Thomas Says Patron-Free Sunday Makes Job Of Masters Chasers Even Tougher

It’s not a shocking statement in one sense: we’ve known a Masters without fans would be different and might benefit players not used to the pressures of a huge gallery.

After three days and a four-stroke Dustin Johnson lead, Justin Thomas said the Sunday morning task—up early boys and girls, the NFL apparently matters more!—is tougher for chasers.

From Rex Hoggard’s GolfChannel.com story:

“I think it's a really big deal there's no patrons here,” said Justin Thomas, who pulled to within two strokes of front-runner Dustin Johnson before making four bogeys over his last seven holes. “That would have really played to my advantage or other guys trying to chase DJ.”

Another perk of the early start to accommodate the NFL: the leader will not have all day to ponder the possibilities. Normally, Masters leaders tee off around 2 pm when they’ll be finishing this Sunday’s. That’s four-and-a-half hours not to think of everything that might go wrong.

Mudball Blues: Players Saying Augusta's Higher Rough Sometimes Beats The Fairways

Besides being looking unbecoming of the elegance that is Augusta National and totally contradicting the philosophy of the course designers, 2020’s new higher cut has turned out to be a sanctuary. From mudballs.

Longtime Masters watchers know of the mudball’s recent rise after the club started mowing fairways longer and toward tees to offset modern distances. Bubba Watson popularized the term by making sure to let us know his ball was covered in mud clumps.

Alan Shipnuck quotes players following round two about the new tall stuff and both Rickie Fowler* and Adam Scott noted the preference of rough—”in some situations”—over the fairways (mudball!).

The second cut was introduced as a low-key penalty for errant drives; it makes it a little harder to impart spin, and that is significant when playing to precise spots on the ultimate second-shot golf course. But the rain taketh and the rain giveth. Adam Scott has been largely unbothered by the vagaries of the rough because the saturated greens are still so soft that even spinless shots from the second cut are stopping dead. “Normally, you’re just losing that little bit of control,” Scott says, “and on a firmer green, you’ve got some difficult decisions to make on how you’re going to manage to get it on the green or keep it on the green. It’s a little more straightforward out there at the moment.”

And because it’s 2020, there are times when hitting it into the rough can actually feel advantageous. Fowler estimates he’s getting half-a-dozen mudballs per round on the closely-cropped fairways. “Actually, I mentioned it to [playing partner Willett] yesterday when we were on 11. He had just missed the fairway right, into the first cut, and chipped a 6- or 7-iron down there to the middle of the green. I was in the middle of the fairway with a mud ball and had to aim over at 12 tee, and I still almost hit it in the water. So I feel like it’s almost harder to pick up mud balls in that first cut. In some situations, you’d almost rather that, or you wouldn’t mind it.”

If there is a shot to make the rounds for evidence that the rough is not doing any good, it’s Dylan Fritteli’s second at 13 Thursday. The ball is buried yet he sticks it on the 13th green to make eagle. Great shot but the rough could not mask the issue: rough does not protect against insane distances.

(*I’ll add the Fowler remarks when the transcripts are made available.)

Masters: "Yardage Books Carry Caddies' Good Word"

Without those sulfourous green reading books sidelined this week and with a tightly bunched leaderboard where the slightest mistake could lose a green jacket, caddies take on extra meaning at The Masters.

Ward Clayton filed a definitive piece for Masters.com this week on the art of charting Augusta National compared to normal weeks where more of the charting is already done for players and caddies. How we got here is pretty incredible and there remains so much local knowledge to Augusta National.

Just a sampling from the piece related to the shining star that is 2020:

Yardages are important, especially this week when a landmark such as grandstands are absent and another marker must be documented. But at Augusta National, it’s the greens that are the final exam. Putts that look to break one way do the exact opposite or roll out much more than expected, resulting in head scratching and insecurity.

