Telfer's Thoughts

For hordes of golf fans, this week, the second week of April, is the golfing highlight of the year. It’s special because it’s Masters week, The US Masters. Many golf fans, especially in America, will tell you the Masters is the major Major. No doubt part of its enduring appeal is the familiarity of the course. We all know those iconic holes, like they are holes from our own local club - Ray’s Creek the par 3 12th , the two gettable par 5’s on the back nine, that mesmerizing par 3 16th. that throws up probably more holes in one than any other hole from any other Major course. We know these holes so well, we can even tell you now, for example, where the pins will be located for Sunday’s final

round. Then on top of the course, there’s its arresting physical appearance, carefully and beautifully groomed for the best part of 12months in preparation for the world’s best.

Sadly, our best, Ryan Fox, has missed out on a spot in this year’s Masters. His last chance came last week at the Texas Open, an event he had to win in order to get into this year’s Masters field. Alas, Ryan had one of his worst opening two rounds of all his starts on the US Tour over the last two years. With rounds of 76 and 73, he finished near the bottom of the field at the halfway stage. Quite simply, Fox conceded the strong fierce winds which blew throughout his two rounds got the better of him. So, without Foxy in the field there will be no NZ flag flying above the clubhouse at Augusta

this year.

The man going into this year’s field who is very much in the spotlight is Rory McIlroy, the in form golfer of 2025. The nuggety little Irishman is probably in his best form since he last won a Major over 10 years ago. With wins in the Players Championship and the Pebble Beach Pro-Am, he’s claimed the

two biggest titles of the year so far. However, his challenge is the beguiling layout of Augusta and the only Major title he hasn’t won. More often than not he struggles on the tight demanding fairways at Augusta.

There is a certain parallel between the fates at Augusta of McIlroy and Greg Norman, who also failed to win here. Both men are two of the most attacking players of their respective generations, but both have discovered that at Augusta all-out attack doesn’t win you a green jacket. Knowing when to leave your driver in your bag is a key strategy for this course. Right now, every aspect of McIlroy’s game is as good as any of his rivals. His driving is the best of anyone in the field. His short game is also hard to better. He has notably improved his putting this year on his way to those two big wins. But can he combine all these features for four days this week at Augusta?

Ironically, in some ways the Masters is the easiest to win of the four Majors because it has by far the smallest field, usually around 90 competitors, 50-odd fewer than the other three. The numbers might be smaller but the quality of the field is of the highest ranking. Adding to the interest here is the coming together, for the first time this year, of the best players of the competing or should I say warring Tours, the USPGA and LIV Golf. So, McIlroy and friends from the US Tour will need to be mindful not just of each other but a handful of the best from LIV Golf - Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau, John Rahm among others.

So it’s Scheffler, McIlroy, Schauffele, Morikawa and the likes up against those renegades from LIV Golf.

Bring it on!