One month from Masters Week

Golf followers will not get to see Tiger Woods at The Gamers, the PGA Tour’s signature occasion, however they will not have to attend lengthy to see him again on the course.

Woods is anticipated to return on the Masters, the primary main championship of the season. The beginning of the match at Augusta Nationwide Golf Membership is a couple of month away.

Woods, a 15-time main champion, will not be the one former inexperienced jacket winner making his return at Augusta. Phil Mickelson, a three-time Masters winner, can be anticipated to be again. Final 12 months, he missed the match for the primary time since 1994. Mickelson, who’s now competing within the LIV Golf League, skipped the Masters whereas he was embroiled in controversy from his feedback in regards to the PGA Tour and the Saudi Arabian monarchy’s historical past of human rights violations.

Mickelson’s return might be one of many largest storylines of Masters week, together with Rory McIlroy‘s chase of a profession grand slam and Scottie Scheffler‘s tried protection. This is what else to search for over the subsequent month:

Tiger is again

All indicators level to Woods being again in Augusta, the place final 12 months he made his return to aggressive golf after struggling severe accidents in a automobile wreck in February 2021. Taking part in for the primary time in 509 days, Woods carded a 1-under 71 within the first spherical and made the reduce, which is one thing Jordan Spieth, Xander Schauffele, Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau did not do.

Woods’ surgically repaired proper leg and fused again did not maintain up in chilly climate on the weekend final 12 months. The five-time Masters champion posted back-to-back 6-over 78s within the remaining two rounds, his worst rounds at Augusta Nationwide. He completed forty seventh at 13 over.

Woods, 47, competed in two extra main championships final 12 months; he withdrew after 54 holes on the PGA Championship and missed the reduce on the one hundred and fiftieth Open Championship at St. Andrews. He seemed higher in his first begin on the Genesis this 12 months, tying for forty fifth at 1 below. He mentioned his proper leg was in higher form however acknowledged his ankle and plantar fasciitis in his proper foot have been nonetheless bothering him.

Prime contenders

Rory McIlroy: McIlroy’s quest to grow to be the sixth golfer to finish the profession grand slam within the Masters period might be one of many week’s largest storylines. He appeared to exorcise his Augusta Nationwide demons with a final-round 64 to complete solo second final 12 months.

Scottie Scheffler: The defending Masters champion is seeking to grow to be solely the fourth participant to win in back-to-back years. Jack Nicklaus (1965-66), Nick Faldo (1989-90) and Tiger Woods (2001-02) are the others.

Jon Rahm: Few gamers have been higher over the previous a number of months than Rahm, who has received 5 instances in his previous 10 worldwide begins. He had 4 straight top-10 finishes at Augusta Nationwide earlier than tying for twenty seventh final 12 months.

Collin Morikawa: The 2-time main championship winner retains getting higher and higher at Augusta Nationwide, tying for 18th in 2021 and ending solo fifth final 12 months.

Will Zalatoris: A ball-striking machine, Zalatoris would not appear to be exhibiting a lot rust from his layoff for a again damage. He was solo second in his first Masters begin in 2021 and tied for sixth final 12 months.

Justin Thomas: Thomas picked up his second PGA Championship victory final 12 months, and he appears have found out Augusta Nationwide as nicely, with two top-10 finishes in his previous three begins, together with a tie for eighth in 2022.

Max Homa: Homa has performed like among the best gamers on this planet for the previous two years, profitable 5 instances since February 2021. Now, it is time for him to carry out higher within the majors. He tied for forty eighth at Augusta Nationwide final 12 months, his greatest end in three begins. He is placing lights out, which can assist.

Cameron Smith: The reigning Open Championship winner was a Masters runner-up in 2020 and tied for third final 12 months. The Australian is likely to be LIV Golf’s greatest likelihood at spoiling the week. Is he taking part in sufficient aggressive golf to do it?

Dustin Johnson: The 2020 Masters champion dominated the LIV Golf circuit in its inaugural season, taking house greater than $35 million in purses and bonuses. He tied for twelfth at Augusta Nationwide final 12 months.

Xander Schauffele: Is that this the 12 months Schauffele picks up his first main championship victory? He missed the reduce at Augusta Nationwide final 12 months, however tied for second in 2019 and for third in 2021.

