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Alfred Dunhill Links Championship 2023: Monday’s final round tee times and groups

Published: 09 October 2023

The tee times and groups for the 2023 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, played across The Old Course at St Andrews, Carnoustie, and Kingsbarns.

Tee times and groups for Monday’s third and final of the 2023 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship in Scotland.

The Alfred Dunhill Links Championship will conclude on Monday (October 9) after storms and flooding forced the DP World Tour to abandon play on both Saturday and Sunday.

It’s the first time in the event’s history that it will conclude on a Monday and be played over three rounds. In normal circumstances 168 players tee it up alongside 168 celebrities and amateurs for the first three rounds, with each group playing a round at St Andrews Old Course, Carnoustie and Kingsbarns before the cut is made on Saturday evening. The final round is then played on the Old Course where the individual and team champions are crowned.

Update on the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship and the starting times for tomorrow's play. Click for full details 👇 — DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) October 8, 2023

But with all three courses or access roads underwater for the weekend, organizers pushed play into an extra day and abandoned the cut. The final round will see everyone playing their rounds across the course they were yet to play in rounds one and two.

Carnoustie at 15:20. Tricky tee shot at 17. @ewenmurray77 @dunhilllinks @dpwtc @BenColeyGolf Take a miracle for this to be on tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/XoIjqc3Pv3 — Dylan (@ArbroathJambo) October 8, 2023

A week on from helping Team Europe to Ryder Cup glory in Rome, Matt Fitzpatrick leads by a single shot heading into the final round. The Englishman, who is 13-under, will play The Old Course on Monday, getting underway at 10.06am. Spain’s Nacho Elvira and home favorite Grant Forrest are just a shot back but will need to tame Carnoustie if either is to claim the title.

Matthew Southgate is two shots back and will also play at St Andrews, with Nicolas Colsaerts and Marcus Armitage looking to close a three-shot gap at Kingsbarns and Carnoustie respectively.

Defending champ Ryan Fox, one of five players at nine-under, will need to go low around the Old Course if he is to defend his title.

Among the amateur golfers in action on Monday will be Newcastle United and LIV chairman Yasir Al-Rumayyan. He had been listed under a pseudonym – Andrew Waterman – and played in the same group as R&A boss Martin Slumbers in the opening round, before joining OWGR chairman Peter Dawson in round two. He will play alonsgide European Tour Group non-executive director Abdullah Al Naboodah in round three. See the full field .

Spectators will only be able to attend the Old Course with Carnoustie and Kingsbarns both closed to the public.

Alfred Dunhill Links Championship: Round Three – Tee times and groups

READ NEXT –  Britain’s best golf courses – Best golf courses in Scotland

About the Author

Rob Jerram – Digital Editor

Rob specializes in the DP World Tour, PGA Tour, LIV Golf, and the Ryder Cup, spending large chunks of his days reading about, writing about, and watching the tours each month.

He’s passionate about the equipment used by professional golfers and is also a font of knowledge when it comes to golf balls, golf trolleys, and golf bags, testing thousands down the years.

Rob uses a  Callaway Paradym driver ,  TaylorMade M5 5-wood ,  TaylorMade P790 driving iron ,  Callaway Paradym irons  (4-AW),  TaylorMade MG3 wedges  (52º, 58º),  Odyssey Tri-Hot 5k Double Wide putter , and  Callaway Chrome Soft X golf ball .

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Masters Tournament

Augusta National Golf Club

Augusta, Georgia • USA

Apr 11 - 14, 2024

Masters 2024 tee times: Pairings for the first and second rounds

S ecuring a tee time at Augusta National is the dream of most every golfer around the world. For 89 fortunate folks, they’ve done just that by earning a place in the field at the 2024 Masters . And now they know who they're playing with, as Augusta National revealed tee times for the first and second round.

For 20 players, this will be their Augusta debut, and with it comes the knowledge that not since Fuzzy Zoeller in 1979 has a rookie won a green jacket. For a few past champions—Fred Couples (?) and Jose Maria Olazabal—this could be a last call. The two past champions have not announced anything official, but the question remains how long they might continue to play.

