Scottie Scheffler’s reveals impact of changes to Augusta National’s 13th hole

Scottie Scheffler made his first visit to Augusta National as Masters champion this week, where he got a look at the big change to the Masters venue’s 13th hole.

The 26-year-old was accompanied by his coach, his father and a member of the Georgia club, where they played two rounds over the Masters venue. Scheffler was making his way back home after collecting his sixth PGA Tour win at the PLAYERS Championship last weekend, when he stopped in for a pre-Masters reconnaissance visit.  

According to Golf Digest, he revealed that his first shot from the new, lengthened tee box, found Rae’s Creek, while he reached the green in two by hitting a driver and a 4-iron on his second attempt at the new look, 545 yard par-5.

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“I usually hit a big, hooking 3-wood off that 13th tee and now I hit driver on a little bit of a different angle,” he said on Wednesday.  

Indeed, Scheffler hit a 3-wood off the tee on the 13th hole four times last year, making birdie on Friday and Saturday, and par on Thursday and Sunday.

“It’s definitely changed the hole significantly, whereas if you hit a really good drive before, you could kind of get around the corner, or I could kind of get around the corner and have maybe a mid-iron in. 

“Now you’re kind of hitting into that slope in the fairway and you may be ripping 3-iron at that green. So, you could see more guys laying up to that hole, especially depending upon pin position. We’ll see how it plays during the tournament.”

The changes to iconic par-5 were confirmed earlier this year, when the Masters media guide listed the hole’s yardage at 545 yards, 35 yards longer than it had played in previous editions of the tournament.

By popular request 🌺💚⛳️

No. 13 – Azalea – Par: 5

1934 yardage: 480
2022 yardage: 510 (L)
2023 yardage: 545 (R) 😎

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The news had been rumoured for months, after pictures were posted on Twitter by Eureka Earth, and didn’t come as a huge surprise as Chairman Fred Ridley had hinted at them in 2018.

In 2018, in his first press conference as the chairman of Augusta National, Ridley said that the club is “intent on making sure that we maintain the design philosophy that Mr Jones and Alister MacKenzie devised”.

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He added: “Our observation of these great players hitting middle and even short irons into that hole is that it is not a momentous decision. And so we think there is an issue, not only there, but in the game generally, that needs to be addressed.”

Lewis Fraser As bunkered’s Performance Editor, Lewis oversees the content that’s designed to make you a better player. From the latest gear to tuition, nutrition, strategy and more, he’s the man. A graduate of the University of Stirling, Lewis joined bunkered in 2021. Formerly a caddie at Castle Stuart Golf Links, he is a member of Bathgate Golf Club where he plays off four.

Performance Editor