Willie Lee “Pappy” Stokes, the godfather of Augusta National caddies and a five-time winner as a caddie, quickly figured out a secret that Augusta National caddies carried for decades. In the caddie facilities adjacent to the Tournament Practice Facility, simple framed maps of green complexes hang on the walls. On every drawing, there is a distinct red dot, showing the direction of Rae’s Creek from that green – and the tendency for putts to break to the lowest point on the property when it’s not evident to the naked eye. Many caddies over the years have denoted that red dot in their personal Augusta National yardage books.

“Most people think 12 green is the lowest point,” two-time champion Ben Crenshaw said in 2019. “That’s not quite right. It goes to the left of 11 green. That’s the place that’s called ‘The Pull.’ On every green, Carl would point through the trees to that point. Many of the young golfers don’t really understand that. It’s just fascinating.”

Rescheduled Masters Opening Round Averages 2.2 Million Viewers

While most major 2020 sports events have seen significant ratings declines, day one of the rescheduled Masters fared well. The 2.2 million average nearly caught 2019’s 2.5 million played in the traditional April slot.

From ESPN PR:

ESPN’s live telecast of the first round of the Masters Tournament on Thursday, Nov. 12, averaged 2.2 million viewers, airing from 1 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. ET from Augusta National Golf Club.

With the tournament being played in November after being postponed from its traditional April date due to the pandemic, the audience peaked between 5:15 and 5:30 p.m. at 2.44 million viewers. Last year’s first round, in addition to being played in April, also aired later in the day (3-7:30 p.m.) and averaged 2.5 million viewers.

ESPN will televise the completion of the second round of the Masters at 7:30 a.m. on Saturday. On both Saturday and Sunday, ESPN+ will have live feeds of Featured Groups and Featured Holes during Tournament play.

Augusta National Sports Higher Rough And It Doesn't Look Good

2020 Masters: Jon Rahm in the 11th hole rough

Given the time of year, Augusta National was never going to be agronomically perfect for the rescheduled Masters. So we’ll gladly look past the thin rye grass and the weak tee turf given the tricky window for laying down rye seed and uncertainty this event would be played.

But in the grand scheme, the clunky rough (a.k.a. second cut) grown is obviously higher this year and no matter the height, contradicts the well-stated philosophy of Bobby Jones and Alister MacKenzie, the tall stuff looks so shallow and unnecessary on a masterfully-designed course highlighted by width and certainly never embellished by artificial tall grass.

The rough looks curb-like while giving off a grow-in look that is unbecoming of a masterpiece.

The tall stuff is also functionally problematic. From Michael Bamberger’s Golf.com account:

(File this under weird-but-true: Augusta National had long, wet rough. Stu Francis, the USGA president, was walking through the long, wet rough on Thursday as he followed the Woods group. If you call the rough here the “first cut” you must be the proud owner of a club dictionary. Woods calls it the rough. He calls his green jacket a coat. He calls the pitcher’s mound at Dodger stadium “the bump.” If you follow his lead on these matters, it will serve you well. Really, if Augusta National is going to go down this we-actually-have-rough road, they should probably give the players a “courtesy cut,” a pretentious term of the biz to describe the narrow path of short grass that takes a player through the rough from tee to fairway.)

68: Tiger Starts With First Ever Bogey-Free Masters Opening Round

The defending champion and five-time Masters winner managed a first Thursday: a bogey-free opener. Normally a slow starter, Woods has positioned himself in historic position. From GolfDigest.com’s Brian Wacker notes on Tiger’s 2020 Masters 68:

Thursday marked the ninth time that Woods has broken par in the first round of the tournament. On the previous eight occasions, he finished no worse than a tie for eighth. Four of those times, he went on to win, including last year, when he opened with a 70 on his way to a 13-under total and one-stroke victory.

ESPN.com’s Bob Harig shares this from the patron-free grounds of Augusta National.

