1 Experience of the bumps and rolls
The prominence of players such as Fred Couples, Bernhard Langer and Miguel Ángel Jiménez in recent Masters is no accident. There really is no substitute for experience at a venue where no debutant has won since 1979.
It is about knowing where to miss fairways as well as knowing how to hit them. And using contours; such as on the 18th, above, where players soon learn long of the green is a disaster and the putting surface slopes severely both from back to front and right to left. Using the slopes to your benefit is key.
2 Mastery of the par fives
Since 2011, Bubba Watson has two-putted for birdie 20 times on Augusta’s par fives. He has won the tournament twice in that period; the two matters are linked. On the 13th in last year’s final round, shown above, he drove the ball 366 yards, leaving only a sand wedge to the green. The PGA Tour average is 287.7 yards.
Taking advantage of the four par-fives really can make a huge difference to any Masters challenge. Just as Watson has done it readily, Rory McIlroy has struggled to utilise his length on these holes. By his own admission, this is something the world No1 has to remedy if he wants to prevail on Sunday. Last year alone, McIlroy made four par-five bogeys.
3 Calm under pressure on the back nine
In many ways this applies to all majors but the atmosphere around the closing stretch at Augusta on Sunday feels especially sharp. The 13th and 15th aside, on every hole par is a fine score. There have been epic capitulations, such as when Greg Norman came back in 40 when conceding the Green Jacket to Nick Faldo in 1996. This wasn’t an isolated incident – as McIlroy can testify after his experience in 2011. Players leading going into the final round, or down the back nine, are almost as likely to lose as win. It really can be the hope that kills you.
