by There will be something fitting about the gathering of storm clouds over Augusta National on Thursday. You wait 264 days for a major championship round and the weather gods have other ideas. If the forecasts are to be believed, the competitors will be sheltered until lunchtime rather than chasing a Green Jacket. The Open Championship last July ended with a squall; the 88th Masters will begin in one.
Augusta needs a successful Masters to show the world the great beauty of this golf course. They really embrace that expression here. The sport itself needs a memorable tournament to let disaffected viewers fall back in love. Golf has boomed during the pandemic and participation is at an all-time high; the trouble is that everyone beyond dedicated fans has gotten used to conflict, ephemeral payments and everything else that comes with civil war. Momentum has been lost. The vulnerability of LIV’s edge on the scene is extremely unattractive. Golf is very easy to stick to but the way it works at the highest level has little appeal.
The sight of Greg Norman sailing around the Augusta clubhouse on Wednesday will be seen as the latest sign of the thawing relationship between LIV and the traditional ecosystem he has sent into a tailspin. Before this he was persona non grata at a place that caused him great heartache as a player. Now, there is a quiet acceptance that LIV isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. In fact, it is likely to expand into new geographic territory from 2025.
For now and for the foreseeable future, majors have a unique selling point. This will be the only chance to see Rory McIlroy face Jon Rahm. There are only four opportunities a year to evaluate Brooks Koepka against Scottie Scheffler. Fred Ridley, the chairman of Augusta, is speaking honestly when he insists that golf needs to come together but there is one positive outcome to events such as the Masters. This offers a real opportunity to watch the best players in the world, in one place. That possibility no longer exists in the Players Championship or the Scottish Open. A Masters featuring back-breaking drama would provide the perfect antidote to the endless machinations of a political nature outside the course. Golf can reclaim the plot under the pine trees in Georgia.
Rahm had a lot to say about Koepka last year at Augusta. But Spain’s final margin of victory was four strokes. Scheffler hit the 72nd green in 2022 and has won three more. Hideki Matsuyama was free three years ago and Dustin Johnson led the field with a dance of beauty in the 2020 Masters. Therefore, we are overdue for a classic Augusta duel. The last time that went properly was in 2017, when Sergio García edged Justin Rose in a playoff game.
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McIlroy’s victory, finding his holy grail, would bring about a fairytale outcome. It is incredible to think that this is the Northern Irishman’s 10th attempt at a career grand slam; but at the same time, so much has happened to him personally and professionally since 2014 and his last big success. McIlroy is rightly wary of the assertion – offered by Tiger Woods this week – that he is somehow destined to become a Masters champion. For McIlroy, Augusta is all about one mind. He has the athleticism and technical ability to win this tournament. McIlroy engages in an annual battle in April to override his natural instinct, to be aggressive and bold, knowing that Augusta takes revenge on the impertinent.
The world No. 2 competing for trophies recently enough for us to know how he’ll perform if he’s on top of the leaderboard here. It’s strange that he hasn’t been as good as a Green Jacket regularly since he holed out at Augusta in 2011. But in the ever-tribal environment, the galleries are drawn to McIlroy’s victory. Golf fans feel he has had his time and deserves to be the sixth man to complete a clean sweep. McIlroy’s reaction to doing so would be a sporting spectacle for the ages, with an inevitable outpouring of emotion.
Rahm needs to prove that his switch to LIV hasn’t dampened his competitive spirit. Scheffler, golf’s reluctant champion, has been so consistent that it would be surprising if he wasn’t high on the leaderboard on Sunday afternoon. Among the outfielders who deserve strong respect are Shane Lowry and Joaquín Niemann. Ludvig Åberg, making his first major, is on the fast track to the big city. Lefties have a great history here, so watch out for Open champion Brian Harman. Woods might talk convincingly about adding a sixth Green Jacket to his wardrobe but he doesn’t have many races.
Players who hit ball after ball on the range in the evening before a tournament usually go into panic mode. With that in mind, the appearance of Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau at the practice facilities was notable.
“I think everyone would agree there’s excitement in the air this week,” Ridley said. “The best players in the world are together again. The competition will be fierce. Families reunite, and friendships are renewed.
“The best golf has to offer is at the center of the fair. That’s good for everyone, certainly players, but also our partners, volunteers, the Augusta community, and its local charities, and especially our patrons and fans around the world.” Now, the time to deliver.
