Influencing and/or determining the outcome ?

[Patrick_Mucci]

Will one feature influence and/or determine the outcome of this year's tournament ?

Will it be the right side trees on # 11 or # 7, the added length on # 17 or # 18, or the traditional influence of the water on holes such as # 12, # 13, # 15 or # 16 ?

While the competitors have to contend with all of the features, will ONE feature stand out as the feature that decides the tournament ?

And, will that feature be a new or old feature, or a combination of the two ?

[john_stiles]

Pat,

The 7th, 11th, and 17th par 4s have been changed so much with lengthening and narrowing,  and have become much more difficult to birdie.

Not sure what the numbers from Thursday reflect in regard to the changes

I think the importance of birdies/eagles at the par 5s will be the one factor.

[Matt MacIver]

Interesting article in today's WSJ comparing DiMarco and Tiger and their play on the par- 5s last year.  Take-away was that short-hitting DiMarco actually scored better on the par- 5s than Tiger, so the added length isn't an issue, but rather the premium on accuracy.  

Not sure this should be considered the definitive answer to the issue, but it's a datapoint.  

[ChasLawler]

Will one feature influence and/or determine the outcome of this year's tournament ?

The divot Tiger had to play out of on #15 yesterday. It was a nasty one.

I could understand finding a nasty divot at Doral or Westchester - even Quail Hollow...but at "The Masters"?

[Matt MacIver]

Agreed, divots at Augusta are uncalled for.  Hootie is now working on a patent for his instantgrowgrass product which fully infills divots in less than 8 minutes.  But in think they're going to have to tear up all the fairways to install it....

[Patrick_Mucci]

If it was someone else in that divot instead of Tiger, do you think you'd hear about it ?

[peter_p]

1. The changes on 15. The opening is narrower and the balls are not landing on the downslope. 2. The changes on 7. Much harder shot for a small green designed for a 350 yard hole.
3. #1, #4 and # 11 will pretty much have the same effect as previous years.

      Augusta has the best set of greens they see all year. TPC(Sawgrass) and Muirfield Village are close behind. Great greens=great viewing? They will be the biggest factor. The committee setting the holes on Sunday can make or break the chances for a comback by their difficulty or accessibility.
       You could have two entirely different tournaments depending on the setup and how much lead any player enjoys after the third round.

[Mike_Young]

Tonite a stormfront is coming thru and will still be here in the morning .  The set-up tomorrow will definitely determine how the leaders weed out.  If there is no roll and the greens are soft the the big hitters will have the advantage.   Also, how they place the tees.....today #4 tee was up so the new length had no factor when discussed.  If the tees on 4, 7 and 11 go back with damp fairways and soft greens then the outcome is definitely being influenced and determined as much as one can for the longhitters.

[A.G._Crockett]

The added length, if the storms come as predicted.  Only the bombers will have a chance of making a run on Sunday if Sat. gets soggy.

[JESII]

The added length, if the storms come as predicted.  Only the bombers will have a chance of making a run on Sunday if Sat. gets soggy.

A.G.

Wouldn't softer greens make it easier for the short hitters to control their (longer) approaches to the greens? Long players have an inherent advantage, as do accurate players. The player with the most control of their ball and most efficient short game wins every week.


Pat,

Due to the coming rain, I'd say the water fronting #15 has the best chance to catch some action on second shots coming from a long way back (due to softer fairways mixed with aggressive play) and wedge shots that may spin back into the water because the green is a bit softer.

[Jim_Kennedy]

Pat,
An old feature....the greens.

I do think we would have heard about someone else in that divot, as long as they were on the first or second page of the leaderbord or had a charge derailed because of it.
You gotta have something to fill those 56 minutes per hour of coverage.