- Masters week got underway at Augusta National on Tuesday, one day later than expected. Heavy rain washed out practice rounds on Monday.
- Past champions like Jon Rahm and Scottie Scheffler hit the course to prepare for the first major of the season.
- LIV golf players are allowed in the field if they qualify, making the majors the only tournaments they compete with regular PGA tour players.
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It was a tough day on Monday, April 7, for the Masters as heavy rains closed Augusta National to players and patrons. But Tuesday, April 8, practice rounds began for golf’s first major of the year.
Who was able to get out and play a practice round?
Nearly every big name in the game got out on the famed course to begin their preparations –– Colin Morikawa, Xander Schauffele, Viktor Hovland and the defending champion Scottie Scheffler, among others. Scheffler is certainly confident, knowing he’s won twice on this course, and he talked about his mindset ahead of the chance to win back-to-back green jackets.
“When I think about getting ready for this week, you know, when I step up on the first tee on Thursday, I’m going to remind myself that I’ve done what I needed to do to play well, and it’s all about going out and competing now,” Scheffler said. “So, I really try not to look too much into the past. I try not to look too far into the future; I just like to stay in the present.”
How big are the expectations for Rory McIlroy?
Following the rain out, Rory McIlroy was glad he played a practice round a few weeks back. After Scheffler, he is the biggest favorite on the board this week and can complete the career grand slam with a green jacket. But his 4-year-old daughter Poppy might have some questions, as she did when he won The Players Championship three weeks ago.
“The day after The Players, she went into school, and there’s a couple of kids that had said some stuff to her, and she came home to me that day and said, ‘Daddy, are you famous?'” McIlroy said. “I said, ‘It depends who you talk to.’ So, you know, it’s a bit of a double-edged sword –– you have to temper the expectations sometimes.”
How does Jon Rahm look at the LIV/PGA divide?
Jon Rahm has no reason to temper expectations. He won the Masters in 2023 and will be playing along with a host of other LIV golfers, like Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka and Phil Mickelson. These days, the majors are the only tournaments where players from LIV and the PGA tour compete together. When it came to the separation of the tours, Rahm was asked if he had any concerns that there was no solution in sight.
“I think we all would like to see that, but as far as I could tell, and you guys could tell, that’s not happening any time soon,” Rahm said. “So I haven’t spent a lot of time thinking about that, especially having a week like this one, right?”
One more Masters note: Augusta National asked former world No. 1 Jason Day, who turned heads with his outfit choices at last year’s tournament, to tone down his fashion statements this week. So, the loud sweaters and baggy pants won’t be stealing the show. Masters organizers say they like the focus to be on the tournament competition and the golf course instead of any individual.
