With four days until the Masters, excitement for the April major is ramping up. Here are four things you need to know. Today, we’re going with the biggest storylines leading in:
1. Australians: With a six-strong contingent, they’re looking to come back from a disappointing result at Augusta last year when no Australian finished in the top 30 on the leaderboard. We have decent chances at winning, however: a reasonably in-form Jason Day and Min Woo Lee, as well as major winners Cam Smith and Adam Scott, plus Cam Davis as a professional group. Smith withdrew from LIV Golf Miami on Saturday due to food poisoning, but appeared to be on the mend in a video LIV posted to social media on Sunday of the Brisbane pro. All eyes will be on Smith to see how the 2022 Open champion looks during practice rounds at Augusta.
2. Will Tiger Woods play the Masters? Yes. He arrived in Augusta on Sunday (US time) to begin preparations. However, the question is: how will he fare? Probably not well. He’s played only one PGA Tour event this year and he withdrew from that with illness. A moral victory for Woods this week would be if he could make the cut, considering his lack of preparation and competitive play. Should he make the weekend, he would own the outright record for consecutive cuts made at Augusta National at 24. That would be cool. Last year he joined Gary Player and Fred Couples in sharing the record at 23 straight Masters cuts.
3. LIV Golfers: How will they play? It’s likely they will have four or five players in the top 20. There are 13 LIV golfers heading to the Masters. Of those, seven are past Masters champions. Doral, the course they have just played for LIV Golf Miami, is a stern test and solid preparation for Augusta National. Those who played well at Doral will be buoyed heading to the Masters. Among those is Jon Rahm, who has played solidly without winning this year since moving to LIV.
4. Scottie Scheffler: The world No.1 is the hottest player on the planet, but his putting continues to haunt him. He is a $3 favourite among Australian bookmakers, but he remains incredibly hard to trust on the greens. Can he overcome those woes and win a second green jacket to add to his 2022 triumph?