But Thursday brought him back to familiar ground, and perhaps he willed himself to a good score without the supporters who typically carry him. Sure, his buddy Peyton Manning was there. So was NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and MLB commissioner Rob Manfred. As Augusta National members, they were among the few allowed to attend.

Woods went the entire round without a bogey, a first for him on opening day at the Masters and the first time in any major round since the 2009 PGA Championship -- a span of 105 rounds.

Great to see the Commissioners working hard. Oh, and also quite a span since Tiger’s last bogey-free major round.

Michael Bamberger offered an array of observations from the strange November day. Including this:

As a reporter or a special-guest visitor or an off-duty tournament worker, you could get right up to the action. There might have been a hundred people, or far less, following Woods and his playing partners, Shane Lowry, the British Open champion, and Andy Ogletree, the U.S. Amateur champion. Among the few, the lucky, the walking: Andy’s mother; a doctor on call; Suzy Whaley, the president of the PGA of America. Also Rob McNamara, Tiger’s aide-de-camp, and Erica Herman, Tiger’s girlfriend. Without the usual throng following Woods, it had all the intensity of a country-club member-guest playoff.

It was quiet. You could hear a police siren on Washington Road across the course, something you normally cannot. You could hear Tiger’s groan-grunt when he hit a poor pitch-shot third on the par-5 8th. You could hear Augusta National’s famed Sub Air system working overtime on every hole. It had no chance of getting this course dry, not after the bath the course took in the morning. A soft Augusta National always makes the day seem more ordinary.

DeChambeau Attacks, Augusta National Bites Back

But the U.S. Open champion still managed a two-under-par 70 despite visiting some bizarre locations and double-bogeying the par-5 13th.

Ryan Lavner at Golf Channel.com writes:

How he easily cleared the deep bunkers on the left side of the 495-yard fifth hole.

Said Rahm, laughing: “There were a couple of them that were reality checks (for me).”

Even without any roll, DeChambeau hit hybrid into the uphill, par-5 eighth and had no more than 7-iron into the other three longest holes.

On eight par 4s he had 150 yards or less for his approach.

And yet, he didn’t have total control of his driver, averaging 334 yards off the tee but finding just eight of 14 fairways. Unlike at Winged Foot, where an errant drive put him in ankle-high rough that he was strong enough to escape from, DeChambeau was forced to delicately navigate through the trees on six holes, with varying degrees of success.

With Thursday's Three Hour Delay, Throw Out Your 2020 Masters Viewing Guide

They were lucky to get as many holes in Thursday as they did at Augusta after the worst of rains passed just west of the Masters. Still, a three hour delay in November is a killer for getting threesomes around Augusta National in orderly fashion.

So Friday’s coverage will now commence on ESPN to cover the round conclusion (where Justin Thomas is -5 through ten holes). Second round coverage and all online/app streams will continue on as planned.

Full-field, traditional coverage of the first round of @TheMasters continues LIVE tomorrow (Friday) at 7:30am ET on ESPN. #themasters #golf

— Jeremy Schilling (@jschil) November 12, 2020

If round two is not completed Friday—highly likely—then Saturday morning is also likely to again see round two concluding coverage go live on ESPN (with Woods and DeChambeau in the window).

Depending on how things go, the tournament could still finish on time. But should CBS have to run off to its all-vital NFL game at 4 pm ET, it seems the Sunday option is to turn coverage over to ESPN parent network ABC:

SBJ scoop this afternoon: the conclusion of the final round of #themasters on Sunday *could* be broadcast on ABC, if weather or a playoff extended the acton beyond 4pm, when CBS will transition to NFL coverage. Unlikely, but an interesting possibility.https://t.co/idcbA12q3x

— David Rumsey (@_DavidRumsey) November 12, 2020

Casey Opens 2020 Masters With 65: Kostis's Assessment And Uh, Bermuda In The Greens?

