What to look out for as the Masters gets underway in Georgia

AUGUSTA From the renegade LIV tour to Scottie Scheffler’s bid for a second straight green jacket to an elongated 13th hole, golf’s first major of the year delivers as usual.

Let us not forget Tiger Woods.

Welcome to Augusta National Golf Club, where the golf season officially begins on Thursday amid the blooming azaleas and towering pines.

Here are some things to keep an eye out for over the next four days:

Golf’s Super Bowl

The Masters will be the biggest showdown yet between the PGA Tour and the brash challenger LIV.

While there were no overt signs of hostility during the practise rounds and champions dinner, the rivalry between those who chose the PGA and those who chose the generational wealth bestowed by LIV’s Saudi backers is unavoidable.

All eyes will be on the scoreboard to see how LIV’s 18 competitors compare to the rest of the field.

If one of them won the green jacket, it would undoubtedly be compared to the New York Jets defeating the Baltimore Colts in the third Super Bowl — an incredible result that put the fledgling American Football League on an equal footing with the NFL.

Of course, golf is an individual sport, but so many venomous words have been exchanged in the last year that it’s impossible to ignore the Masters’ significance to both tours.

“I’d love to see one of us guys get to the top of the leaderboard and really give it a good shot,” Cameron Smith, the reigning British Open champion who defected to LIV, said.

The big three

Only three players have won the Masters twice: Jack Nicklaus, Nick Faldo, and Tiger Woods.

Scheffler appears poised to join that illustrious trio, having entered as the world’s top-ranked player, with two victories and nine consecutive finishes inside the top 12.

“Just because you’re defending doesn’t give me the right to start at 1-under,” he explained. “I’ll approach it the same way I approach a lot of other tournaments.”

Rory McIlroy and possibly Jon Rahm, the next two men in the world rankings, are expected to give Scheffler a tough fight.

These three dominated the first three months of the year.

Though he struggled in March, Rahm became the first player in nearly 50 years to win three times on the West Coast swing. In the last six months, McIlroy has two victories and two top-three finishes.

According to FanDuel Sportsbook, Scheffler and McIlroy are co-favorites at the Masters, with Rahm close behind.

McIlroy, like Scheffler, is attempting to make history.

The Northern Irishman is attempting to complete a career Grand Slam by winning the Masters. Only five players have won all four major golf tournaments.

“It’s simply a matter of time.” Rory possesses the ability. He knows how to play the game. “He has everything,” said Woods, the most recent player to complete the modern career Slam. Nicklaus, Gary Player, Ben Hogan, and Gene Sarazen are the others.

The 13th is unlucky.

The 13th hole, dubbed “Azalea,” has long been the easiest on the course.

It’s finally playing like a par-5.

The tee box at 13 was moved 35 yards after a parcel of land was purchased from the neighbouring Augusta Country Club.

This increased the hole’s length to 545 yards, which is more in line with other par 5s at major tournaments. If everything goes as planned, expect a lot more intrigue on the back nine on Sunday.

The changes, according to Masters Chairman Fred Ridley, will help “restore the element of risk and reward” that was intended in the course’s original design. Golfers will have to decide whether to go for the green in two from a much longer position, or lay up and focus on the green with their third shot.

It’s an easy choice for Xander Schauffele.

The extra yards “put you in that no-land,” man’s Schauffele said. “You just lay down.” It’s not complicated.”

Tiger Woods is only a part-time player these days, but no one knows Augusta National better than the five-time champion.

Woods made the cut a year ago, despite still limping from a car accident.

A slight limp remains as a reminder of the physical hardships he has faced over the last decade and a half.

But that swing appears to be as smooth as ever.

“I’d say he’d be one of the favourites if he didn’t have to walk up these hills and have all of that,” McIlroy marvelled. “He has all the shots.”

Woods never plays without believing he has a chance to win, but he is well aware that the odds are heavily stacked against him capturing a sixth green jacket — a feat only Nicklaus has accomplished, back in 1986 at the age of 46.

Woods is 47 now.

“I’m not sure how many more I have in me,” he admitted.

Unpredictable weather
The unpredictability of early April weather is expected to be on full display this week, potentially leading to significant changes on the course.

The day before the tournament, Augusta National was baked by temperatures approaching 90 degrees, and more of the same was predicted for the first round.

Forecasters said a storm front was bearing down on east Georgia, bringing potentially heavy rain and dropping temperatures into the low 50s by the weekend.

The player who demonstrates the greatest adaptability to the wide range of conditions will most likely be the one wearing the green jacket come Sunday evening.