In the wake of the partnership announced between the PGA Tour, LIV Golf and the DP World Tour, several of golf’s leading organizations released statements.

Augusta National Golf Club and Masters chairman Fred Ridley wrote Tuesday, “As we have expressed previously, what makes golf special is its rich history and ability to bring people together. We are encouraged by this announcement, which represents a positive development in bringing harmony to men’s professional golf.

“Augusta National Golf Club and the Masters Tournament are—and will remain—devoted to developing the game and celebrating its many virtues.”

LIV Golf members were allowed to play in last year’s Masters, and Ridley did not announce any future sanctions regarding players of the LIV Golf circuit regarding the tournament.

Ridley was named in LIV Golf’s antitrust complaint against the PGA Tour, with LIV players alleging Ridley discouraged players from jumping to the breakaway circuit. Additionally, Augusta National was part of the Department of Justice’s antitrust probe which was spurred by LIV Golf’s accusations against the golf ecosystem. As part of Tuesday’s surprise merger, both the tour and LIV said all pending litigation will come to an end.

R&A CEO Martin Slumbers noted: “We care deeply about golf’s future and are committed to ensuring that the sport continues to thrive for many years to come.”

A statement from The R&A on today's announcement by PGA Tour, DP World Tour and PIF. pic.twitter.com/Y9COPWZps5

— The R&A (@RandA) June 6, 2023

Mike Whan, the USGA CEO, interestingly acknowledged he first learned of the deal when it was announced Tuesday morning: “Like most of the golf world, we were surprised by today’s PGA Tour/DP World Tour/LIV Golf news. If this proposed consolidation can help resolve the conflicts in men’s professional golf and allows all parties to focus on the incredible interest, growth, and opportunities that exist within our global game, then it’s an important step forward. We look forward to learning more about how this new approach can further drive long-term growth in our wonderful game.”

The PGA of America also commented: “We were pleased, relieved and like others, surprised to learn this morning that the division within the men’s elite professional game appears to be on a pathway to resolution. While we look forward to learning further details in time, our actions will, as always, remain focused on delivering on our mission to serve PGA Professionals and grow the game. During this time of abundant opportunity in golf, we look forward to collaborating with other golf industry leaders to continue to advance our sport with our Members at the forefront of those efforts.”

Mollie Marcoux Samaan, LPGA commissioner, noted: “As we have consistently said, a fractured ecosystem is not good for the game and we look forward to learning what today’s announcement means for the growth and impact of global golf. We remain focused on growing the LPGA, continuing to work with the top partners in the world to provide the best opportunity for our membership and to make sure that everything we do continues to allow us to inspire, elevate and advance opportunities for girls and women, on and off the golf course.”

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Maya Palanza Gaudin had an amazing story before she set foot on Augusta National Golf Club on Sunday and won the Girls 12-13 Division of the Drive, Chip and Putt National Finals.

As a newborn in her native Ethiopia, Maya was in grave danger when her biological mother died shortly after childbirth. No woman in her Southern Ethiopian village, near the Kenyan border, was lactating to be able to breastfeed Maya.

So, her father and uncles carried Maya on their backs and walked 55 miles to the safety of the nearest hospital. Once Maya was nourished and safe, her father produced the most unselfish act of love and put her up for adoption. That was her best chance at a good life.

The couple who took Maya into their lives were a golf-loving couple from New England who have been based in Abu Dhabi since Maya was 2. Maya’s surrogate father, Stephen Gaudin, was an overseas-based agent for the FBI who is now retired, and her mother, Cassandra, works in the American embassy in Abu Dhabi.

The pair are lifelong golfers, having met at a golf outing at Cape Cod, and introduced Maya to the game at age 5.

“The way I see it, Maya’s birth mom gave her life [and] Maya’s birth father saved her life, and our job since has been to love, nurture and provide every opportunity to Maya to embrace her life including this wonderful gift of golf,” Cassandra told Masters.com.

