The Masters always creates plenty of talking points – before, during and after the event, and 2022 is shaping up to be no different.
However, some noteworthy differences at this year’s event won’t become apparent until it gets under way. Changes to the 11th and 15th holes at Augusta National mean that the course will be 35 yards longer than last year, with White Dogwood and Firethorn lengthening by 15 and 20 yards, respectively. The changes increase the overall distance of the course from 7,475 yards to a record 7,510 yards.
Tiger Woods, who has played a practice round at Augusta National, apparently in preparation for the tournament, offered his perspective on the course changes in an interview with Golf Digest. He said: “If they didn’t tell you that they changed anything and you go there, you’d think it looks the same as it did every other year. It’s just absolutely amazing. The 11th hole, I think it’s a good change. They took a little of the dogleg out and took some trees out of the right-hand side. That’s a good change. And then 15, I haven’t seen it yet, but we’re almost going to be on the back of 10 green. I didn’t know there was land back there. They find land, they can make land.”
Another player who made a pre-Masters scouting trip to Augusta National, Rory McIlroy, remarked on his experience of the changes, too: “Obviously, there’s some changes to the golf course on 11 and 15. Three new greens, 3, 13 and 17, are all brand new greens. I just wanted to go there and just see that for myself." On the 11th specifically, McIlroy said: “It’s obviously a longer hole, the fairway’s much wider, so even if you miss it right, you still have a chance to hit the green. The green complexes are the same, but the surrounds of the green are much more penal, so that sort of bail-out to the right is much more difficult than it used to be. Overall I think it’s going to play tougher than it has in previous years, and it was already one of the toughest holes on the course.”
News that the holes were undergoing changes broke last year with spectacular images captured by Eureka Earth showing the extent of the renovations. The 13th, a dogleg left that allows the game's biggest hitters to cut the corner, had been expected to change, although it remains as it was. Still, a change to the hole’s length is expected sooner rather than later. Augusta National purchased land from neighbouring Augusta Country Club in 2017, offering scope to carry out the work. Then, Imagery from Google Earth in 2020 showed that a service road was being built on the land behind the tee to suggest a change was imminent. Finally, last year, the Eureka Earth images showed that work of some kind was being carried out on the 13th.
Pardon us but are you sure you told them precisely where you wanted your trees planted on No.13 #TheMasters “You plant a tree 20 yards off the tee on the left toward the corner. Now guys can’t go left. I’ll buy them the tree”~@webbsimpson1 (📸©10JUN2021 David Dobbins/EurekaEarth) June 13, 2021
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For the moment, that's not to be. Instead, only the changes to the 11th, 15th and three greens need concern the players teeing it up at this year’s Masters, as they contemplate a slightly longer round on the famous course.
