Here’s what the newest tee at Augusta looks like

It looks as if Augusta Nationwide incorporates some notable changes nearly yearly, and this 12 months is not any exception.

Over the weekend, the membership’s official Instagram account (@themasters) launched images of a model new teeing space for the par-5 2nd gap.

The outlet, named Pink Dogwood, was already the longest on the course, and can now play 585 yards — a 10-yard improve of its former size. Augusta Nationwide’s complete yardage for the Masters now stretches to 7,555 yards. Within the historical past of the Masters event, the second gap has performed because the second-easiest, surpassed solely by the thirteenth, a 545-yard par-5.

The brand new teeing space seems to be pushed as far again and left as attainable. The outlet performs as a downhill dogleg left and has lengthy been considered an important birdie alternative, even for shorter hitters. That is the primary time the membership has made modifications to the second gap since 1999, when Tom Fazio added a brand new again tee moved the appropriate fairway bunker even farther to the appropriate.

At first look, the tee shot seems to be prefer it may show to be tougher from the brand new place to begin, however after taking part in the outlet on a current scouting journey, Rory McIlroy mentioned the change is comparatively minor.

“I assumed it was going to be a distinct visible than it was once, but it surely’s — I assumed each time somebody mentioned they moved it again and to the left, I assumed the tee field was going to level you out in direction of that proper bunker and also you’re going to need to hit extra of a draw across the nook,” McIlroy mentioned forward of final week’s Valero Texas Open. “I imply, in the event you didn’t know, you’ll assume you have been on the identical tee field, it doesn’t look that a lot totally different. You’ll be able to nonetheless see left of the bunker and I assumed it was actually going to drive you to hit some type of draw shot across the nook, however you may nonetheless hit a immediately shot and hold it left of the entice. It’s not as drastic of a change as I assumed it was going to be.”

Final 12 months, Augusta’s thirteenth gap was in the spotlight, when the membership elevated the outlet’s size by 35 yards and debuted a brand new elevated teeing space.

Will the additional 10 yards on No. 2 make the outlet play any more durable? We’ll discover out quickly. The 2024 Masters begins on Thursday, April eleventh.

Golf.com Editor

As a four-year member of Columbia’s inaugural class of feminine varsity golfers, Jessica can out-birdie everybody on the masthead. She will be able to out-hustle them within the workplace, too, the place she’s primarily answerable for producing each print and on-line options, and overseeing main particular tasks, resembling GOLF’s inaugural Type Is­sue, which debuted in February 2018. Her origi­nal interview collection, “A Spherical With,” debuted in November of 2015, and appeared in each within the journal and in video type on GOLF.com.