History held for some of the Masters traditionally pairings Defending champion Jon Rahm ( now playing in the LIV Golf League ) has been paired with last year's U.S. Amateur champion Nick Dunlap (now a professional but still in the field thanks to his historic win as an amateur in the PGA Tour's American Express). And the five "official" amateurs in the field all are paired with a veteran Masters champion to help them get around.

So how did Masters officials handle the other 12 LIV golfers outside of Rahm competing this week? And what about Tiger Woods? Well check out the threesomes below to find out.

7:40 AM -- Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus, Tom Watson (Honorary Starters)

8 AM -- Erik van Rooyen, Jake Knapp

8:12 AM -- Jose Maria Olazabal, Taylor Moore, Santiago de la Fuente (a)

8:24 AM -- Danny Willett, Austin Eckroat, Stephan Jaeger

8:36 AM -- Charl Schwartzel, Luke List, Christo Lamprecht (a)

8:48 AM -- Gary Woodland, Thorbjorn Olesen, Bryson DeChambeau

9 AM -- Zach Johnson, Corey Conners, Jasper Stubbs (a)

9:12 AM -- Sergio Garcia, Chris Kirk, Ryan Fox

9:24 AM -- Lucas Glover, Byeong Hun An, Harris English

9:36 AM -- Phil Mickelson, Sepp Straka, Tony Finau

9:48 AM -- Nick Taylor, Joaquin Niemann, Russell Henley

10:06 AM -- Patrick Cantlay, Min Woo Lee, Rickie Fowler

10:18 AM -- Hideki Matsuyama, Will Zalatoris, Justin Thomas

10:30 AM -- Jon Rahm, Matt Fitzpatrick, Nick Dunlap

10:42 AM -- Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy, Xander Schauffele

10:54 AM -- Wyndham Clark, Viktor Hovland, Cameron Smith

11:06 AM -- Lee Hodges, Adrian Meronk, Grayson Murray

11:18 AM -- Camilo Villegas, Denny McCarthy, Cameron Davis

11:30 AM -- Mike Weir, Ryo Hisatsune, Neal Shipley (a)

11:42 AM -- Vijay Singh, Si Woo Kim, Emiliano Grillo

11:54 AM -- Fred Couples, Adam Hadwin, Stewart Hagestad (a)

12:12 PM -- Justin Rose, Eric Cole, Peter Malnati

12:24 PM -- Akshay Bhatia, J. T. Poston, Shane Lowry

12:36 PM -- Bubba Watson, Nicolai Hojgaard, Adam Schenk

12:48 PM -- Patrick Reed, Sungjae Im, Kurt Kitayama

1 PM -- Keegan Bradley, Matthieu Pavon, Tyrrell Hatton

1:12 PM -- Adam Scott, Sam Burns, Cameron Young

1:24 PM -- Tiger Woods, Jason Day, Max Homa

1:36 PM -- Brian Harman, Brooks Koepka, Tom Kim

1:48 PM -- Jordan Spieth, Ludvig Aberg, Sahith Theegala

2 PM -- Dustin Johnson, Collin Morikawa, Tommy Fleetwood

8 AM -- Lee Hodges, Adrian Meronk, Grayson Murray

8:12 AM -- Camilo Villegas, Denny McCarthy, Cameron Davis

8:24 AM -- Mike Weir, Ryo Hisatsune, Neal Shipley (a)

8:36 AM -- Vijay Singh, Si Woo Kim, Emiliano Grillo

8:48 AM -- Fred Couples, Adam Hadwin, Stewart Hagestad (a)

9 AM -- Justin Rose, Eric Cole, Peter Malnati

9:12 AM -- Akshay Bhatia, J. T. Poston, Shane Lowry

9:24 AM -- Bubba Watson, Nicolai Hojgaard, Adam Schenk

9:36 AM -- Patrick Reed, Sungjae Im, Kurt Kitayama

9:48 AM -- Keegan Bradley, Matthieu Pavon, Tyrrell Hatton

10:06 AM -- Adam Scott, Sam Burns, Cameron Young

10:18 AM -- Tiger Woods, Jason Day, Max Homa

10:30 AM -- Brian Harman, Brooks Koepka, Tom Kim

10:42 AM -- Jordan Spieth, Ludvig Aberg, Sahith Theegala

10:54 AM -- Dustin Johnson, Collin Morikawa, Tommy Fleetwood

11:06 AM -- Erik van Rooyen, Jake Knapp

11:18 AM -- Jose Maria Olazabal, Taylor Moore, Santiago de la Fuente (a)

