Magnolia pleads the Fifth: Augusta’s hole 5 in line for change

Augusta’s anonymous 5th hole in the firing line for change, writes Kevin Markham

When you think of Augusta, which holes instantly spring to mind? No doubt you’ll pick many if not all from the back nine.

But what about the front 9? The par five 2nd is easily recognised, partly due to Oosthuizen’s albatross a few years back, but the rest might be a bit blurry. There are reasons for that: the front nine is rarely where the excitement happens on the final day (that albatross aside); the back nine consist of the most televised holes in golf; and the front nine weren’t shown on television by CBS until 2002 (and even then only in the final round)… which means we just aren’t as familiar with them as we are with the back nine.