Masters will lack roars minus fans
The Masters, known as much for the roars of fans as the beauty of Augusta National Golf Club, will be on mute this year. The club decided Wednesday there will be no spectators on the grounds.
That means all three major men’s golf championship tournaments played this year will not have fans, and the silence figures to be most deafening at Augusta National — which famously refers to spectators as “patrons” — when the Masters is played Nov. 12-15.
From the opening holes down to Amen Corner all the way through the back nine at the Georgia club, players can often figure out what’s happening with others just by listening. That will be missing this year, along with the azalea and dogwood blooms from having to move the tourney from April.
“Ultimately, we determined that the potential risks of welcoming patrons and guests to our grounds in November are simply too significant to overcome,” club chairman Fred Ridley said of hosting an event amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Considered in some circles to be the cathedral of golf, Augusta National now will sound like one.
“Part of the allure and kind of majesty of Augusta National is the patrons,” said PGA Tour golfer Brandt Snedeker, the Nashville native and former Vanderbilt player with three top-10 finishes at the Masters. “You have that electricity from the first moment on Thursday morning to the last putt goes in on Sunday night on every hole.
“It’s not just on the back nine — it’s on every hole. So to not have that there is going to be a different feeling.”
Ridley said the health of everyone involved with the tournament during the pandemic was paramount in rescheduling the Masters from April and deciding whether it could have spectators, even in a limited fashion.
“The guests who come to Augusta each spring from around the world are a key component to making the tournament so special,” he said. “Augusta National has the responsibility, however, to understand and accept the challenges associated with this virus and take the necessary precautions to conduct all aspects of the tournament in a safe manner.
“We look forward to the day when we can welcome all of our patrons back, hopefully in April 2021.”
He said all tickets will be honored for next year, and that next month the club would contact ticket holders and those who have applied for tickets for next April’s Masters.
Golf is coming off its first major without fans, with the PGA Championship finishing Sunday at TPC Harding Park in San Francisco. The U.S. Open, moved from June to Sept. 17-20 because of the pandemic, previously announced it won’t have spectators at Winged Foot Golf Club in Mamaroneck, New York. The British Open announced in April it would be canceled this year.
The lack of noise was noticeable during the PGA Championship, especially in the final round when Collin Morikawa’s shot put the ball seven feet from the 16th hole for an eagle that sent him to his first major title. There were a few media present along with a few volunteers and support staff, but a great shot was greeted with mostly silence.
“This is the one time I really wish there were crowds right there,” Morikawa said with a laugh.
The effect will be even more noticeable at Augusta National. Built on a former nursery, the back nine descends steeply toward Rae’s Creek and Amen Corner before making a steady climb toward the clubhouse. Pockets of roars come from everywhere.
Snedeker played his first Masters in 2004 as the U.S Amateur Public Links champion. He made the cut, finished early and stayed until the end as Phil Mickelson made an 18-foot birdie putt on the final hole to win his first major. Snedeker, watching on TV in the clubhouse, heard the cheer before it was captured on television.
“That’s what you historically remember with Augusta, so to not have that is going to be totally different,” he said. “It’s going to be an odd feeling, to say the least. Last week at Harding Park it kind of felt odd, too, because you just didn’t have the nerves as much because the fans weren’t there adding a little bit of electricity to it and you didn’t have the excitement.”