All posts tagged: Augustas

Clark uses Augusta’s beauty as his secret weapon in Masters charge

Clark uses Augusta’s beauty as his secret weapon in Masters charge

Published by Sam Flores

April 10 : Former U.S. Open champion Wyndham Clark used patience, positivity and the sheer beauty of Augusta National Golf Club to vault himself into Masters contention on Friday. World number 78 Clark, who began the day five shots off the pace set by overnight co-leaders Rory McIlroy and Sam Burns, carded a four-under-par 68 to reach four under for the tournament, making his move on a warm, sunny day with firmer and faster conditions that promised to test the field’s later starters. After his round, Clark revealed an unconventional but effective way he keeps himself grounded when the pressure mounts on the famous Georgia layout. “One of the things here is you look up and see where you are at, one of the most beautiful places in the country,” said Clark. “Then also maybe sometimes looking ahead on some of the holes coming up and say, hey, I still got birdie looks, even if I just made a bogey.” Clark, who won his lone major at Los Angeles Country Club two years ago, wasted little time …

Augusta’s ‘Beautiful Little Hole’ at No. 7 Has Turned Much Nastier

Augusta’s ‘Beautiful Little Hole’ at No. 7 Has Turned Much Nastier

Published by Sam Flores

AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — Go back through 89 previous editions of the Masters, every shot on every hole, and no one will ever match what Byron Nelson did on the par-4 seventh hole at Augusta National. Nelson drove the green and two-putted for birdie in 1937 on his way to his first Masters victory. The hole was 340 yards and had no bunkers, only a gully in front of the green. Alister MacKenzie wanted it be similar to the “Valley of Sin” on the 18th hole at St. Andrews, so the best approach would be to run shots up to the green. That shot by Nelson changed everything. Horton Smith, who won two of the first three Masters, suggested the green be elevated and moved some 20 yards back and to the right, with several deep bunkers guarding the front. Augusta National’s co-founders, Bobby Jones and Clifford Roberts, agreed. They hired Perry Maxwell, renowned for his work at Southern Hills and Prairie Dunes, to do the work at a cost of $2,500. Trees were planted …