The Lengthened 13th Hole Officially Debuted at Augusta National, and the Bite is Back
AUGUSTA, Ga. – Rendered docile by the power infusion in modern golf, Augusta National’s par-5 13th is baring its teeth again. On Thursday as the Masters it was the toughest par 5, but it was also still gettable, with a scoring average of 4.721. It yielded three eagles, and more birdies (36) than pars (33). Of course, weather and hole locations each play a part, so a daily re-evaluation is in order. So far, however, the hole is achieving the club’s objective, to restore some genuine risk/reward drama.
Related: Inside Augusta's Decision to Lengthen the Iconic 13th Hole
After years of fretting and finessing, the powers that be at Augusta National purchased an adjacent parcel in 2017 from Augusta Country Club, to address a debate that had raged for a generation, that the hole had lost its mojo, not to mention its design intent, because it had become too easy. Tiger Woods remarked that in recent years, he would draw a 3-wood around the trees and have 8-iron in. During the fourth round in Bubba Watson’s 2014 victory, the lefthander hit a moonshot fade over the trees and was left with a 56-degree sand wedge for an approach. To many, that’s hardly a proper par 5.
Co-designer and Masters co-founder Bobby Jones called the hole a par four and a half, because of the risk/reward temptations it offered. “Whatever position may be reached with the tee shot, the second shot as well entails a momentous decision whether or not to try for the green.” In time, the decision became a no-brainer. Everybody went for the green in two. Masters Chairman Fred Ridley spoke for the club in declaring that they wanted the hole to once again offer a “momentous decision” in going for the green in two shots.
In 2018, six-time Masters winner Jack Nicklaus acknowledged the current limitations of the hole. “In my prime, the 13th was not only one of my favorite holes, but was also one of the best in golf,” he said. “It presented its risks and rewards perfectly. But the golf ball had changed things. If you’re not going to roll back the golf ball, you really need to lengthen the hole by 30 to 40 yards to test the players of today.”
In 2022, Augusta National finally acted to strengthen what architect Gil Hanse has called “arguably the best par-5 on the planet.” The club cleared the trees on the newly acquired parcel and a back tee was installed that lengthened the hole by 35 yards—exactly the number that Nicklaus had advocated—to 545 yards. During Thursday’s first round, the 13th was hardly a monster, but the added yardage restored much of the character of the hole.
The 13th momentarily derailed Brooks Koepka, who bogeyed the hole before rebounding to tie for the lead with a 7-under 65. Louis Oosthuizen said post-round that “It’s a very easy decision for me now. I’m laying up. Right now it’s sort of a three-shot hole for me with no chance of getting there.”
Kevin Kisner faced a daunting second shot and he wasn’t optimistic about future prospects. “I had 210 to the front today, with a limb in my way and a sidehill lie and aiming at a bridge,” he noted. “I decided to lay up. If I hit it good, I can’t get past the second limbs. So I have to hit a 30-yard hook. It’s not real appetizing.”
Grouped together, Tiger Woods and Xander Schauffele both laid up—after solid tee shots. “Xander and I both hit good drives,” said Woods. “We were down there. He was at 219. I was at 218 front. But we weren’t sitting very good in the first cut right there. It wasn’t really an opportune time to go for it, so we both laid up.”
Woods believes there are fewer choices to be made off the tee, but there’s still a thinking process involved. “There’s less options off the tee,” he said. “There’s really no 3-wood there. You just hit driver and maybe turn it just a touch. Or you can hit what Viktor (Hovland) did. You can cut it off that tee, and you have room. He hit some kind of 4- or 5-iron to the green.”
If that sounds like a lot of layups (Zzzzz…), that wasn’t the case for every player today. The 13th did witness those three eagles—and nearly a fourth from Kurt Kitayama. “I hit a great second ball in there, like to five feet,” he said, “but I didn’t make the putt. I did make 4 though, so that’s always good.”
For that tantalizing glimpse at an eagle, however, Kitayama hit a 7-wood--not exactly Bubba Watson gap wedge territory. Kitayama’s effort had to bring a sense of relief for Fred Ridley. The 13th hole can still be reached in two, but it will take a bold decision and a brilliantly executed shot to bring it off…just as Bobby Jones intended.