SAN DIEGO — Through all of the logistical challenges that COVID-19 has created for professional golf tournaments, from safety protocols to testing to managing fans on-site, it appears that the two biggest events on the USGA’s calendar this year—both scheduled for California in June—are going to come down to a problem that few saw coming:
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12:54 AM ET Associated Press TOKYO — Led by Japan’s prime minister, the country celebrated golfer Hideki Matsuyama‘s victory in the Masters — the first Japanese player to win at Augusta National and pull on the famous green jacket. “It was really wonderful,” Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said with his country struggling to pull off
You’re forgiven if you have a bit of a Masters hangover after last week. So will some of the players as they arrive at Harbour Town Golf Links in Hilton Head Island, S.C.—a favorite stop of many on the PGA Tour. The field is stacked, despite Bryson DeChambeau withdrawing on Monday, with five of the
AUGUSTA, Ga. — Japan, rejoice. Hideki Matsuyama satisfied the cravings of a golf-mad nation by winning the Masters, becoming the first man from the Land of the Rising Sun to win a major championship. That will be the enduring memory from the 2021 Masters. But, as always, a golf tournament is about so much more
6:39 AM ET The Masters came upon us quickly in 2021, with the previous installment having just ended only five months earlier and without another major championship between them. Dustin Johnson’s time with the green jacket was short, and Hideki Matsuyama lifted up a nation in winning this one. Here are a few things we
Until Hideki Matsuyama gave Japan its first major championship in the men’s game with his one-stroke victory Sunday in the 85th Masters, Isao Aoki had come the closest to winning a major title, finishing second in a duel with Jack Nicklaus in the 1980 U.S. Open at Baltusrol Golf Club in Springfield, N.J. The first
9:14 PM ET AUGUSTA, Ga. — Hideki Matsuyama smiled as he walked from the front nine to the back on Sunday, never looking toward the giant scoreboard to his right. He held a three-shot lead in the Masters, going out in 2 under. Nine holes remained between him and a major championship, the first ever
Jon Rahm was 11 strokes off the lead when he teed off Sunday at the Masters, where, with a deficit that large, the afternoon was more about simply trying to shoot the lowest score he could, enjoying the walk around Augusta National and perhaps picking up some crystal. Then he birdied the first, eagled the
Eighteen holes separate Hideki Matsuyama from Masters enshrinement. His would be the rare win that transcends self, as his home nation of Japan desperately craves its first male major championship winner. Certainly Matsuyama is a fitting candidate: 14 worldwide wins, seven career major top-10s, four Presidents Cup appearances and reaching as high as No. 2
8:57 PM ET AUGUSTA, Ga. — A dangerous weather situation that caused the evacuation of Augusta National and was followed by a brief period of heavy rain was all it took to throw Justin Thomas off his game and out of contention at the Masters. Things were going quite well for Thomas before weather intervened.
If Hideki Matsuyama wins the Masters on Sunday, he won’t be a stranger to Augusta National Golf Club’s Butler Cabin. In 2011, the 19-year-old Asian Amateur Championship winner from Japan earned low-amateur honors and sat beside Charl Schwartzel during the green jacket ceremony. It was a triumphant moment for the teen, but unfortunately, his mind
8:45 PM ET AUGUSTA, Ga. — For the first nine holes on Saturday, the leaderboard at the Masters was crowded. Then, after a weather delay, Hideki Matsuyama blistered the second nine at Augusta National, shooting 30 on his way to a 7-under 65 in the only bogey-free round at this place this year. So can
The PGA Tour will no longer require fully vaccinated players to take COVID-19 tests in order to play in events. The tour informed players of the decision in an email earlier this week, a copy of which was obtained by Golf Digest. “As the COVID-19 vaccine is becoming more readily available, more individuals are being
By now you are likely aware there are limited fans at Augusta National this week, as evidenced by the mere smattering of people in the background of golf shots. In the absence of official figures—Augusta National is not big on those—the popular estimate is there are about 20 percent of fans in attendance compared to
8:17 PM ET AUGUSTA, Georgia — Defending Masters champion Dustin Johnson won’t be around for the weekend at Augusta National Golf Club after missing the cut. Neither will four-time major winners Brooks Koepka or Rory McIlroy. But after England’s Justin Rose came back to the field a little bit in Friday’s second round, there still
It should be an electric Saturday and Sunday at Augusta National with big names lurking. Of course, Jordan Spieth sits just two back of Justin Rose’s lead. Spieth is the favorite according to the oddsmakers, with 4-to-1 odds of winning a second Masters title. Right behind him is Justin Thomas (5-1, three back); Justin Rose
7:08 PM ET AUGUSTA, Ga. — The process is far from complete, with plenty of work to be done. The prolonged slump might be a thing of the past, but getting his game to the level of those bygone days is still the goal for Jordan Spieth. He’s on another leaderboard, this time at the
Amen? More like hallelujah for Justin Thomas. Birdies across the most famous three-hole stretch in golf Friday at the Masters will go down as the highlight of the 27-year-old’s second round—particularly the 9-iron that he cut toward the flag in the center 12th green, the ball stopping pin-high and eight feet left of the hole.
