“Behind 11, the bridge – the Hogan bridge just absolutely pops now when you’re playing that second shot with them having lost those couple trees behind the 11th green,” Immelman said. “Behind 15, as well, there’s a couple less trees. I think that could be interesting from a wind swirling perspective, from a depth perception perspective on the second and on the third (shots) if you have to lay up at the par-5.
Augusta National and Masters chairman Fred Ridley said in January that he was proud of the organization’s response to Helene, both as it related to the golf course and the community as a whole. While the course may look different in a few spots, Ridley expects it to play like the same Augusta National the players remember.
“As far as the impact, the long‑term impact, we have not quite as many trees as we did a year ago,” he said. “As far as the golf course goes, it’s in spectacular condition. I think we had minor damage to the course, the playing surfaces themselves, but we were able to get that back in shape. But I don’t think you’re going to see any difference in the condition for the Masters this year.”
Players in the Augusta National Women’s Amateur got the first look at the course in tournament condition, both in Friday’s practice round and Saturday’s final round. Some of the veterans in the field noticed some differences.
“Definitely firmer greens, and there’s quite a few trees,” said Florida State’s Lottie Woad, the 2024 ANWA champion and top-ranked amateur in the world. “Like you can see the miss and just it looks a bit thinned out, which on some holes is a bit more inviting.
Others, not so much.
“Not too much. The only thing I noticed is that the trees look different on 3. I was like, ‘Oh, are there trees gone?,'” said Stanford’s Megha Ganne. “The caddie was like, yes, but they put ones in to make it harder. I was like, oh, OK. Other than that, I didn’t notice too much. It looks pretty identical to me.”
CBS’ Dottie Pepper, a 17-time LPGA Tour winner with a pair of major championships in her career, added to the list of differences Immelman noted.
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