Maya Palanza Gaudin reacts to her putt on the 18th green in the Drive, Chip and Putt. David Cannon

Maya’s talents on the course were quickly evident, so Stephen and Cassandra invested time and money into their daughter’s passion. (Maya’s sister, Willa, is also adopted and loves the game of golf.) Maya has won the junior club championship at Yas Links in Abu Dhabi, where she plays, and which hosts the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship on the DP World Tour.

Through the connection with Yas Links, she has teed it up with Rory McIlroy in DP World Tour pro-ams, as well as Thomas Pieters and Robert MacIntyre. The elite pros know Maya so well by now that, when her parents were looking for her at Yas Links in January, McIlroy told Stephen and Cassandra, “I just saw her. She’s inside.’”

“He’s so nice to me,” Maya said of four-time major winner McIlroy. “He’s very kind. I get to see him almost every time when he comes to Abu Dhabi tournaments.”

??? Congratulations Maya https://t.co/Op03nMkL3f

— Rory McIlroy (@McIlroyRory) April 2, 2023

Before the 2023 Drive, Chip and Putt Finals, Maya had enjoyed junior golf success overseas. She won a major junior tournament in India several years ago before stepping up in Europe and claiming the U.S. Kids European Championship in Scotland last year. “I got to play at St. Andrews afterwards,” Maya said. “We drove up there. It’s a close second to this course [Augusta].”

But there was one gaping hole in her junior résumé. She wanted to compete in the Drive, Chip and Putt National Finals at Augusta National on Sunday before Masters week, a competition in its ninth year in 2023. Her absence from the National Finals was not for a lack of trying.

“Six times [I tried to qualify], but it would’ve been seven with the COVID year,” a proud Maya said after her victory.

Maya Palanza Gaudin is presented with the Girls 12-13 trophy by Jordan Spieth. David Cannon

Participants compete in three skills (Drive, Chip and Putt) and hit three shots per skill for a total of nine shots. With 26 points, Maya won the Girls 12-13 years category by four points. Narah Hope Kim, a local from Georgia, and Ruihan Kendria Wang, from Washington, were tied second.

Naturally, with her passion for golf and her backstory, Maya was emotional. She said it was a miracle she was even alive, let alone playing golf. “It probably wasn’t supposed to happen, but it did and it’s surreal. I don’t really have any words for it,” she said. “[It’s] very surreal. I can’t believe it. Just coming here was surreal and then winning is on a whole ‘nother level.”

The next step for Maya is obvious—compete more in U.S. junior golf tournaments. Each summer, Maya and her parents travel to the U.S. and she tees up in New England PGA junior tournaments. She has tried to qualify for the U.S. Girls’ Junior three times. Eventually, Maya dreams of competing in the Augusta National Women’s Amateur. She watched eagerly this weekend as American Rose Zhang, the superstar amateur from Stanford, won the event.

“It was very exciting. Congratulations to Rose,” Maya said. “The last two holes were nail-biting for me. I can’t imagine how it was for Rose. I would love to play in that tournament.”

With her credentials and perseverance, all signs point to Maya potentially securing a return to Augusta National.

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By Dave Shedloski
AUGUSTA, Ga. — Well, that should expunge any lingering doubts.

We are only 36 holes into the 86th Masters, but Scottie Scheffler established his bona fides as the No. 1 player in the world on Friday with an exhibition of power and patience we should expect from the game’s top-ranked golfer. The Texan who appears to have a two-step in his swing certainly had a bounce in his step as he navigated windswept Augusta National Golf Club in five-under 67.

The nearly invulnerable effort, tied for low round of the day with Justin Thomas, enabled Scheffler to build a five-stroke lead at eight-under 136—matching the largest two-round lead in Masters history. Five times previously a player has led by five after 36 holes, most recently Jordan Spieth in 2015. Four of the five went on to win, the exception coming in 1936 when “Lighthorse” Harry Cooper fell to second behind Horton Smith.

