Scores at Augusta National are in free fall
Last November, when Dustin Johnson tapped in a putt to make par on the 72nd hole at the 2020 Masters, he achieved something no other golfer had ever done, finish a tournament at Augusta National Golf Club at 20 under. His total of 268 was two shots better than Tiger Woods’ performance in 1997 and Jordan Spieth’s winning score in 2015.
Sure, the course was soft and Johnson was at the height of his powers, but in hindsight we should have seen that magical number coming.
Here’s why:
● Modern equipment, improvements in the condition of the course and recent weather in Augusta during the Masters have helped to drive the winning scores down. While Golfweek reported earlier this week that the most-common winning score at the Masters is 8 under and scoring trends have yo-yo’ed up and down over the years.
● Johnson’s winning score of 20 under drove the 10-year winning score average down to -12.6, the lowest in Masters history. Previously, the lowest 10-year scoring average had been in 1999 after Jose Maria Olazabal’s win at 9 under pushed it to -11.9.
● Weather plays a big factor in scoring conditions at Augusta National. With temperatures forecasted to be in the low-80s during the tournament, cold is not going to be a factor, but the official weather forecast calls for a 70 percent chance of rain on Friday, with between a half-inch to an inch of rain possible. That water would soften the fairways and greens, making the course effectively play longer and wider off the tee.