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MASTERS SPRING SWINGS FACTS & FIGURES

Tournament: The 85th Masters is nal score at Augusta Na- in his right leg and foot in a car crash THE ROARS Dates: April 8-11 tional wasn’t all that set Dustin in Los Angeles in late February. Jordan Another record set in November Site: Augusta National Club Johnson apart from other Spieth appears to have emerged from were 1,122 birdies for the week with- Length: 7,475 yards Par: 36-36-72 HMasters champions. a three-year funk and was listed as out a single roar. No spectators were Purse: To be determined ($11.5 million in 2020) Field: 88 players (3 amateurs) No one else ever won the Masters among the favorites in Las Vegas. Rory allowed because of the COVID-19 Cut: Top 50 and ties and then didn’t play another tourna- McIlroy remains stuck in neutral and restrictions. Augusta National is al- Defending champion: ment the rest of the year. No other announced he was adding a new coach lowing a limited number of fans this Last year: In the rst autumn Masters because Masters champion was able to keep to his stable just three weeks before year, although the club would not say of the COVID-19 pandemic, Dustin Johnson set his green jacket at home for only ve he tries again to win the Masters and how many weekly badges were sold. the scoring record at 20-under 268 for a ve-shot months before it was time to try to complete the career Grand Slam. Minimal roars will be a welcome victory over Sungjae Im and Cameron Smith. So win it again. en again, no one ever And so much feels normal. e sound for the players. e Masters thorough was this victory that no one had a lower played the Masters in November. Masters returns sooner than ever, and is as much about hearing as seeing. score than Johnson in three of his four rounds, Now it’s back to being that annual not a moment too soon. Fans have slowly been introduced including his 68 on Sunday. This truly was a rite of spring, and so much about this “I think it will be back to feeling like at PGA Tour events since February. Masters unlike any other. Along with being held in November, no tickets were sold, the Par 3 Contest Masters that starts April 8 feels normal. a normal Masters,” Johnson said. “I’m Even with a reduced number of spec- was canceled and all four rounds featured a two- Gone are the hues of autumn, majestic de nitely looking forward to that.” tators, the Masters still canceled the tee start because of limited daylight. in a dierent way. Augusta National Par 3 Contest for the second straight Tiger tales: will not be playing the is blazing with pink, red and purple year. Masters as he recovers from a serious leg injury in azaleas, along with the white blooms a single-car crash in Los Angeles. This will be the of dogwood in April. Inside the ropes EXCLUSIVE COMPANY fourth time in the last seven years Woods is not playing the Masters. — yes, there will be ropes this time — DUSTIN Dustin Johnson set another The roars: After not having spectators in is a course that is expected to be play JOHNSON Masters record with his 11 consec- fast, rm and scary like always. utive rounds under par. But that’s November, the Masters sold a limited number of Johnson won by ve shots at badges for this year. The club did not release how not the record he wants. Only three many. 20-under 268. It was the lowest score players have ever won back-to-back Grand Slam, Act VII: Rory McIlroy tries for the in tournament history, one of several at Augusta National, and Johnson seventh time to win the Masters and complete the records that fell in the so conditions would love nothing more than to career Grand Slam. that were inevitable before the rye join , and The odds: Dustin Johnson is the favorite at 8-1 grass had taken root. Among other Tiger Woods. He won in his second (Westgate Superbook), followed at 12-1 for Jon records that fell in November were 65 tournament of the year at the Saudi Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau and . rounds in the 60s for the week, and International, but the month leading Key statistic: Only two players have shot 63 at 187 rounds at par or better. into the Masters has been curious for the Masters, the fewest of the four majors. “DJ, I think, would have won his level of play. Johnson has nished