11:30 AM -- Danny Willett, Austin Eckroat, Stephan Jaeger

11:42 AM -- Charl Schwartzel, Luke List, Christo Lamprecht (a)

11:54 AM -- Gary Woodland, Thorbjorn Olesen, Bryson DeChambeau

12:12 PM -- Zach Johnson, Corey Conners, Jasper Stubbs (a)

12:24 PM -- Sergio Garcia, Chris Kirk, Ryan Fox

12:36 PM -- Lucas Glover, Byeong Hun An, Harris English

12:48 PM -- Phil Mickelson, Sepp Straka, Tony Finau

1 PM -- Nick Taylor, Joaquin Niemann, Russell Henley

1:12 PM -- Patrick Cantlay, Min Woo Lee, Rickie Fowler

1:24 PM -- Hideki Matsuyama, Will Zalatoris, Justin Thomas

1:36 PM -- Jon Rahm, Matt Fitzpatrick, Nick Dunlap

1:48 PM -- Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy, Xander Schauffele

2 PM -- Wyndham Clark, Viktor Hovland, Cameron Smith

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The Champions Dinner Tell-All, from those inside the room

09/14 – 09/17/2023

Wentworth Club – Virginia Water, Surrey, England

• Prize money: USD 9,000,000
• Defending champion: Shane Lowry

Teetimes Round 2

no tee times available …

138 Tee Times published for round at the BMW PGA Championship 2023 2023 on the European Tour in Virginia Water, Surrey, England.

The BMW PGA Championship 2023 is part of the European Tour in the season 2023. In 2023 all players competing for a total prize money of USD 9,000,000.

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Elmhurst Country Club

Rating Snapshot

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What is the address of Elmhurst Country Club?

Elmhurst Country Club is located at 319 Gardner Rd, Moscow, Pennsylvania 18444, Lackawanna County.

What year did Elmhurst Country Club open?

Elmhurst Country Club was built in 1929.

What type of grass does Elmhurst Country Club have?

Elmhurst Country Club has Bentgrass/Poa Annua greens and Bentgrass/Perennial Ryegrass fairways.

What is the par of Elmhurst Country Club

The par of Elmhurst Country Club is 72.

What is the length of Elmhurst Country Club

The length of Elmhurst Country Club is 6734 yards.

What is the rating of Elmhurst Country Club

The rating of Elmhurst Country Club is 71.9.

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The slope of Elmhurst Country Club is 129.

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Ladies European Tour 2024 schedule: Dates, venues and Aramco Team Series events for the new season

The Solheim Cup highlights a packed 2024 calendar on the Ladies European Tour, where Europe will look to retain the trophy on American soil; Watch the LET throughout the season live on Sky Sports Golf

Tuesday 19 December 2023 08:59, UK

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The schedule for the 2024 Ladies European Tour season, with a minimum of 31 events across 20 countries as part of a bumper calendar.

The highlights will include the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, the Solheim Cup in Gainesville, Virginia, and the AIG Women's Open at St Andrews, which will be the final qualification event for the European Solheim Cup team.

There will be more than €34m (£29.3m) in total prize money, including a purse of US$5m (£3.9m) at the Aramco Saudi Ladies International Presented by PIF, which will be played at Riyadh Golf Club for the first time.

