For comments: ben.alberstadt@golfwrx.com

Good Monday morning, golf fans, and welcome to Masters week. Azaleas, green jackets, and egg salad sandwiches, oh my!

It’s hard to believe that at last year’s Masters Tournament, LIV Golf was looking like a ship sunk by Phil Mickelson’s “scary m—fers” missiles. The USGA, via a March announcement, had signaled a ball rollback was in its sights, but skepticism abounded regarding whether the governing body would indeed “do something” about the 30-year trend of distance creep at the professional level. And, perhaps most importantly, the Georgia Peach Ice Cream Sandwich was still on the Masters concessions menu.

As a refresher on the tournament itself, Scottie Scheffler (of vest-wrestling fame) who led the tournament by a record-tying five strokes following the second round never relinquished the lead en route to a three-stroke victory over Rory McIlroy. Cameron Smith, now a member of Ripper GC, as you well know, had narrowed Scheffler’s lead to a stroke after the second hole. But when Scheffler birdied the third via a majestic pitch-in and Smith bogeyed, the march to victory was on for the native of Ridgewood, New Jersey.

Storylines

• Can Scottie Scheffler become the fourth back-to-back winner in Masters history?
• Rory McIlroy’s neverending pursuit of the career grand slam (and first major W since 2014)
• Tiger Woods (necessary inclusion)
• What will Phil do?
• LIV – PGA Tour golfer tension in general, at the Champions Dinner, specifically, where six LIV Golfers will be in attendance….and so will Fred Couples.
• Lengthened 13th: Par-5 13th, Azalea, will play 35 yards longer.
• Chairman Ridley’s Wednesday press conference, for reasons LIV and rollback-ish

We asked ChatGPT why the Masters pimento cheese sandwiches are so popular. Here’s the reply from the generative language model.

The Masters pimento cheese sandwiches are popular for a few reasons. First, they are a staple of the Masters golf tournament, which is one of the most prestigious and widely watched golf tournaments in the world. This creates a sense of exclusivity and tradition around the sandwiches.

Second, the sandwiches themselves are delicious and have a unique flavor. They are made with a mixture of sharp cheddar cheese, cream cheese, mayonnaise, and pimentos, and served on white bread. The combination of flavors and textures is both satisfying and comforting.

Finally, the low price of the sandwiches adds to their popularity. At the Masters tournament, the sandwiches are famously inexpensive, which makes them accessible to everyone and adds to the sense of community and shared experience among golf fans.

1 “I definitely love Texas”

Golfweek’s Adam Schupak…”Corey Conners rocked the traditional winner’s boots again, this time after stomping the field on Sunday at the Valero Texas Open in San Antonio, Texas.”

• “Conners notched his second PGA Tour victory – both at TPC San Antonio’s Oaks Course – by shooting a bogey-free 4-under 68, one stroke better than Texas native Sam Stevens.”

• “…The 31-year-old Conners, who trailed by one stroke entering the final day after rounds of 64-72-69, carded three birdies on the front nine, including an 18-footer from the fringe at nine to build a four-stroke advantage at the turn.”

2. ANWA: Zhang fights back to win

Via Golf Channel Digital…”Staked to a five-shot lead, she was 4 over par through seven holes when the final round at the home of the Masters was delayed 3 1/2 hours by storms. She made a bad decision on the par-5 15th to go for the green and went in the water. And she had to watch Jenny Bae stand over a 20-foot birdie putt on the first playoff hole with a chance to win.”

• “Zhang overcame it all. The only easy shot Saturday was her final stroke, tapping in for par from inches away on the second extra hole to beat Bae in a playoff no one saw coming.”

3. Ruoning Yin wins LA Open

Todd Kelly for Golfweek…”Ruoning Yin of China parlayed her first 36- and 54-hole leads into her first LPGA victory.”

• “Yin, 20, shot 68-63-67-71 for a 1-shot victory at 15 under Sunday at the Dio Implant LA Open at Palos Verdes Golf Club in Palos Verdes Estates, California, fending off England’s Georgia Hall.”

