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Issue No. 182 | April 11, 2025
AUGUSTA, Ga. — My only disappointment in covering the Masters is that I wish every round had a day of buffer on either side so that we could sit with it, think about it, break it down and dissect it even more.
Every round at the Masters is like 5x more meaningful than most entire PGA Tour events, but we still only get 8 or 10 or 12 hours until we turn it back over to the next.
So much happens, though, so many micro moments with macro implications. Every shot is meaningful, all 20,000 of them, from beginning to end.
I’ll stop telling you about this, you already know it, and get to my thoughts on the best golf Thursday of the entire year.
Before we get to that, though, a huge thanks to Meridian Putters, which is presenting today’s newsletter. We literally could not do this newsletter — would not be at Augusta National to cover the Masters — without partners like Meridian.
And while you should definitely check out what they’re doing, there are a few guys in this field who maybe should as well.
Lucas Glover was field average in ball striking on Thursday and shot 78. Sergio, Fleetwood and Sepp all gained multiple strokes ball striking, combined score: +7.
Probably a little late to put the Kiawah or Key West in the bag this year, but definitely something to consider for 2026.
OK, onto Round 1!
1. Let’s start with one of the most normal sport moments in recent major history (and maybe ever). One I could not have dreamed up even if I’d tried (which … I would not have).
The grounds crew has replaced all of the water in Rae’s Creek.
Here’s U.S. Amateur champion, Jose Luis Ballester, after his Thursday round.
Q. At 13 there was an issue. Did you have an emergency? Obviously they cheered. Can you tell us what happened there?
JOSE LUIS BALLESTER: Well, I completely forgot that we had those restrooms to the left of the tee box --
Wait … surely not. What?
Q. On the 13th tee?
JOSE LUIS BALLESTER: Correct, and then I'm like, I really need to pee. Didn't really know where to go, and since JT had an issue on the green, I'm like, I'm just going to sneak here in the river and probably people would not see me that much, and then they clapped for me.
Probably one of the claps that I really got today real loud, so that was kind of funny.
WHAT?!
Q. Were you concerned that there might be any blowback from that at all? Obviously they did see you, right?
JOSE LUIS BALLESTER: They saw me. They saw me. It was not embarrassing at all for me. If I had to do it again, I would do it again.
I would do it again?!
That’s the choice there?
Not, “Oh, yeah I probably shouldn’t have taken a leak in the most famous body of water in all of golf with 73,000 cameras in sight but I really had to go.”
Instead, you’re going with, Dare me to do it again!
Some real “what are you going to do stab me” vibes from JLB.
Also, this got me pretty good.
2. Just before the round started, the Masters dropped this incredible 2-minute video on what it’s like to drive up Magnolia Lane, what it’s like to start a Masters.
They pulled in John Legend, and the entire thing is incredible. But there’s a moment starting at 1:46 right here that rocked me a little bit.
It’s Tiger talking about how meaningful it was to him to have Charlie there at his win in 2019. His voice cracks and then falters altogether. Then he tries to collect himself before squeaking out, “Sorry …”
That single “Sorry …” is — I am not trying to overstate this for effect — the most human moment I have ever seen or heard from Tiger Woods.
How many hours and hours and hours has he been on our screens, our TVs, our iPads, our computers and our phones? All of it as this buttoned-up machine who gives only the most curated version of his heart.
Here, though? He kinda gives it all.
And when they throw Legend back into the foreground and fade away from Cat, you can hear the little boy who never got to grow up. It’s heartbreaking.
The strangest life and not worthy of emulation in so many ways. But everybody has a story behind the story, and I found it amazing that Tiger let us into his even if just for a couple seconds.
3. [Jason here] I’m not a big ceremonial tee shot guy (unless we’re talking the RBC cannon) so I did not expect to cry on Thursday morning while watching the Masters honorary starters. Gary Player gives a familiar kick, and Jack Nicklaus follows with self-deprecating quips about just trying not to fall over when he puts the tee in the ground.
He manages to tee it up and his weathered hands interlock into position like they were made to hold a club. And the crowd quiets. Jack finds his stance, checks the target, waggle. His old age and jokes are far behind him.
The slight head turn going back just before the takeaway is what gets me. It’s the same determined place I would see my grandfather go to after barely making it onto the tee box. As if to say, I once was a player too. And then he stripes it.
