Masters 2026: Is Augusta National in danger of jumping the shark?
Part of Augusta National's charm is that it's like a step back in time, which is somethign the club has to hold onto.
AUGUSTA, Ga. — Augusta National Golf Club doesn’t make mistakes. And if mistakes are made at the Masters — note the passive voice here — they are simply rectified immediately and fade into memory, never to be mentioned again.
(Example: After one rainfall a few years back, the kitty-litter-esque drying agent used to soak up moisture along the patron walkways smelled uncomfortably close to sewage. The next day, and every day hence, a different agent with a much more pleasing odor was in use. ) So it was more than a little unusual that Augusta National chairman Fred Ridley disavowed, by name, the club’s 2022 collaboration with Dude Perfect, the YouTube stunt-sports crew.
In case you’ve forgotten that video, never saw it, or actively attempted to wipe it from your mind, the Dude Perfect lads and Bryson DeChambeau gathered at Amen Corner to play a little Frisbee, hockey, tennis and other neon-colored sports: “In retrospect,” Ridley said, “I like those guys, but that may not have been the best idea. But it does point out that we try things every once in a while that are a little bit nontraditional. ” True.
Although “every once in awhile” is quickly becoming “every year. ” This year, for instance, features noted ESPN bro Jason Kelce serving as a commentator for the Par 3 contest, and making a spectacle of himself in the process: Jason Kelce is rocking a full caddie outfit for the Par 3 Contest 😅 pic. twitter.