The Masters 2026

[Swinglowandslow]

Remember speaking to Gary Wolstenholme years ago after he’d played there twice as Amateur Champion.

Most know he was renowned as a straight but relatively short hitter. He said he could never be competitive at a venue with greens complexes like they have there, if he was hitting 4-iron approaches whilst everyone else was hitting mid and short irons.

Yes, descent angles and all that.

 

[D-S]

The Open was first played way back in mid 1800’s. There’s been 4 first visit winners.

The Masters was first played around in 1934. There’s been 3 first visit winners.

A quick look at the number of winners of each tournament shows that the ratio of different winners of the Masters is greater than the Open.

You think it weakens the field and creates an exclusivity but the stats don’t support that.

Your stat proves the point, first visit winners don’t win majors very often. You need experience to win.

By definition with a smaller field fewer players gain experience of playing in this major than the others. This is exacerbated by the fact that it is at the same venue every year hence the need for experience is greater. Every year a field less than 60% the size of the other majors gain knowledge of the course, further weakening the chances of players who may play in future.

 

[Springveldt]

It’s the smallest field, not the weakest. All the best players are there.

Are all the best players not at the other Majors as well where they also have to beat an extra 80 or so of the world’s best players?

 

[Springveldt]

An Invitational largely based on World Rankings doesn't make it a weak field. Far from it.

The gradients effect difficulty greatly. Eg on the 9th, you get a sharp down hill lie hitting uphill to a severely sloping green. There are countless other examples.

Unless you have 190mph ball speed like Rory, then you just bomb it down onto the flat.

 

[Highfade]

Faldo speaking recently in the broadcast about there being “no manual for post slam career”.
True. But as Butch Harmon regularly says “inner-estingly”. History says the following.

Sarazen. No more majors after completing slam in 1935 (at Augusta).
13 more t10s up until 1950.

Hogan. No more majors after completing slam in 1953 (at Carnoustie open).
13 more t10s up until 1967. Albeit never playing the open and rarely the PGA until it became a stroke play event.

Player. 5 more majors after completing slam in 1965 (uS open).
Continued to make t10s (24) until 1982!

Nicklaus. 12 more majors after competing slam in 1966 (open).
Was only outside t10 4x in the 40 majors of the 70s! And last t10 was in 1998.
Completed 3 career slams.

Tiger. 11 more majors after competing slam at St Andrews in 2000. Including 30 more t10s and 3 career slams.

Rory has plenty time on his side.
A lot has been made of him recently eventually completing his slam and potentially become the 4th player to successfully defend.
But perhaps slightly overlooked fact that with another green jacket he is halfway to a 2nd career slam that would naturally elevate him to the 3rd greatest golfer of all time.

 

[Springveldt]

I agree about Fleetwood, but Rosey is a different personality, reserved in what he says, but just as genuine.

I dunno, I just can’t shake the feeling with Rose that a lot of it contrived for the cameras.

I know some guys that followed him at the Scottish Open and after he hit a bad shot he turned round and had a go at the guy carrying the scoreboard who was 40 yards behind him.

Could be miles off and he’s a genuinely nice guy but he doesn’t give off the same vibes as someone like Fleetwood to me.

 

[Highfade]

I dunno, I just can’t shake the feeling with Rose that a lot of it contrived for the cameras.

I know some guys that followed him at the Scottish Open and after he hit a bad shot he turned round and had a go at the guy carrying the scoreboard who was 40 yards behind him.

Could be miles off and he’s a genuinely nice guy but he doesn’t give off the same vibes as someone like Fleetwood to me.

Yeah I’m with u on that.
Something not sitting quite right with me in regards to him.
Very polished PR machine.
Contrived, premeditated celebrations at the Ryder cup designed to generate a persona.
Maybe I’m just overly cynical but I hear what you’re saying.

 

[Billysboots]

I dunno, I just can’t shake the feeling with Rose that a lot of it contrived for the cameras.

I know some guys that followed him at the Scottish Open and after he hit a bad shot he turned round and had a go at the guy carrying the scoreboard who was 40 yards behind him.

Could be miles off and he’s a genuinely nice guy but he doesn’t give off the same vibes as someone like Fleetwood to me.

