With a year like 2020, it’s a miracle for any sense of normalcy and that includes the Masters. Instead of being competed as originally scheduled (since its inception in 1934) April date, the Masters starts today! The 12th of November. Get ready for the guys in your life to be bumps on a log this weekend. And let’s get a 2020 update on the race for the green jacket.
Who’s in?
Here is the leaderboard. This year there are 92 players in the field including 16 past Masters champions. Defending champion is the one and only Tiger Woods. I think we all remember this last year.
Who to watch?
This is a tough question. There are so many players that could take it this year.
- World #1 Dustin Johnson was on fire and won the FedEx Cup this past season but then got COVID and has been forced to quarantine for a couple of weeks. Will he be ready to go to win his 2nd major? He did get 2nd in the Houston Open last week, shutting up the doubts and making him a strong contender for the title.
- Bryson DeChambeau is the latest major champion, winning his first major title at the US Open in June. He bulked up over the COVID break and proved to the haters and the world that it was the right move for him. Will his new found power and distance lead to a green jacket?
- Jon Rahm is hard to argue against after this amazing ace on the Wednesday practice round. Oh and that was his 2nd hole-in-one of the week. As World #2, he has been playing well and seems to be trending in the right direction for his first major title.
- Brooks Koepka, aka Mr. Major, is in his element after coming back from an injury. Remember the last time he did that? Let me give you a hint, it led to back-to-back US Open titles and back-to-back PGA Championship titles. If he is feeling 100%, watch out for him.
- Tiger Woods hasn’t played a lot since COVID but we saw last year that he knows this course better than anyone.
- Other honorable mentions: Patrick Cantlay, Xander Schauffle and I will go ahead and include Rory McIlroy here as he only needs the Masters to complete his career Grand Slam.
Who’s not here?
Sergio Garcia and Jaoquin Neiman after they both qualified but tested positive for COVID.
How to watch?
Oh did we mention that also for the first time ever, College GameDay is live from the Masters on Saturday morning. They will host their normal pre-kickoff show from Augusta.
- Thurs 11/12
- Masters – Round 1 @ 12pm on ESPN
- Replay @ 7pm on ESPN
- Highlights @ 12:35am on NBCSN
- Masters – Round 1 @ 12pm on ESPN
- Fri 11/13
- Masters – Round 2 @ 12pm on ESPN
- Replay @ 7pm on ESPN
- Highlights @ 12:35am on NBCSN
- Masters – Round 2 @ 12pm on ESPN
- Sat 11/14
- Masters – Round 3 @ 12pm on CBS
- Sun 11/15
- Masters – Round 4 @ 11am on CBS
Changes this year?
Of course. Because of COVID, there are no spectators allowed on the course. The few people you see walking around are volunteers, members and significant others of the players. Players talk about how educated the golf fans are at Augusta every year and love the roars heard on the course here – that will not exist this year.
Also because the tournament is being played in November, the grass is different. Augusta National’s iconic Bermuda grass usually dies out and they close the club after the Maters until about this time in November. So to make the course look so good this year, the grass is a rye and Bermuda combo. The grass and weather combined is expected to make scores lower than usual.
Swag has never been sold online…until this year. But if you’re looking to score something you’re still out of luck. You have to show proof that you are a member or had a ticket to access the online store.
There is usually a par 3 contest the Wednesday before the tournament where golfers use their kids as caddies. It is a nice casual juxtaposition to the rest of the weekend. This year however, the par 3 contest was canceled.
