The opening round of the Masters on Thursday provided a glimpse of just how difficult a dry, fast Augusta National can play. And with warm temperatures expected through the weekend, and not a drop of rain in sight, the course could play even tougher before a champion slips on the green jacket Sunday.
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Here's how to cope with in-flight anxietyWomen in perimenopause dealing with hot flashes and sleep issues are being courted to buy productsStates are struggling to meet their clean energy goals. Data centers are to blameIn post-WWII America, the Levittown house was a house for all — as long as you weren't BlackIraní-estadounidenses viven con inquietud tras amenazas de Trump a Irán y un frágil alto el fuego Demócratas se envalentonan al hablar de destituir a Trump tras sus amenazas a Irán Here's how to cope with in-flight anxietyWomen in perimenopause dealing with hot flashes and sleep issues are being courted to buy productsStates are struggling to meet their clean energy goals. Data centers are to blameIn post-WWII America, the Levittown house was a house for all — as long as you weren't BlackIraní-estadounidenses viven con inquietud tras amenazas de Trump a Irán y un frágil alto el fuego Demócratas se envalentonan al hablar de destituir a Trump tras sus amenazas a IránRobert MacIntyre, of Scotland, hits from the fairway on the 13th hole during the first round of the Masters golf tournament at the Augusta National Golf Club, Thursday, April 9, 2026, in Augusta, Ga. Rory McIlroy, of Northern Ireland, leaves the green on the 18th hole after his first round of the Masters golf tournament at the Augusta National Golf Club, Thursday, April 9, 2026, in Augusta, Ga. Justin Rose, of England, hits from the fairway on the 13th hole during the first round of the Masters golf tournament at the Augusta National Golf Club, Thursday, April 9, 2026, in Augusta, Ga. Min Woo Lee, of Australia, hits from the fairway on the 17th hole during the first round of the Masters golf tournament at the Augusta National Golf Club, Thursday, April 9, 2026, in Augusta, Ga. Robert MacIntyre, of Scotland, hits from the fairway on the 13th hole during the first round of the Masters golf tournament at the Augusta National Golf Club, Thursday, April 9, 2026, in Augusta, Ga. Robert MacIntyre, of Scotland, hits from the fairway on the 13th hole during the first round of the Masters golf tournament at the Augusta National Golf Club, Thursday, April 9, 2026, in Augusta, Ga. Rory McIlroy, of Northern Ireland, leaves the green on the 18th hole after his first round of the Masters golf tournament at the Augusta National Golf Club, Thursday, April 9, 2026, in Augusta, Ga. Rory McIlroy, of Northern Ireland, leaves the green on the 18th hole after his first round of the Masters golf tournament at the Augusta National Golf Club, Thursday, April 9, 2026, in Augusta, Ga. Justin Rose, of England, hits from the fairway on the 13th hole during the first round of the Masters golf tournament at the Augusta National Golf Club, Thursday, April 9, 2026, in Augusta, Ga. Justin Rose, of England, hits from the fairway on the 13th hole during the first round of the Masters golf tournament at the Augusta National Golf Club, Thursday, April 9, 2026, in Augusta, Ga. Min Woo Lee, of Australia, hits from the fairway on the 17th hole during the first round of the Masters golf tournament at the Augusta National Golf Club, Thursday, April 9, 2026, in Augusta, Ga. Min Woo Lee, of Australia, hits from the fairway on the 17th hole during the first round of the Masters golf tournament at the Augusta National Golf Club, Thursday, April 9, 2026, in Augusta, Ga. AUGUSTA, Ga. — Robert MacIntyre summed up the difficulty posed by firm, breezy and fast Augusta National with a single gesture on Thursday.Tyrrell Hatton flashed a different gesture with a similar meaning after his approach at the seventh hit the flagstick and spun into a bunker. Nor was MacIntyre alone in dealing with a course that started tough, got tougher, and might not have reached peak toughness yet. “Stuff can happen quick around this place,” said his playing partner, Scottie Scheffler, “and it’s really hard.”after the opening round, though both played earlier in the day, when the course was softer and more receptive. That Scheffler managed his 2-under 70 while playing in the second-to-last group only made the two-time champion’s round look better. “I think when the greens get that firm,” McIlroy said, “you really have to think about where the best miss is. And distance control is very important. ... It makes it a much more tactical test, and you really have to think about things.” It’s been dry across northern Georgia this spring, with abundant sunshine and warm temperatures. Those are ideal golfing conditions if you’re a weekend hacker at the local muni. But for the those playing in the Masters, that’s more like a recipe for carnage.There were tee shots and layups Thursday that bounded through crispy fairways and right into the water. Approach shots ricocheted off rock-hard greens as if they had landed on a concrete parking lot. And those same greens picked up so much speed by the time they were baked to well-done late in the day that some players putted right off of them.“I take back what I said on Tuesday. I didn’t think it was firm. Now it’s like a Saturday firm, I would say, for a Thursday, which is not normal,” Min Woo Lee said. “Yeah, it is nearly baked out. Those last six holes — I mean, 15 was not unplayable, but it was very hard, even for a lob wedge in, you know, where we’re one-bouncing towards the back of the edge.It could get tougher, too, depending on the whims of those in charge. They could soak the coarse at any point, softening it up enough to allow the greens to be a bit more welcoming. Or, they could let the course go, getting harder and harder all weekend. “They can do whatever they want with the golf course, can’t they? That’s the beauty of it,” Tommy Fleetwood said. “I think you never quite know what you’re going to get out here until you hit into the first green, see the ball routes on the first. For sure, they’re having absolutely perfect conditions to make it as firm and fast as they want. It’s up to them what they want to do with it.” The last time the winning score at the Masters was single digits under par was 2016, when Danny Willett won at 5 under thanks in part to Jordan Spieth’s late meltdown. And the last time the winning score was over par was 2007, when Zach Johnson finished 1 over in weekend conditions that featured gusty winds and bone-chilling cold.Might this weekend be even tougher? The forecast calls for more sunshine and temperatures approaching 80 degrees Fahrenheit on Friday. They are expected to climb even higher for the weekend, with a heat index around 90 degrees — and not a drop of rain in sight. “This could be the toughest Masters we’ve played in a while,” Shane Lowry said. “They can do whatever they want with the course this weekend. I think over the last few years we’ve had a day every year where it’s been raining or it’s been heavy rains. It’s kind of helped us a little bit. But I think before the week is out, it’s going to get very, very crusty around here.”Skretta is a Kansas City-based sports writer for The Associated Press. He covers the Royals, the Chiefs and college sports along with auto racing, the Olympics and other sports.
Masters Golf Tournament Golf Min Woo Lee Jordan Spieth Sam Burns Rory Mcilroy Scottie Scheffler GA State Wire Georgia The Masters Shane Lowry Sports Robert Macintyre Tommy Fleetwood Augusta Rory Mcilory Danny Willett Zach Johnson Tyrrell Hatton
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