Masters 2026: A brutal test awaits at Augusta National
Mother Nature could present players the most difficult challenge they've faced in years at the Masters.
AUGUSTA, Ga. — Scottie Scheffler was on the 550-yard 15th hole during Wednesday’s practice round, having laid up to hit his third shot from an area on the left side of the fairway. For golfers who aren’t going for the green in two, it will be a popular spot for a short approach once the tournament begins on Thursday.
Scheffler hit what looked like a very good wedge, drawing it in from the right and letting the slope of the green feed it toward the hole on the front left. But the ball just wouldn’t stop. Little by little, it picked up speed.
Suddenly, it was heading off the edge without slowing down even a little bit, settling right into the pond that guards the front of the green. It did not seem like Scheffler, a two-time champion here, had made an egregious mistake. But it did look like a warning for the field as they prepare to play the driest Masters since 2011.
If Augusta National is as firm and fast as it looked Wednesday, it will take great shots — not just good shots — to hold some of these greens. “You have to be more precise when it's firm because you're going to really want to land in your landing spot that you plan on hitting,” Kurt Kitayama said. “Just whenever it's firm and fast makes any course difficult, and especially with how sloped the greens are, it's going to be even more penalizing missing your spots.