Scheffler is running like a thoroughbred of late, winning three of his last five starts, including the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play two weeks ago that propelled him to World No. 1 in lightning speed. He is trying to become the first player since Phil Mickelson in 2006 to claim a green jacket after winning his previous start (though Mickelson did it in consecutive weeks).

He left little doubt that he is playing some dominating golf.

“I feel like my game is in a good spot,” said Scheffler, an assertion impossible to refute. “I’ve done a good job managing my way around the golf course the last two days. Like I said, I’ve prepared as much as I could. I worked really hard this off-season and I have put myself in a position now to win this golf tournament, and I couldn’t ask for anything more after 36 holes.”

Scottie Scheffler hits out of a bunker in the second round of the Masters. Adam Glanzman

Defending champion Hideki Matsuyama and 2011 winner Charl Schwartzel joined Shane Lowry and first-round leader Sungjae Im in a tie for second at 141, while four more players are six back, including 2020 champion Dustin Johnson.

Scheffler began with bogeys on two of his first three holes, but he played his final 12 holes in six under par to pull away from the field. Not that he needed it, but as he began to build a lead, his confidence grew. “Once I saw that I took the lead at one point today,” he said, “my first thought was to just keep trying to build it just because I feel like I’m playing well.”

The tough conditions, with winds gusting up to 30 miles per hour, left Scheffler definitely feeling “like I was in a fight.” Maybe so. But he came out of the battle with hardly a scratch on him. He’ll begin his third round in the final pairing with Schwartzel at 2:50 p.m. ET with a commanding head start and a head full of positive thoughts.

“It’s nice to build up a little bit of a lead, but I’m not really going to be thinking about it tonight or anything,” he said. “I’ve put myself in position to play well and to win this golf tournament, and going into tomorrow, I’m just going to approach it like I did today and just be committed to my shots and hope for the best.

“I’m just going to keep doing what I’m doing.”

That would be highly recommended.

MORE MASTERS 2022 STORIES
Now comes the hard part for Tiger
Things you may have missed on Day 1 of the Masters
How will the amateurs get on at Augusta?
Every Tiger Woods Masters record
Our favourite groups to follow at the Masters
The entire field at Augusta, ranked

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By Dan Rapaport
With just 10 sleeps ahead of the first tee shot of the 2022 Masters, there is increasing speculation that Tiger Woods will tee it up in the year’s first major. It’s extraordinary to even type that sentence given the events of the past 14 months, but Woods has spent 25 years turning the extraordinary into the ordinary—especially at Augusta National, the canvas for so many of his masterpieces. The internet is awash with rumors, some credible, some not, so let’s try to sort through what’s fact, what’s conjecture and what it all means for Woods’ chances of returning to competition at the biggest golf tournament in the world.

What we know: Woods remains on the official list of participants on the Masters website.

What we think: Every player who’s qualified is included on the Masters.com participants page until they notify the club that they will not be participating. There’s a list of past champions who will not be playing at the bottom of the page, which includes Phil Mickelson, but not Woods. Were this a PGA Tour event, that would suggest that Woods has officially entered the tournament and filled out pre-event registration. The Masters, however, is different; tournament officials assume you’re playing until you tell them you are not. It’s helpful to think of it as Tiger hasn’t said no, rather than he’s said yes.

What we know: Since the accident, Woods has consistently maintained that he is far away from competition and stressed the difference between at-home golf and PGA Tour golf. He said so at the Hero World Challenge, the PNC Championship and the Genesis Invitational.

What we think: He’s managing expectations. Woods would gain nothing from telling media that he’s inching ever closer to a return; it would just put more pressure on himself to play by a certain date and add attention to the process. Woods prefers to work in silence, away from the cameras, to drop news only when he has some. He doesn’t think “I walked a full 18 holes for the first time”-type stuff is news. Remember when he dropped that swing video out of nowhere late last year? That’s how Tiger operates. Big news, or no news.

