The Masters welcomes a full
field and an expanded 13th hole
There's no more eagerly antici-
pated event in professional golf
than the Masters. Bump that antic-
ipation up even further this year.
First off, the Masters will wel-
come all eligible players, including
former champions. That will
ratchet up the drama quotient
from the opening tee shot. On
everyone's mind: Can Rory McIl-
roy finally break through to win
his first Masters and complete the
career grand slam?
To do so, he'll have to manhan-
dle Augusta National's newly
strengthened 13th hole. Awash in
pines, azaleas, and meandering
Rae's Creek, this par 5 features a
new back tee that stretches the
hole another 35 yards. The added
length will inject a renewed risk-
reward excitement to the world's
most beautiful inland hole.
u u u
The U.S. Open visits La La Land
For the first time since 1948, the
U.S. Open returns to Los Angeles.
Ben Hogan won the Open that
year at Riviera, while this year's
edition will take place at the Los
Angeles Country Club's North
course.
Long heralded as one of the na-
tion's greatest layouts, L.A. North,
as it's known, has shunned tourna-
ments as steadfastly as Riviera em-
braced them — until recently. The
George Thomas creation (same ar-
chitect as Riviera) was expertly re-
stored by Gil Hanse in 2010 and
should likely offer a superb strate-
gic test in the heart of Beverly Hills.
A sneak preview of sorts — the
Walker Cup — was held here in
2017. Who to watch for in 2023?
Stars for that victorious U.S. team
were Collin Morikawa and Maver-
ick McNealy (4-0), Will Zalatoris
(3-1) and Scottie Scheffler (1-1).
However, the course record of 61
was set in the 2013 Pac-12 Champi-
onship — by a fellow named Max
Homa. We can't wait!
Keep reading
>>>
TOUR REPORT
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Farmer's Insurance Open champion
Max Homa holds the course record
at L.A. Country Club (opposite),
site of the U.S. Open in June.
Photo:
Donald
Miralle/Farmers
Insurance
Open