How can you not be romantic about the Masters?
And I repeat, how can you not be romantic about the Masters?
4. Here’s an incredible Justin Rose stat.
He has not led or co-led after one of the first three rounds of the Masters eight times. The only players ahead of him are Arnold Palmer (14) and Jack Nicklaus (13).
Rose is tied for third with Raymond Floyd, Gary Player and Jordan Spieth. All three have led or co-led after one of the first three rounds eight times.
Combined jackets for Palmer, Nicklaus, Floyd, Player, Spieth: 15
Jackets for Rose: 0
This feels impossible.
I’m also not totally sure what to do with it.
Tiger has never led or co-led after 18 holes and only once led or co-led after 36, and he has five victories here. So has Rose just been unlucky in his near misses, or has he done a bad job of finding the rhythm of the tournament and peaking at the right moment (at the end of 72 holes)?
I don’t totally know. Though the answer is usually a bit of both. He led after three rounds in 2017 and could have easily won. He led after two rounds in 2004 and shot 81 on Saturday.
What I do know is that I find myself rooting for him these days in ways I probably didn’t before. I’m not totally sure why that is. I respect the career. Admire the fact that he’s not only enduring at age 44 but thriving.
Would it be difficult to take Bryson or Ludvig finishing second to him? Yes.
Would it also be cool to see him win after this run at ANGC and his almost-Open at Troon last year?
Also absolutely yes.
This post will continue for Normal Club members below, and includes …
Thoughts on Rory’s 72.
More on Nick Dunlap’s 90 (!)
A strange Scheffler comp.
Some notes and nuggets from my Thursday at ANGC.
If you aren’t yet a Normal Club member, you can sign up right here.
If you are, keep reading!
Welcome to the members-only portion of today’s newsletter. I hope you both enjoy it and find it to be valuable to your golf and/or personal life.
5. We need to come together as a country and have a discussion about hats. A hat discussion. Perhaps Pat Cantlay can mediate. But we cannot be doing this, any of it.
Egg Salad?
Upside down Sun Devils?
Why can we not just wear normal hats? Am I the old here? Are we the baddies?
“I have no shortage of bad (but likely) hat ideas.” - Jason Page s/o Michael Scott
6. You’ve all seen it by now. Many are saying Normal Sport invented it (nobody is saying this). The “only Tiger has come from outside the top 10 after Round 1 in the last 20 years” stat. If that holds, that means your winner will almost certainly be one of the following …
Rose
Scottie
Conners
Ludvig
Hatton
Bryson
Rai
English
Day
Bhatia
Scottie — who may hold the real lead — was asked about this specific stat after his round, and he didn’t bite.
“It's funny because this is a golf course where there's a lot of opportunities,” said Scheffler. “There's a lot of opportunity over the weekend. There's a lot of opportunity on Sunday with where they put the pins. I'm a bit surprised that it's like that, but I wouldn't say that it can't be done.”
Here’s what I think: Yes, it’s a golf course that has a lot of opportunity, but what makes it a perfect major championship course is the risk-reward nature of those opportunities.
So what happens — and the Fried Egg boys have talked about this a lot — is that you can go try to make 10 birdies and chase from behind, but the odds start stacking against you, and taking on pins and shots will inevitably lead to a 6 or 7 at some point and suddenly you’re cooked again.
On the flip side, it’s a course where it’s “easy” to play away from pins and make pars.
That’s why chasing is difficult but protecting or playing conservatively — especially when the stars are at the top after Round 1 — is a bit easier. And it’s why it’s incredibly likely that for the 19th time in the last 21 years, the winner will come from inside the top 10 after Round 1.
7. I walked on Thursday with Brendan Porath for most of the afternoon. We chased Scottie and Spieth around the back nine. It was wonderful.
I told Porath I can’t remember the weather being this good for an entire Masters week. It’s been absolute perfection the last three days.
Some thoughts …
• This will be unsurprising to those of you who listen to SGS, but Porath is a terrific hang. We have been friends for a long time and talked about pretty much everything, golf and otherwise, on Thursday. I feel more like a fan this year than I have over most of the last decade, which is awesome and hopefully comes through in the writing.
• Tom Kim is unimaginably slow. Unfathomably slow! Tom Kim is slower than TV makes him appear is the new it’s darker outside than it appears on our cameras!
