We are now just 1 day away from the start of the 90th Masters, a tradition that began in 1934. The tournament was not played from 1943 to 1945, due to World War II.
Players are fine tuning their swings, putting, reading greens etc. today. Starting tomorrow every stroke counts. This is the last day for fun and games.
Par 3
Speaking of fun, the most popular activity patrons are watching today is the Par 3 contest. This is a time when the players and their families play the 9-hole course at Augusta National. It is an event for everyone to enjoy. The contest was won by Aaron Rai which is good and bad. No player who has won the Par 3 has never won the Masters. Aaron Rai won with a score of six-under-par 21. Four holes-in-one were recorded: Justin Thomas (No. 2), Tommy Fleetwood (No. 4), Wyndham Clark (No. 7) and Keegan Bradley (No. 8). Since the inception of the Par 3 Contest in 1960, 119 total holes-in-one have been made.
Full results can be viewed HERE
Chairman Fred Ridley
I attended Augusta National Chairman Fred Ridley’s Press Conference this morning during which he covered a variety of weighty subjects including the remake of the Augusta Municipal Golf Course aka, the Patch where the locals regularly play. He weighed in on some tough topics as he so eloquently answered questions from a most inquisitive press. The one question he couldn’t answer was about the Gnomes. Listen for yourself.
Chairman Ridley’s full remarks can be viewed HERE
The Noonans
As I have been regularly meeting with Augusta National patrons, I had the opportunity to meet the Noonan’s from Columbus, Ohio. As fate would have it, their anniversary is April 12, as they were married during Masters Week in 1997, the year of Tiger’s first win here. They secured their tickets through the Augusta National Ticket Lottery. They are great golf fans I salute them for celebrating their anniversary at the Masters. We talked about many subjects, and I was able to have them share their predictions on the eventual winner.
Mr. Noonan’s top two choices are Ludvig Åberg and Matt Fitzpatrick. Mrs. Noonan’s picks are Ludvig Åberg and J.J. Spaun.
The Crowd
One cannot ignore the steady stream of humanity coming through the gates, but no one knows how many, so here is my estimate. I have no source other than observation and attendance at other tournaments. Augusta National does not release attendance figures.
The throng of people is just impressive everywhere you look—people watching the players, people waiting in line at the gift shop, and people constantly moving in and out all day long. My best guess is that some 40,000 attend daily. We will never know.
Crowd Demeanor
There is no question that this is the most well-mannered crowd in golf. Simply amazing.
You won’t hear the infamous “Mashed Potatoes” shout after a player swings. Should some misguided person be stupid enough to ever shout those words or any phrase that could interrupt a player, that person would be removed immediately….. by the patrons. Then permanently disqualified from ever attending again by the security detail at Augusta National. Don’t even try it.
TEE TIMES FOR THURSDAY
Here is the tee time schedule for Thursday. Click on this link https://www.masters.com/en_US/players/pairings/index.html
WATCHING THE MASTERS
Here is the TV schedule for your options on viewing the best players in the word.
Click here to see the details: https://www.masters.com/en_US/news/articles/2026-03-25/how_to_watch_the_2026_masters_tournament.html
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Thanks to my sponsors listed below for supporting my efforts in Augusta this week. Please show your appreciation and support each of them
Special Thanks to the sponsors of this report who are supporting the magazine’s efforts in covering the activities at the Augusta National Golf Course. DECISIVE MEDIA, EBONY GREENS, TOMMY BURNS GOLF CHALLENGE COINS, LLC
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