One of the things that was impeccably repeated every year of our lives was that with the arrival of April the Masters arrived, the major more special. On April 9th, televisions around the world should have been filled with resplendent azaleas and magnolias, with majestic pine trees and thousands of ‘patrons’ (‘patrons’, as the public who come to the tournament are respectfully known) running around the streets of Augusta National from the first hour, in search of the ideal location to see the best golfers in the world trying to get out graceful of one of the most demanding tests of this sport.
But the pandemic wiped out everything and forced to seek new accommodation in November. It will be an autumn Masters and without an audience. A cold Masters that begins to come to life these days, when the players are disembarking in Georgia (USA). It will not be the case of Sergio García, who this Monday announced his positive for coronavirus (Like the Chilean Joaquín Niemann). Borriol, champion in 2017, will break his streak of 84 majors followed in 21 years, the third best in history after Tom Watson’s 87 and Nicklaus’s 146
His loss subtracts a trick from the Spanish delegation, which will thus be made up of the Canarian Cabrera Bello, the everlasting Olazábal, who is going for his 31st appearance, and Jon Rahm, for whom fighting for the win is almost an obligation. The Biscayan arrives at the appointment in the highest peak of his career. In the final stretch of last season, after the pandemic break, he managed to rise to number one in the world for the first time and expanded his record in the PGA with the Memorial and the BMW of the now famous putt winner from more than 20 meters. He is the second favorite in the bets, at 11 euros per euro bet, just over the 9 offered by Dustin Johnson and Bryson DeChambeau.. Johnson is precisely the man who also precedes him in the ranking, again with a very small difference.
The 2019 winner, a Tiger Woods who did not feel good about confinement (37th place in the PGA is his best result since action was resumed), will also come out on Thursday in ‘Tea Olive’, the first hole of the course. In total 94 players will participate in this edition, which will have a different cutting system for the first time since 2013. As reported by the organization, Those who are ranked 50 down will earn the right to play Saturday and Sunday. It will no longer be fished those who do not fall within that range but are ten strokes or less from the leader.
The great unknown is how will a layout that is completely replanted every year in September, so this time it has had less than two months to sit. The great incentive, the possibility of seeing Rahm don the green jacket for the first time, a garment that seems to have been made for him.
