Augusta National Golf Club presents a true test of golf that demands exceptional tee-to-green play. If you want to win the Masters, you must drive the ball straight to keep it out of the pine straw, hit precise iron shots to small shelves where the flags are located and have a great touch around these tricky, undulated greens.
Strong tee-to-green play is paramount to success at Augusta, and recent winners have proven that point. According to Kyle Porter of Normal Sport, 10 of the last 12 Masters winners gained at least 1.7 strokes from tee to green in the three months leading up to the tournament. The only players who didn’t fit that criterion were 2018 Patrick Reed, who chipped and put his way to a green jacket, and 2021 Hideki Matsuyama, notorious for breaking a slump with a win.
Leading up to the 2025 Masters, only seven players have gained at least 1.7 strokes from tee to green over the last three months:
- Collin Morikawa (+2.60)
- Rory McIlroy (+2.20)
- Scottie Scheffler (+2.13)
- Joaquin Niemann (+1.88)
- Shane Lowry (+1.85)
- Laurie Canter (+1.78)
- Tommy Fleetwood (+1.75)