Following Paul Casey’s 2020 Masters opening 65, GolfDigest.com’s Dave Sheloski caught up with Casey instructor Peter Kostis. The longtime instructor, Titleist peddler and CBS announcer is missing his first Masters since 1990, but explains what Casey’s been up to in finding a post-ZOZO Championship game.

“His posture was slumping because of low energy, so that made a huge difference. Then we got his tempo up and he saw immediate improvement,” Kostis said. “That kind of got him going. He got re-energized.”

Increasing Casey’s tempo in his putting stroke to match it up with his swing was one additional tweak. His backswing was too long and slow. “That’s still in the works, and it’s tough to take a putting change to a place like Augusta, but he’s very good and just going out and trying to play comfortably and not worrying about the technical stuff,” Kostis said.

After his round, Casey spoke to media and according to this item by Golf.com’s James Colgan, Casey seems to not realize Augusta National’s greens are bent grass.

“It’s not just the softness of the greens,” he said. “There’s a little bit of Bermuda still in there.  So, the Bermuda has a twofold effect.  One, the greens are very receptive coming in …  And obviously the putts are not as quick as well.”

Casey pointed to his 6-iron approach into a left hole location on the par-5 2nd. Today, he took dead aim at the flagstick and stopped the ball on the green for an eagle look. In April, that ball would likely bound over the green and leave him with a dicey pitch from the patrons.

“It’s not just the rain. It’s the Bermuda … I haven’t quite figured it out yet,” Casey continued. “Do we have to read a bit more grain than normal? It’s just different. Just a different challenge.”

A 65 at Augusta? Whatever works, mon.

"Mize 87 yards shorter than DeChambeau and has the same score"

Even at 62 it’s not a surprise when Larry Mize plays well at Augusta National.

The 1987 champion has made three made cuts in the last six years and opened strong again with a 2-under 70. Given the talk of Bryson DeChambeau’s aggressive approach to the course, the disparity in driving distances could not be ignored. After round one DeChambeau’s 334.6 had Mize’s 247.4 by 87 yards. From AP’s Doug Ferguson:

It was a thrill for Mize, especially after making three straight birdies early in his round and looking up to see his name on the leaderboard.

“I did happen to see that,” Mize said. “Wow, that’s kind of cool. I’d like to be there more often. It’s always fun to see your name up on the leaderboard here. I’m sorry I couldn’t keep it. But it was nice to come back and finish really well on the back nine. I played really solid coming in and really felt good.”

Jack Nicklaus: "That is hardly Augusta National at its finest or most challenging."

In today's first round of @TheMasters, what little bit of golf I saw after the rain was like throwing darts. There was no wind to speak of, the greens had no fire in them, and everywhere the ball hit just stopped. That is hardly Augusta National at its finest or most challenging.

— Jack Nicklaus (@jacknicklaus) November 13, 2020

Rising extra early to fulfill his Honorary Starter duties, Jack Nicklaus later watched the 2020 Masters opening round and didn’t care for what he saw of the rain-delayed golf. When play was suspended due to darkness, 50 players were under par, potentially shattering the single round record of 38.

Nonetheless, it’s a surprising criticism given the rain delay, the already soft state of the course and in a month when it’s normally finding its seasonal agronomic footing. It undoubtedly is not playing as the club might hope, but the bar should be a touch lower this year and I don’t think many will care.

Anyway, here is the Honorary Starter’s ceremony in the virtual dark. (Big holiday bonus to the emergency umbrella-holder for Chairman Ridley and his perfect lid.)

This morning Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player continued the Honorary Starter tradition that began in 1963. #themasters pic.twitter.com/sDC20f1avp

— The Masters (@TheMasters) November 12, 2020

A special caddie for a special Masters. #themasters pic.twitter.com/SXfI6CtAAc

— The Masters (@TheMasters) November 12, 2020

After the first ceremony, Nicklaus and Gary Player went to the media center for their annual confab. I don’t have access to the transcript but as Christine Brennan writes, she asked about Nicklaus’ presidential endorsement and Donald Trump’s refusal to concede the 2020 presidential election.

