Monday At The 89th Masters
Rain limits practice to three hours. Plus, Ridley announces new partnership with Tiger, Langer prepares to say goodbye, and the best of the Masters shop (so far).
Monday By The Numbers
8:00 am: Gates opened
7: players listed as practicing on the course before suspension
11:25 a.m.: play suspended and property evacuated
2:55 p.m.: play suspended for the day
1: WD by Vijay Singh, citing injury.
1.25”: rainfall total in Augusta
Masters week at Augusta National gives us so many otherworldly days under bright springtime light. And this was not one of them.
The accurately forecasted storm rolled in, minus electricity, allowing patrons and a few players to get out on the course. But more storm action soon forced a shutdown that would last the remainder of the day. But in a classy move, the club announced full refunds for purchasers of Monday practice round tickets along with a guaranteed opportunity to purchase 2026 Monday practice round tickets.
“We are disappointed our patrons could not fully enjoy today’s practice round, but the safety of everyone at Augusta National is our highest priority and was the determining factor in the decision to cancel,” Chairman Fred Ridley said in a statement.
As The Quad’s printing presses warmed up, over an inch had fallen. Thankfully, more sun and lower humidity should dry things out enough by Thursday’s first round. All of this means the dreary day put the onus on press center happenings to generate buzz, starting with a high-profile addition to the club’s Augusta Municipal renovation project.
The Patch Gets A Tiger-Designed Par 3, TGR Learning Lab
Fred Ridley announced that Augusta National Golf Club will partner with five-time Masters champion Tiger Woods as part of “The Patch” course renovation project, already under reconstruction.
Woods and his architecture firm, TGR Design, will design a nine-hole short course as part of the renovation of the Augusta Municipal Golf Course, better known as “The Patch.”
Woods’ nonprofit, TGR Foundation, will construct a TGR Learning Lab in Augusta, Ga. to provide access “to science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics (STEAM) education and opportunities for young people to prepare for their future.”
“Tiger's design will be called The Loop at the Patch, a name that will pay tribute to caddies who have used the course as a gathering spot for decades,” said Ridley. “So much good will come from this project, and I thank Tiger and TGR Design for all they are doing to make this happen.
The fourth Woods foundation learning center will be the biggest piece of Woods’ participation.
“Soon after he turned professional, Tiger began to give back,” Ridley said. “His philanthropy has taken many shapes through the TGR Foundation. For more than two decades, Tiger's belief in the power of education has made a positive difference in the lives of students and under-resourced communities.”
Beyond Woods’ role, Ridley was asked about maintaining The Patch's affordability as a public golf course but did not offer price point specifics. The renovated course is scheduled to open next year during Masters week. Ridley also unveiled a new course logo paying tribute to a former cabbage patch in front of the clubhouse, which will also be rebuilt.
Woods could not attend the ceremony due to his recent Achilles injury and recorded a brief video (in his green jacket!) expressing excitement.
“Partnering with Augusta National Golf Club to serve its surrounding community is truly special,” said Woods. “My passion for education and golf dates back a long time, as does my relationship with Augusta National and the city of Augusta.”
Announced last year, The Patch is a partnership between Augusta Technical College, The First Tee of Augusta, and Masters Tournament Charities, Inc., after taking over the course lease from the city and commencing work in January.
A website has been set up with select images of the planned new clubhouse and other project details.
Quotable
Xander Schauffele on winning two 2024 majors. “It's the most fun you'll ever have on a golf course, being in the hunt coming down the stretch and everyone going at it. And if you can crown yourself the champ at the end, it is so cool. Even when I've lost, it's the most fun I've ever had…Something about dealing with the situation, not looking too far ahead, trying to slow yourself down, trying to stick to your process, trying to look at what other people are doing…there's so much going on.”
Schauffele on the noticeable Helene-related tree losses. “Behind some greens and off 10, for example, if you are feeling extremely dangerous, there's a little gap on the left side of the trees where you can kind of hit it through. I think it's a little risky, but in the past, your ball would hit a tree there and fall 90 feet from the tee box. There's a few spots where you can get a little risky if you're feeling dangerous. But for the most part, I think the course is going to play the exact same as before. You may have a target you can't aim at. Like over the 11th green, there's those three trees, but you can just use the bridge as a reference now if you'd like.”
On what he’s learned to better prepare for The Masters. “My big goal when I come here is to feel prepared enough to not want to sit on property and practice all day because, like a kid in the candy store, it doesn't get a whole lot better than this when you're trying to prepare. You feel like you lose yourself. You can sit on the range for six hours sitting at different targets, go chip, go putt. Before you know it, you're absolutely exhausted. I did that my first couple years without even realizing it.”
Bernhard Langer on making his 41st and final Masters start. “It's been an incredible journey. For a young man being born in a village of 800 people in an area where golf was nothing, to make it here, to get an invitation to play the Masters first time around when it was extremely difficult for a European or international players to get an invitation, and then to win the first Masters on the third go-around, was just a dream come true.”
On bidding farewell. “It's very emotional. You can tell already my voice is breaking a bit just realizing it's going to be my last competitive Masters. After four decades, it's going to be bittersweet. I think I knew it was time to call it quits as a player. I wanted to do it last year, but I couldn't with my Achilles surgery. The course is just getting too long and I'm getting shorter and shorter and I'm hitting hybrids where the other kids are hitting 9-irons and 8-irons, maybe even wedges. So I knew I wasn't going to be in contention anymore.
On how the course has changed. “There's par-4s when I'm hitting 3-wood into the green when other guys are hitting 8-irons, 9-irons, 7-irons. This course is not built to be hitting those kind of clubs. Yesterday I hit a pretty good 3-hybrid into No. 1, and it hit the middle of the green and took off and I was over the green. That's no place to chip from. You don't ever want to go over that green. That's what happens when you have those kinds of clubs into the greens. It's time to quit.”
Fred Ridley on expanding The Patch project. “I don't think we've really changed that much, but I think maybe we've refocused a little bit and realized that Augusta, Georgia, has been really good for the Masters tournament. And we've always been supportive of the community, but I think in recent years we've been a little more intentional about it, and we've been a little more out in the open about it. I think that's the right thing to do.”
Latin America Amateur Champion Justin Hastings on playing this week, unlike two amateurs who turned pro. “I don't want to speak on behalf of anybody else's decisions, but personally, this is just too amazing of an opportunity to pass on for me. It's been a dream ever since I was a kid, and I don't think there's anything in this world that could stop me from being here if I was given the chance.
Hiroshi Tai, reigning NCAA Champion from Georgia Tech, on the decision of other Masters-exempt amateurs to turn pro. “I don't know what I would have done if I were there, so I'm glad I didn't have to make that decision. But I definitely enjoy being here as an amateur, and it's something I'll remember for the rest of my life.”