Patrick Cantlay: The most effective gamers on this planet and not using a main championship victory, Cantlay’s high-mark at Augusta Nationwide was a tie for ninth in 2019. He tied for thirty ninth final 12 months.

Tony Finau: Finau has received thrice since July, and has a fairly good observe file on the first main of the season, regardless of tying for thirty fifth final 12 months. He has three top-10s below his belt, together with a tie for fifth in 2019.

LIV guys might be there

On Dec. 20, the Masters grew to become the primary main championship to announce that it would not ban LIV Golf League gamers from returning to Augusta Nationwide and would preserve the identical qualifying standards for this 12 months’s match.

Barring accidents or different causes, there might be 18 gamers from the LIV Golf League competing within the Masters: Abraham Ancer, Bryson DeChambeau, Sergio Garcia, Talor Gooch, Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, Jason Kokrak, Mickelson, Kevin Na, Joaquin Niemann, Louis Oosthuizen, Mito Pereira, Thomas Pieters, Patrick Reed, Charl Schwartzel, Cam Smith, Harold Varner III and Bubba Watson.

Regardless that Augusta Nationwide did not make it harder for LIV Golf gamers to qualify for the match, no less than this 12 months, Masters chairman Fred Ridley made it clear he wasn’t pleased with the present division in males’s golf.

“Regrettably, latest actions have divided males’s skilled golf by diminishing the virtues of the sport and the significant legacies of those that constructed it,” Ridley mentioned in an announcement. “Though we’re disillusioned in these developments, our focus is to honor the custom of bringing collectively a preeminent discipline of golfers this coming April.”

Garcia, Johnson, Mickelson, Reed, Schwartzel and Watson have received inexperienced jackets and might be invited to the champions dinner.

Because the defending champ, Scheffler will select the menu, which he says he hasn’t but finalized.

“We have got some concepts,” Scheffler mentioned. “I am enthusiastic about it. Hopefully the blokes will prefer it, too. I am just a little bit bizarre about my meals. I do not actually department out an excessive amount of. We’ll see what they assume.”

On the bubble

Harris English (Present OWGR rating: 39): English, a member of the profitable U.S. staff on the 2021 Ryder Cup, was at risk of lacking the Masters after sitting out a lot of 2022 with a hip damage. After tying for second on the Arnold Palmer Invitational, nonetheless, he climbed 40 spots on this planet rankings and appears to be secure.

Jason Day (Present OWGR rating: 43): After lacking the Masters final 12 months for the primary time since 2010, Day is on the correct facet of the quantity for now. He is wholesome and made some swing modifications, and the outcomes have been good with three straight top-10s on the Farmers Insurance coverage Open, WM Phoenix Open and The Genesis.

Keith Mitchell (Present OWGR rating: 47): One other former Georgia star, Mitchell is taking part in among the greatest golf of his profession. He tied for fourth within the AT&T Pebble Seashore Professional-Am and was fifth in The Genesis. He has performed within the Masters solely as soon as, tying for forty third in 2019.

Min Woo Lee (Present OWGR rating: 50): The Australian tied for 14th in his first Masters begin in 2022. His older sister, Minjee, is the reigning U.S. Ladies’s Open champion.

Lucas Herbert (Present OWGR rating: 51): Buoyed by consecutive third-place finishes within the Hero Dubai Basic and PIF Saudi Worldwide, the Australian is correct on the bubble and must play nicely.

Taylor Montgomery (Present OWGR rating: 56): After a scorching begin to his PGA Tour profession, the previous UNLV star cooled down with back-to-back missed cuts on the WM Phoenix Open and The Genesis.

Victor Perez (Present OWGR rating: 60): Perez, from France, began the 12 months ranked outdoors the highest 100 on this planet. However then he received the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship and performed nicely in two different DP World Tour occasions to get again within the combine.

Hi there, once more

Chris Kirk: The previous College of Georgia star is within the Masters discipline for the primary time since lacking the reduce in 2016. He picked up his first PGA Tour victory in nearly eight years on the Honda Basic final month.