With that in mind, it’s entirely possible that Woods has been underplaying his rehab to quell speculation and allow himself to rehab in peace and without expectations.

What we know: Woods has been seen at his home course, Medalist Golf Club, in recent days.

What we think: Tiger’s progressed physically since the last time we saw him swing a golf club publicly, at the PNC Championship playing alongside his son. Woods’ game—particularly his short irons, wedges and putting—were highly impressive that week given the circumstances, less than 10 months after his traumatic car accident. But riding in a cart, the scramble format, dead-flat golf course and absence of rough meant Woods could pick and choose which shots to hit. If Charlie hit a good tee shot, Woods didn’t even bother. If he found a funky lie, he didn’t bother.

Competition, of course, is a different story entirely. Woods would need to walk the course for five, and probably six straight days. Augusta National’s undulating terrain makes it one of the harder walks on tour, and you’re essentially guaranteed to have a bunch of uneven lies throughout the week. It’s as physical as golf can get, and Woods has clearly ramped up his physical regimen. He seems to be testing his body by walking multiple rounds in a row and assessing how he feels afterwards. He wouldn’t have Augusta be the first course he walks since the accident, so odds are Woods has simulated tournament preparation as best he can back home in Florida—going through his pre-round warmup, putting everything out, etc.—as a dress rehearsal of sorts for the tournament.

Don’t be surprised if Woods makes a trip to Augusta this week to give it a test-run on the venue itself. Something tells us he won’t have trouble getting a tee time.

What we know: Woods hired a former Augusta National grounds crew member to look after his backyard golf facility.

What we think: In addition to the full-swing/golf-course work at Medalist, you have to think Woods has instructed his greenskeeper to get his backyard short-game area playing exactly like Augusta National—same grass type, same speed. He has said multiple times since the accident that he still has his hands and that his chipping and putting can hang with the best in the world already. The backyard practice is a huge reason why.

What we know: This year marks the 25th anniversary of Woods’ landscape-altering victory in the 1997 Masters.

What we think: Tiger desperately wants to play. This is a man whose entire life is tied up in competition, and he’s surely itching to get back inside the ropes—to stop thinking about rehab and start thinking about what type of approach to play into a back-right pin.

The Masters holds a special place in Woods’ heart, the site of his first and his last (at least so far) major championship. No tournament has defined his career like this one, and he takes great pride in longevity. Being able to compete just a little more than a year removed from a potentially life-threatening accident, 25 years after he won the first of his 15 major championships, would add another bullet point to the ever-expanding list of Tiger feats. He’s put in an extraordinary amount of work in physical therapy and the gym to get to the point of even considering playing the Masters, and he wouldn’t put in that work if he didn’t think it was A) possible and B) worth it. He has said that his days as a full-time tour player are over, that he’ll have to pick-and-choose which events to prepare his body for. The Masters would be number one on that list, with the Open Championship at No. 2. (As an aside, barring a setback, Woods looks almost certain to be ready for the 150th Open this year at St. Andrews, where he has won twice. It’s a much flatter course and not as arduous a physical test as Augusta).

What we know: In his last interview, Woods told CBS’ Jim Nantz: “I don’t want to come out here and just play. That’s how I am. I need to feel that I’m confident that I can beat these guys, and I got to do the legwork at home. It’s on me.”

What we think: Tiger won’t play unless he thinks he can win. It’s that simple. He’s too competitive, too proud, too singularly focused to go out there, shoot a couple 76s, tip his hat to the patrons and hop back on the PJ. If he does indeed enter the tournament, it’s because he thinks his game and his body are in good enough shape to mount a challenge.

What we know: Woods has played—and played well—through excruciating pain before.

What we think: The guy won a U.S. Open on a broken leg and torn ACL, grimacing after every shot. His pain tolerance cannot be questioned. If playing next week is merely a matter of tolerating the pain—meaning he can walk the course and hit the shots, just that it’ll be painful as hell—expect him to play. If there is a risk of reinjury, that’s a different story entirely. But pain alone won’t keep Woods from playing in the Masters.

