The Masters: Rory McIlroy favourite for Augusta glory following November switch

With the Masters moved to November, Joe Champion considers how the rescheduled date could help decide who wins the Green Jacket.

At this stage of the year, high-profile golf events should be coming thick and fast. However, the coronavirus pandemic has halted sport across the world and caused the Major schedule to be redrawn.

With the US PGA Championship now due to take place at TPC Harding Park in August and the US Open pencilled in for September at Winged Foot, the Masters has gone from first to last on the Major schedule.

The 149th Open Championship has been cancelled but, as it stands, all three US Majors are set to take place with the Masters slated for November 12-15 at Augusta National.

An autumn Masters sounds dramatically different to the traditional spring equivalent but, while the azaleas will be replaced by fallen leaves, the climate in Georgia in mid-November is not dissimilar to April in terms of temperature and rainfall.

It should only be slightly cooler but, if the mercury falls drastically, the famed 7,475-yard par 72 will play far longer than usual and we could see scoring akin to 2007 when Zach Johnson ground his way to a one-over-par winning score.

While Augusta's governors can't control the weather, there is plenty they can do to prepare the course for tournament play with the SubAir system ensuring that the greens will remain pristine whatever the conditions.

The newly-overseeded ryegrass should make the fairways lusher and longer but Augusta National has the technology to get the course as close as possible to its April shape.

Augusta National's famed flowers will make way for fallen leaves at the rearranged Masters in NovemberCredit: Andrew Redington

Fred Couples, who won the Masters in 1992 and has been a regular competitor ever since, has given some insight into what the players can expect to encounter.

Describing a November round at Augusta, Couples said:

“It was very cold and it was very wet. Still, the greens were unbelievable. They were soft, but they were the same speed as in April. The golf course was a blast."

“I feel like there’s only two things that can happen: the weather can be okay, or it can be cold and wet and play really long,” Couples added.

“And if it does that, you’re really going to see the best bombers, which usually are the best.”

But who are the bombers most likely to benefit from the date change?

The ante-post betting points towards Rory McIlroy finally landing the Green Jacket which he needs to complete the career Grand Slam.

McIlroy has been the outstanding golfer of the disrupted 2019-20 PGA Tour season, winning the HBSC Champions in November and finishing in the top five in each of his six appearances, but he is winless in Majors since 2014.

The Northern Irishman ranks second behind Bryson DeChambeau in driving distance on the PGA Tour this season and a long Augusta will play into his hands.

McIlroy himself is bullish about his chances, speaking to LPGA pro Michelle Wie on Instagram last month, he said:

"November is going to be different, very cold, the course could play very long. It plays long already but it can play very long. The greens may not be as fast as in April, depending on the moisture.

"It's going to be a different Masters this year but personally, maybe selfishly, that's what I need to get the jacket."

There's no doubting McIlroy is the man to beat if he arrives in the same form, but the Masters is six months down the line and, with two Majors and a Ryder Cup still due to be staged, there is a lot of golf still to take place in the interim.

Tiger Woods completed a fairytale comeback to win the Green Jacket for the fifth time last year. The 15-time Major champion would dearly love to overhaul Jack Nicklaus, who has 18 Majors, but the move to November is unlikely to suit the defending champion.

Woods will be almost 45 by the time the Masters rolls around and the cooling Georgia temperatures could prove kryptonite for a man who has spent much of the last few years fighting back problems.

Tiger remains remarkable, and his fine course management came to the fore on the back nine in 2019, but colder conditions will decrease his chances.

Others will have to maintain their form for several months. Justin Thomas and Jon Rahm both look like Masters winners in waiting but the coronavirus-enforced break has come at the wrong time for two players who looked close to the peak of their powers.

While some may suffer with the suspension, Brooks Koepka stands to benefit.

Major winning machine Koepka has struggled this season following knee surgery, failing to make the top 40 in five PGA Tour starts, and an extended rest period may allow him to get back to his best.

Tied second at Augusta last season, he is a formidable competitor in the biggest tournaments and, with two US Opens and two US PGA Championships already in the bag, the Floridian now has the chance to tailor his season towards Masters glory.

Others will relish tough conditions with Patrick Cantlay, Tommy Fleetwood and 2018 champion Patrick Reed among those that spring to mind while forgotten man Jordan Spieth should at least use the current downtime to consider where it's all gone wrong.

The troubled Texan may yet play a hand at his beloved Augusta but, given his error-strewn long game, the 2015 champion, once a certain contender, is hard to rely on.

The Masters, with its limited field and extensive course form, typically rates the easiest Major puzzle to solve each year but now players and punters alike are faced with a different challenge.

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