The foul mood’s origins are coming into sharper focus.

Intriguing Questions The 2020 Masters (Might) Answer

To be answered by the fall 2020 Masters, in no particular order:

• The Lords of Augusta are going to let CBS fly a drone over the property? While the Masters is going? I’ll believe it when I see it.

• Will players survive without their teams due to COVID restrictions?

• With no crowds (and revealing roars), slow scoreboards and no cell phones outdoors (unless you’re Sir Nick), will players even know where they stand on the final nine? Could that impact a strategic decision down the stretch?

• What will a Monday finish look like? (Sorry, folks with non-refundable reservations but Thursday’s forecast is not peachy).

• Will more Bermuda turf around the greens really change things as some players have alluded to in pre-tournament pressers? Or will it just make chipping and putting easier?

• Will that two-inch rough stick around next April or just look like a barnacle on an otherwise majestic creature?

• Will we set a new record for unfounded and silly SubAir references to the system that sucks way less moisture out of the soil than most media suspects?

•  Will the expedited Sunday Masters—if that’s when the final round is played—outrate the early NFL games?

•  Will a rookie or almost rookie win thanks to the lack of roars?

•  Will Tiger Woods find something driving up Magnolia Lane?

• Does Phil Mickelson try to convert the Champions Locker Room joe to Coffee For Wellness?

•  After winning, does Bryson DeChambeau eat two steak dinners and four (canned) peach cobblers in tribute to Clifford Roberts’ favorite form of the dessert?

•  Will a cameraman get hurt after trudging deep into the woods just to get a shot of an orange or yellow-leaved tree?

• Does CBS Sports President Sean McManus still have to send a thank you gift to the SEC for moving back the LSU-Alabama start now that it’s been postponed due to COVID-19?

• Will anyone really find launch angle golf and a greater advantage to carry distance interesting? At all?

CBS's Lance Barrow Signs Off With 2020 Masters: "Just say yes."

Lance Barrow will slide on a headset one last time this week as he bids farewell producing CBS’s 2020 Masters coverage.

He’s penned a lovely Golf.com recollection of his time working for CBS. As always I suggest reading the full piece. A teaser:

My starting salary was $60 a week. You learn, and you rise, by doing, by listening, by watching — and by getting the job done. Chuck would say to me, “Humble yourself: Get me half a cup of black.”

In golf and TV, your classroom is everywhere. In my early years there were many Sunday nights when, after a tournament, I found myself on the same flight back to Dallas-Fort Worth as Don January, Lee Trevino and Charles Coody. They would all be in their sports coats, of course, so I would be, too. They would talk about the shots they hit, what the other players were like under pressure, rules disputes. All I did was listen.

Ridley On Distance "Crossroads": Everybody Has "To get their head together and figure it out"

Bill Fields wraps up the annual State of the Masters press conference featuring Chairman Fred Ridley, including details on some nice community outreach efforts prompted by this summer’s civil unrest.

Of course, there was the annual distance talk and Adam Schupak thankfully asked.

From Schupak’s look at Ridley’s comments on distance in response to Schupak’s question.

“I’ve been reluctant thus far to make any major changes regarding adding distance to the golf course,” Ridley said, forgetting, of course, that the club stretched the par-4 fifth hole, Magnolia, under his watch, to 495 yards in 2019. “I think sometimes when you do that, I mean, I think there are unintended consequences that come out of that. The scale and the scope of the hole, it changes when you add distance. It changes more than just adding distance. The look of the hole changes. And the design philosophy of the hole changes. And that’s something that we have always and I have always been very focused on is maintaining the design philosophy of MacKenzie and Jones.”

It’s a tad late on that front due to changes by previous administrations, but nice to see the Chairman gets that no walking back to tees to help tip toe around manufacturer bottom lines is, well, unbecoming.

