A Masters Like No Other

What an amazing experience the 2020 Masters has been. The fact the tournament is able to be held is fairly miraculous in this wild and crazy year. Augusta National has planned and executed an amazing tournament so far, albeit without any patrons. All who enter the property must first pass COVID testing and pass daily self screening and temperature checks. In a year as crazy as 2020, a patron-less Masters is better than no Masters at all. On the eve of the final round, Dustin Johnson is on the verge of winning his first green jacket. Below is a snapshot of how the tournament has been this week.

COVID: Safety first. All personnel entering Augusta National must first pass a COVID test. I arrived on Sunday morning and took the test. This was my first time taking the COVID test and it was not a pleasant experience. Sticking swab up my nose was quite uncomfortable. It was nerve-racking awaiting the test results. The worst case scenario was to test positive, wasting my trip from SF to Augusta, having to quarantine in Augusta, and missing the Masters in the process. I received the results early Monday morning and sighed a huge sigh of relief. Before entering the property, people need to pass a self screen via app and pass a temperature check. While inside, masks are required for almost everyone. Players, caddies, coaches, and the player's significant others don't need to wear the mask. It feels very safe inside Augusta National. Everyone respects the mask rules, even though it's not the most comfortable at times in the humid weather. Augusta provided green face masks for everyone, which is a nice touch.

Weather: The weather is something Augusta National can't control, or can it? When I arrived on Sunday, the weather forecast predicted rain during tournament week and Tropical Storm Eta was the culprit. Everyone expected heavy rain during the first round on Thursday. It started sprinkling during the opening ceremony with Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player, and it continued to rain on and off as the first groups teed off. Around 4 groups had teed off when the thunder rolled in and the horns were blown. As everyone went to seek shelter, a major downpour came through the golf course. After nearly a 2 hour weather delay, play resumed and the weather has been great since. Overall, it's amazing the tournament has only had one weather delay after the looming threat of storms earlier in the week.

Golf Course: Augusta National is in great shape as always. However, a November Augusta National will play different from an April golf course. Feedback from players is the course was softer than usual and the greens were slightly slower. The rye grass had not completely grown in yet due to the unseasonably warm weather, causing some tricky lies around the greens. The rough is also higher than in traditional April Masters tournaments. After the downpours on Thursday morning, the greens were extremely soft, resulting in some low scoring. By Saturday, green speeds were much closer to traditional Augusta National greens. We'll see how fast and firm the course plays tomorrow in the final round.

Food: I didn't know what to expect in terms of food with a patron-less Masters. I wondered if the famous Masters sandwiches would still be on offer. We were all pleasantly surprised to find that the standard fare of Masters sandwiches were still available! Also, everyone on the premises could enjoy the food free of charge. This is such a gracious gesture on the part of Augusta National to ensure everyone can enjoy the traditional Masters sandwiches and snacks.

The Golf: After Thursday's downpour, all the players went on attack mode. With receptive greens, players could fire at flags aggressively. Players had to get adjusted to the slower greens however. 53 players finished under par after the first round. Distance challenged Champion Tour players Bernhard Langer shot a 68 while Larry Mize shot a 70. Fairway conditions were wet and there were the fair share of mud balls. However, players felt the course played fairly. As we go into the final round, we will see if Dustin Johnson can post another low score and potentially break the Masters scoring record.

Patrons: The lack of patrons has made this a surreal Masters experience. It's sad to not have the crowds of golf fans lining every fairway and green. At the same time, I have seen more golf shots during one day of the tournament this year than I have seen in my 9 previous rounds combined. There are no gallery ropes, just paint lines on the turf. I am able to get incredibly close to players, which is a once in a lifetime experience. The players have said they miss the patrons and hope to have them back soon. Without the Sunday roars, it also takes away some of the mental tests of a Masters final round. Without the massive amount of tourists the Masters brings into Augusta, traffic has been a breeze. It takes around 25 minutes for me to drive to the golf course each day. If this was a normal Masters, it would easily take 45 minutes with the congestion on Washington Road.

To be continued...