What we know: Unlike other tournaments, Woods’ decision to play the Masters doesn’t impact other players.

What we think: Woods isn’t taking a spot from anyone else in the tournament, which means he can wait until the last possible moment to make a decision. That he hasn’t publicly shared his plans suggests he’s still not sure on what he’ll do. We typically get that call on the Friday before tournament week, as it’s the last possible day invitees can commit or withdraw. In 2015, he announced on the Friday before that he was playing. In 2016 and 2017, he announced on the Friday before that he was not playing. Expect a decision on…drumroll please…the Friday before tournament week.

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By Alex Myers
Two of Augusta National’s most famous holes have undergone alterations ahead of the 2022 Masters.

Both the par-4 11th and the par-5 15th hole will play longer than ever before this April. The club made the changes official on Wednesday when it released its annual media guide.

For No. 11, the “significant hole changes” are described as, “Masters tees moved back 15 yards and to the golfer’s left. Fairway recontoured and several trees removed on right side.” And for No. 15, “Masters tees moved back 20 yards and fairway recontoured.”

The media guide also mentions on No. 18, “Thirteen yards added to the back of the Masters tees without necessitating a change in length to the hole.” The par 72 will play to 7,510 yards total, reflecting the combined 35-yard increase on Nos. 11 and 15.

Changes to those two holes were believed to be in the works last summer when Eureka Earth shared overhead photos showing construction on those two holes. There also appeared to be some activity on No. 13, but Augusta National didn’t mention any official changes to the iconic par 5.

According to the media guide, these are the first significant course changes since the par-4 fifth hole was lengthened by 40 yards in 2019. Of course, these two new changes don’t seem to be major, but any tweaks to the Masters venue are certainly newsworthy.

Historically, No. 11, AKA “White Dogwood,” has played as the course’s second-most difficult hole, just a fraction easier than No. 10. Ben Hogan once famously said of the long par 4 with a pond guarding the green, “If you ever see me on the 11th green in two, you’ll know I missed my second shot.”

On the other hand, No. 15, AKA “Firethorn,” has played as the second-easiest hole, behind only No. 13. However, the extra yardage should affect how many players go for the shallow green in two.

The 2022 Masters will be played April 7-10.

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By Joel Beall
It is said you can’t quit love, which perhaps explains why Ian Woosnam, in spite of past proclamations, continued to return to the Masters. Woosnam, who became the first (and, to this point, only) Welshman to win the green jacket with his triumph at the 1991 Masters, has said that he was done competing in the tournament on two different occasions, only to tee it up again.

Alas, while that affection clearly remains, his relationship with Augusta National and its tournament will enter a different status this spring, as Woosnam announced—and we believe this time he means it—that he is retiring from Masters competition in 2022.

“Thought long and hard about playing the Masters again this year and in the future,” Woosnam wrote on Twitter Wednesday afternoon, “but it’s time for me to watch the young guys play.

“So I’m going to sit back and enjoy the memories that Augusta has given me over the years, thank you for everything Augusta.”

Woosnam has long battled ankylosing spondylitis, a condition that affects the spine, and claimed his body could no longer handle the rigors of the course after the 2016 Masters. He was eventually talked into returning by his wife, playing in the 2017, 2018 and 2019 tournaments. Woosnam again called it quits after a disappointing performance in 2019. It was his 11th straight missed cut at the Masters, making the weekend just twice this century (2000, 2008).

But after skipping the 2020 tournament he reversed course last spring, coming back to shoot a 76 and 77 to miss the cut.

Woosnam finished with 32 appearances at the Masters. Though he boasts seven top-25 finishes, his 1991 victory was the only time Woosnam finished in the top 10.

Woosnam is a former World No. 1 and has 29 career wins on the European Tour, which ranks sixth all-time on the Old World circuit. The eight-time Ryder Cupper was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2017.