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Full 2024 Ladies European Tour schedule (as announced on December 15):

February 8-11 - Magical Kenya Ladies Open - Venue TBC

February 15-18 - Aramco Saudi Ladies International Presented by PIF - Riyadh Golf Club, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

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February 22-24 - Lalla Meryem Cup - Royal Golf Dar Es Salam (Blue Course), Rabat, Morocco

March 8-10 - Aramco Team Series Presented by PIF - USA - Venue TBC

Ladies European Tour: Latest news

Ashok wins seasons decider in Spain

Latest LPGA Tour dates and schedule

Golf leaderboards: LET and much more

March 29-31 - NSW Women's Open - Magenta Shores Golf and Country Club, NSW, Australia

🚨 2024 SCHEDULE RELEASE 🚨 31 global tournaments 🏌️‍♀️ 20 different countries 🌎 €34 million prize fund ⛳ Olympic Games and Solheim Cup 🏆 Mark your calendars, next season is going to be awesome! 🗓️ #RaiseOurGame — Ladies European Tour (@LETgolf) December 15, 2023

April 5-7 - Australian Women's Classic - Bonville Golf Resort, Bonville, Australia

April 18-21 - Joburg Ladies Open - Modderfontein Golf Club, Johannesburg, South Africa

April 25-28 - Investec South African Women's Open - Erinvale Country & Golf Estate, Cape Town, South Africa

May 10-12 - Aramco Team Series Presented by PIF - Seoul - Venue TBC

May 16-19 - Amundi German Masters - Venue TBC

May 23-25 - Jabra Ladies Open - Evian Resort Golf Club, Evian-les-Bains, France

May 31-June 2 - Dormy Open Helsingborg - Allerum Golf Club, Helsingborg, Sweden

June 6-9 - Volvo Car Scandinavian Mixed - Vasatorps Golf Club, Mörarp, Sweden

TBD (w/b June 10) - Potential event in Europe

June 21-23 - Tipsport Czech Ladies Open - Royal Beroun Golf Club, Prague, Czechia

June 28-30 - VP Bank Swiss Ladies Open - Golf Park Holzhausern, Ennetsee, Switzerland

July 3-5 - Aramco Team Series Presented by PIF - London - Centurion Club, St Albans, England

July 11-14 - The Amundi Evian Championship - Evian Resort Golf Club, Evian-les-Bains, France

July 19-21 - Dutch Ladies Open, powered by GOLF.NL - Hilversumsche Golf Club, Hilversum, Netherlands

August 7-10 - Paris 2024 Summer Olympic Games - Le Golf National, Paris, France

August 15-18 - Women's Scottish Open - Venue TBC

August 22-25 - AIG Women's Open - The Old Course, St Andrews, Scotland

August 29-September 1 - KPMG Women's Irish Open - Carton House, The O'Meara Course, Dublin, Ireland

September 13-15 - The Solheim Cup - Robert Trent Jones Golf Club, Gainesville, USA

September 19-22 - Confirmed event in Europe - Venue TBC

September 26-28 - Lacoste Ladies Open de France - Golf Barriere Deauville, Deauville, France

October 4-6 - Aramco Team Series Presented by PIF - Asia - TBC

October date TBC - Hero Women's Indian Open - DLF Country Club, Gurgaon, Delhi, India

November 1-3 - Aramco Team Series Presented by PIF - Riyadh - Riyadh Golf Club, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

November 21-23 - Mallorca Ladies Golf Open - Golf Son Muntaner, Palma, Mallorca, Spain

November 28-December 1 - Andalucía Costa del Sol Open de España - Venue TBC

Watch all the women's majors, the Solheim Cup, the Ryder Cup and the end of the PGA Tour and DP World Tour seasons exclusively live over the coming months on Sky Sports Golf. Stream the Ladies European Tour and more with a NOW Sports Month Membership - just £21 a month for six months.

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Scheffler's surge, LIV Golf's encore and more Masters storylines

Michael Collins discusses Scottie Scheffler's chances as the heavy favorite at the Masters. (1:04)

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The 88th playing of the Masters arrives at a precarious moment in golf: Its defending champion has since departed for the Saudi-backed LIV Golf League, its greatest winner not named Jack Nicklaus has played only five full rounds of golf this year, and the sport's overall ecosystem remains fractured and its future uncertain.

Yet once the first tee shot is hit Thursday, all eyes will be on the best players in the world navigating the sport's most historic venue over 72 holes.

