The first tee starts with a tee shot into a slight dogleg right, and deep bunker guards the right side. The fairway dips before the bunker, and the slope here will push shots that miss right off into the rough.
The approach plays uphill with a bunker short left, and the green has dramatic undulation. The putting surface is one of the most challenging on the course.
“If [the wind] is not blowing, it’s not that hard a hole. It’s a 3-wood if they move the tee up or it’s a cut-driver down there. When the wind is blowing, though, if it’s coming out of the west or the north, that is one the hardest opening holes, because that green is not designed for a 6-iron or a 5-iron. It gets scary… If you are able to play the hole in 16 [total strokes] you’ve picked up quite a lot on the field.”
“The Masters Committee, which sets up the course, is known to intentionally speed up the green from Wednesday to Thursday. As a result, golfers are tentative with their first putts and try to die the ball somewhere near the cup. No one wants a 6-footer for par on the first hole of the Masters.”