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By Joel Beall
Augusta National Golf Club announced Tuesday that Tom Watson will become an Honorary Starter beginning at this year’s Masters in April.

A two-time winner of the green jacket, Watson will join Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player for the opening tee-shot ceremony.

“I am honoured that Tom has accepted our invitation,” said Fred Ridley, chairman of Augusta National Golf Club and the Masters. “I look forward to commemorating his love for the game and impact on the Masters with his millions of fans across the globe as he hits a tee shot alongside two of the tournament’s other all-time greats, Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player.”

Added Watson: “​​Augusta National in April is one of my favourite places to be. With the many fond memories of both watching the Masters as a youngster and then competing in the tournament for so many years, I am greatly honoured to join my friends and fellow competitors, Jack and Gary, as an Honorary Starter in this upcoming Masters. In both of my victories, Jack was on my heels. And when Gary won his third tournament in 1978, I was there to help him put on the green jacket. Moments like those stand out in my career, and the opportunity to share the Honorary Starter tradition with Jack, Gary and the Masters patrons will be very special.”

Watson won his first Masters in 1977, birdieing the 17th hole to ultimately beat Nicklaus by two shots. He again bested Nicklaus by two (along with Johnny Miller) to capture the 1981 title. He also came in second three times. During a 15-year stretch starting with his 1977 win to 1991, Watson finished T-7 or better on 11 occasions; his “worst” outing in that stretch was a T-14.

Watson made 42 consecutive appearances at Augusta National. Only Nicklaus has more total under-par rounds, with Watson holding the record for most consecutive years (21) with at least one under-par score. His 72.74 scoring average is fifth-best in tournament history.

The tradition of Honorary Starters at the Masters began in 1963 with Jock Hutchison and Fred McLeod—players who won the PGA Seniors’ Championship at Augusta National in 1937 and 1938—starting the tournament with ceremonial tee shots. Other players who have been Honorary Starters include Byron Nelson, Gene Sarazen, Ken Venturi, Sam Snead, Arnold Palmer, Nicklaus, Player and Lee Elder.

The 2022 Masters begins April 7. Hideki Matsuyama is the defending champ.

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Eureka Earth shared some new overhead images of Augusta National Golf Club this week that seem to indicate changes are being made to the country’s most famous course. What exactly those changes is top secret. Obviously. But we can still take a look.

Here’s a photo posted on Tuesday that indicates work being done on both the par-5 15th and par-4 11th holes:

FLASH: Significant changes coming to No 15 & No 11 at ANGC. Now you didn’t think a little thing like the #USOPEN would prevent our team of photojournalists from reporting breaking news, did you? (? ©10JUN2021 David Dobbins/EurekaEarth) #EurekaEarth #NotDrone #DiscoverThePresent pic.twitter.com/6XO3ruBuTq

— Eureka Earth® (@EurekaEarthPlus) June 15, 2021

Hmm. And this came just a couple days after this photo of the 13th tee surfaced:

Pardon us but are you sure you told them precisely where you wanted your trees planted on No.13 #TheMasters “You plant a tree 20 yards off the tee on the left toward the corner. Now guys can’t go left. I’ll buy them the tree”~@webbsimpson1 (?©10JUN2021 David Dobbins/EurekaEarth) pic.twitter.com/Mvw9O6cuOb

— Eureka Earth® (@EurekaEarthPlus) June 13, 2021

Again, hmm. Augusta National has long been rumoured to be lengthening the iconic par 5—even going as far as to reportedly buy property from neighbouring Augusta Country Club in 2017.

Last month, Eureka Earth shared photos that showed work being done on the 15th and 17th holes at Augusta National as well as the members’ pro shop being torn down.

So things are definitely happening there. We’ll just probably have to wait until April to see the final results.

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By Ryan Herrington
The month of May is traditionally when Augusta National Golf Club closes for the summer, the seasonal club shutting down before the Georgia heat becomes too much to bear. It’s also, not surprisingly, when you can begin to see some of the off-season work club officials have planned for the course beginning to get underway. Same with any upgrades that might be in store for the club’s facilities, the goal to have everything done before the club reopens in October.