• Spieth hit his approach on No. 13 in the bushes, and as Greller climbed the hill to start looking for it, Spieth turned around and started hollering, “Don’t look yet!” so his timer wouldn’t start. That amused me.
• No. 13 was hard today, by the way. Here’s Data Golf from their Masters blog (which rules): 13th hole ended up playing over par (5.03), just the 10th time that’s happened since 1983.
• I heard someone say, “Jaeger just dropped off the lead. I told you he didn’t have what it takes.” Very brave.
• We watched the Xander-Hovland-Scott group play No. 7 when all of a sudden, Phil (who was not in their group) is standing on the green with them, walking around while they were lining up putts. Wait, what is Phil doing staring at the sky like Bryson wearing those eclipse shades last year?
Turns out, he was looking past the 7th green at the huge scoreboard beyond. Phil had hit his tee shot on 17 so far off line, the he was playing from in front of the 7th green back to 17 green. Incredibly, he actually hit the shot he was trying to hit, it missed all the trees as well as the board, and went on to make 5. Total lunatic play, but also not unexpected.
8. When the NLU boys were discussing earlier this week how Scottie ran back his same Champions Dinner menu this year because “why change what’s working?” I thought of an interesting comp for him: Steve Jobs.
Scottie, at least professionally, almost never puts his energy into things that do not deserve his energy. And anything in his golf life that is not helping him work toward making perfect decisions in attempting to win world class golf tournaments falls outside the bounds of what he gives his time, effort and energy to.
He reduces the noise better than any superstar in recent memory to the point that he can come off as a tad robotic or unengaged. At this point, I’m honestly surprised Scottie doesn’t wear the exact same thing to play in every day.
To be clear, none of this helps me with my job. I often want more from him because I believe there is more there. However, I admire his focus immensely. I think a lot of him as a craftsman.
Maybe the ultimate pro.
9. Fred Couples, who is 65 years old, beat Rory McIlroy, who won Pebble and the Players this year. Golf is so so dumb.
Where do we begin with Rory?
I’ll walk you through what I was feeling.
I’m walking off the course and back to the press building as he’s playing No. 9. He hits that spinny, hold-y shot on 9 to go out in 33, and I’m thinking (but definitely not saying), Dude, he solved it. That’s his worse nine on this course (by far). He’s playing adult golf. He’s playing Scottie golf. They may do two laps around this field together this weekend!
Great up and down on 10, played 11 perfectly, driving the absolute piss out of it. Easy 4 on 13. Hits that held off three-quarter shot into 14 to right here and has that putt to get within three of the lead at the time and into solo second.
It … went poorly from there.
I do wonder — legitimately — if anyone has ever touched the green with their second shot on 15 and gone on to finish +4 on the final four holes.
I’m sure it’s happened, but it can’t have happened very many times.
Two things are easy to say now.
1. Scottie doesn’t make 7 on 15 from behind the green. I get all the slope and speed and all of it. Just can’t make 7 there. Not in this field. It is reductive to say that Scottie wins Masters because he doesn’t make the mistake Rory made on 15, but it’s not really that reductive.
Counterpoint: Scottie doubled 10 on Saturday last year with a horrible approach long. Counter to the counter: He did not also make another double two holes later. In fact, he made an eagle just three holes later.
2. Jack said Rory walked him through his game plan shot by shot by shot and he agreed with it all. “I didn't open my mouth! I wouldn't change a thing!”
Then he said this: “The discipline is what Rory has lacked in my opinion. He's got all the shots. He's got all the game. He certainly is as talented as anybody in the game. But if you look, go back and see his history the last few years, he gets to a place a lot of times an 8 or a 7 pops up, and that keeps you from getting to where he needs to go.”
Prescient.
Was hitting that pitch on 15 a bad and undisciplined decision? I don’t know. The outcome was bad, which doesn’t necessarily mean the decision was poor, but it just seems like a bit of a dodgy place on the course where — you’re playing great! — you need to just get out of there with 5 and get to the house in the 60s.
As has been pointed out, 17 was worse (!) because 17 just seemed less committed overall. Just a lot sillier. That’s the time to grit your teeth and get a 70 on the card. Compounding errors lead to T18 finishes.
It’s all infuriating obviously, but that’s also what makes this place great. Because it’s not really about the golf, is it? It’s never really been about the golf with Rory and Augusta, has it? If it was, he’d have four jackets in his closet.