A group of us were following Rose at Wentworth a couple of years ago. He hit a bit of a duff approach into a green, and promptly turned and had a proper go at a fella stood about twenty yards from us and accused him of taking a photo with his phone when Rose was at the top of his backswing. The fella was absolutely mortified, not least because, as he replied to Rose, he had left his phone in his car.

So, as I say, I find him a little hard to warm to.

 

[IanM]

Unless you have 190mph ball speed like Rory, then you just bomb it down onto the flat.

Precisely, that's the point. If you can pull off an excellent shot you get rewarded. If not, you get knobbled.

Someone above said the only tough bit is the greens. Looks easy on TV, have a walk round, you'll know different.

 

[Highfade]

Precisely, that's the point. If you can pull off an excellent shot you get rewarded. If not, you get knobbled.

Someone above said the only tough bit is the greens. Looks easy on TV, have a walk round, you'll know different.

It’s a lot hillier than it looks on tv

 

[D-S]

It’s a lot hillier than it looks on tv

Well that’s what all the ‘patrons’ say.

 

[jim8flog]

I switched for SKY last year via a dish to NOW TV this year.

I have noticed a big difference in colour intensity.

Is it the different viewing platform or is Augusta looking very pale and washed out this year?

So by yesterday evening I think I had worked this out.
Commentators were talking about how dry it is there. the angle of the sun relative to time of day an how much earlier it is the year compared to previous years, very few of the azaleas etc in flower, change in fashions with very few brightly coloured spectators.

It looked very different when they were showing clips from previous years.

 

[timd77]

All I’ve ever seen of Rose is good stuff. Interviews/youtube stuff he’s done he always comes across well. He’s done all of that stuff promoting ladies golf as well. As much as I want Rory and Tommy to do well, Rose is the one for me.

And he’s just an absolute Don as well. The clutch putts in the RC, the passion, the come backs. Superb player. My favourite memory of him is bethpage, I think it was the Saturday, obviously all of the well publicised shouts and abuse the yanks were giving, he was waiting to hit his approach and from a few feet away someone shouted something about him shanking it (in reference to the open I guess). He proceeds to step up and nails a lovely shot and as it’s in the air says ‘shank that baby’, 2-3 feet from the hole. Don.

 

[irip]

Looking at the scores of the players who went out earlier there are a lot of players around level for the day (admittedly some have not played many holes).
Four under from Harmon the best score so far after 14 holes.
If the course is setup with birdies being hard to come by but pars fairly easy that would suit Rory a treat.

Of course this could just be the musings of a stupid old man

 

[The Squirrel]

McGinley repeatedly saying stuff in the current segment like ‘Rory hasn’t played his best golf’ and grading him a C so far. Dunno what he was watching yesterday on the back 9 or whether he’s seen the leaderboard recently

 

[Orikoru]

All I’ve ever seen of Rose is good stuff. Interviews/youtube stuff he’s done he always comes across well. He’s done all of that stuff promoting ladies golf as well. As much as I want Rory and Tommy to do well, Rose is the one for me.

And he’s just an absolute Don as well. The clutch putts in the RC, the passion, the come backs. Superb player. My favourite memory of him is bethpage, I think it was the Saturday, obviously all of the well publicised shouts and abuse the yanks were giving, he was waiting to hit his approach and from a few feet away someone shouted something about him shanking it (in reference to the open I guess). He proceeds to step up and nails a lovely shot and as it’s in the air says ‘shank that baby’, 2-3 feet from the hole. Don.

Yeah he's got that ruthless edge to him that I quite like. He's no Mr Nice Guy, he's like the house player that fans love and other teams love to hate. If he was American I'd probably hate him.

 

[Orikoru]

It looks like Scheffler has turned up.

 

[JonnyGutteridge]

Seems like a very gettable golf course at the moment (as it did yesterday evening). Someone will shot low today

 

[Trojan615]

Well, it kind of does. You do see the same names at the top each year who obviously suit the course and know how to do well there. Names like Rose, Reed, McIlroy, usually Mickelson although not this year of course.

And Freddie couples always starts well

 

[irip]

And Freddie couples always starts well

I remember a while back that Charlie Hoffman always seemed to be at the top of the leaderboard after the 1st day of the masters