{"id":584866,"date":"2026-04-06T01:14:10","date_gmt":"2026-04-06T01:14:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/584866\/"},"modified":"2026-04-06T01:14:10","modified_gmt":"2026-04-06T01:14:10","slug":"augustas-7th-hole-has-grown-into-a-tough-green-to-hit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/584866\/","title":{"rendered":"Augusta’s 7th hole has grown into a tough green to hit"},"content":{"rendered":"

AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) \u2014 Go back through 89 previous editions of the Masters<\/a>, every shot on every hole, and no one will ever match what Byron Nelson did on the par-4 seventh hole at Augusta National. Nelson drove the green and two-putted for birdie in 1937 on his way to his first Masters victory.<\/p>\n

Share that with any of the 91 players in the field<\/a>, and some explaining is required.<\/p>\n

The hole was 340 yards and had no bunkers, only a gully in front of the green. Alister MacKenzie wanted it be similar to the \u201cValley of Sin\u201d on the 18th hole at St. Andrews, so the best approach would be to run shots up to the green.<\/p>\n

That shot by Nelson changed everything.<\/p>\n

Horton Smith, who won two of the first three Masters, suggested the green be elevated and moved some 20 yards back and to the right, with several deep bunkers guarding the front. Augusta National\u2019s co-founders, Bobby Jones and Clifford Roberts, agreed. They hired Perry Maxwell, renowned for his work at Southern Hills and Prairie Dunes, to do the work at a cost of $2,500.<\/p>\n

Trees were planted on the left side to along along with those on the right, creating a tight drive. And then in a span of five Masters from 2002 to 2006, the tees twice were moved back some 40 yards. That puts it at 450 yards on the scorecard now.<\/p>\n

Nelson wouldn\u2019t recognize it.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou have to hit it in the fairway,\u201d two-time Masters champion Scottie Scheffler said. When it was suggested that such strategy would hold true on many holes at Augusta National, he stopped walking to emphasize his point.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo,\u201d he said. \u201cThere\u2019s certain holes you don\u2019t have to be in the fairway. If you hit a really good tee shot (on No. 7), it\u2019s not a difficult hole. But if you miss the fairway, you can\u2019t hit it on the green.\u201d<\/p>\n

The par-4 seventh is called \u201cPampas\u201d for the grass bush native to Argentina that grows just left of the members\u2019 tee box. No. 7 was never a favorite of Roberts and Jones. Roberts once referred to it as \u201cthe only weak hole of the 18.\u201d<\/p>\n

It was inspired by the 18th on the Old Course, a short hole with a boomerang-shaped green that gave players the option to run the ball through the gully in front. Nelson drove the seventh at Augusta in 1937. Players still drive onto the 18th at St. Andrews, most recently Cameron Young.<\/p>\n

With the first change, it became a tight drive that was typically a 2-iron and a wedge. That led Jack Nicklaus to once call the seventh \u201ca beautiful little hole \u2014 a little, short par 4. You got to be pretty precise with your tee shot. Then it\u2019s a very demanding little second shot. It\u2019s very difficult to recover from if you get off track.\u201d<\/p>\n

Throw in an additional 100 yards, and it\u2019s no longer a hole where players can build some scoring momentum. Par is more than acceptable. The all-time scoring average is 4.156, the 10th-toughest hole at Augusta National.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re not licking your chops unless you\u2019re in the fairway,\u201d Xander Schauffele said. \u201cEven then, you\u2019re conceding a 20-foot putt as a really good golf shot. Maybe even before I was on tour, you could think, \u2018If I birdie this, I get some momentum.\u2019 Now it\u2019s, \u2018Oh boy, I need to hit a good drive or I\u2019m going to have to make a tough par.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not as simple as hitting a straight drive on a straight hole. The fairway cants to the right. And the trees have grown, so a tee shot too far to the right means the approach is blocked by trees.<\/p>\n

According to the Elias Sports Bureau, only 20% of players have hit the seventh green after missing the fairway in the last five years. Only No. 5 and No. 11 have a lower percentage. It can be done.<\/p>\n

There have been some remarkable recoveries from the trees. Jon Rahm once holed out after chipping out from the trees. Joaquin Niemann once threaded a running shot through two bunkers<\/a>. Those shots are rare.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you get out of position, it\u2019s like No. 10 at Riviera \u2014 you\u2019re trying to put it in a spot to get the next one on the green,\u201d Harris English said. \u201cYou can get in some bad spots. But if you hit a good tee shot, it could be a birdie hole.\u201d<\/p>\n

Still fresh was Rory McIlroy in the left trees last year, hitting a 9-iron<\/a> because of a tiny gap he saw.<\/p>\n

His caddie, Harry Diamond, wasn\u2019t seeing it.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe wasn\u2019t for it at all, but I just kept seeing this gap up in the trees,\u201d McIlroy said, referring to the shot as \u201cachievable.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s when Harry does a great job and says, \u2018Look, if you feel like you can see it, go ahead and hit it,\u2019\u201d McIlroy said. \u201cMy mindset was this is the final round of the Masters, and I have a chance to win the only tournament that … I\u2019ve wanted to win for such a long time. If that isn\u2019t the time to take a risk, I don\u2019t know when the time is.\u201d<\/p>\n

It doesn\u2019t decide the tournament being on the front nine. But it\u2019s no longer the \u201cbeautiful little hole\u201d Nicklaus once described.<\/p>\n

\u201cMissing it left is no good. Missing it right is no good,\u201d Brooks Koepka said. \u201cIf you get slightly out of position, it becomes a scramble for par. If I hit the fairway, I\u2019m pretty excited about it.\u201d<\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

AP golf: https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/golf<\/a><\/p>\n