Masters: The Hardest Shots at Augusta National

AUGUSTA, Ga. — Let's start with the obvious: There are no easy shots at Augusta National. The way the course runs from the clubhouse all the way down to Amen Corner, the way the fairways wind and the greens slide, the way Rae's Creek is always lurking, ready to give you your hopes, Taking away your dreams and your ball – there is never a moment to rest.

“We're playing on a hill,” Tiger Woods said Tuesday, “and we're just snaking back and forth over that hill.” When the only flat shots on the course are the tees, as Tiger also noted, there's a threat on every shot Battle.

But which blows are the hardest? Which hits make even experienced professionals feel their pulse quicken and their fingertips flutter? Also, consider when a shot occurs – the air around the first tee feels very different on Thursday than it does on Saturday morning, for example. The second shot on 18 is always a challenge, but late on Sunday afternoon, when the shadows lengthen and the entire gallery gathers around the green, it becomes the ultimate challenge.

“There are so many little details and nuances that you have to prepare and prepare for,” Viktor Hovland said as he spent three days doing just that.

We gathered a cross-section of players, course architects and sports psychologists to analyze the question that is the most difficult to beat. Some of their answers are exactly what you would expect, others might surprise you, and others could have a dramatic impact on the outcome on Sunday at the Masters.

Hole No. 1 (Tea Olive), tee, Thursday

Augusta National's first fairway is wide, but on the first day of the Masters it can seem as narrow as a keyhole if you're not quite ready for the moment.

“If it’s your first time at the Masters,” says Dr. Joe Parent, golf psychologist and author of “Zen Golf,” “Your tee shot, the first tee shot, is the most difficult.”

“The first shot of a round is probably hard for anyone who is somewhat mentally fragile,” says golf course designer Scot Sherman, “but it’s not quite that hard.”

But a little preparation can go a long way. Just ask the man who won the Masters a few years ago and is overwhelmingly nominated to do it again this year.

“When I step on the first tee, I just remember this: I have done the work. I did everything I could. I checked all the boxes. And I did everything I could to go out here and play wellsays Scottie Scheffler. “There are definitely nerves. There’s definitely excitement and fear.”

Hole No. 5 (Magnolia), second shot

The trifecta at 4-5-6 doesn't get nearly the love of its cousin in the Amen corner, but the holes there will still ruin your game if you're not careful. Hole No. 5 in particular is a crazy par 4.

“The green has kind of a false facade,” said John Fought, a course designer who played Augusta three times as a player. “It slopes down left and right and there is a bunker behind the green. I always thought that [approach] was a damn hard blow. Not only do you have to be precise, you also have to hit exactly the right distance and try to keep the ball on the table.”

“Augusta National has two total defenses against every player, no matter how long or how good or how old or young he is,” Sherman said. “The two defenses are those greens, all 18, and the fact that it’s the Masters. You can’t ignore the fact that taking part in this event just has a completely different meaning.”

Hole No. 6 (Juniper), tee shot

The par-3 6th provides a dramatic backdrop to the more famous par-3 16th, but 6 offers challenges that 16 cannot meet.

“Six is ​​downhill,” Sherman says, “so it's really hard to pick a club and fire it right there unless it's back left and you can use the hill to stop you and roll toward the hole. He points out that pin placement has a significant impact on how difficult the 180-yard hole – the third shortest on the course – will be to play.

“Especially if the hole is cut on the back in the top right,” Sherman says. “My goodness, if you’re just a little bit wrong, God knows where the ball will go.”

Hole No. 9 (Carolina Cherry), tee shot

The final hole of the first nine holes at Augusta National is an up and down challenge of the highest order. The clubhouse is almost in sight, but it's a mirage; You still have a long way to go before you get there.

“You have to embrace the left side,” Fought says. “If you hit the wrong spot there, you'll be just behind the eight ball. If you hit a great shot, you'll be closer to the flat and can hit it up the hill to the green. But the green is far above you there.”

And it doesn't get any easier from there.

Hole No. 9, second shot

Many approaches at 9 rolled down the steep hill, often landing near the poor player's own feet.

