AUGUSTA, Ga. – Augusta National normally gets what it wants, and this was no different.
Prior to this year’s Masters, the club built a new tee box on land acquired from Augusta Country Club that added 35 yards to the par-5 13th hole. Although there was plenty of speculation of how the added length would change one of the most iconic holes in golf, it seems the added yardage had the desired effect, even if that wasn’t exactly popular with players.
“It’s playing the way they intended it to play,” said Phil Mickelson, who finished tied for second place and four shots behind champion Jon Rahm. “I like going for that hole. I just couldn’t reach it this morning when it was into the wind and wet, and I liked having a chance to kind of go for it. I think it’s what makes that hole so exciting — is that risk/reward opportunity — and when it’s taken away, nobody really likes that.”
Full-field scores from the 87th Masters Tournament
While Mickelson wasn’t the only player who didn’t like the new tee box, statistically it’s worth noting that the hole played easier this year (4.73 stroke average) than it did last year (4.85).
Some players had argued that the additional yardage would limit the number of eagles and double bogeys, with fewer players attempting to reach the green in two shots, but that wasn’t the case. For the week, there were eight eagles and seven double bogeys, compared to six eagles and six double bogeys last year.
“It’s hard to really assess it fairly because of how cold and how wet it’s been. The day that it was warm, on the first day when I played, I hit 5-iron into that green and was just short of pin high but just left and had a nice horseshoe,” said Patrick Reed, who finished tied for fourth. “Time will tell, but when it gets firmer and faster, I could see how you could get an iron in your hand. They were smart this week; on the days it got really cold and kind of nasty, they moved the tee up a little bit, so you could actually get around the corner.”
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