2020 Masters - What to Expect from Augusta in November

After having waited patiently an extra seven months, the time has finally come and there are so many questions to be answered. Does the change in timing for this event play a factor in the outcome? Will Bryson be able to use his distance to over-power the course? And the question that comes up every time he’s in a major, Is Tiger Woods going to be in contention on Sunday? All this paired with a few predictions of our own, it’s Masters Week.

With the cancelation of many spring events this became true to for The Masters Tournament. Traditionally played in the early weeks of April, the PGA Tour was forced to delay the playing of this event until better safely precautions were able to be taken to ensure the health of the athletes and fans. After a brief three month down time the PGA tour got back underway and has provided some exciting events that has produced a wide array of champions. With many major championships hanging in the balance of whether they would be contested in 2020, this weekend marks the official rescheduling of everyone favourite tournament.

With this new timing of the The Masters the prestige of this event still at a PGA tour high, what do we make of playing Augusta National in the Fall? Are there added challenges to playing at this time of the year?

First of all, we should address the weather, luckily for players, Georgia is still in a bit of a hotter front with temperatures projected to be in the low to mid 20’s all week. Comparing this to season norms the athletes shouldn’t have to deal with the colder mornings that the season usually brings. Unfortunately, though the forecast maybe calling for some rain so I wouldn’t count on seeing a bunch of record setting rounds if this is the case.

Furthermore, we need to consider the players schedules, many top ranked players taking some time off in the months following the Tour Championship. We saw the return of some big names in last week’s Houston Open getting a little action in before the big event but for many The US Open was the last time we say them swing the clubs. Are we going to see a few names at the top of the leaderboard that are maybe not considered front runners for the victory? When it comes to the old saying “It’s anyone’s race” looking at 2020 I think this would be a good year to consider that for the outcome to this weekend’s Masters Tournament.

At only 27 years of age, the current reigning US open champion and let’s not forget the fact that his current average driving distance is 344yds, Bryson DeChambeau could very well be in line to take home his second major of the season. After hitting the gym to really add a new element to his game, DeChambeau has shown the golfing community that distance wins championships. When you can make any Par 5 gettable in two and half the Par 4’s a simple wedge shot into the green you really are putting yourself in contention for Birdie every hole. Bryson made his last start in mid-October at the Shriners with an 8th place finish. The impressive part that you don’t see from that is that he managed to average his driving distance at 363yds for the weekend. Along with a final score of (-18) Bryson once again making these courses look like your local executive course.

Before we can chalk up DeChambeau for the win, we do need to consider what makes Augusta such a fit playing grounds for such a prestigious title. We can start with the layout of this course, notoriously known as a course built for Lefties Augusta does give some challenges to a player and can provide a slight advantage to a cut ball from a left-handed golfer.

Pair this with some really tough lies on any wayward shots; power is not always the way out of trouble when you are playing Augusta. With some tough Par 3’s and some really tight tucked pins you will see throughout the weekend the course is meant to test all aspects of the game. Although Bryson can shorten his approaches into the greens, his 209th ranked Driving Accuracy has the potential to put him in some dangerous grounds if he cannot keep his ball under control. It will really depend on what Bryson we get going into this weekend’s Masters Tournament even if he was able to pull off the victory at The US Open with only a 41% Driving Accuracy; Augusta National is not so forgiving when you’re not fully on your game.

With his best finish at Augusta National back in 2016 with a T21, the newfound powerhouse looks to overwhelm the always challenging course to take home the green jacket and become a part of Masters History. With the winner of Masters leaving behind one club to commemorate the victory you wonder if DeChambeau’s Driver will be the next piece added to the hall of fame.

After five Masters titles, including the fact he is the current reigning champion, it is hard to discuss the Masters and not talk about Tiger Woods. Chasing his place in the record books Tiger is one Masters victory away from tying the Golden Bear himself for the all-time lead in Masters Tournament history. A slow start to the season with appearances at The US Open and ZoZo Championship, Tiger hopes to return to his natural Augusta form that he has dazzled us all with in the past. Augusta is known as a place where magic happens and Tiger is not left out when we talk about these magical Masters moments, dramatic finishes, sensational comebacks and a chip that may have created the loudest roar on PGA tour to this day.

There is something to be said about Tiger Woods and his place in Masters history, players strive to earn the green jacket; let alone five of them. Although Woods may not be the betting favourite this weekend, we do know he is always a factor at Augusta, you have to wonder how the other competitors are feeling when Sunday rolls around and they see the red shirt come out. Teeing it up at 7:55 on Thursday morning we are all waiting to see what Tiger Woods is going to do when he gets on the course.

Before we settle in for what is bound to be another remarkable Masters weekend, let us take a moment to give you our thoughts on who might be sporting a nice new jacket come Sundays finish.

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