The 2022 Masters Saw a Rare Occurrence for the First Time Since 1965

The Firethorn, the 15th hole, is considered the second easiest hole at the Augusta National. And golf fans love to watch their favorites score eagles on it. However, the 2022 Masters could see no one scoring an eagle at No. 15 after the weather and altered length played villain. 

The Firethorn rose to popularity after Gene Sarazen shot an albatross there in 1935. Ever since then, the golfers have always taken risks on No. 15 to score eagles and birdies. And that is one of the reasons that made the first masters of the year interesting.

However, with the yardage change and extreme wind this year, even the prominent golfers struggled to make even-par. Not even one could score an eagle on the Firethorn.  

“The way the wind’s blowing, sometimes 5’s a good score,” the runner-up Rory McIlroy said. “And you just move on.”

 “There’s not many par 5s,” said Justin Thomas, who secured the 8th place this year. “I’m somewhat pleased with a 5 walking off.”

Since its inception, the Augusta National officials are constantly making changes to the course to make it foolproof. And this year was no different. The ANGC made changes to the 11th and 15th holes ahead of the Masters this year. 

The yardage of both holes has increased making the Firethorn 550-yards from 530. Subsequently, the White Dogwood became 520-yards from the previous 505. 

Read more: Meet the Last Player to Win the Masters With a Persimmon Driver

While the 11th hole is already notorious for being the second hardest hole, the 15th is considered one of the easiest. Yet, the increased length and windy atmosphere made it harder even for the world’s top players. 

The 2022 Masters Tournament in a nutshell

The current world no. 1 Scottie Scheffler won the 2022 Masters with a 3-shot lead against McIlroy. 

Round 1 of the Masters was fairly a good round for the majority of the golfers. Even Tiger Woods, who played an official tournament for the first time a year ago, scored a 1-under 72. Scheffler, Woods, Jon Rahm, Justin Thomas, and Patrick Cantlay hit multiple birdies. 

Round 2 felt awful for some of the prominent names in the golf world. While Woods made the cut, players, including Jordan Spieth, Bryson DeChambeau, and Brooks Koepka, couldn’t advance furthermore. 

Scheffler dominated the tournament in rounds 3 and 4. Although he faced some trouble in the final round and hit bogeys, Scheffler always maintained a three-shot with his opponents. The 25-year-old won the tournament with a 10-under par. 

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Did you enjoy watching the Masters this year without the eagles on the Firethorn-hole? Did you expect Scheffler to win the first major of the year?