From the favorites to the newcomers to the way the course is playing, here are six storylines to watch at Augusta.

What will the LIV Golf League do for an encore?

A year ago, any doubt about LIV Golf League players being able to compete in the major championships after playing 54-hole tournaments with loud music probably was put to rest. Phil Mickelson and Brooks Koepka tied for second at the 2023 Masters, then Koepka won his fifth major at the PGA Championship at Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, New York.

Defending Masters champion Jon Rahm , who jumped to the LIV Golf League in December, is one of 13 LIV Golf players in the field.

Read more: Jon Rahm wants LIV-PGA Tour unity, but 'it's not up to me'

LIV Golf captain Sergio Garcia , the 2017 Masters champion, insists everyone is getting along fine.

"I mean, you guys love these things," Garcia said. "You keep building up these things, and there's nothing. There's nothing. You guys love to kind of dig and just kind of try to make it sound like we get in the locker room and we're fighting each other and stuff like that. It's not like that. At the end of the day, it's golf. We're all trying to play the best way we can, and that's it."

Eyes on the first-timers

Only one first-timer has slipped on a green jacket at Augusta National Golf Club since 1935: Fuzzy Zoeller in 1979. Reigning U.S. Open champion Wyndham Clark and Sweden's Ludvig Åberg aren't your typical Masters first-timers -- they're ranked fourth and ninth in the Official World Golf Ranking, respectively.

Clark has won three times since May and finished second to Scottie Scheffler at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and Players Championship.

"I mean, stats like that are meant to be broken," Clark said. "I know it's a tall task. It's a challenging golf course. There's a bunch of good golfers. With that said, you have to still bring your game, so it's not like you can just flip a switch and win it.

"But, yeah, that would be an amazing accomplishment, and I like my chances. I really like myself on this golf course. I feel good on a lot of tee shots and approaches, and there's so much creativity, so I feel good coming into the week."

Aberg, 24, already has seven top-10s in 23 starts on tour, including a victory at the RSM Classic in November. The former Texas Tech star said he wasn't aware that a first-timer hadn't won the Masters in 45 years until a reporter mentioned it Tuesday.

"It's a tricky balance, because obviously I'm feeling all the first-time feelings that everyone's feeling, but I'm also trying to be OK with all those things coming at me at the same time," Aberg said. "Because I think once you start fighting it, once you start trying to push it away, I think that's when it becomes tricky."

There are 20 first-timers at the Masters this year, such as Akshay Bhatia (who grabbed a Sunday invitation by winning the Valero Texas Open), Nick Dunlap and Jake Knapp . Dunlap became the first amateur to win a PGA Tour event since Phil Mickelson in 1991 by capturing the American Express in January before he turned pro.

Scheffler's dominance

There is a certain aura of inevitability following Scheffler around these days that hasn't been true of a golfer since the days of Jordan Spieth in 2015, Rory McIlroy in 2014 and Tiger Woods for many years before that.

The way Scheffler, the No. 1 player in the world, has been playing as of late, it feels like he is more likely to win his second Masters by multiple strokes than finish outside the top 10. Scheffler already has two wins this season, including at the Players Championship, and seven top-10 finishes.

He is, by all accounts, the player to beat this year and perhaps the best ball striker since Woods himself -- no one is gaining more strokes this season than Scheffler, and he's first in tee-to-green and approach shots.

It's not just Scheffler's ability to consistently be near the top of the leaderboard that's impressive, but it's also the way in which he has shown he can win even when he doesn't have his best stuff.

Scheffler, for his part, isn't leaning into any storyline that positions him as a Goliath of any kind, even if his statistics indicate that, and even if a win this week would only add fodder to such a comparison.

"I try not to look too far into the future," Scheffler said. "I think it's just one of those deals where all I'm trying to do is put myself in contention in the tournament and hopefully finish it off. I really am not looking much past tomorrow. I'm focused on my preparation right now. And those things don't really occupy many of my thoughts day-to-day."

