The Masters – Five Things to Know presented by OCEANTEE

The DP World Tour heads to Augusta National Golf Club this week for the Masters Tournament as the biggest stars in men’s golf gather for the much-anticipated first Major Championship of the year. Here are your five things to know.

Defending champion Scheffler looks to join exclusive club

Scottie Scheffler will be looking to become just the fourth player in the history of The Masters to win the title back to back. Jack Nicklaus, Sir Nick Faldo and Tiger Woods are the only past champions to have worn the famous Green Jacket in consecutive years. Last year, the American’s maiden Major victory was his fourth title in six starts as he enjoyed a remarkable rise to the summit of the Official World Golf Ranking. Scheffler arrives at Augusta National for the 87th edition of the championship in fine form after reaching the last four of the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play on his most recent title defence, while he claimed his sixth PGA TOUR win in a little over a year at THE PLAYERS Championship last month. In his seven worldwide appearances so far this year, the 26-year-old is yet to miss a cut – registering no worse than a tie for 12th – underlining why he is one of the dominant forces in the game.

McIlroy’s quest for the career Grand Slam

Another player who will be high on confidence is Rory McIlroy after he reflected on “a ton of positives to take away” from the WGC Match Play, beating Scheffler in the third-place play-off at Austin Country Club. That result lifted the Northern Irishman to the top of the Race to Dubai Rankings in Partnership with Rolex and he will now hope to capture that elusive Masters title and complete a long-awaited career Grand Slam. His fourth and most recent Major win came in 2014 but his record at Augusta is impressive, with four top tens in his last six visits. After topping the Race to Dubai Rankings in Partnership with Rolex and claiming the FedExCup for the third time during a memorable 2022, he began this year with his first Rolex Series win in Dubai. There will be few golf fans in the world who would not want to see the 33-year-old end his wait for an elusive Green Jacket and join Nicklaus, Woods, Gary Player, Gene Sarazen and Ben Hogan as the only players to have won all four Majors.

Field face new test on iconic 13th hole

The 2023 edition of the Masters will be the longest in tournament history after one of Augusta National’s most iconic holes was increased by 35 yards. The par-five 13th, known as Azalea, will now play 545 yards after the tee box was pushed back and raised in height. The added distance is expected to make what is historically one of the course’s easiest holes play more difficult. A similar change to the par-five 15th ahead of the 2022 Masters resulted in zero eagles being made on that hole for the first time since 1966. On the eve of Masters week, the club released an image of the change to the 13th, showing a significantly tightened tee shot. The dogleg left hole has often played a key role on the back nine of final rounds and the change to the hole is expected to make it tougher for players to reach the green in two. Now, Augusta National says, “the potential for a player to take a drive over the left corner of the dogleg has been reduced.”

Rookies out to impress

Not since Fuzzy Zoeller in 1979 has a player won the Masters at their first attempt. The only two other players to have won the championship on their debut at Augusta National were the winners of the first two editions – Horton Smith and Gene Sarazen, in 1934 and 1935 respectively. Among the 16 players set to make their first appearance are three DP World Tour members, all of whom have plenty to be optimistic about. Ryan Fox, who finished second on the Race to Dubai last year, is yet to miss a cut in seven worldwide appearances this year, registering top-30 finishes on debut at both the Arnold Palmer Invitational and THE PLAYERS. The Kiwi is joined by Adrian Meronk, who made a fantastic start to the 2023 DP World Tour campaign by winning his second Tour title at the ISPS HANDA Australian Open in December. Kurt Kitayama, another two-time DP World Tour winner, is at a career-high 20th on the Official World Golf Ranking following his maiden PGA TOUR triumph at the Arnold Palmer Invitational last month.

Lyle calls time on career

Sandy Lyle, one of European golf’s greatest players, will draw the curtains on his career this week with his 42nd appearance at the Masters. It feels fitting that the Scot should end his career at Augusta, the scene of his memorable second Major victory in 1998. His seven iron from a fairway bunker on the 18th hole to secure a tournament-winning birdie will continue to live long in the memory of British golf fans. In doing so, he became the first player from the UK or Ireland to win the event, three years after he claimed his maiden Major at The Open at Royal St George’s. Last month, the 65-year-old made his final appearance on the PGA TOUR Champions. In his 46-year career, the World Golf Hall of Famer has featured in five Ryder Cup sides, won 18 DP World Tour titles and six on the PGA TOUR, along with three European Order of Merits.