Noteworthy: in 1979 was the last whether it was like it was in Novem- outside the top 25 in his last three Masters champion playing for the rst time. Carlos Ortiz, Robert MacIntyre and Will Zalatoris are the ber or April,” Justin omas said. tournaments. only professionals making their Masters debuts. “He played far and away better than Television: Thursday-Friday, 3-7:30 p.m. (ESPN); anyone else.” THE COURSE Saturday, 3-7 p.m. (CBS); Sunday, 2-7 p.m. (CBS). So emotional when it was over, hit a 4-iron into the par-5 Interactive: www.masters.com. Live video so satis ed with what he had done, 15th hole that landed just short of the channels from the 4th, 5th and 6th holes, Amen Johnson took his green jacket home hole and wound up 3 feet behind. Any Corner, the 15th hole, 16th hole and a featured to Florida and didn’t show up again other Masters, he gures a shot struck group. Estimated times — Hole Nos. 4,5 and 6 from until January. Asked if he felt short- like that would have bounded over the 9:25 a.m. to 6:45 p.m. Thursday and Friday, and changed from only getting to keep green and into the water on the 16th from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on the weekend; Amen Cor- it ve months — only the champion ner (Nos. 11, 12 and 13) from 10:45 a.m. to 6 p.m. hole. at’s one example of how dier- Thursday and Friday, and from 11:45 a.m. to 6 p.m. can take his green jacket o property ent it played in November compared on the weekend; Nos. 15 and 16 from 11:45 a.m. to — Johnson laughed and replied, “It with April. 7 p.m. on Thursday and Friday, and from 12:30 p.m. wouldn’t bother me if I only had it for “I played with Sebastian Munoz on to 6:30 p.m. on the weekend; and featured group a day. It would be OK. I’ve got one. Sunday, and that was his rst Masters. from 9:15 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Thursday and Friday, And ve months, a year, one month, I pretty much told him, ‘Anything you and from 10:15 a.m. to 7 p.m. on the weekend. one day, it doesn’t really make a dif- learn today, this week, forget about The Masters iPad application will display the video ference to me.” it.’ Because it will never play like this channels and a live digital simulcast of CBS Sports’ Even with such a short turnaround, again, period,” Rahm said. weekend coverage. so much has changed. It still depends on the weather. Tiger Woods was host of the Mas- won at 18-under par in ters Club dinner for past champions. 2015. won at 5-under Now it’s a question if he’ll ever play 283 the next year. Both were in April, “It wouldn’t bother me again from shattering so many bones of course. if I only had it for a day.” — Dustin Johnson on whether he feels shortchanged only keeping the green jacket 85th MASTERS PLAYER CAPSULES for ve months.

is later attributed to the front lobe of his brain Notable: Will try to become the eighth player overworking. in the last 100 years to have two majors at 24 or DUSTIN JOHNSON Notable: His best result in four appearances RORY McILROY younger. Age: 36, United States at the Masters was a tie for 21st when he was an Age: 31, Northern Ireland Backspin: He is one of about 13 players who World ranking: 1 amateur. World ranking: 11 made their Masters debut in November and are Backspin: DeChambeau and his length get likely to face an entirely dierent test in April. Worldwide victories: 25 another crack at the Masters after the No- Worldwide victories: 26 His pure iron play and a switch to the “saw” grip Majors: Masters (2020), U.S. Open (2016). vember edition ended poorly. He remains the Majors: U.S. Open (2011), British Open (2014), made famous by Mark O’Meara led to another Masters moment: Setting the 72-hole record fascination in golf with his distance, and he has PGA Championship (2012, 2014) win last month in a World Golf Championship. at 268 for a ve-shot victory in 2020. backed it up with another win this year at Bay Masters moment: Losing a four-shot lead in Notable: No one had a lower score than Hill. the nal round in 2011 by closing with an 80. Johnson in three of the four rounds in Novem- Notable: McIlroy now has gone 23 majors since ber. winning his fourth at the 2014 PGA Championship. Backspin: Not only is he trying to join Jack Backspin: This will be his seventh attempt to Age: 30, United States Nicklaus, Nick Faldo and