Nothing around Augusta National is exactly what it seems. You’ve maybe read, here and elsewhere, all the old stories about the place. Those bird noises you hear on the TV coverage? They say they’re dubbed in by the broadcaster. That azure water in the ponds? The groundskeepers are supposed to dye it just the right hue of blue. And all that immaculate grass? The whisper is they spray paint the bare patches. The club have always refused to confirm or deny any of it. Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain, just enjoy the azaleas and have another cup of iced tea.
This year, though, the atmosphere here feels even more unreal than usual. For this week, at least, someone seems to have called off the uncivil war that’s split the sport between the rival tours. Seems those famous southern manners are infectious.
Apparently, Sergio Garcia didn’t know anything about the news of the landmark ruling made by the arbitrators in favour of the DP World Tour’s decision to sanction the 12 players who joined LIV, even though it was all anyone was talking about on Tuesday, and directly affects him. “I haven’t heard,” Garcia said. “I haven’t been a part of it. I tried to stay away from all that.” Rory McIlroy didn’t have an opinion on it either, other than “if the arbitration panel think that’s the right decision, then I have to go by what they say”.
Tiger Woods, meanwhile, absolutely doesn’t have anything to do with the fact that his management company, Excel Sports, doesn’t have any clients on the LIV tour. “That’s about Excel and what they want to do,” he said. “No, I do not have any direct influence”, although, he added with that familiar grin, “I have my opinions.” And as for Phil Mickelson, well, he’s just delighted to be back here after missing it last year. “It’s great. It’s fun to be back. Everyone has been wonderful,” he said on Tuesday. “Everybody here is so classy. Gosh, it’s fun to be here.”
Just last month Fred Couples described Mickelson as a “nutbag”, said that he didn’t think he’d ever talk to him again, and that “if you’re giving Phil Mickelson 200 million at age 52 to shoot 74 and 75, God bless you”. Well apparently that’s all behind them too. “I would love to be paired with Phil,” Couples said earlier this week. “I mean, he’s one of the best players that ever played. He loves this place as much as I do, and if we did, we’d look at each other on the first hole and we’d have a good time.” He also called Garcia a “clown”, then described him this week as “one of the Top 10 players I’ve ever seen hit a ball.”
“Fred and I are longtime friends and we’ve had a lot of great experiences in the game of golf,” said Mickelson, “I think the world of him, and I hope we have a chance to have more great experiences with him as well.”
It’s like this every which way you turn. “I haven’t felt any tension, it’s just nice to see them again,” says Thomas Pieters. “Everything’s been good, man, we’re still the same people,” offers Brooks Koepka. “Everybody has been fantastic, I’ve had no issues,” adds Bryson DeChambeau. “For me it’s the same. All my buddies are still my buddies, and we play, and it’s still golf,” drawled Dustin Johnson. There’s more bromides flying around the range than balls.
But then you don’t keep a dog and bark yourself, and away from Augusta, in court rooms and board rooms around the world, there are battalions of well-paid lawyers going back and forth over the various lawsuits between the tours. Back at the course, it’s beginning to feel almost as if the players have agreed between them that while they’re on the grounds then it’s all out of bounds, and for now, no one’s mentioning the fact that some of the legal teams have been going around handing out subpoenas to the other players on Christmas Eve.
Maybe it’s that, as McIlroy said, “this week and this tournament is way bigger than any of that”. More likely it’s that the club themselves have let the players know what they expect from them.
“I’ve noticed the tone has been really good here this week,” said Augusta National chairman Fred Ridley. “I’ve noticed the players are interacting. Last night at the Champions Dinner, I would not have known that anything was going on in the world of professional golf other than the norm.” Mmm-hmm. According to 1979 champion Fuzzy Zoeller, Mickelson “sat near the end of the table and kept to himself, he didn’t speak at all.” The 1973 champion Tommy Aaron said he “couldn’t believe how quiet he was. Phil took a very low profile. He didn’t say a word.”
If you want an idea of how people really feel, keep a close eye on the 18th green come Sunday. LIV’s ringmaster Greg Norman, who’s been blackballed from the tournament, promised that the 18 golfers here from his tour will all be there to celebrate together if one of them wins this week. For McIlroy, Woods, and everyone else on the other side of the divide, there’s no doubt that sounds like a challenge. There’s plenty at stake at every Masters, but this year, there’s a little extra to go with it, whether or not any of the players are going to admit it.
