The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
THE 19TH HOLE
From today, here’s what you need to know leading into the 2021 Masters:
Weather
The updated weather forecast for Augusta:
■ Today: Partly cloudy and warm with a 20% chance of an evening shower after 6 p.m. with a low of 56 degrees and a high of 83 degrees.
■ Friday: Mostly cloudy and more humid with a 70% chance for scattered showers and isolated thunderstorms mainly after noon with a low of 60 degrees and a high of 77 degrees.
■ Saturday: Mostly cloudy with a 60% chance of last afternoon showers and thunderstorms with a low of 59 degrees and a high of 82 degrees.
■ Sunday: Partly cloudy and breezy with a low of 58 degrees and a high of 81 degrees.
TV schedule
■ Today: 3-7:30 p.m., ESPN
■ Friday: 3-7:30 p.m., ESPN
■ Saturday:
CBS
■ Sunday: 2-7 p.m., CBS 3-7 p.m.,
Fact of the day
There have back-toback eagles four times in the history of the tournament. They were done by:
■ Dan Pohl, 1982, third round on Nos. 13 and 14. Finished second after losing in playoff.
■ Dustin Johnson, 2009, fourth round on Nos. 13 and 14. Tied for 30th.
■ Phil Mickelson, 2010, third round on Nos. 13 and 14. Won.
■ Webb Simpson, 2018, fourth round on Nos. 7 and 8. Tied for 20th.
Bonus fact: Jack Nicklaus holds the record for most eagles with 24 (three on Par-4s, 21 on Par-5s).
Quote of the day
“On the subject of our five-time champion, like all of you, I was deeply saddened when I learned of Tiger’s tragic car accident in February. Tiger Woods is one of the greatest competitors in the history of all sports, and he is and forever will be a part of the fabric of Augusta National and the Masters Tournament. Our thoughts are with Tiger and his family and loved ones with whom he shares such a close bond. He is greatly missed this week, and we continue to hope and pray for his recovery.”
— Augusta National Chairman Fred Ridley on the absence of five-time champion Tiger Woods, who is recovering from a serious car accident
AUGUSTA — Despite bringing his ballistic missile program to every tee box, Bryson Dechambeau did not win November’s special edition Masters. Augusta National would not be cowed by him. Not yet.
In fact, for all Dechambeau’s added mass and length, who could forget that glorious final round when he was paired with 63-year-old Bernhard Langer, who was at least two ZIP codes behind him off the tee? Langer shot 71. Dechambeau shot 73. Yes, there is still a place in the game for a swing that doesn’t come with its own portable exclamation point.
A long hitter did win in November, just one not quite so familiar with Newton’s Sec- ond Law of Motion — Dustin Johnson.
While the big galoot’s influence here has yet to be fully felt, it has seeped into the PGA Tour community at large. Other players — even those who already possess prodigious swing speed and length, those who should know better — have been seduced. They watched last year as Dechambeau took apart Winged Foot and a typically narrow and penal U.S. Open setup for a six-shot vic- tory and covetously whis- pered, I want some of that.
We know Rory Mcilroy, who comes here again this week seeking the one major title that vexes him, fell vic- tim to trying to keep up with Dechambeau. And he’s still paying for it, arriving in Augusta ranked 146th on Tour in driving accuracy per- centage and with one top-5 finish since the U.S. Open.
He said as much earlier this year after missing the cut at the Players Champi
onship by 10 shots.
He said he “started getting sucked into that stuff,” that stuff being the narcotic of a little longer drive, a little quicker clubhead.
“The swing got flat, long and too rotational,” he said at the time. “Obviously, I added some speed and am hitting the ball longer, but what that did to my swing as a whole probably wasn’t a good thing.
“I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t anything to do with what Bryson did at the U.S. Open. I think a lot of people saw that and were like, whoa, if this is the way they’re going to set golf courses up in the future, it helps. It really helps.”
O b servers have been rightly stunned by the admission a player of Mcilroy’s stature would be lured into this trap. That speaks to just how powerful Dechambeau’s Cult of Length must be. And it stands as a warning to oth- ers to resist being mesmer- ized. Because it’s not as easy as just unbuckling your spine and Happy Gilmore-ing every swing.
Noted ESPN’S Scott Van
Pelt, one of your video Masters hosts: “I just find it amaz- ing that (Mcilroy) went in search of something else. The notion that his good enough wasn’t good enough, I just can’t fathom that.”
So, now, each top golfer must search within himself for the best way to deal with distance envy.
Masters champion Johnson, currently seventh in average driving distance behind Dechambeau’s lead (Mcilroy is third), said he, too, was moved to tinker last fall.
“Yeah, I mean, if I want to, I could hit it further,” Johnson said. “I had a driver that I could definitely hit it a lot further than the one I’m playing. But the harder you swing, obviously, the bigger your misses are. For me, it just didn’t help.
“Until I feel like when at my best that I can’t beat some- one, then I’ll try to change something. But as of right now, I feel like if I play my best golf, I feel like I can beat whoever I’m playing against.”
As for world’s No. 2 Justin Thomas, he has decided there are some things he just won’t do in the pursuit another 15 yards.
“I would love to fly it 330 every time,” he said. “No offense to Bryson, I’m not going to put on 40 pounds. I don’t have the build or stat- ure for that. I’ve always been about getting the most out of what I can.”
Asked Tuesday his reac- tion to so obviously influencing Mcilroy with his mad science, Dechambeau admitted it was kind of cool.
But, he said, “From my perspective, I wasn’t trying to change anybody else’s game. I was just trying to play the best golf I could. I knew there would be peo- ple there to be influenced. I didn’t think it would be Rory. I think he’s a pretty smart, talented individual that knows how to play the game potentially better than me. It’s honoring and humbling hearing him say it’s a difficult task.”
There is no hint Dechambeau is backing off at all on his desire to outmuscle this place this week. Nor that he is any shier about flexing in front of his peers.
Consider the scene at the Augusta National practice facility Tuesday. There was Dechambeau on the range just wailing at drive after drive — swinging with a fury that would leave a normal person in traction — as fast as his caddy could throw him another ball and he could reload. Behind him, 2000 Masters winner Vijay Singh stood at ease, arms draped atop the grip of his own insufficient driver, watching with equal measures of bemuse- ment and amazement. No, no. Look away. For it is proven that watching Dechambeau assault a golf ball can be like staring into the sun. You will go blind and mad and lose your way. of