To wit, recent photos taken and posted via social media by Eureka Earth, which has done an impressive job documenting a variety of changes at Augusta National during the last few years, shows some interesting activities in the past few weeks.

Arguably the most notable change spotted in the pictures is in a post-dated May 28. In the image you can see the section of a clubhouse that formally housed the members’ pro shop torn down.

As many have asked for additional info regarding our previous post, here is another mobile image (while not the quality you have come to expect) to help you identify the precise location of the ANGC Members Pro Shop demolition. (? ©EurekaEarth 27MAY2021) #EurekaEarth #NotDrone pic.twitter.com/htNJ6yhPWm

— Eureka Earth® (@EurekaEarthPlus) May 28, 2021

Exactly what will replace the old structure is unknown. Augusta National chairman Fred Ridley made no reference to any off-season work scheduled for the clubhouse during his pre-tournament press conference at the Masters in April (granted he wasn’t asked about it, either, and the club generally doesn’t volunteer information on such matters).

In addition to the construction on the club’s infrastructure, there are a few posts that document work being done on two holes as well.

Here’s an overhead shows parts of the par-5 15th under construction as well as areas around the green on the par-4 17th:

Meanwhile, in addition to the Members Pro Shop demolition, the best-in-class ANGC grounds crew is once again back to doing the incredible things that they do. #mobilephotography #shotoniphone #themasters (? ©EurekaEarth 27MAY2021) #EurekaEarth #NotDrone #DiscoverThePresent pic.twitter.com/MelRCH79jr

— Eureka Earth® (@EurekaEarthPlus) May 29, 2021

Similarly, the specifics of what’s going on at either hole aren’t clear.

As more work potentially is done during the summer months, you can bet that Eureka Earth will be all “over” it.

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By Alex Myers
AUGUSTA, Ga. — Like many of the world’s best golfers, Xander Schauffele says he’s picked up some swing speed this year. It just hasn’t been on purpose.

“Call it random or whatever you want, but yeah, I’m hitting it farther for whatever reason, and I’m not mad about it,” Schauffele said on Tuesday ahead of the 2021 Masters.

Having gotten a taste of hitting it longer, though, Schauffele says he isn’t getting sucked into chasing more distance. That’s something Rory McIlroy recently admitted doing to his own detriment after being influenced by Bryson DeChambeau. But instead of copying Bryson, Xander is listening to the man who has always guided him.

“There’s certain people in my team, one I can think of that’s always trying to make sure I don’t change too much,” Schauffele said. “He’s been my coach the whole life. I’ve only had one. That guy is also my dad unfortunately.”

Schauffele says he understands why McIlroy and others would go to great lengths to hit it greater lengths. And he admits that had he not contracted COVID-19 during the off-season he may have put more of an effort into it.

Having seen McIlroy’s recent struggles, though—and more importantly, having seen Bryson’s build—the four-time PGA Tour winner has a simple reason for not joining the arms race. And it involves, well, his arms.

“And chasing distance, like Rory said, can be a trap at times,” Schauffele said. “And it worked for Bryson, but it’s not for everyone. I’m more Rory’s stature. I’m not 6-1. You know, Bryson’s wrists are probably as thick as my forearms. He can do things that I can’t do, and I have to accept that and find my own path. I’m probably not going to chase the distance game.”

Nor does he have to. The 5-foot-10, 175-pound Schauffele currently ranks 29th on the PGA Tour in driving distance at 305.4 yards per pop. He’s not Bryson, but he’s not short, either. And with three runner-ups this season already, he sounds content to stick with his gameplan until those close calls start turning into wins.

“It’s really fun to watch when guys can fly it 350,” Schauffele said. “But like I said, it’s—would I like to fly it 350? Yeah, on some holes I would love to, but at the end of the day I don’t know what it would do to my short game or anything like that.”

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