Sepp Straka won’t win the Masters this 12 months however he’s written his title into the folklore with an early eace.
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The 2022 Honda Classic winner performed a observe spherical Monday at Augusta National, going off on the second 9 with Abe Ancer, J.T. Poston and Chris Kirk. When the group reached the venerable par-3 twelfth, Straka hit a shot that made Golden Bell ring loud by way of the property. And if that sounds dramatic for a observe spherical, nicely, it was … as a result of Straka made a hole-in-one.
WATCH: First Masters ace of 2023
The Masters 2023 is right here and there are a variety of fascinating storylines forward of one of golf’s largest occasions.
TIGER IS SET TO PLAY THE MASTERS
The five-time champion arrived at Augusta National on Sunday. While Woods has not formally introduced his intention to play in, however he was included on the pre-tournament press convention schedule offering a clue. He can be included in the primary portion of the Masters web site’s invitee listing, above the “Past Champions Not Playing” part.
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Woods final competed on TOUR at The Genesis Invitational in February, making the reduce and ending T45. He carded 4-under 67 within the third spherical at Riviera CC, his lowest rating in competitors since coming back from his 2021 automotive crash.
Woods, 47, made his aggressive return from the 2021 automotive crash eventually 12 months’s Masters, making the reduce and ending solo forty seventh.
Woods additionally competed eventually 12 months’s PGA Championship (made reduce, WD after 54 holes) and The Open Championship (missed reduce), along with the PNC Championship in December alongside son Charlie.
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RORY CHASING THE GRAND SLAM
Rory McIlroy must win the Masters to assert the profession slam. He has completed within the high 10 six instances in his earlier eight journeys round Augusta National, with a lone missed reduce in 2021.
Last 12 months, he had a dramatic bunker hole-out on the ultimate gap has made each spotlight reel around the globe, and his closing 64 tied for the bottom final-round rating in Masters historical past. It was too little, too late, nevertheless, as Scottie Scheffler didn’t open the door to his chasers in 2022.
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SCOTTIE TRYING TO COPY TIGER
Scheffler arrives as the one participant aside from Woods and Jack Nicklaus to carry the Masters and THE PLAYERS titles concurrently. And he’s on the same streak to the one he was on coming into final 12 months’s Masters. He efficiently defended his title on the WM Phoenix Open and virtually did so on the Arnold Palmer Invitational offered by Mastercard (T4). Then he gained THE PLAYERS and, in his title protection on the World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play, he superior to the semifinals.
Just as he did final 12 months, Scheffler will arrive on the Masters because the No. 1 participant on the planet.
The final individual to defend The Masters? Tiger again in 2001/2002.
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