Countdown: My 13th Favorite Hole At Augusta National

Riggs 3/25/2018 6:11 PM

Welcome

Countdown time! We’re just a few weeks away from the Masters so I’m doing a daily countdown of my favorite holes at Augusta National. Not a math guy but according to my calculations, we should wrap this thing up on the Friday of the tourney. Perfect timing.

18 holes. 18 days. Here’s my 13th favorite.

14th hole, 440 yards, par 4 — Chinese Fir

The 14th is most famous for being the only hole at Augusta without a single bunker, but it should be more famous for its green. Massive, wild green here, but a lot of it actually should be avoided. There’s a large false front and a ridge through the middle that repel imperfect shots and leave brutally difficult pitches or lag putts.

Off the tee guys need to feature a right-to-left shot to hold the fairway sloping in the opposite direction.

Here’s the video game flyover.

Phil holed out here on Saturday en route to his 2010 win for back-to-back eagles.

Here’s Jack in 1978, a good view of the green’s contours.

And here it is even 30 years earlier and from a bit farther out.

The 14th’s has played relatively easy lately. It’s a good birdie opportunity coming down the stretch. After Amen Corner, 13-16 is that back nine at Augusta stretch everybody salivates over. Fireworks possible, and the 14th is a big part of that. The least sexy, but a big part of it nonetheless.

Sergio made a clutch birdie here on Sunday last year to pull within one and switch the momentum, eventually winning in the playoff over Justin Rose.