A Masters Tournament Like No Other
On March 12th of 2020, the golf world felt the impact of coronavirus when it was announced that the PGA tour would be canceling all golf events until further notice. The news was quite devastating for many golf fans and players considering the Masters tournament at Augusta National Golf Club was only a month away. Throughout the history of the tournament, the Masters has always been played during the months of March and April as Augusta National feels this is when the course is in its best condition. In addition to the condition of the course, the month of April allows for the course to show off “its immaculate grounds and the whites, pinks, and yellows of the dogwoods, magnolias, and azaleas,” as described by Scott Davis (staff writer for Insider). Despite the beauty that the month of April brings to Augusta, with the effects of Covid-19, it was decided by the PGA tour that the tournament would be postponed and played in November of 2020.
The news of the Masters being played in November was quite a relief for many golf fans since the Masters is arguably the most anticipated tournament of the year. When Wiley Levine, Senior golfer for Cape Henry Collegiate, was asked about his initial reaction to hearing that the Masters would be played in November, his response was the following. “I was sad that we wouldn’t see Tiger Woods defend his major in April, but I was very excited to hear that we would still be getting a Masters tournament in 2020.” Similar to Wiley, many other golf fans were very grateful just for the opportunity to watch the Masters this year.
However, following the news that the Masters would be played in November, fans such as Ben Saunders, Junior golfer for Cape Henry Collegiate, were skeptical of the conditions of Augusta if played in November. When asked how he felt about the news, Ben described how he “felt that it was going to be very different.” Ben is still very excited that the Masters will be played, but he joins a majority of fans that feel that the tournament will definitely be different since it is being played in November. Even Jack Nicklaus, 6 time Masters champion, describes how the fairways and greens will both be different, but at the end of the day he still feels that “the Masters will still be the Masters.”
The fans are a huge part of the Masters tournament and it is disappointing that no fans will be able to attend the tournament due to Coronavirus; however, this raises the question of how the players feel about the new Masters format. Many players are disappointed that the Masters will not have fans this year; however, it is more important to question how the players feel about playing the famous course in November. Former Masters champion Zach Johnson explained how “it’s difficult to predict how the course will play,” but nonetheless, described how at the end of the day it is still “a Major Championship at Augusta National.” Many other players have feelings similar to Zach Johnson and are grateful that the tournament is even being played considering how Covid-19 has dismantled the world of sports.
Across the board, whether it is fans or players, it can be agreed that everyone is excited the Masters is being played. From both a fan and player perspective, it is actually quite intriguing to see how the professional players, such as defending champion Tiger Woods, will perform in conditions that the Masters has never seen. There is no doubt that this year’s tournament will be different and leave a mark in the history books.