The first major championship of the season means it is time for a drive down Magnolia Lane and 72 holes at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia.

The "tradition unlike any other" welcomes 88 players in 2023 to navigate the 7,545 yards (par 72) of rolling hills, immaculate landscaping, and championship golf.

Scottie Scheffler returns to defend his title against a field that includes 49 of the top 50 players in the OWGR, plus 19 other Masters champions.

Key Statistics

Only players listed are competing this week. Stats from the current 2022-23 PGA TOUR season.

SG: Approach the Green

* - previous champion or top 10 finish last five years

-Click stat headline above for additional players-

It's not a revelation that ANGC is a second-shot course, but it is reinforced when digging into the stats. Only one of the last eight winners failed to register in the top seven in GIR. Short-game wizard Patrick Reed was the exception as he closed the deal in 2018.

Less-than-perfect tee shots will not be overtly penalized. There's plenty of fairway, a second cut off the fairway measuring less than an inch and a half, or pine straw in the tree outlines that will provide the launching space for approach. The targets are tiered Bentgrass greens, which measure, on average, around 6,500 square feet. Only five holes will have water in play. They all reside on the second nine (Nos. 11, 12, 13, 15, and 16). The Spruce Pine Sand in the bunkers looks incredible, but the stats show it's 50-50 to get up and down.

Finding the putting surface is the first step to success. Finding the correct tier on the putting surface will lead to scoring chances and reduce the stress of making par.

Par-5 Scoring

The irony is the only winner in the last five years who didn't register in the top six in this category was 2019 champion Tiger Woods.

After adding 20 yards to Par-5 No. 15 (Firethorn) before the 2022 edition, ANGC ranked T6 in Par-5 Scoring Average on TOUR last season, down from 34th in 2021 and T33 in 2019. With the addition of 35 yards on Par-5 No. 13 (Azalea) for 2023, I would expect this average to increase again.

With the forecast including multiple days of rain and cooler temperatures, these holes will play even longer and harder. ANGC has one of the toughest collections of par-4 holes on the planet. The par 5s provide chances to remove strokes from the card.

SG: Putting

As noted above, finding the Penn-A1 Bentgrass, whether in regulation or scrambling, is the first step to success. The perfect putting surfaces will run at "tournament speed" throughout the week, regardless of weather. Sub-Air systems below the surface will help keep them running perfectly regardless of Mother Nature's influence.

Unlike Poa annua, nothing rolls more true than bentgrass. Mishits or misreads won't bobble in or catch a piece. Unlike Bermuda, there isn't any grain to read. Inexperienced players will have to trust their books, not their feet or eyes, as the magic pull of Rae's Creek, the lowest point on the property, is real. Speed and line from above the hole will test plenty of nerves. So will lagging uphill putts. No point in hurrying to clean up anything inside three feet either. Deep breath.

SG: Around the Green

If Mother Nature dials up her blowers to gust throughout the week not every approach is going to find the putting surfaces. One of the keys here is knowing where to miss. Finding the most comfortable recovery angle/side is a skill. Getting it up, close and down is also necessary.

Closely mown areas and bunkers (featured on every hole minus No. 14, Chinese Fir) provide protection greenside. Scrambling here annually rates in the top 13 most difficult on TOUR. Of the last six editions, four registered in the top five. Finding ways to grind out pars from off the green will keep momentum rolling while keeping crooked numbers off the card.

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