A shoeless Dustin Johnson falling down a small set of stairs and injuring his back on the eve of the first round of the Masters surely ranks as a freak, unfortunate incident. But how freak and unfortunate was it? Perhaps you need to compare it to other bizarre golf injuries in recent memory to put Read more…
Charley Hoffman prevailed spectacularly over the strong winds that stymied much of the field on Thursday, shooting a seven-under par 65 to take a four-stroke lead in the first round of the Masters.
The first words William McGirt uses to describe his style of play is, “I’m sneaky short.” In golf’s expansive arena of long hitters, this would augur a lifetime of struggle in the game. And mostly, that is what McGirt, a longtime mini-tour grinder, has known.
For the first round of the 2017 Masters the winds are expected to continue to blow north of 30 kilometres per hour for most of the day, leading to the possibility of some high scores. History tells us that likely will end any hopes for a green jacket come Sunday.
On an otherwise dark, damp Wednesday at Augusta National Golf Club, there was a bright side for Masters officials: the forecast offers wind on Thursday and Friday, but little in the way of wet weather for the remainder of the week.
With a soaking rain on Monday and Wednesday, Augusta National Golf Club won’t be playing quite as firm and fast as officials might have hoped when the tournament begins tonight. The change in conditions may prove particularly fateful for one player.
Dustin Johnson, the world’s No.1-ranked player and the favourite entering the week to win the green jacket, is questionable to compete in the Masters after suffering a freak back injury on Wednesday.
The field for the 81st Masters contains 94 players. But only one ponytail. So picking out Curtis Luck shouldn’t be a problem for anyone inclined to follow the 20-year-old West Australian.
The mystique, the undulations, Rae’s Creek, the azaleas – all the subtle nuances of Augusta National provide something no other course can. And it takes remarkable vision to ‘see’ certain shots; shots you truly only witness at the Masters. Shots like this.
A who’s who of golfers paraded through Augusta National’s new media centre on Masters Tuesday. There were laughs. There were interesting takes. There were great stories. And there were tears. OK, maybe not the last one.
Disregard the knee-jerk response to see when Tiger Woods is playing and there’s still much to digest with the release of the groupings the first two days at Augusta National.
The disappointment of last year’s back-nine collapse follows Jordan Spieth at this year’s Masters. But it doesn’t keep him from being a favourite – if not the player to beat.
The Masters, in all its flower-loving, cheese-worshipping glory, is upon us, and with it comes the ultimate question: Who do you want to take home the green jacket?
What is a Major championship without a television viewer and the Rules of Golf seizing the story line and evoking responses similar to that of the tournament leader Lexi Thompson?
Russell Henley played in the Masters three consecutive years starting from 2013. He missed out last year and appeared destined to spend the second week of April on the sidelines once again – until he caught lightning in a bottle at the Shell Houston Open.
Australian Golf Digest
