The Kings of Augusta

2016年07月11日

Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson have figured into the story at the Masters just about every year for the past 20. They've won more titles—Tiger with four, Phil with three—than any other active players, and each has 11 top-fives since 1995.

Why have these guys been so effective at Augusta? Their games fit the course perfectly, and they know nothing sets up a great year like grabbing the first major. On the technique side, they're high-ball hitters who create tons of spin, which gives them distance control, allowing them to hit—and hold—the correct part of the green. That's big at Augusta. When they do miss shots, they show the skill and bravado to recover, even shine.

And then we get to the greens. If I had to choose one player to get a ball up and down to save my life, it'd be Tiger or Phil. Both are terrific bunker players, flop-shot artists and fast-green putters. Phil's greenside creativity is unsurpassed, and Tiger's is right there.

Augusta National, with its huge slopes on and around the greens, demands everything in the short game. Not many players in history have had all the gears, but you're looking at two of them. —With Roger Schiffman