Woods, he will indeed be participating, albeit with lowered expectations. He had voiced confident expectations regarding his fitness not long back, intending to partake in one event each month this year. However, his participation has been limited to the Genesis Open in Riviera, in which he withdrew due to illness. Irrespective of this, Woods still possesses abundant skills at his disposal and is familiar with the course as if it were the palm of his hand. Yet, his ability to endure four rounds on foot has been a concern ever since his 2021 car accident. His participation amplifies any tournament’s prestige and is particularly well-received amidst golfing tours’ divisive times.
Finally, the incoming weather conditions for Augusta?
Regrettably, there’s a likelihood of thunderstorms disrupting activities on Thursday as per the current prediction. Notwithstanding, the weather is expected to perk up following that, with a largely fair and sunny climate along with a formidable wind on Friday expected to challenge all participants.
Concerning the recompense for the Masters victor, the first-place finisher in 2024 will be rewarded with a sum of $3.24 million (around €3 million). However, it’s arguably more noteworthy that the ultimate winner is also granted the distinctive green jacket. They’re also entitled to a lifetime pass to participate in the Masters, a reproduction of the esteemed trophy which is housed permanently at Augusta National, and a gold medal.