I’ve spent a lot of time watching golf today. Both Shane Bacon and Scott Van Pelt said that the first round of the Masters is the best day of the year for golf. I agree. I’ve been thinking about the Masters for a few weeks, and I was excited this morning. It’s the best day of the golfing year because it’s the first day of the first major of the year; because the golf course looks perfect; because the holes of Augusta National’s back nine are familiar and comforting; because watching the Masters causes many of us to think about our fathers; because the sounds of those birds in those trees evoke a particular feeling; and because it’s the coolest golf tournament that has ever been imagined and the one nearly every pro wants to win more than any other. Plus there’s the LIV storyline and that lady behind the tee at 16 is back (see below).
I set out to watch the Woods/Hovland/Schauffele grouping. It was an ESPN featured group and also appeared on Masters.com. My goal was to see what I could learn after watching every shot of one group for 18 holes. After a couple of holes, ESPN also followed the Rahm/Thomas/Young group. So I ended up watching essentially every shot that six players hit in the first round of the 2023 Masters. Here’s how it went.