Augusta National, when at its brutal best, can provide arguably the sternest test of golf on the planet.
In fact, Scottie Scheffler‘s 11-under victory in 2024 didn’t tell the whole story. During the second day’s play, windy conditions caused carnage and even had the world’s number one player struggling to an even-par 72.
“It’s just so difficult when you can’t tell where the wind is coming from,” Scheffler said. “You can only make really an educated guess and try to go from there. Everything out there is extremely difficult when it’s this windy so I was definitely pleased to get in there at even par.”
For most, getting round Augusta at even or better marks a reasonable effort. And Brooks Koepka is one player who certainly respects the course during the first major of the year.
Brooks Koepka’s 59 comments on Augusta National
In 2020, Bryson DeChambeau famously claimed that he was treating Augusta as a par-67. The two-time major winner was fiercely criticised and admitted to making a mistake during the latest tournament.
“Regarding the 67 comment, you know, you mess up. I’m not a perfect person. Everybody messes up. You learn from your mistake, and that was definitely one,” he said.
Koepka, unlike DeChambeau in 2020, was highly respectful of the golfing challenge at Augusta National. The LIV Golf man was asked: “Do you think 59 is attainable on this golf course?”
“Have you played here? I could tell by the question,” Koepka sarcastically replied. “I mean, anything is attainable. But yeah, if I want to go play the member’s tees and maybe play like 15 holes, yeah, I could do that.”
The current Augusta National course record is 63, which Nick Price set at the 1986 Masters Tournament. That year, Jack Nicklaus won his final green jacket.
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Highest-ever winning score at Augusta National
When the rain stays away, and the wind gets up, Augusta really shows its teeth, and on multiple occasions, an over-par winning score has occurred.
Zach Johnson clinched the green jacket in 2007 after finishing on one-over for the tournament. Sam Snead in 1954 and Jack Burk Jr. in 1956 also won on the same number.
More recently, overall scoring hasn’t been particularly low. Scheffler’s lowest 72-hole score is 11 under, and even Jon Rahm’s 2023 Masters win saw him post 12-under. Koepka, who finished second, posted eight under. Tiger Woods posted 13-under during his iconic 2019 Masters victory.
In fact, the average winning score at Augusta National is 11-under-par, which is considerably lower than the average PGA Tour event.
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