“Having said that, I think we are at a crossroads as it relates to this issue. We have always been very supportive of the governing bodies; we will continue to be supportive. We think that it’s good that the game of golf is governed by the USGA and the R&A. We think they are great stewards of the game.

ish.

But I’m hopeful that with the work and the studies that have been ongoing for some time, and I understand that in April there’s to be some sort of publication of their conclusions, I do think that we’re coming closer to a call to action. And all I can say is that, as it relates to our golf course, we have options, and we will take the necessary action to make sure we stay relevant.”

Eh, why do I feel like that’s something on top of growing the fairways toward the tees, a practice unbecoming of the best major?

This was a nice acknowledgement of the issue for everyday courses. If on the governing bodies could say something like this AND act on it:

“We have options, as I said, we can make changes, but not every golf course can. Having said that, it’s a balance because the next question is, obviously, or should be, well, you don’t want to make the game harder,” Ridley said. “On one hand, we want to say we want to grow the game, and on the other hand, we’re saying we’re worried about distance. 

Eh em…good time to mention the game has seen a huge uptick in play for reasons having nothing to do with longer, shorter, easier or harder? Anyway, sorry to interrupt Mr. Chairman.

“I think everybody just has got to get their head together and figure it out.”

Now there’s an idea! Don’t you all do that four times a year, asking for a friend?

Sadly, Ridley said the next update from the governing bodies is not expected until next April.

AP Columnist (Before A Shot A 2020 Shot Is Struck): "This was a Masters we really didn’t need."

How about that rough?

There is plenty to wonder about regarding the feasibility and success of this year’s rescheduled Masters. The Associated Press’ Paul Newberry addresses many of those questions in this pre-first round column yet calls the 2020 edition a “weak imitation” and a “nondescript college tournament”, all before a shot has been struck.

Certainly the atmosphere will be dead. So many traditions are not taking place and the atmosphere will be quiet. (Jon Rahm’s incredible skip shot and the silent reaction gave us an indication that the 2020 Masters will not be nearly as fun as normal.)

Still, Newberry slaughters the tournament before it has even begun. I supposed you could say he’s paying tribute to the joys of early-week Masters festivities and that overall strength of the tournament’s ability to captivate sports fans. But reaching that conclusion already is a curious call when 72 of 72 holes remain to be played.

Newberry writes:

We won’t hold it against the players, all of whom seem justifiably grateful for the chance to claim a green jacket before the calendar mercifully flips past the abomination known as 2020.

But it’s hard to see any justification — beyond the hundreds of millions of dollars in television revenue, of course — for salvaging what is supposed to be the first major of the season a few weeks before Thanksgiving.

This is the Masters in name only.

A tradition unlike any other has the overwhelming feel of a nondescript college tournament.

“Oh, so different,” said Tony Finau, gazing out over the immaculate desolation. “The golf course is still amazing. But it just looks so different.”

No question. It’ll different and nothing like what we’re used to. But what we’re “used to” is arguably the greatest sports event on the planet. This was never going to be as grand as a springtime Masters and Chairman Fred Ridley could never have imagined America would be where it is with COVID-19 (record daily cases and hospitalizations). The bar is low this year.

Now, the suggestion that the event is an excuse to collect TV money seems unfair given the club’s financial resources, but there was also this…

If you’re not one of the rich and famous, landing a table at Tbonz steakhouse — right down the road from Magnolia Lane and perhaps the city’s most famous restaurant — usually requires something just short of divine intervention during the Masters.

Not so on Wednesday, less than 24 hours before the start of this weak imitation of a major championship.

This was a Masters we really didn’t need.

We may have rain delays. A shocking winner. A couple of naps even. And we’re almost guaranteed a bizzarro back nine Sunday (or Monday) that will might end up making Newberry look smart. But declaring disaster on Wednesday night seems premature, at best.

And on a personal note, I know a lot of press shut out this year from attending (or even participating in the online basics) that would have had a more open mind.