I wrote about this on Monday, but the Masters is often barely about the golf, which is why it remains so elusive, so maddening and such a place of ghosts for one of the best to ever do it.
We will for sure talk ourselves into a 67-66-68 finish or something silly like that, but the truth is that rebounding from seven down here (and four to the guy who’s won two of the last three) just doesn’t happen. And I don’t think it’ll happen again this year either.
It was all right there. Adult decision after adult decision for 14 holes. Golf shot after golf shot. He had it. And then he did not.
Augusta is nothing if not mentally and emotionally taxing, and he has proven over and over that this challenge is the one he struggles with the most.
10. Justin Rose beat Nick Dunlap by 25 shots on Thursday. Let that sink in.
The final numbers on Dunlap.
Driving: -4.87 SG
Approach: -6.70
Around green: -3.36
Putting: -1.48
Overall: -16.41
I … don’t know that I’ve ever seen that overall number before. Also, if you didn’t see it, you should go watch his tee shot on No. 3. It made me gasp.
11. OK, I’m not done on Rory. Here are his last seven first rounds at the Masters.
72
71
72
73
76
75
73
One round under par. One!
He has one (ONE) first round in the 60s out of his last 14. Sometimes we talk about this stuff and you’re like “oh … yeah … hmm” but then you see it on paper, and you’re like “holy crap!”
12. Random nuggies …
• I love how the greens flow into tee boxes at ANGC, even on holes that do not lead in to each other. This was JT’s approach on No. 7, which he did not hit that far off line. He’s nearly on top of the guys hitting off No. 3!
Augusta National feels like a golf playground in this very specific way.
• This tweet got me pretty good.
• One of the most amusing things — at least to me — is being out on the course without my phone and nobody has changed Spieth’s score on the leaderboard for a while, and all you’re thinking about are the most unimaginable spots he ended up. Like, you expect them to put an 11 up on No. 7 or something. True theater.
• The Fireballs logo and colors remain ridiculous.
• This got me.
• I loved this quote from Freddie on how much ANGC inspires him.
“I think about it all the time. You know, if I could have won it one more time it would be the greatest upset in the world of golf, but I didn't. But that was really my goal. But still, 65, still get to come back. It's a fight. It really is a fight.”
Describe golf better than, “It’s a fight. It really is a fight” challenge. You can’t.
• I went on the Masters podcast with Marty Smith on Thursday. We had a wonderful convo about Round 1 but also about what the Masters has meant to us over the years. A trio of generational athletes made appearances on Thursday.
Thank you for reading until the end.
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Issue No. 182 | April 11, 2025
AUGUSTA, Ga. — My only disappointment in covering the Masters is that I wish every round had a day of buffer on either side so that we could sit with it, think about it, break it down and dissect it even more.
Every round at the Masters is like 5x more meaningful than most entire PGA Tour events, but we still only get 8 or 10 or 12 hours until we turn it back over to the next.
So much happens, though, so many micro moments with macro implications. Every shot is meaningful, all 20,000 of them, from beginning to end.
I’ll stop telling you about this, you already know it, and get to my thoughts on the best golf Thursday of the entire year.
Before we get to that, though, a huge thanks to Meridian Putters, which is presenting today’s newsletter. We literally could not do this newsletter — would not be at Augusta National to cover the Masters — without partners like Meridian.
And while you should definitely check out what they’re doing, there are a few guys in this field who maybe should as well.
Lucas Glover was field average in ball striking on Thursday and shot 78. Sergio, Fleetwood and Sepp all gained multiple strokes ball striking, combined score: +7.
Probably a little late to put the Kiawah or Key West in the bag this year, but definitely something to consider for 2026.
OK, onto Round 1!
1. Let’s start with one of the most normal sport moments in recent major history (and maybe ever). One I could not have dreamed up even if I’d tried (which … I would not have).
The grounds crew has replaced all of the water in Rae’s Creek.
Here’s U.S. Amateur champion, Jose Luis Ballester, after his Thursday round.
Q. At 13 there was an issue. Did you have an emergency? Obviously they cheered. Can you tell us what happened there?
JOSE LUIS BALLESTER: Well, I completely forgot that we had those restrooms to the left of the tee box --
Wait … surely not. What?
