– It is truly striking that Scottie Scheffler had mud on his ball on the fairway of the 13th in such a dry week in that corner of Georgia, but that is the result of generous watering and the Augusta National’s unwavering determination to show a green, green course
– Either way, there is the Masters 2026, towering above, ready for another Sunday of powerful thrills and fabulous back-and-forths on the leaderboard. Perhaps that is the question: what course would we like to see in this breathless finale to the 90th edition of the Masters? A matter of taste and opinion, of course
– After a Saturday of abundance and ‘excesses’, with an average score of 70.63, it would not be too much to ask that the Augusta National approach Thursday’s figures, when the average rose to 74.64, four strokes more… Mind you, at the very least it should finish a few tenths above 72 strokes. It is not about making the players suffer for the sake of suffering; it is about the eventual winner, in a Major, necessarily having to be up to the demands of a tougher stage. It is just one way of looking at it, of course. There will be those who prefer someone to come from ahead of the final groups, post a 62 and take the Masters. If we had to choose in that scenario, let it be Tommy Fleetwood…
– If you ask Young or McIlroy they will surely prefer a tough setup. And if you ask Scheffler, who will tee off four shots back? Well, the World No. 1 would probably also demand a demanding course and, above all, firmer greens. By the way, to be fair, a feisty Saturday did not come as a surprise to anyone, as they often occur at this tournament
– To set the bar somewhere, let us say that this Sunday we will have eight big contenders, starting with the two in the marquee group, McIlroy and Young, both at -11, followed by the Burns (-10), Lowry (-9), Day and Rose, both at -8, and Scheffler and Li, both at -7. And there is Rose, once again
– Rose could become the eighth player in Masters history to win the tournament aged forty or over, after Ben Hogan, Sam Snead, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus, Ben Crenshaw, Mark O’Meara and Tiger Woods. At 45, however, which is Rose’s situation, only Nicklaus has achieved it… What a story
– And it is at this point that one is truly surprised by the Englishman, an ambitious and level-headed athlete in equal measure. Just yesterday, while analysing his chances for this Sunday with the media, he repeated that his task would by no means be complete with a win at Augusta… Far from it: his aim remains to win each of the four Majors at least once. ID, age, matters, of course it matters, so the simplest bet is that Rose will not achieve such an objective. But, in view of how he feels and thinks, it would not be out of the question to bet that we will see him again playing a Ryder Cup, the one in Ireland, aged 47
– We remember, above all, the two playoffs that Rose lost to Sergio and Rory in 2017 and 2025, but the unconsummated marriage between Justin and the Augusta National goes much further back. In the 2004 edition, his second appearance, he was already the solo leader after the first round (he finished in 22nd place). But 2007 was almost as dramatic as 2017 and 2025… In that edition, the ‘polar’ cold one, the Zach Johnson year, he was also co-leader after the first round, yet on Sunday he started one shot off the lead in the penultimate group and went to the 17th tee at that same distance, one off the lead, only to card a heartbreaking double bogey on that hole and finish in fifth place…
– It does not seem that in this Masters, which is the 100th Major of the 21st century (*), we will see the first Major winner born precisely in this century either. Majors continue to resist the fiery youth. Of the 35 players starting today with a total under par, only one was born in the 21st century, Michael Brenann (born in February 2002), but he tees off eight shots back and it does not seem very likely he will complete the comeback of the century…
(*) This Masters should have been the 101st Major of the 21st century, but that pusillanimous decision by the Royal & Ancient not to hold The Open in 2020 means it is the 100th. As you can see, we never miss an opportunity to criticise the R&A for such a blot on its legacy, compared with the boldness shown by the PGA of America, the USGA and the Augusta National in that terrible pandemic year
