November Masters a fitting way to conclude golf season
AUGUSTA, GA. » Any optimism that the next Masters will be restored to its full glory of spring blooms and the endless chorus of cheers was dampened only by the reality of the calendar and the recent spikes in coronavirus cases.
It has been eight months since Augusta National said it was postponing the Masters because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and seven months since the club targeted two weeks before Thanksgiving as the most practical time to play this year.
“I’m hopeful that we will see improved conditions regarding this virus, but April is less than five months away, so there’s no assurance of that,” Masters Chairman Fred Ridley said. “But we do have hopes that the tournament in April will be closer to normal than it is right now.”
There is very little normal about the 84th Masters, starting with the opening tee shots from both the first and the 10th tees. That has never happened on a Thursday morning.
Abraham Ancer of Mexico, one of 26 newcomers to the Masters, was playing his final practice round on Wednesday at about the time he would have been taking part in the Par 3 Contest, which was canceled. The Par 3 is entertainment for the patrons, and there are no patrons this year.
On Tuesday, Jon Rahm skipped a tee shot across the pond, onto the 16th green, and watched it roll the length of the green, down the slope and into the cup. He raised his arms in celebration. There was video. And that was about it.
“Just imagine the roars that would have created in a normal year,” Rory McIlroy said. “It’s a different look. It’s November, and I think everybody just has to embrace that we’re here and we’re playing and that’s a great thing.”
In some respects, this Masters is a celebration of what golf has done and a sendoff the sport has never had.
Except for World War II and the one time in 1971 when the PGA Championship moved to February in Florida, the Masters always has been the first major of the year.
That rite of spring was about more than azaleas, dogwoods and the pursuit of a green jacket. For many, it signaled the start of golf season, whether that meant playing or watching.