Expected rain won’t dampen intrigue for opening of 2020 Masters Tournament

The first chapter of a Masters Tournament for the history books will quietly begin Thursday morning at Augusta National Golf Club.

The first round of what some are calling a “naked Masters,” because of the absence of patrons due to COVID-19, is expected to be a long, rainy day for the 92-player field. Honorary starters Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player will hit the first tee shots at 6:50 a.m. through an expected rain that is forecast to stay around all morning.

When the first groups start at 7 a.m. off both tees, it will be 19 months since the 2019 Masters and seven months since the 2020 was supposed to be played.

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But at least it is being played, for which the players are giving thanks, exactly two weeks before the real Thanksgiving arrives.

“It's definitely a different feeling out there, and it's going to be a different feeling throughout week,” said world No. 1 Dustin Johnson. “But it's still the Masters and there's still a green jacket on the line.”

Another pre-tournament favorite also acknowledged the difference.

“It's still not the same as what it is in April because it can't be,” Rory McIlroy said.

McIlroy then turned to the Augusta National member conducting his interview and said, “I mean, you guys can do a lot of things here at Augusta, but I don't think you're magicians. So it's a little different, but you know, that's to be expected, and I think everyone is looking forward to it.”

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The extended weather forecast is not good. Delays because of thunder and standing water from rain could make it difficult for the field to finish the opening round before sundown at 5:27 p.m., a challenge the tournament doesn’t face in the spring.

All eyes will be on Bryson DeChambeau, who has been the talk of the golf world since July – and especially since he won his first major, at the U.S. Open at Winged Foot in September. He tees off at 7:33.

The 27-year-old SMU physics graduate, who leads the PGA Tour in driving distance at 344.4 yards, has been bombing drives to unheard-of places around Augusta National this week.

“I watched Bryson go off the first tee yesterday and I’ve never seen anything like that,” said Ben Crenshaw, the two-time Masters champion who retired after the 2015 Masters. “We’ll see how he does. It’s on people’s minds, there is no question.”

Augusta National, at 7,475 yards, is considered a long-hitter’s paradise. However, when the course is wet, like it is expected to be this week, it can open the door for medium-length hitters to contend because some long hitters can’t get to the par 5s in two shots. However, DeChambeau is so long and carries the ball so far in the air that the longer course might not bother him.

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“There is no question power has an advantage here,” Crenshaw said. “Everyone is enamored by power. Jack Nicklaus came out as a young guy, hitting the ball a mile around here. Shot the record that year (17-under-par 271 in 1965), that was amazing. People went whoa.”

DeChambeau plans to take advantage of lines off the tee that wouldn’t normally be available. In particular, on No. 13, he can hit it over the trees that guard the left side and not worry about hitting into where patrons normally would be between the 13th and 14th fairways. And on No. 18, he can blow it over the fairway bunkers and into the area left of the fairway, another area normally full of patrons.

“I'm going to be able to hit it on certain lines where patrons would be, and I feel like that it does provide me a little bit of an advantage in that case to be able to hit into those areas without thinking about it at all,” DeChambeau said.

How DeChambeau fares on those two holes will be known early on since he’s teeing off on No. 10.

“No question, he’s taking lines that people never thought of,” said Crenshaw. “It will be fascinating to watch him go around. He will take lots of chances. He might bring a lot of them off, he might get in trouble doing it a few times, who knows? That’s management of his game, what he thinks he can do and how he can do it. We’ll see. It’s uncharted territory, really.”

Of course, no one is conceding the green jacket to DeChambeau, who is ranked No. 6 in the world. Especially Johnson and world No. 2 Jon Rahm.

Johnson, who tied for second place here last year, hasn’t been out of the top six in his past five starts, two of which were victories. He won the FedEx Cup title in September and is the reigning PGA Tour player of the year.

The 2017 Masters was supposed to be Johnson’s year, but he fell down some steps on the eve of the tournament, hurt his back, and had to sit it out.

“I would say (my game) is really similar (to 2017),” Johnson said. “Obviously I was playing great coming into the Masters. I think, coming off, what, three wins in a row. They weren't back to back weeks but three starts in a row I won. Yeah, the game was in really good form. But I think it's really similar to what it was then.”

Rahm, who won has twice since the PGA restarted this season, including the BMW Championship in late August, already has had an exciting week. He aced the fourth hole on Monday, then skipped a ball across the water on No. 16 and into the hole on his 26th birthday Tuesday.

“I can't lie, I'm feeling pretty confident,” Rahm said. “Even my last start, the Zozo Championship (where he tied for second) I hit it about as good as I hit it tee to green really in the tournament, especially on Sunday and the weekend.

“It could be playing quite difficult, just with the wind, being a little softer, the ball, instead of maybe bouncing up on the flat, it might be just on the up-slope. Might be a little bit different. But the course is in good shape, so we'll see.”

If Rahm is in the mix on the closing nine in Sunday’s final round, he will really miss the buzz of the gallery.

“Maybe early in the week, it won't be different; but definitely back nine on Sunday, it will be missed when people start making birdies and eagles and things happening, it's electric,” Rahm said. “And you can feel the difference in each roar. You know if it's a Tiger roar or a somebody else roar. You know what's going on. Hopefully it doesn't affect anybody's performance. We all do our best here, but still, we'll miss them.”