It's no mystery to anyone who has ever watched or followed the Masters that, to be successful, you have to play the par 5s well. Jake Nichols broke this down to its most granular form recently.
I'd like to show here how this has looked when it comes to the holes. What are the historical scoring averages at each hole at Augusta? Is it just in our heads that Nos. 13 and 15 are super easy to score on? (Spoiler: No.)
Here are the 18 holes at Augusta National ranked from hardest to easiest with a note from me on each.
No. 15 (-.22 average score): I'm a bit surprised that No. 15 is traditionally easier from a scoring standpoint than No. 13, but I'm not blown away.
No. 8 (-.20): The only holes that play under par on average are the four par 5s. No surprises.
No. 2 (-.18): In my head, No. 2 is easier than No. 8, though it's probably easier to lose your tee shot on No. 2 than it is No. 8.
No. 13 (-.16): The hardest of the par 5s. But the easiest for lefties?
No. 3 (+.03): The easiest of the non-par 5s. At just 350 yards, I'm surprised it's not a little bit easier.
No. 12 (+.10): No. 12, eh? That's a surprise. Mostly because so many infamous moments have happened here on the weekend.
No. 6 (+.10): This tee shot is wicked. I'm surprised it hasn't scored tougher.
No. 14 (+.10): No. 14 is the lost hole on the second nine.
No. 16 (+.13): My favorite hole. I wonder what the scoring average would be if they put the pin in Sunday position all week. Not +.13, that's for sure.
No. 17 (+.15): The closing stretch is underrated for how tough it is.
No. 18 (+.16): Case in point -- after Tiger Woods made his famous chip-in birdie at No. 16 in 2005, he made bogey-bogey coming home to fall into a playoff with Chris DiMarco.
No. 9 (+.20): With the false front here and the undulation of the green, I'm not sure how it's not higher.
No. 4 (+.23): The toughest of the par 3s. With good reason (it's 240 yards).
No. 5 (+.23): One of the longer par 4s at 455 yards. And if you're left, you're in a lot of trouble.
No. 1 (+.25): The toughest opening hole in golf? Or just the most nerve-racking?
No. 7 (+.25): The tee shot here is insanely narrow.
No. 10 (+.30): My second-favorite hole. And a terrific playoff hole.
No. 11 (+.35): Justin Rose recently told me his favorite hole is No. 11. I have no idea why.
