Is The Rough Longer Than Usual At The 2020 Masters?

Have they tried to toughen it up?

Is The Rough Longer Than Usual At The 2020 Masters?
(Image credit: Getty Images)

There has been a lot of chat about the length of the rough at Augusta National

Is the rough longer than usual at The 2020 Masters?

The two statements read the same, word for word: ‘Our fairways are mowed at 3/8 inch, the second cut at 1 3/8 inch, the tees at 5/16 inch, the collars at 1/4 inch, and the greens at 1/8 inch. All mowings are subject to weather conditions and growth.”

The dates on the statements are Monday, April 8, 2019 and Monday, November 9, 2020.

But what we saw on day one looked very different to what we’ve seen in previous years. The official line is that Augusta National doesn’t do or even call it ‘rough’, the second cut will suffice here. It’s all about the angles and speed of the greens.

Bu surely this was a much juicier National than normal? At the 1st the ball would nestle down to the left of the fairway, the same to the right of the 5th.

How many times did we see the players hit approaches from the right of the 7th fairway, likewise the 11th? Tiger Woods pushed his drive slightly there and a whole load of cabbage came up as he tried, successfully, to feed the ball out of the second cut.

When have we ever seen such a shot like that?     

We know the men of the Masters are prone to saying one thing and quietly doing another. Over the years tees have mysteriously moved back without any notable changes to the scorecard, trees have popped up and green complexes relaid.

After his round Tiger Woods explained that, yes, it is higher than ever and not just a figment of our imaginations but it’s more down to the recent poor weather than any grand plan.

“They haven't been able to put mowers on it, and yeah, it is high. The guys that drive the ball in the rough, if you have a down grain lie, yeah, you can get to the green, maybe even control it, but when the grain is sitting down, there's really no chance, so you're going to have to rely on short game and angles.”

One player who knows a thing or two about playing from rough is three-time champion Phil Mickelson. His take is that the lack of any patrons has had an effect and that it might play into the hands of those who are a bit wayward, not that the ball is running very far yet.

“I actually think that the lack of people will keep that first cut a little bit higher and prevent some of the balls running through into the trees that might have gone in in years past. But I don't think it's going to play much different.”

Or maybe the mind just plays tricks and there has been a bit more ‘second cut’ than we remember and the April date and beaming sunshine has dulled our memories a little?

Rory McIlroy told us this in April 2019: “Usually the ball comes spinning out of the rough, and just being that little bit longer, you get flyers, basically. I've had a few flyers this week. But you just don't have control of your ball and you’re sort of be guessing. To guess what distance your ball is going to go around here is never a good scenario.”

All being well we’ll get the weather to hopefully see some of those flyers.

Early Black Friday Deals -

Image
Titleist Pro V1 Balls £41.95 £36.95 at Scottsdale Golf
Without doubt one of the best balls out there, the Pro V1 is below £37 at the moment - a real bargain. It's also in the sale in the yellow colour, too.
Image
Garmin Approach S60 GPS Watch £399.99 £299.99 at American Golf
If you are in the market for a GPS watch then Garmin make some of the best. This S60 is a case in point. It looks fantastic and has over 40,000 courses loaded onto it, you can use it’s drag-and-drop functionality to measure distances, hazards, and move pin positions. It can also be used to monitor runs, swims and bike rides for great additional value.
Image
Callaway Chrome Soft X Golf Balls $47.99 $39.99 with Worldwide Golf Shops
A model that proves popular out on Tour, the ball is constructed with an improved urethane cover which delivers increased ball speed on full shots. Right now you can get $8 off on the Chrome Soft X balls if you want firmer feel and lower spin with the driver.
Image
Stewart Golf R1-S Push Cart $540 $229.99 with Rock Bottom Golf
Stewart Golf has improved its R1 Push cart with this R1-S model. During testing we thought the folding mechanism worked excellently and the ease of use when walking and pushing it makes it one of the best golf carts around. Add a splash of colour and a huge saving and you have a winner.
Stewart Golf R1-S Push Cart Review

For all the latest golf news, check the Golf Monthly website and follow our social media channels @golfmonthlymagazine on Facebook and @golfmonthly on Twitter and Instagram

Mark Townsend
Contributing editor

Mark has worked in golf for over 20 years having started off his journalistic life at the Press Association and BBC Sport before moving to Sky Sports where he became their golf editor on skysports.com. He then worked at National Club Golfer and Lady Golfer where he was the deputy editor and he has interviewed many of the leading names in the game, both male and female, ghosted columns for the likes of Robert Rock, Charley Hull and Dame Laura Davies, as well as playing the vast majority of our Top 100 GB&I courses. He loves links golf with a particular love of Royal Dornoch and Kingsbarns. He is now a freelance, also working for the PGA and Robert Rock. Loves tour golf, both men and women and he remains the long-standing owner of an horrific short game. He plays at Moortown with a handicap of 6.