Masters Preview

By: Billy Cannon ‘24 Editor

With elevated events, lucrative prize money, and more drama than ever, the 2023 PGA Tour season is off to an enticing start. However, there is still more to come, as the Masters, the first and most prestigious major of the year, is set to begin on April 6th. The race for the green jacket is completely up in the air, but some of the contenders have separated themselves from the pack early in the season.

As of right now, the favorite has to be Scottie Scheffler. After a completely dominant performance in the Players Championship at challenging TPC Sawgrass, winning by a convincing five strokes, Scheffler is by far the hottest player in the world right now. As the reigning champion, all eyes will be on him at Augusta.

Since the turn of the calendar year, a “Big 3” has formed at the top of the world golf ranking of Scheffler, Rory McIlroy, and Jon Rahm. All three have been playing some of the best golf of their careers this season, but Rahm had to withdraw from the Players due to an illness, and McIlroy failed to make it to the weekend. However, neither of these guys can be written off, and both look to add a first green jacket to their impressive resumes. McIlroy will look to finish the career Grand Slam at Augusta, and Rahm will look to add a second major to solidify his standing as a contender in major tournaments.

Other contenders to adorn the green jacket on Easter Sunday include Max Homa, who has been playing lights-out this season, including a win in the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines. Viktor Hovland has also been playing some of the best golf of his career, as he looks to finally break through in a major. Guys that are always contenders will also be in the conversation, like Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas, Patrick Cantlay, and Xander Schauffele. And of course, we can’t forget about the players from LIV. Although there hasn’t been much publicity surrounding the controversial tour, it can’t be denied that there are some talented players. Cam Smith, the winner of the 2022 Open, is a threat. Dustin Johnson, the 2020 Masters champion, is always dangerous when on form. Guys like Joaquin Niemann and Abraham Ancer can’t be overlooked, either. implementation of bigger bases. Each side of every base will be increased from 15 inches to 18 inches, increasing the area of each base by 99 square inches. This size increase will prevent injuries to fielders and runners alike.

Overall, while Scottie Scheffler is the favorite to repeat as the Masters champion, the race is still wide open. The green jacket is up for grabs as always.

When tested in the minors, there was a 13% decrease in injuries near the bases, a marked change that is welcome in the MLB. Bigger bases also shorten the length between bases by three and a half inches, which will also lead to more stolen base attempts. The size change has been met with overall positivity, as any means of reducing injuries is welcome in the often injury-plagued realm of major league baseball.

MLB’s seemingly drastic measures to reform the game of baseball may appear to be overkill to some, but their promised effects speak for themselves: a faster-paced, more exciting, safer game. What will be interesting to see is the reception from players and the overall impact that these rule changes will have on the way that the game of baseball is played.