If the Masters is a tradition unlike any other, Augusta National is a ritual ground unlike any other. This time around, the tweaks are very subtle. An amateur would probably walk past them unnoticed, like the minor changes on the green at 1st, 8th, 15th, and 16th. But here is what everyone will definitely notice.

The lack of trees. A significant number of them. As a result, Augusta looks more vast. Just look at the before and after images here and you’ll see what we mean.

Walking around the course, we could spot a few landmarks that were near impossible to catch sight of previously (even if you jumped, throwing the hallowed rules of Augusta for a toss and drawing side-eyes from fellow patrons).

Take the first tee, for example. You can see the Augusta Country Club from there. Similarly, from the ninth green, we saw players and caddies walking on the Sarazen Bridge.

That now impacts the strategy as well.

Since the pines are thinned, the par-4 tenth invites bombers to go bold. We can easily see Bryson or Rory cutting (or at least trying to) across the right dogleg to the green. A bonus: pros can now see the TV Tower across the fairway, offering an aiming line that wasn’t there before.

Risky, yes, but fortune favors the brave!

The case on the next hole is the exact opposite, however. On the 520-yard White Dogwood, the trees marking the aiming line for approach shots are gone. Then, there is the wind. Fewer trees mean more leeway for the wind to toss and turn pros’ drives toward the trees. Expect the Golden Bell (par-3, 12th) and Redbud (par-3, 16th) to play harder this time.

So good luck to all the 95 stars out there. (A little more to Rory—we’re rooting for him, remember? 😉)

Three aces. A few near aces. And a bunch of putts from kids whose golf clubs are taller than them. That sums up the wholesome fun that the Par-3 contest has been. Let’s break it down for you.

Keegan Bradley—who’s in some envious form with an envy-worthy mustache—hammered the first one on the sixth. Captain America then picked up Logan and Cooper, his two sons, hugged his wife, and celebrated ecstatically. But then, who wouldn’t?

The second came from Tom Hoge courtesy of a nifty wedge on the 89-yard fourth hole. And the third? Say hello to Brooks Koepka. The Smash GC captain slammed an ace on sixth—with a beautiful spin-back—before throwing his arms in the air and hoisting baby Crew on his shoulders in excitement!

Ultimately, though, it was Poppy, Rory’s four-year-old daughter, who gave us the best moment.

On the 18th, she picked up Dad’s flatstick and gently nudged the ball towards the whole… at least 30 feet away! The ball rolled, then it rolled some more, and then it finally ran to the hole. Dada Rory threw out his arm, Uncle Lowry clapped, and the crowd roared. And the shy lady herself? She took shelter in McIlroy’s arms. It was a wholesome moment worth watching again and again.

Burns, Conners, Day, and JT—everyone had quite a moment. Showing us a side that is rarely seen. Like Jordan Spieth trying to stop her daughter, Sophie, from… eating grass. Adorable!

Scottie had quite a soul-stirring day, too. He made birdie with his 11-month-old son in one hand and then watched young Bennet try to gobble down the ball while sitting on the grass—catch all his delightful moments here.

By the way, Nico Echavarria won the Par-3 contest, beating JJ Spaun in the playoff. The silver lining for Spaun here, though, is that he still has a shot at the Green Jacket this year!

We are concluding the Masters’ special series with Rory’s bunker hole-out from the 2022 Masters. Oh, what a shot it was! On the 72nd hole, McIlroy wedged out of the white sand and landed his ball near the middle of the green. It then swerved left, taking the perfect line, and fell right to the bottom of the cup. Watch the gorgeous shot here. It put Rory (who placed 2nd that year) on an elite list with Gary Player as the only two people to shoot a 64 at Augusta in a final round.

Now, imagine yourself in a similar position in a greenside bunker. Here is what Rory suggests you should do: 

• For low-flighted shots that run after landing on the green, keep the ball further back in your stance, as the Ulsterman himself demonstrates in this tutorial.

• Don’t open the clubface too much and then hit it behind the ball (Rory hits it a ‘good two inches’ behind). This will help launch the ball higher.

• Use this T-shaped setup drill that the 4-time major winner never misses while practicing. Draw a vertical line aligning with your path. Then, draw a horizontal line to make a T. Your goal is to keep the club shaft on the same line.

So that covers what Rory would want you to do when in the sand. But if you want to take things one step ahead, maybe pay heed to what Gary Player says here too!

It was the best of times or the worst—depends on who you were! The year 2000 was the age of Tiger Woods and the near-end of everyone else. The Big Cat was roaring, having already won three titles before heading to Augusta. It didn’t look like anyone could stop him.

Then came Vijay Singh!

Without any top-20 finishes in six starts before the Masters, Singh turned the tide in his favor at Augusta. Nothing, not an early charge from Tiger, or the relentless threats from David Duval, or even Ernie Els’s burst on the back nine, could stop him. Draining this 18-footer on the 72nd hole for a birdie, Singh held off three of the best of his generation. 

Now, 25 years later, the size 46 Green Jacket still very much fits Singh’s broad (and worthy) shoulders. He isn’t playing this year, like we told you last week, but Singh’s victory stands testament to the fact that persistence can get you anywhere!