You knew there would be revenge. Souls would be taken. Blood would be shed.
After the scoring rampage that saw Dustin Johnson and others bludgeon Augusta National in the fall, many expected that incredibly difficult conditions would follow for this year’s 85th Masters, which started on Thursday.
The front nine proved especially difficult for those in the early wave of players, but the true difference came on greens so tough that even the world’s best were often left looking silly.
For example, Bernd Wiesberger got a lesson when he chose an aggressive line while putting for eagle on No. 15. Note to players: Don’t choose aggressive lines.
Here was the result:
Wow. Bernd Wiesberger had an eagle putt on 15 and put it in the water. So his next shot was a par putt from the same spot. pic.twitter.com/D1P8kd8mfl
— Cork Gaines (@CorkGaines) April 8, 2021
Surely, others would understand the need for “defensive putting,” a term that seems to pop up each at Augusta National.
Shane Lowry, who has been the reigning Open Champion for what now feels like a decade, didn’t heed the warning and although he was chipping from the fringe, he was handed the same fate about an hour after Wiesberger.
Shane Lowry learns the hard way how cruel Augusta greens can be pic.twitter.com/2LkT6pbbrO
— Heavens! (@HeavensFX) April 8, 2021
Lowry was under par when he came to the fringe off the 15th green, but he left it over par.
For Wiesberger, the putt was part of a rough stretch that saw him drop four shots in six holes. He finished the day with a 74.