Q. On the 13th tee?
JOSE LUIS BALLESTER: Correct, and then I'm like, I really need to pee. Didn't really know where to go, and since JT had an issue on the green, I'm like, I'm just going to sneak here in the river and probably people would not see me that much, and then they clapped for me.
Probably one of the claps that I really got today real loud, so that was kind of funny.
WHAT?!
Q. Were you concerned that there might be any blowback from that at all? Obviously they did see you, right?
JOSE LUIS BALLESTER: They saw me. They saw me. It was not embarrassing at all for me. If I had to do it again, I would do it again.
I would do it again?!
That’s the choice there?
Not, “Oh, yeah I probably shouldn’t have taken a leak in the most famous body of water in all of golf with 73,000 cameras in sight but I really had to go.”
Instead, you’re going with, Dare me to do it again!
Some real “what are you going to do stab me” vibes from JLB.
Also, this got me pretty good.
2. Just before the round started, the Masters dropped this incredible 2-minute video on what it’s like to drive up Magnolia Lane, what it’s like to start a Masters.
They pulled in John Legend, and the entire thing is incredible. But there’s a moment starting at 1:46 right here that rocked me a little bit.
It’s Tiger talking about how meaningful it was to him to have Charlie there at his win in 2019. His voice cracks and then falters altogether. Then he tries to collect himself before squeaking out, “Sorry …”
That single “Sorry …” is — I am not trying to overstate this for effect — the most human moment I have ever seen or heard from Tiger Woods.
How many hours and hours and hours has he been on our screens, our TVs, our iPads, our computers and our phones? All of it as this buttoned-up machine who gives only the most curated version of his heart.
Here, though? He kinda gives it all.
And when they throw Legend back into the foreground and fade away from Cat, you can hear the little boy who never got to grow up. It’s heartbreaking.
The strangest life and not worthy of emulation in so many ways. But everybody has a story behind the story, and I found it amazing that Tiger let us into his even if just for a couple seconds.
3. [Jason here] I’m not a big ceremonial tee shot guy (unless we’re talking the RBC cannon) so I did not expect to cry on Thursday morning while watching the Masters honorary starters. Gary Player gives a familiar kick, and Jack Nicklaus follows with self-deprecating quips about just trying not to fall over when he puts the tee in the ground.
He manages to tee it up and his weathered hands interlock into position like they were made to hold a club. And the crowd quiets. Jack finds his stance, checks the target, waggle. His old age and jokes are far behind him.
The slight head turn going back just before the takeaway is what gets me. It’s the same determined place I would see my grandfather go to after barely making it onto the tee box. As if to say, I once was a player too. And then he stripes it.
How can you not be romantic about the Masters?
And I repeat, how can you not be romantic about the Masters?
4. Here’s an incredible Justin Rose stat.
He has not led or co-led after one of the first three rounds of the Masters eight times. The only players ahead of him are Arnold Palmer (14) and Jack Nicklaus (13).
Rose is tied for third with Raymond Floyd, Gary Player and Jordan Spieth. All three have led or co-led after one of the first three rounds eight times.
Combined jackets for Palmer, Nicklaus, Floyd, Player, Spieth: 15
Jackets for Rose: 0
This feels impossible.
I’m also not totally sure what to do with it.
Tiger has never led or co-led after 18 holes and only once led or co-led after 36, and he has five victories here. So has Rose just been unlucky in his near misses, or has he done a bad job of finding the rhythm of the tournament and peaking at the right moment (at the end of 72 holes)?
I don’t totally know. Though the answer is usually a bit of both. He led after three rounds in 2017 and could have easily won. He led after two rounds in 2004 and shot 81 on Saturday.
What I do know is that I find myself rooting for him these days in ways I probably didn’t before. I’m not totally sure why that is. I respect the career. Admire the fact that he’s not only enduring at age 44 but thriving.
Would it be difficult to take Bryson or Ludvig finishing second to him? Yes.
Would it also be cool to see him win after this run at ANGC and his almost-Open at Troon last year?
Also absolutely yes.
This post will continue for Normal Club members below, and includes …
Thoughts on Rory’s 72.
More on Nick Dunlap’s 90 (!)
A strange Scheffler comp.
Some notes and nuggets from my Thursday at ANGC.
If you aren’t yet a Normal Club member, you can sign up right here.
If you are, keep reading!
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