The world of golf descends at the Masters Tournament for the 81st time this week. No matter your narrative of choice at Augusta National Golf Club, nothing will be undercovered, underreported or underrated. It pins all of the needles. As it concerns the perspective on this page, as it is promised to warrant discussion throughout the week, conversation will stir around the delight and drought of first-time participants. Twenty are in this year’s field of 94. The class doesn’t disappoint, either. Jon Rahm, Tyrrell Hatton, Thomas Pieters and Tommy Fleetwood are among the notables attempting to join inaugural champion Horton Smith (1934), Gene Sarazen (1935) and Fuzzy Zoeller (1979) as champions in their debut. He has the experience and the heartbreak here, but the 27-year-old is arguably more poised to win this tournament than ever before. The career Grand Slam is in the balance. The 1a. Winner of last three starts. T6 and T4 in last two appearance at ANGC, respectively. Nine fewer red numbers (10) than McIlroy and in only four fewer rounds (26). Faced demons that confronted him at the par-3 12th hole last year and arrives ready. And why not? He’s gone T2-Win-T2 in his three appearances. Perfect fit for his profile. Hasn’t escaped big numbers at Augusta National, but shows for his seventh appearance pacing the PGA TOUR in adjusted scoring. Warmed up with a T3 in Houston. A forgotten co-runner-up in 2015. Perfect in 11 tries with four top 10s and another five top 25s. Consistently strong form in 2017 with three top fives and another two top 15s. Twenty-fifth appearance. Showcased imagination with three wins and another eight top fives. Three top 10s in 2016-17. Would be oldest Masters champ by seven months. Most expected to break through among first-timers. Has all the shots and momentum with confidence to match. Greenside touch befits the profile of a Masters champion, too. Just one top 10 in 29 starts in majors, but it occurred last year (Open Championship). Top 25s in last four Masters. Strong season includes third place at Match Play in last start. Eleventh appearance and last as a 30something. Six top 20s, including in 2015 (T6) and 2016 (T4). Survived pool play in Austin in last start. Top 20s in three of his last four. Distracting 2017 was explained by news of mom’s cancer and surgery. Certainly inspired and brimming with mettle, it’s still reasonable to wonder if he can clear the mechanism. Only golfer in last two years to debut in the Masters with a top 10 (T10, 2016). Fresh off solo fifth in Houston where he ranked second in strokes gained: tee-to-green. Bay Hill champ converted on months of upward trending. No weaknesses. T4 here during inspirational 2013 playing alongside countryman Adam Scott in the final round. It’s been nine years since his emotional T3 here, so his connection is documented. Top 20s in four of the last six editions, too. Also five top 20s in eight starts in 2017. In first start as a pro last year (MC as an amateur in 2014), co-led the finale with a 67 to place T7. Led the tournament in GIR. Top 20s in last three PGA TOUR starts. Quietly shared second place with Jordan Spieth last year. It’s one of six top-11 finishes here since 2010. It also sparked a 12-month cycle that’s included 13 top 25s worldwide. Oh, what could have been if not for the rules infraction at the Match Play. The Masters debutant leads the TOUR in strokes gained: putting; ranks second in adjust scoring. Humming along just outside the focus. Hasn’t threatened avenging his playoff loss here in 2012, but he’s posted top 20s in the last two editions. Suddenly scuffling since lighting the world on fire last fall and over the winter due to a regression to his below-average putting. Top 10s in last two trips, though. Often on the periphery here and never in contention with only five top 25s in 18 appearances, but this is his first as a fiancé. Good vibes outside the ropes have crossed inside. Healthy again and proving it on the PGA TOUR Champions. The 1992 Masters champ adores Augusta National, site of 18 top 20s, including every edition from 2010-2014. RANK PLAYER COMMENT POWER RANKINGS: Masters Tournament No shortage of notables in Tuesday’s Fantasy Insider, including two-time Masters champ Bubba Watson, 2013 winner Adam Scott, Henrik Stenson, Martin Kaymer and Justin Thomas. The last two winners prevailed in just their second appearance. Jordan Spieth set the tournament record of 28 birdies en route to a four-stroke title in 2015. He cratered late in his title defense last year, clearing the way for opportunist Danny Willett, who won by three, albeit 13 strokes higher than Spieth the year previous. The Englishman’s 5-under 283 was the highest winning aggregate in nine years (Zach Johnson, 1-over 289 in 2007). Overall, the field scored 74.421 on the par 36-36=72, also the highest average since 2007. Wind thwarted red numbers as it will again this week, at least early. Cool and blustery conditions are forecast on Thursday and Friday. However, come the weekend, Mother Nature finally acquiesces. Sunshine and relative warmth will cover Augusta, Georgia. Winds will abate. It sets up to be spectacular. The 36-hole cut is two-fold at the Masters. The low 50 and ties at the midpoint are guaranteed 72 holes, as are all golfers within 10 strokes of the lead. (The MDF provision does not apply at any of the majors.) Other than experience personal to every golfer, there are no secrets at Augusta National. To make the cut and consider contending, competitors will need to score on the set of four par 5s. In last year’s treacherous conditions, ANGC’s par 5s yielded a scoring average of 4.76, which is higher than usual but still only 14th-most difficult of any course all season. Meanwhile, at 3.24, the par 3s ranked as the most challenging. The par 4s averaged 4.24, second-toughest of 2015-16. In terms of course management, a right-handed draw is the proverbial favorite shot shape, but despite its 7,435 yards, elevation change in favor of the field and the absence of intermediate rough, the course is a second-shot track. Hitting greens in regulation and applying knowledge on the nuance of the speedy greens is most valuable. Last year, Augusta National rated as the most challenging in both three-putt avoidance and putts per GIR. ROB BOLTON’S WRITING SCHEDULE PGATOUR.COM’s Fantasy Columnist Rob Bolton will be filing his usual staples leading up to this week’s event. Look for the following columns this week. MONDAY: Rookie Ranking, Qualifiers, Reshuffle, Medical Extensions, Power Rankings TUESDAY*: Sleepers, Comfort Zone, Fantasy Insider WEDNESDAY: One & Done THURSDAY: Ownership Percentages in PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf and One & Done presented by SERVPRO * – Rob is a member of the panel for PGATOUR.COM’s Expert Picks, which also publishes on Tuesdays.
Click here to read the full article…