Augusta National proved to be a head-scratching, shoulder-slumping, mutter-under-your breath kind of golf course on Thursday, with the field posting a collective 74.5 stroke average on Day 1 of the Masters (compared to 71.41 last November). The high number is thanks largely to dry weather over the previous several days allowing fairways and greens to
Abraham Ancer was hit with a two-stroke penalty following the opening round of the Masters on Thursday after it was determined that he unknowingly touched the sand with his club before he hit his shot from the greenside bunker on the par-5 15th hole. The tournament announced the decision after the rules committee reviewed video
When stories from non-golf sources have headlines like “Golf is facing an existential crisis”—see this week’s opus from Wired UK—all of us around these parts get defensive or worried or at least intrigued. And usually, very quickly, frustrated, disappointed, and very much wishing someone had at least given us a call. We’re not here to
Through seven holes he was just trying to survive. It has been that way for the last seven months, to tell the truth. But over the next three hours, Justin Rose unleashed a cry that could be heard throughout the loblolly pines, and loudly: Azaleas aren’t the only ones blooming at Augusta National. Rose made
AUGUSTA, Ga.—He had five months to figure it out. Nearly half a year to chew on the egg he laid last November, fine-tune his plan of attack and solve the Augusta National riddle. Bryson DeChambeau knows he should play this course well, whatever that means. He said so himself on Tuesday. Length is a massive
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AUGUSTA, Ga. — Justin Rose fired a brilliant 65 to grab a four-shot lead after Day 1 of the 2021 Masters. So all the patrons here should gobble up the remaining sandwich tee-shirts from the merchandise shop and head home because this thing is over, right? Not so fast. Of course, if you’re a golf
Unless Mother Nature makes an appearance Friday afternoon at Augusta National and delays the finish of the second round, at day’s end, tournament officials will make the 36-hole cut at this year’s Masters. Between now and then, exactly where the cut line will fall will become an increasingly talked about storyline, with several top-ranked players
In a tournament packed with traditions, the Honorary Starters Ceremony at the Masters is arguably its most cherished. This celebration was especially poignant Thursday, as Lee Elder, who broke the tournament’s color barrier in 1975, was recognized for his courage and efforts as a trail blazer, joining Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player for the event’s
When Bobby Jones saw a young Jack Nicklaus for the first time nearly a lifetime ago, he famously uttered the phrase, “He plays a game with which I am not familiar.” His words resonate every time we see a kind of golf being played that seems world-shifting. But at the Masters each year, likely more
10:34 AM ET AUGUSTA, Ga. — As the sun peeked over the tall Georgia pines on Thursday morning, Lee Elder joined Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player as honorary starters on the first tee at Augusta National Golf Club for the 85th edition of the Masters. Elder, 86, was driven to the No. 1 tee in
4:01 PM ET AUGUSTA, Ga. — Masters Tournament chairman Fred Ridley said Wednesday he is keenly interested in the results from an ongoing study on distance by golf’s governing bodies, as it relates to keeping Augusta National viable as a major championship venue. “As I have stated in the past each year, we look at