Very firm course and hard, fast greens. Nothing else is being talked about at the Augusta National in the hours before the start of the tournament. There is huge anticipation among fans and players to find out what the Masters will set up. There are theories for every taste. The majority view is that the course will be set up firm and the winning score probably won’t reach double figures under par. Others, however, maintain that Augusta National always opts for spectacle and will surely contain the course so that low rounds can be seen
Between one theory and the other, Jon Rahm is very clear which he chooses. “The course has had marvellous weather. It’s in fantastic condition. With the control they have here over agronomy, they can do whatever they want. They can make it as hard and difficult as they like, or as soft and easy as they like. Most likely they’ll opt for hard and difficult. They’re very good at managing the pace of the tournament so that, in some way, the winner is between 10 and 13 under par. In recent years they’ve done it very well. I almost expect that this time they’ll take it a bit to the other extreme and make it really tough. It’s so good, so healthy, that they could produce one of those Masters where the winner finishes at 6 or 7 under par and, with good weather, that would be perfect”
It’s clear that El León de Barrika wants blood in this Masters, he would like to face the toughest version of Augusta, a version that he has, depending on how you look at it, hardly had the chance to suffer or enjoy
The forecast points to wind for this opening Thursday. It should be the most difficult day in terms of conditions, since from Friday the wind intensity is expected to drop. In fact, right now the radar shows a Saturday and Sunday of pure luxury, with dead calm, sunshine and rather warm temperatures. According to the charts, the colder morning temperatures should disappear
Another who is delighted with this version of the Masters is Adam Scott. “It looks magnificent. It suits me. I like fast greens. And I think that, at this stage of my career, having variable conditions on the course also benefits me, because of the experience of having played here and seen a few things already. And certainly, having grown up in Australia, we’re used to hard, fast courses. So this week is going to be about playing well and getting a good result, and I think it’ll be very exciting”
Rory McIlroy is convinced the wind is going to play a few nasty tricks. He also points to the theory that we’ll see a very tough course. “It’s going to be a tough test this week. The wind will blow on Thursday. The greens are going to firm up. It certainly won’t be a festival of birdies. It will require patience. It may require an even greater mental effort. This course is always like that, but I think even more so when the wind starts to swirl. You’ll have doubts, you’ll be indecisive. So the more decisive I can be and the more confidence I have in what I’m doing, that’s what I’ll need”