“The green is so slanted, and you have to go with a mid or low iron there,” Shepherd says. “You have to master the spin and the placement.”

Drama with every swing. And you're only halfway done.

Hole No. 11 (White Dogwood), second shot

Let's take a step back and set the stage for a big winner:

“The second shot in 11 is, in my opinion, the hardest shot in the world,” says Keegan Bradley. “You will most likely have a long iron because the hole is so long now. You have to hit a perfect iron shot to hit the green. But if you have to get out to the right, you can't get up and down. I think it’s the hardest hole in the world.”

“There is a lot of grace [on 11] As far as the tee shot goes, the second shot on No. 11 is very, very difficult,” agrees Sherman. “It's all risk, it's a penalty, even if there are no really deep bunkers on the right. If you miss it, all those contours and elevation changes are difficult. It’s difficult to get up and down from anywhere because the greenery mostly slopes toward the water.”

“Boy, if you get over the hole there and have to putt downhill or toward the water, the ball will get away from you,” Fought said. “You can get into big trouble very quickly.”

And now we're in the heart of Amen Corner and the hole you knew was coming.

Hole No. 12 (Golden Bell), tee shot

It seems easy, a 155-yard par 3 – the shortest on the course – over a thin stretch of Rae's Creek. And yet this hole – arguably the most famous in the world, certainly the most famous on the course – has dashed Masters dreams almost every year.

“A lot of players lost the tournament there on Sunday, so it gets their attention,” says golf psychologist David L. Cook, adding: “The wind is confusing.” Jordan Spieth (2016) and Brooks Koepka (2019) can attest to that.

“When there are swirling winds, it's really difficult because it either catches you and throws you into the water,” says Parent, “or it doesn't catch you and you're in the azalea bushes behind the green.”

Leave it to another pro to find the smartest route on 12.

“You don’t have to play too crazy on the back right pins,” Viktor Hovland said Tuesday in Augusta. “Just hit it in the middle of the green and make a 3.”

Hole 15 (Firethorn), second shot

The par-5 15th represents the last reasonable opportunity for players chasing the leader to shave a shot or two off the lead. Despite the water in front of and behind the green, it is a tempting challenge and often tempts players to their doom. For this reason, the decisive approach shot has most often been cited as Augusta National's most difficult.

“Last chance to play a par 5 with two people,” says Cook. “It's a lot harder than it looks on TV. Extended a few years ago, [making] It’s a legitimate longer second shot on a narrow, parking lot-proof green.”

“Fifteen, I think it’s fun,” Hovland says. “You don't have to stay that close to the water, you kind of want to stay back and maybe try to spin it, but at the same time you don't want to spin it that much because it can roll back in the water.”

“When you run for leader, you don't leave an easy wedge at all,” Cook adds. “There are big decisions here.”

“They are nearing the end of the round. “You can make up ground here,” says Parent. “But you take the risk: you could throw it back into the water, you could hit it over the green into the water behind the green.”

Hole 18 (Holly), tee shot

That's it: the last hole of the round and on Sunday the last hole of the tournament. It's a difficult hole to begin with – “kind of like hitting a ball down a hallway,” Cook says – and add the pressure of a Sunday finish and it's nearly impossible, whether you're leading or trailing.

“I tell all my players, 'Give yourself the best chance at birdie without taking unnecessary risks,'” Parent says. He advises players to choose their usual shot: “And if it's a little buttery cut, I don't care if it's 20 meters further back, it's better than under the edge of the bunker or in the woods.”

He makes an exception for hunters: “If you're behind and need to make birdie to get into a playoff,” Parent says, “then do a power fade and try to get as far down the damn fairway as possible. “”

“The clubhouse is at the highest point on the property and you play uphill on both 9 and 18,” Fought says. “Their shots into the green are both a little blind when you play there. You have to rely on the distance and the feel and the experience of playing these holes.”

Not easy shots. No standard lies. No peace, anywhere. Augusta National remains golf's ultimate test, and these shots show exactly why.