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