Tiger Woods as back- complete the career Grand Slam, and his only World ranking: 7 to-back winners, Johnson is trying to repeat in a Age: 27, United States good chance was in 2018 when he played in the span of 147 days. nal group with Patrick Reed. McIlroy conceded World ranking: 6 his swing got out of sync by trying to follow Worldwide victories: 9 Bryson DeChambeau’s strategy of increasing his Majors: Masters (2018) Worldwide victories: 4 swing speed. And he has added a new coach, Masters moment: Playing with crowd favorite JORDAN SPIETH Majors: None Pete Cowen, to his stable. Rory McIlroy in the nal round and winning the Masters moment: Tied for the lead when he green jacket in 2018. Age: 27, United States stood on the 15th tee in 2019, only to close with Notable: His victory at Torrey Pines gave Reed World ranking: 53 four pars to nish one shot behind Tiger Woods. at least one PGA Tour in eight of his nine years. Notable: Has nished in the top 10 in half of JON RAHM Backspin: Reed came under scrutiny even in Worldwide victories: 14 the 14 majors he has played. Age: 26, victory for relief he took from an embedded ball Majors: Masters (2015), U.S. Open (2015), Backspin: He had the low 72-hole score at World ranking: 3 in San Diego. According to the rules, there was no British Open (2017) the Tour Championship. Otherwise, he has gone violation. It was an example of how well Reed can Masters moment: Going wire-to-wire for 47 starts without a victory. The good news for Worldwide victories: 11 block out the noise around him no matter how a four-shot victory in 2015 and becoming the Schauele is he keeps giving himself chances. Majors: None loud. As for his golf, his short game is part of what second-youngest winner behind Tiger Woods. Masters moment: Opening with a 75 in 2018 makes him so tough. Notable: Spieth holds the Masters record and still giving himself a chance to win on Sun- by having at least a share of the lead in seven day until hitting into the water on the 15th hole. consecutive rounds. JUSTIN THOMAS Notable: He has nished in the top 10 in his Backspin: In contention the nal three weeks last three Masters appearances. of the West Coast swing, and suddenly it feels Age: 27, United States Backspin: He has the game. The question is Age: 23, Norway as though that victory drought that dates to the World ranking: 2 does Rahm have the time? His wife, Kelly, is home World ranking: 14 2017 British Open is close to ending. in Arizona expecting their rst child, due on the Worldwide victories: 14 weekend of the Masters. Rahm says he would Worldwide victories: 2 Majors: PGA Championship (2017) leave at any time. So this will be a test of how well Majors: None Masters moment: Sharing the 36-hole lead he can control the space between the ears. Masters moment: Four rounds of par or better in November and nishing eight shots behind in in 2019 as the U.S. Amateur champion to nish as BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU fourth place. low amateur. Notable: He was low amateur at the U.S. Open Age: 27, United States Notable: His position has improved each of the ve years he has played the Masters, starting with a tie for 12th, and tied for 13th the next year World ranking: 5 with a tie for 39th in 2016. Age: 24, United States as a pro. He tied for 32nd as low amateur at the Backspin: His rough start to the year includ- World ranking: 4 Masters. As a pro? Worldwide victories: 9 ed the unwanted attention for an anti-gay slur Backspin: Hovland makes his Masters debut Majors: U.S. Open (2020) muttered under his breath to the death of his Worldwide victories: 4 as a pro and already has two PGA Tour victories, is Masters moment: Coming o a six-shot grandfather and then Tiger Woods, with whom Majors: PGA Championship (2020) among the top 20 in the world ranking and is con- victory in the U.S. Open, was the betting favorite he has become closer, getting seriously injured Masters moment: Making his debut in soft sidered a strong candidate to play in the . at Augusta National in November only to in a car crash. His victory in The Players Champi- November conditions without big roars and tying complain of dizziness during the week, which onship appears to have him back on track. for 44th. CONTENT BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS