“It’s not like I’m chasing my first major”, said Spieth, who fell to No. 2 in the world rankings behind Day two weeks ago.
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Spieth, a double major victor who stormed to a stunning wire-to-wire victory previous year by four shots at the age of 21, will tee off at 9:48 a.m. ET (1348 GMT) with U.S. Amateur champion DeChambeau and Casey.
Aged just 26, McIlroy has already claimed four major titles and this week he will be bidding for his first Green Jacket at the picturesque “Cathedral of Pines”, to complete a career grand slam of golf’s four blue riband events.
What Jordan did here last year, at the US Open, and the whole way through the summer, and what Jason Day did during the summer and this year, as well…
Fourth-ranked Bubba Watson, a double victor at Augusta National, clinched the Northern Trust Open in February and his good friend, fifth-ranked fellow American Rickie Fowler, won the European Tour’s Abu Dhabi Championship in January.
On their 50th wedding anniversary Larry Tenhaken and his wife checked off visiting Augusta National Golf Club from their bucket list.
“This is one I wish I caught earlier I guess, I had a chance”, admitted McIlroy, who led by one stroke with nine holes to play in 2011, before snap-hooking his drive out-of-bounds at the 10th hole for a triple bogey.
Jack Nicklaus (1965-66), Nick Faldo (1989-90) and Tiger Woods (2001-02) are the only players to win back-to-back at the Masters. “I want to be part of that conversation”.
“You can hit great shots here and leave yourself 5 feet and just be trying to two-putt”, McIlroy said.
“There were a lot of opportunities [Sunday] that in years past, I wouldn’t have been able to get through and hold on and win the tournament, and I wouldn’t be here obviously today”, Herman said. And I feel like I’m in form, as well. For my 20 years out here I think I’ve achieved a lot, and if that’s all it entails, then I’ve had a pretty good run.
Now two years since his latest master’s victory- Bubba has to be hoping his pattern of even numbered success will stand at a course he has seemingly mastered.
“If I hit my best drive and (McIlroy) hits his best drive, I’m 40 yards behind him so right out of the gate I’m going to say I have to play my game here to keep up”.
Whether he was really serious about quitting, no one will ever really know.
“I don’t think he’s done”, Nicklaus said Tuesday afternoon before going to the Champions Dinner.
Spieth isn’t a prototypical power player, though an immaculate short game goes a long way at Augusta National.
The famous green jacket has been awarded to the Masters champion every year since 1949, and the passing of the green jacket from last year’s victor to this year’s is always a great post-tournament moment.
“The Masters is a tournament as a young kid I watched probably more than any of the others”, Rose said. Spieth then went on to win the tournament Woods has owned for a two decades. “It kind of fired me up a little”.
He could play aggressively, but was also a master at switching gears and methodically racking up pars by avoiding risk-taking when the situation warranted. He’s my pick. He’s just got a tremendous talent.
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“I feel like I’ve got everything I need to become a Masters champion”, he said.
