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We are on the verge of the PGA Tour having the first major of the 2022 calendar year. That major would be the Masters. That was originally invented by Bobby Jones who built Augusta National, the golf course where the Masters is played. There have been many great champions that have had the honor of wearing the green jacket which the winner of the Masters gets to wear for life. The golf course has changed over the years from trees being trimmed and the course being lengthened. It is considered one of the toughest majors to win, maybe the toughest besides the US Open. That is amongst the majors that are held on United States soil. There are many ways to win at Augusta National. After reading an interesting article in the April edition of Golf Magazine The author was Scott Fawcett and he states the three ways to win.
Work The Ball
In the game of golf, there is what we call ball shaping. This is not making different shapes with balls. It consists of how a player shapes his ball off the club. The two ways are a draw and fade. To draw a ball a player will shape the ball right to left. That means the ball starts off to the right and makes its way back to the left. A fade on the other hand is where the ball starts off to the left and works back to right. A draw goes further than a fade. At the Masters, this is a staple the players will have to make sure is on pat. Certain holes are set up for a fade and others for a draw and depending on what the player does, it could make those holes harder. These players are talented enough to overcome that.
Shot Pattern Tilt
This, like shot shaping, is different among players. This played out in the 2016 Masters with Jordan Spieth. Right-handed players tend to have tilt from long right to short left. This helps when leaving the clubface open and when that occurs it takes distance off the shot. Spieth decided to take a shot at the pin instead of taking the safe shot. He hit the ball in Ray’s creek and lost the Masters. Many shots around Augusta National could make or break the tournament for players. This will be another aspect of a player’s game that will have to be in tune before the tournament starts.
Make aggressive swings at safe targets
Just like I mentioned above, a player does not have to go at every pin at the Masters. At the end of the day, a player must trust their caddies when it comes to these swings. There are three holes at Augusta National that are called “Amen Corner”. The three holes are 11,12, and 13. Number 11 is a par 4, number 12 is a par 3, and number 13 is a par 5. These holes can make or break a player. I am not saying that the other 15 holes are not important. I think one of the hardest holes is hole 18. This is where an aggressive swing can cost the player. I am waiting to see what shots are taken at safe targets to see who comes out at the Masters.
This is one of my favorite PGA tournaments to watch every year. It was my late uncle’s favorite tournament to watch. My uncle taught me how to play golf at the age of five. I was heartbroken when he passed away and it was the Masters that got me back into playing the game I love. I know that Phil Mickelson will not be playing but there is a rumor that Tiger Woods could be coming back. Woods suffered a major leg injury in a car accident a few years back. Either way, I think the tournament will be a great one and we will see how defending champion Hideki Matsuyama will do.
Author Profile
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Bradley Walker serves as the Director of Operations for NGSC Sports, bringing extensive experience across collegiate, professional, and amateur athletics. His coverage spans USF Athletics, including football, baseball, lacrosse, and softball, as well as University of Tampa baseball.
Bradley also provides coverage of minor league baseball with the Clearwater Threshers and Major League Baseball with the Tampa Bay Rays. On the national stage, he covers college football bowl games and conference championship matchups, along with premier golf events across the PGA Tour, LIV Golf, and LPGA Tour.
In addition to his reporting work, Bradley is the play-by-play announcer for Pinellas Park High School Patriots football, lending his voice and insight to Friday night lights.
He is also an active podcast host and contributor, serving as a co-host on the P&W Sports Report and hosting The Walker Report, where he delivers in-depth sports analysis, interviews, and coverage across multiple levels of competition.
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