The keys to unlocking Masters glory
t is not a question that can be answered with any certainty. Not even the winners at Augusta National could provide a truly definitive answer, although Tiger Woods knows better than most after his 12-stroke victory in 1997. There are any number of ways to win (or lose) and, until you’ve actually won, you just never know what might happen. Last year’s collapse by Jordan Spieth is a prime example with Danny Willett a somewhat surprising – and surprised – winner.
Water appears on five holes so the number one priority is to avoid the attractive if lethal features such as Rae’s Creek. Next up, the pine ‘straw’ – as it’s called at Augusta – is rarely a good place to be, although Phil Mickelson coped with it better than most when winning in 2010. The club placed a plaque by the tree from behind which he hit that remarkable 6-iron. Even so, the lie is a lottery and best avoided.