• “Yin turned pro at age 17 on the China LPGA and promptly won her first three events there. Now she’s a winner on the LPGA. She is the second golfer from China to win, joining Shanshan Fang.”

4. Brooks first LIV golfer to 2 wins

AP report…”Brooks Koepka became the first multiple winner in LIV Golf when he closed with a 3-under 68, making a 4-foot par putt on the final hole for a one-shot victory over Sebastian Munoz.”

• “LIV Golf-Orlando came one week before Koepka and 17 other players in the Saudi-funded league go to Augusta National for the Masters.”

• “Going into next week, that’s what you want to see,” Koepka said, who finished at 15-under 198 at Orange County National.

5. Tiger arrives in Augusta

ESPN’s Mark Schlabach…”If there were any lingering questions about Tiger Woods competing in the 87th Masters this week, he answered them by showing up to practice at Augusta National Golf Club on Sunday…Woods, 47, has competed in just one official PGA Tour event in more than seven months, tying for 45th in the Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country Club outside Los Angeles in February…Woods, a five-time Masters champion, arrived at the practice range Sunday around 3 p.m. ET and hit balls for about 30 minutes. It will be his 25th start in the Masters.”

6. Norman: LIV golfers’ celebration plan

Jay Coffin for Golf Digest…”Norman told NewsCorp on Saturday that if one of the 18 LIV players invited to the Masters happens to win late Sunday, the other 17 will meet the victor for a celebration near Augusta National’s 18th green.”

• “If one of the guys, no matter who it is, they are all going to be there on the 18th green, they are all going to be there, and that just gives me goosebumps to think about,” Norman said. “When you walk up 18, your caddie hugs you then you see your wife or your mum and dad. Now, to have those 17 other guys there, that’s the spirit we want.”

7. Woosnam hits out at ‘rubbish’ rollback plan

Michael McEwan for Bunkered…”Ian Woosnam has criticised the R&A and USGA over their golf ball rollback proposals, insisting that they don’t go far enough.”

• The 1991 Masters champion believes that plans to introduce a Model Local Rule, designed to knock up to 15 yards off tee shots for the biggest hitters at the top-end of the game, will make little material difference.

• Speaking to the Daily Mail, the 65-year-old said: “They’re trying to roll this ball out. Take five per cent off [the shot length]. Is that going to make any difference? It’s rubbish really.

• “There should be clubs and golf balls for professionals and keep the game as it is for amateurs. There is a scope for doing that.

• “If you wanted to turn professional, this is the equipment you use. Take 25 per cent off the golf ball or the club.”

8. Rodgers on winless frustration

Shane Ryan for Golf Digest…”As Rodgers began his surge to the top of the leaderboard on Friday, it was an occasion to remember the amateur career that seemed to augur big things on the professional level: the way he tied Tiger Woods’ wins record at Stanford, winning the Ben Hogan Award as the nation’s top college golfer and spending 16 weeks as the No. 1-ranked amateur in the world. Now, he has held four 54-hole leads in a PGA Tour career that is creeping up on 10 years, but hasn’t converted any of them.

• “Yeah, disappointing day, but great experience, great to be in that environment,” he said after his round. “Honestly, hats off to Corey … he was clearly quite a bit better than I was today, but definitely something I’ll learn from and bounce back stronger.”

9. Conners’s Winning WITB

Driver: Ping G430 LST (9 degrees)

Shaft: UST LIN-Q M40X 6F5

3-wood: Ping G430 Max (15 degrees)

Shaft: Project X HZRDUS Smoke Black Prototype 75 6.5

Hybrid: Ping G425 (19 degrees @20.5)

Shaft: UST VTS Red Hybrid 85 X

Irons: Ping iBlade (4-PW)

Shafts: Project X 120 6.0

Wedges: Ping Glide 4.0 (50-S12, 56-S12), Titleist Vokey Design SM8 (60-08M)

Shafts: Project X 120 6.0

Putter: Putter: PLD Prime Tyne H

Ball: Titleist Pro V1

Grips: Golf Pride MCC