D3 Golf Advisor and Board Member Nick O'Hern talks about the excitement surrounding the 2023 Masters. Who are you betting on?
FINALLY, the Masters is here. Like all golf nuts I can’t wait to hear – “Fore please, Jack Nicklaus now driving”. The ceremonial opening tee shot still one of the coolest traditions in the game.
Storylines abound going into this year’s tournament; Rory McIlroy’s attempt to complete the career grand slam, can Scottie Scheffler go back-to-back, will Jon Rahm follow in the footsteps of his Spanish heroes Seve, Jose, Sergio – and of course, there’s Tiger. Can he do the unthinkable and match the Golden Bear’s six green jackets? Surely not. His body and ‘lack of reps’ (as he likes to say), will be his biggest opponents. From all accounts, the ball striking, club head speed, the touch, are all there. Whether he can maintain it for four days over the most difficult walking course on tour is anybody’s guess. But the Cat lives for the majors and his time to challenge the best in the world is dwindling fast.
Eighteen LIV golfers are on the timesheet, their presence a dream for global media outlets given the disruption the new golf league provides. Preparation-wise things haven’t been ideal for the LIV players though. A lack of tournaments, and last week’s event on Bermuda greens on a resort course in Orlando was possibly the furthest thing from conditions they’ll face at Augusta National. At least Brooks Koepka is showing much needed form again by taking out the individual title, and his four majors are proof to just how much he loves the big stage. Unfortunately, LIV’s CEO, Greg Norman, didn’t receive an invitation this year, the ultimate snub for a two-time major champion. His comments regarding all the LIV golfers gathering around the 18th green to celebrate if one their own wins would cause quite the scene. Just imagine the green jacket ceremony, it would take reality TV to a new level.
Aside from all this the golf course as always is the main attraction. The only major played on the same venue every year; the course has been extended again to counteract the distances players are increasingly hitting the ball. The par five 13th centre of attention with the tee pushed back a further 35 yards. Depending on conditions, mid to long irons, perhaps even the odd fairway wood, will be required to reach one of the most famous holes in golf, restoring it to how Alistair MacKenzie and Bobby Jones envisioned it be played originally, I’m thinking.
Alistair MacKenzie and Bobby Jones
A golfer’s most important tool at the pristine property, however, is their 15th club, also known as – experience. Knowing where to position and leave the ball, reading the greens, and feeling the wind shifts. You only learn these nuances through time at Augusta. Even then, each year subtle changes are slipped in to keep everyone on their toes. The local caddies attest to this. I remember one of them telling me the greens are re-laid every year, with a slight reshaping of a slope or section of a green not uncommon just to keep everyone guessing.
Whatever the challenge, the Men of the Masters will no doubt welcome the next golfer to don the coveted green jacket, for they will have gone through one of the most thrilling yet brutal examinations in the game. And on Thursday morning when Jim Nantz utters, “Hello friends…” the couch will be mine for the next four days.
Sit back and enjoy. We can only imagine the side bets happening behind the scenes this year.
– Nick
Nick O'Hern
PGA Tour Pro and D3 Golf Board Member and Advisor
Nicholas Simon O'Hern (born 18 October 1971) is an Australian Professional Golfer. Nick has played on both of the world's premier professional golf tours, the European Tour, and the United States-based PGA Tour. His biggest successes though, have come at home on the PGA Tour of Australasia, where he won the Order of Merit as the leading money winner in 2006.
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