Many of the players are saying the course is as fast and firm as they have ever seen it-and just practice rounds. Watching a little and you can see the greens turning brown already. See how the forecasted rain will affect conditions.
Augusta National: Firm and Fast
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It should be really interesting with the storms coming in,
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The greens looked brownish for the Augusta National Womens Amateur last Saturday; definitely not as green & lush as usual.
I talked to a friend that was there on Monday and he got to hit a few putts on one of the greens at Berkmans and he said they are running very quick. He was talking to a member who said if they don't get rain it will run very fast. It does look like there is a chance of some thunderstorms later in the week.
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I like watching the greens at Augusta controllably out of control. It was fun to see them throw darts after the rains last time, but that's not what my mind thinks when I get excited for this Major.
RatFink
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I am waiting on the final forecast tonight before I finish my pool selections with my friends... And then I need to decide how those will affect my picks... I'm screwed.
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If this holds with little rain, the pure ball strikers are going to rise to the top.
JT
Westwood
Morikawa
Im
Just off the top of my head.
JT
Westwood
Morikawa
Im
Just off the top of my head.
Will almost be like Morikawa’s first Masters all over again if the course is playing dramatically different.
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It is going to be different but I think his game is so well suited for it.
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Westwood's chipping and short game is suspect though.
titleist981
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Firm and fast is over rated. the past three or four masters was not fast and firm. The Masters that Jack and Arnie were winning was not firm and fast. Augusta National got the sub-air system recently and the jury is still out on it's effectiveness.
If it is firm and fast at least through Friday PM storms, putters who are currently on top of their game and have course knowledge of the greens should do well. Reed is leading strokes gained putting this year. Louie isn't far behind as is Xander. Spieth has been putting well.
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It would be great if Westwood won, but know deep down that he has less of a chance than any other regular tour player in the field.
Buckeyegolfnut
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I like firm and fast as long as they don't lose control and allow the course to tip over the edge. I forget what year it was, but a contestant replaced his ball on the 15th green and picked up his coin. The wind then blew the ball off the front of the green and into the pond. That's not firm and fast, that's unfair!
There was one year when the US Open was at Oakmont. It was baking hot, with highs in the mid to upper 90's every day! At several greens they had workmen standing by with hoses. After every couple of pairings, they would hose down the green because they were so close to dying! Didn't seem to affect the speed very much, those greens were lightning quick!
And there's a reason why greens on the Open Championship course don't register as high on the stimpmeter as many tournament courses over here. That's because they know how hard the wind can blow over there. You couldn't keep a ball on the green if it was at 13 on the stimp, so they guard against that. Also, I think making the pros hit their putts a bit harder, introduces a greater margin of error through a longer putter swing.
My thoughts exactly. Looks like the first cut on the fairways was pretty low too. Going to be easy to get into trouble.
Firm and fast is how Augusta should be. It will identify the best golfer who can handle the pressure on and around those greens. IMO, the advantage this year goes to the great putters such as Spieth and it makes it tougher for the average putters like Rory. Rory will have to have his A+ iron game to have a chance at claiming a green jacket.
I'm more excited for the Masters than I have been in a very long time!!
I'm more excited for the Masters than I have been in a very long time!!
Stoked to get this started today. Masters week is always special. Firm and fast will definitely force people to dial in their putting. It's an advantage also for those with great feel just off the green
I am always curious about something. IF they let the greens get out of control (like Shinnecock that year), which I admit is highly unlikely, with pool table like firmness and wind moving balls around- who would actually complain in public? Bad mouth the conditions and risk not getting invited back? And you ARE invited, even though you may have won a tournament or get ranked high enough.