For a 27-year-old, Scheffler appears to be hyper-aware of the fickle nature of the sport even given his dominant run. It's why he has leaned on this adage: Golf doesn't define him; it isn't who he is. It's just what he does.

"I happen to be good at it some weeks, and, you know, I come in here and you guys ask all nice questions," Scheffler said. "And then the next week I'm bad at it, and then some of the questions are viewed more negatively. And that's just kind of the ebb and flow of competing in front of people all the time."

Whatever the first three days look like, it is likely that come Sunday, Scheffler -- should his improvement in putting after switching to a mallet continue -- will find himself with a real shot at his second green jacket. And even if it won't change who he is, a win would further cement his status as the best player in the game.

Hovland's big changes

Norway's Viktor Hovland won back-to-back FedEx Cup playoff events at the end of the 2022-23 season, including the Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta, which came with an $18 million bonus.

Hovland, 26, was ranked No. 4 in the world at the end of last year. He has finished in the top-10 in three of the past five majors, including a tie for seventh at the 2023 Masters.

After all that success, why would Hovland make significant changes to his swing? He parted ways with swing coach Joe Mayo, who helped him turn around his short game, and has been working with both Grant Waite and Dana Dahlquist the past couple of months.

"I'm still kind of looking for some opinions out there, but I feel like I'm on a good track right now and we'll see where that takes us," Hovland said Tuesday. "But, yeah, I mean, it's one of those things. Like, I was playing great golf last year, but it's not like I'm trying to change my golf swing. It's just sometimes the game of golf, you try to do the same every day, but then things aren't the same every day when you go to the golf course."

After helping the European team run away with a 16½-11½ victory at the Ryder Cup in Rome in late September, Hovland played in just one official event, tying for second in the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai in mid-November.

When Hovland returned to the PGA Tour at the start of the 2024 season, his swing wasn't the same. He didn't have a top-10 finish in his first five starts on tour and still seems to be searching for answers.

"I took a huge break after last year and when I came back, things were a little bit different," Hovland said. "I had to kind of find my way back to where I think I'm going to play my best golf. And even at the end of the last year, I still felt like, yeah, I was playing great, but I got a lot out of my game and it didn't necessarily feel sustainable. But it's not like I consciously went in and said, 'Hey, we're going to change everything up.'"

Augusta at its best

Even before tournament week began, the chatter in the lead-up to the Masters centered around the course being in incredible shape. Having now been on the grounds for a few days, it doesn't take an agronomist or a professional golfer to be able to tell that Augusta's fairways and greens are showing out, more so than usual. That being said, let the players explain it:

"The course is very firm," Xander Schauffele said. "I think it's in incredible shape. It's probably some of the best shape I've seen it in previous years, to be honest."

"The golf course is stunning," Fred Couples said. "It's firm and fast, and it's really, really nice."

"When we came up here last weekend, it was in perfect shape," Tiger Woods said. "And it's only gotten better, which is hard to believe, but it has."

Having experienced an inordinate amount of bad weather at this event in recent years, it appears that the tournament is due for a good stretch of days this week. The only potential hiccup will be Thursday, as the forecast shows potential thunderstorms and rain showers throughout the morning into the afternoon as well as winds ranging from 10 to 20 mph.

"Obviously can't do much about the weather the rest of the week," Justin Thomas said. "But I'm sure that everybody on the greens staff is very, very pleased with where the golf course is at."

Despite Thursday's forecast, the golf course's current state should hold up well throughout the weekend, when the sun will reemerge and likely continue to dry out a golf course that only gets more challenging in such conditions.

"I was hitting 5-irons that were coming into par-5s that were bouncing, tomahawking over the green, and I was like this is pretty cool, it's been a while," Schauffele said. "And when this property plays that way, you're in full team mode with your caddie trying to figure out if you're middle of the fairway, you can be aggressive; but if you're not in the right place, you're playing to certain spots and trying to leave yourself an uphill putt even if it's 12 feet versus a 4-footer that's downhill."

Another record on tap for Tiger Woods

Despite withdrawing early Sunday during last year's tournament due to an injury that led to ankle surgery, Woods extended his streak of made cuts at the Masters to 23 in a row, tying the record for most made cuts at Augusta previously held by Gary Player and Couples.