Keegan Bradley: Bradley, who tied for seventh within the U.S. Open at Brookline, might be making his second Masters begin in seven years and first since 2019. His greatest end at Augusta Nationwide was a tie for twenty second in 2015.

Scott Stallings: It may need taken some further time for Stallings’ invitation to reach, nevertheless it’s one he’ll cherish after ready 9 years to play within the Masters once more. He tied for twenty seventh in 2012 and missed the reduce in 2014.

Alex Noren: Noren, from Sweden, might be making his first Masters begin since tying for 62nd in 2019. He missed the reduce in two different begins at Augusta Nationwide.

Aaron Wise: Clever completed seventeenth in his first Masters begin in 2019 after which missed the sector in every of the subsequent three years. He carded a 5-under 67 within the remaining spherical, which matched Jason Day for the bottom spherical that day.

Names to know

Adrian Meronk: Meronk, 29, grew to become the primary Polish participant to make the reduce in a PGA Tour occasion at The Genesis in February. A two-time winner on the DP World Tour certified for the Masters by ending within the high 50 on this planet final 12 months.

Gordon Sargent: The Vanderbilt sophomore is the reigning NCAA Division I males’s champion, and was the primary freshman since 2007 to win the title. His scoring common in his first six occasions this season is 67.3.

Sam Bennett: A fifth-year senior at Texas A&M, Bennett captured the 2022 U.S. Newbie Championship. He grew up taking part in on a nine-hole course in Texas that “sort of appears like a cow pasture.”

Ben Carr: The Georgia Southern senior was runner-up on the 2022 U.S. Newbie Championship. Carr continues to be an novice however secured his PGA Tour Canada card final month.

Mateo Fernandez de Oliveira: A senior at Arkansas, Fernandez de Oliveira received the Latin America Newbie Championship with a record-low whole of 23-under 265. The Argentina native additionally earned spots within the U.S. Open and Open Championship.

Adjustments to the thirteenth gap

Augusta Nationwide is hoping the par-5 thirteenth gap, which has historically been the simplest on the long-lasting course, might be just a little more difficult this 12 months.

The thirteenth gap, referred to as “Azalea,” has been lengthened by 35 yards, to 545 yards. It was the one distance change listed within the Masters media information. The up to date size of the course is 7,545 yards.

With a tributary to Rae’s Creek defending the inexperienced on the arduous dogleg-left gap, the added distance will go away golfers with a harder choice in whether or not to go for the inexperienced in two. Augusta Nationwide beforehand bought land from adjoining Augusta Nation Membership to push again the thirteenth tees.

Finally 12 months’s Masters, Ridley mentioned gamers’ elevated distance off the tee had dramatically modified how Bobby Jones meant for the outlet to be performed.

“The thirteenth gap doesn’t have the identical challenges that it has traditionally,” Ridley mentioned. “The truth that gamers are hitting center to brief irons into that gap isn’t actually the way it was designed. My reluctance thus far has been that it is such an iconic gap. Most likely together with 12 and perhaps 15, the three holes the place essentially the most historical past has been made at Augusta Nationwide. In order that has been form of a counter to doing something. However sooner or later in time, it is one thing that we seemingly will do. We simply do not have something to say about it proper now.”

The Par 3 Contest, which might be held on April 5, will happen on a brief course that has been vastly redesigned. Holes 1-5 have been redone, and, in line with Eureka Earth, a number of new buildings have been added.

“It’s majestic.”

Re: The ANGC Par 3 makeover 💚⛳️#TheMasters#Masters2023

(📸©09FEB2023 David Dobbins/EurekaEarth)#EurekaEarth #NotDrone#LoveAugusta pic.twitter.com/OK1R0MAnC8

— Eureka Earth® (@EurekaEarthPlus) February 14, 2023

Eureka Earth additionally had a photograph of building in Might.

How the ‘Drastic Adjustments’ to the Par-3 course at ANGC began – and the way they are going. 💚⛳️#TheMasters #Masters2023

(📸 ©31MAY2022 David Dobbins/EurekaEarth)

(📸 ©12SEP2022 David Dobbins/EurekaEarth)#EurekaEarth #NotDrone #DiscoverThePresent pic.twitter.com/GZKIM8RlF4

— Eureka Earth® (@EurekaEarthPlus) September 19, 2022