The course conditions at Augusta National are perfectly poised for an incredible tournament.
The Georgia sun is expected to bake the golf course all week, with not a drop of rain. So the course will play firm and fast, presenting a daunting challenge for each of the players at this year’s Masters.
The tournament is wide open this year with no clear favorite, so it’s more important than ever for the players to gain every possible advantage in the build-up. The Green Jacket could be anyone’s if they can conquer the conditions.
Michael Kim is coming off the back of his best performance of the year at the Valero Texas Open, where he finished T2, one stroke behind the winner, JJ Spaun. So he’s hoping to build on that this week to get in contention at The Masters.
And he noticed something in his first practice round that he’s going to keep an eye on as the week develops.
Michael Kim to watch out for ‘crazy’ development at Augusta National this week
Kim said he felt a minor injury in his hip at the range this week, so he decided to chip and putt during his practice round on Monday. And after doing so, he took to X to share his thoughts on the putting surfaces.
He said, “I was already considering just chipping and putting today and my hip made it an easy decision. I grabbed my wedges and chipped around the front nine. Tried to jot down some of these putts and wedges used for chip shots.
“Greens are pretty firm but not quite tournament pace. It’s crazy how much faster they can get the greens when they want so I’m trying to keep an eye out for that.”
With how firm the course is expected to play this week, it’s a good job they’re not starting incredibly fast. The players would be in real trouble otherwise!
What Michael Kim said to JJ Spaun when he saw him at Augusta National
Spaun won the Valero Texas Open in dramatic fashion, making an eagle on the short par four 17th to win by one shot.
He beat Kim and Robert MacIntyre as a result, and Kim had some words for Spaun when they first saw each other at Augusta National.
In his Masters diary post on X, he said, “-Told JJ Spaun he’s an a-hole for eagling a par 4”. Fair enough! Spaun’s incredible eagle prevented Kim from winning his second PGA Tour event a week before The Masters.
But either way, he takes an incredible amount of confidence into the year’s first major.
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