Rafael Nadal is one of the greatest sportsmen to have ever walked the planet.
With 22 Grand Slam titles to his name, Nadal is behind only Novak Djokovic on the all-time list.
However, as good as he is with a tennis racket in his hand, was he able to get around Augusta National unscathed?
It was only a month ago when Rory McIlroy reigned victorious around Augusta and won The Masters on his 17th attempt.
McIlroy was the fan favourite at Augusta National, by quite some way as well.
Nadal knows all about being the ‘people’s champion’ so to speak.
He is adored the world over by tennis fans, and it was only when he was facing Roger Federer or a British player at Wimbledon when he wasn’t the fan favourite.
The Spaniard officially retired from professional tennis in November 2024, and he is believed to be playing more and more golf now, with all the free time he has on his hands.
What score Rafael Nadal shot around Augusta National
Nadal is well-known for being an avid golfer, and he’s very close friends with Masters champion Sergio Garcia.
The 38-year-old is said to be a scratch golfer, so he certainly knows what he’s doing on the links.
Nadal is obviously a hugely talented all-round sportsman.
But how did the 22-time Grand Slam champion fare around Augusta National?
Well, according to Marca, Nadal posted a very respectable round of eight-over-par 80, after being invited to play the famous course in Georgia by Ana Patricia Botin – the Executive Chairman of the Santander Group.
The eight-handicap golfer became the fifth woman to join Augusta National and the first ever Spaniard to become a member.
Nadal did incredibly well to shoot an 80. He apparently played off the tournament tees and although the greens would have been a lot slower than they were during The Masters last month, eight-over-par is still some going for an amateur.
Maybe he will get the chance to play there again one day, and you just know that he will be desperate to break 80!
The two scores a six-handicap golfer shot around Augusta National
Augusta is an incredibly challenging course for PGA Tour pros, let alone amateurs!
Golf Channel writer Ryan Lavner – a six-handicap golfer – had the chance to play Augusta National twice, and he shot rounds of 88 and 89 off the members’ tees.
He said, “From the members tees it’s 6400 yards. It’s pretty manageable. I think the difficulty of the golf course is that the approach shots are so difficult. It is so tight. Unless you are really on with your approach play you are going to struggle to impart enough spin on the golf ball. Just the ball flights that we have and the shot shapes we are coming into the greens with. It is not like we are coming in with high soaring fades, which can stop on the top shelf, we are coming in a little bit lower with less spin. You are dead on a lot of occasions.
“Both times I played I got off the golf course thinking I could have done so much better, which I think is the temptress that is Augusta National. That’s why it’s so much fun to play. You could only imagine on your best day that you could get it going and make birdies on the par fives. You could hit it close if you funnel it, if you are playing the slopes right and you’re exact with your approach play.
“I shot 88 and 89 from the member’s tees, I am a six handicap, and that almost felt like it was the worst I could play. Plenty of media members shoot in the 70’s from the members tees when they play the Monday after. On my best day I think I could shoot in the 70’s.“
That just goes to show hard the course is, and Nadal did extremely well to card an 80 off the tournament tees.
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