Woods arrives at the Masters having played fewer rounds of competitive golf than he did last year, but the belief he could win -- and make a record-breaking 24th straight cut in the process -- is still there.

"I think it's consistency, it's longevity, and it's an understanding of how to play this golf course," Woods said of the record. "That's one of the reasons why you see players that are in their 50s and 60s make cuts here, or it's players in their late 40s have runs at winning the event, just the understanding of how to play it."

Read more: Tiger says Masters win can be his if 'everything comes together'

Woods' institutional knowledge at Augusta is second to none given his history and success at the course. And while Woods said his body aches every day and he wasn't ready to perform at any other tournament since his early withdrawal at Riviera due to sickness, he's hoping that his familiarity with the course will help him overcome any physical limitations.

"You still have to go out and execute it, but there's a lot of knowledge that goes into understanding how to play it," Woods said. "The overall configuration of how [greens] roll and how they move and the angles you take, that hasn't changed. That's the neat thing about this. I can still go through the mental Rolodex and bring out a few putts from the '90s that still move generally in that direction and the effect that Rae's Creek has on certain shots and putts. And it means a lot."

The Masters 2024: Jon Rahm bidding for rare Augusta repeat

Jon Rahm returns to Augusta National for the defence of his Masters title with the chance to become only the tournament’s fourth back-to-back winner.

The Spaniard is bidding to emulate Tiger Woods, who was the last player to do so more than two decades ago in 2002, along with Sir Nick Faldo (1989-90) and Jack Nicklaus (1965-66) in realising the rare feat.

World Number Three Rahm claimed his second Major Championship 12 months ago with a four-stroke victory, on what would have been the 66th birthday of the late Seve Ballesteros.

It also came 40 years on from his hero’s second win at the famed Georgia venue as he became the fourth Spanish player to win the Masters. 

Victory again this week would see him emulate Ballesteros and fellow countryman José María Olazábal as two-time winners. 

"Winning is winning, right," Rahm told the media at his pre-tournament press conference. "But it would be quite special to be one of the few players that have won it more than once and be able to have it at home for more than one year."

Rahm, 29, won his maiden Major at the U.S. Open in 2021 but he insists his victory at Augusta stands above all his other achievements in the game due to its global appeal.

"It is the biggest tournament in the world, with no offense to anything else, but it's probably the most followed one by people that don't even play golf," he said.

"That's I think what makes the difference. Your notoriety goes up quite a bit. But it's also the tradition.

"By being the only venue, we keep coming back year after year, all the traditions, all the shots, all the stories make it so, so special.

"In my case, last year being Seve's birthday, Easter, and all the many coincidences that happened to happen on that Sunday is what made it so special."

Rahm, the former World Number One, is among golf’s biggest stars and in Spanish sport.

As a result, he is hopeful he can continue to help grow the sport as Ballesteros did before him.

"I've said it many times, one of the great things about Seve in Spain is how much he grew the game in Spain," he said.

"When he started playing golf, there was, I think, 15,000 licensed golfers in Spain. And by the time he passed away, there was over 300,000.

"So however I can influence that to increase and have more playing opportunities in Spain and more people involved in the game, in this wonderful game we all love, I think that would be a success in my mind, however that looks like."

Rahm x Olazábal A sixth Masters victory for Spain 🇪🇸 #themasters pic.twitter.com/L2whiIYrtq — DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) April 8, 2024

As is tradition, Rahm will join fellow past winners in Augusta National's clubhouse later on Tuesday for a celebratory meal.

Hailing from the Basque country, his Champions Dinner menu reflects the food of the region and he is looking forward to the occasion, despite the “quite daunting” prospect of making a speech.

"I mean, it's basically all the living legends in this game, active and non-active," he said.

"Everybody who's been somebody in this game is there. So as wonderful as it is to be a part of, it's still a little nerve-wracking for sure."

The Masters 2024: Tee times

Tee times have been announced for the opening two rounds of the 88th Masters Tournament, which begins on Thursday at Augusta National.

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