Erika Kikuchi hits her second shot on the 9th hole during the second round of the Daikin Orchid Ladies at the Ryukyu Golf Club in Nanjo, Okinawa A symbol of wealth and social standing in Japan 40 years ago, golf suffered a deep downswing in its popularity after the nation's economic bubble burst in the early 1990s. With the advent of the coronavirus pandemic and a dramatic shift in the lifestyles of many Japanese, the sport is enjoying new-found popularity. The Golf Digest Online course reservation site reported a record number of bookings in calendar 2020, up 12% on the previous year, while the organization for golf course operators announced that player numbers were up 10% in October compared to that of the same month one year earlier, which was before the pandemic struck. Similarly, operators of golf driving ranges and companies selling golfing equipment and specialist clothing for the sport are all reporting incr...
Source: BBC
Overnight rain forced Masters organizers to delay the start of the opening round by 30 minutes on Thursday.
Tiger Woods is now scheduled to start at 11:04 a.m. Defending champion Hideki Matsuyama will be part of the next group at 11:15 a.m.
Three Canadians are participating in the tournament, including 2003 champion Mike Weir. tee shot at 8:41 a.m. and scored a six, a double bogey.
Mackenzie Hughes (10:09 a.m.) and Corey Conners (12:43 p.m.) are the other two Canadians entered in the first Grand Slam tournament of the men's golf season.
Meteorologists say the chances of additional precipitation for Thursday are slim, although strong winds could welcome the wave of golfers who will tee off in the afternoon.
Temperatures could cool down over the weekend, with a forecast low of around five degrees Celsius on Saturday night, an unusually low mercury in the Augusta area for this time of year.
Protocol and humor
As is customary, the tournament began with formal tee shots by three sports legends, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson, for whom it was a first.
And they added a little humor to this always special moment.
Palmer, a three-time winner at Augusta and long a staunch proponent of fitness, was the first to take to the mound. Watson couldn't help but tease the South African.
“Is he going to do a push-up? asked Watson.
"I made it while you were sleeping this morning!" “replied Player.
Nicklaus, the tournament-record six-time Green Jacket winner, followed and wondered aloud if he was going to fall while trying to put his tee on the ground!
" Yes! I succeeded! “, he then exclaimed, generating more laughter among the spectators around the mound.
Then it was Watson's turn to comply. A two-time tournament winner - his first title was 45 years ago - Watson made a point of saying a few words.
“I would like to say how honored I am to be with Gary and Jack. I have watched this ceremony many times in the past [...] and to participate in it truly touches me.
Confident Woods
The story of the week already belongs to Tiger Woods, who will return to the PGA Tour after a near death 13 months ago. In search of a sixth green jacket, he will start with Louis Oosthuizen and Joaquin Niemann.
In a press conference earlier this week, Woods expressed confidence that he could win the tournament, despite the physical obstacles he will have to overcome.
The competition will be fierce once again this year and a few new faces have emerged among the favorites to win the prestigious event, starting with Scottie Scheffler and Cameron Smith.
Scheffler has had an extraordinary explosion over the past few months and he is without a doubt the best player on the planet right now. He has won three of the last five tournaments and he will be looking for a first major tournament title. He will appear on the field around 11:26 a.m. Thursday.
Then there will be Smith. On the greens of Augusta National, Smith will be able to take advantage of his excellent game on the board and don't be surprised to see him in contention Sunday for the fourth round. Smith has the lowest putting average on the league, a performance that has allowed him to win twice this season.
Fans will be able to see Smith at work in a particularly interesting group, also made up of Bryson DeChambeau and Paul Casey, starting
at 10:53 a.m. Speaking of DeChambeau, it will be interesting to see what he has to offer, he who is struggling with a serious wrist injury. An injury so serious that his doctors advised him not to participate in the tournament. But for DeChambeau, there was no question of missing the first major of the year. It remains to be seen whether he will be able to do better than in his last participations, he who has never had much success in Augusta.
Defending champion Hideki Matsuyama will start with Justin Thomas and James Piot, an amateur player. While Matsuyama will try to become the fourth golfer in history to successfully defend his title, Thomas will be in search of a first green jacket. The American is excelling in all facets of his game this season and he should be a name to watch into Sunday.
A word of course on Rory McIlroy, who will try to settle his differences with the Masters Tournament. In the past, Rory has had good performances in Augusta, but never tasted victory. All he needs is the green jacket to complete the Grand Slam. His 13thappearance will begin in the afternoon, at 2:33 p.m., alongside Matt Fitzpatrick and Brooks Koepka.
One of the biggest groups will certainly be that made up of Jordan Spieth, Viktor Hovland and Xander Schauffele, three players in the world's top-20. They'll be on the court at 2:22 p.m.
Other names to watch include Collin Morikawa (2 p.m.), Dustin Johnson (2 p.m.), Patrick Cantley (2:11 p.m.), Jon Rahm (2:11 p.m.) .
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