Cameron Smith says his “body shut down” after food poisoning while Min Woo Lee also copped the flu and a broken finger as two of Australia’s hopes at the Masters battle an injury and illness cloud while preparing for the year’s first major.
Jason Day has been given the ultimate Masters compliment, being grouped with five-time winner Tiger Woods and Max Homa for the opening two rounds at Augusta National.
Upcoming births have both Americans keeping one eye towards home. Both men have vowed to withdraw from the tournament should their wives go into labour.
To help us all get into the spirit of Masters Week, Mizuno has released 1,000 sets of special-edition “Azalea” irons – and we’re going to take a punt and say they’re not going to last long.
Injury aside, it’s easy to envision Bhatia enjoying success in his Masters debut. He enters the week ranked fourth on the PGA Tour in strokes gained this season, and is up to 34th in the Official World Golf Ranking.
Officially, there is only one notable change to Augusta National for this year’s Masters, with the tee at the par-5 second hole extended back and to the left by 10 yards. Unofficially, however, patrons and players will notice a handful of other modifications.
There are optical illusions all over Augusta National, according to Ralph Bauer, a PGA Tour putting coach to multiple players in the Masters field and co-founder of the popular Tour Read putting app.
Australian junior Jesse Linden’s journey to Augusta National, for the annual Drive, Chip and Putt competition, is a success story 30 years in the making. It’s also a story about the sacrifices parents make for their children.
For the three-time Masters champion, it’s been a gradual, circuitous and finally sudden journey, as big a reversal in public image as golf has ever seen.