Martin Dempster discusses The Masters from Augusta National with sports editor Mark Atkinson.
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00:00Hello and welcome to this episode of the Scotsman Golf Show. My name is Mark Hackington, Sports Editor, and today I'm joined by our golf correspondent, Martin Dempster, who is at the Augusta National, joining us from the press building ahead of the Masters. Martin, I think roughly 24 hours until the action kicks off. It's good morning to you over in Georgia. How are you?
00:27Morning, Mark. Yeah, as always, I'm feeling great here. It's 11th time I've been here, fortunately, and I was every bit as excited. It's the first time I came out here when I left at the end of last week to come out here. So always a pleasure to be here. And as you say, 24 hours to go. And we're really looking forward to a huge week for this 89th edition of the Masters.
00:53Absolutely. Martin, 11 trips to Augusta. That's quite a strong record. I'm imagining, though, that on this trip, it's looking a little bit different this time around. I think it's been well documented that there was a hurricane fairly recently that's left its mark, sadly, on the Augusta National and the surrounding area. Does it look a bit different to you this time around?
01:20Yeah, so Hurricane Helene hit last September, just under 200 days ago. And that might sound quite a long time. But around the city, there's still scars remaining. It was a direct hit.
01:3611 lives were lost. 400 homes were destroyed, totally destroyed. Others were damaged. So it was a major incident in this area. Obviously, a lot of work's been done to get the clear-up operation.
01:51Now, watching on the television, people might not get an idea of how it's changed Augusta National. We've not had a figure yet of how many trees came down.
02:03But there's no doubt that when you walk out on the golf course on certain holes, you see a huge change. Augusta Country Club sits next door to Augusta National.
02:16And you could never see it at all in the past. But from the 11th fairway, the second fairway, you look and you see another golf course through trees on the fifth fairway at Augusta National.
02:30All these holes are just their own corridors. And now, for the fifth fairway, for example, you sort of turn and you can see the sixth green, you can see the 17th tee, you can see the clubhouse from there.
02:44So that's a sign of just how many trees have come down. Some people are saying it's actually maybe not a bad thing. There's still thousands of trees out there, Mark. It's not as though the whole property has been cleared.
02:57But it's certainly given a feeling of more sort of brightness around the golf course. One American said to me that they always say at the Masters that you can hear the roars around the trees, etc.
03:10And now you can see the roars through the trees. So it's certainly different. But at the same time, this is a very, very special golf course.
03:19And I don't think the golf course itself is going to play different at all.
03:23I was going to ask you that, Martin, if you felt that what's happened over the past sort of six to nine months will have any impact on how these golfers find it over the next four days?
03:33No, I mean, four greens were relayed, partly down to what happened. The 16th green, I think a number of trees came down on the 16th green.
03:44So that was damaged. So they've totally rebuilt that, but it's been rebuilt to the exact specification of the old green.
03:51Obviously, technology now, they can sort of record exactly the breaks, etc. on greens.
03:59And that's been rebuilt. The greens are still going to be difficult. They're going to be fast.
04:07But it could be interesting because of the fact that it's opened up a little bit.
04:12There's a wee bit of wind in the forecast for a couple of the days.
04:15So that might add to the challenge more than anything else.
04:19And John Ram was saying that he reckoned over the 10th tee, you can now sort of hit a shot that goes over the cabins on the left.
04:29So there's certainly certain shots going to play different.
04:34But at the same time, this is a golf course that demands proper ball striking.
04:41And that's definitely not going to change due to what's happened over the past few months.
04:47I'll say excitement building, Martin.
04:49We've obviously had quite a few articles from yourself already.
04:52You've been over in Georgia since the weekend.
04:57Is the magic still exactly the same as it's always been for the Masters when you get there?
05:03Does it still feel like you're at the pinnacle of golf at this event?
05:08A hundred percent. Yeah, I don't think there's anyone who comes here.
05:11It might be the odd one, but the majority of people who come here feel that magic the moment they walk through the doors.
05:18I mean, it's an incredible place.
05:20I mean, obviously, Augusta National spend a lot of money here on improving the place.
05:25There's an underground car park being built for the players since last year.
05:30This press building opened eight years ago.
05:33It's like a five-star hotel.
05:35There's going to be a new player facility, three-level player facility in 12 months' time.
05:41But they can do that because it's the only major that's held in the same venue each year, Mark.
05:47So the revenue is huge.
05:48I mean, the merchandise shop, the queue all week long to go into the merchandise shop is unbelievable.
05:56I think it's about an hour it takes to get in.
05:58And people apparently are spending $250 a second in that shop.
06:05That's incredible.
06:05That's all week long.
06:06It's astonishing.
06:08I mean, some people come out laden with 10 bags of stuff.
06:12It's frightening.
06:13And obviously, I don't know if you're aware, there's a craze of a gnome, the Masters.
06:17Yeah, so the Americans, they go daft for this gnome.
06:23That's the first thing they want.
06:25And it's quite funny, I suppose, that someone's come up with this idea.
06:30And I think it's $39, I think it is.
06:33So I've not bought one myself.
06:35I think it would be a bit difficult bringing it home.
06:37So, but yeah, listen, it's a very, very special place.
06:43The golf course is the masterpiece, the showpiece of the week.
06:48But everything around the Masters is magical.
06:53And I certainly had that feeling once again when I arrived here on Saturday for the first time this trip.
07:00Brilliant.
07:01Well, you talk about how many people are wanting to get their hands on this gnome.
07:05For the golfers, there's only one thing they want to get their hand on, the green jacket.
07:10So we had a lot of talk about the two principal favourites you would say.
07:14If you had a quick look at the odds, as they always do, ahead of a major.
07:18And the two names at the top of the board were Scotty Scheffler and Rory McIlroy, two wonderful golfers.
07:27How are you expecting both of them to be at the business end of proceedings come Sunday?
07:31Well, Scotty Scheffler, he's the man to beat.
07:34He's won this event twice in the last three years and on both occasions played the last two or three holes with one arm in the green jacket and then finished the job off.
07:46He's had maybe a little bit slower start to this year.
07:51He had an injury to his hand over Christmas time that delayed the start to his 2025 campaign.
08:01But in the recent Houston Open, he had a 62 and a 63 to finish second or third in that event.
08:10So he's certainly boiling up nicely.
08:14And if Scheffler plays the way he has here the last few years, he's going to take a lot of beating because if he's Tiger Woods almost on the back nine, if Scheffler's name appears here, of all places, it's going to have that impact that Tiger did.
08:32And that's a testament to the golf he's played the last few years.
08:35Rory, on the other hand, of course, he's playing here for the 17th time.
08:42It's his 11th attempt to complete that career Grand Slam.
08:45He needs the green jacket to become just a sixth player to do that.
08:49And it's just never really happened for him here.
08:53He should have won a course in 2011.
08:55He blew that one.
08:57And now there's extra pressure when he comes here.
09:01I would have to say yesterday in his press conference, I thought he was really, really relaxed talking about how he's trying to block out the noise that surrounds him here.
09:12So I think for golf, it would be a fantastic story if Rory McIlroy could do it, Mark.
09:18And he's played some great golf this year.
09:21He's won twice already on the PGA Tour, which is the first time he's done that, coming into the Masters.
09:26So if he can just stay out of his way, yeah, I know that's easier said than done, and let the golf take over, he'll be there or thereabouts.
09:36And boy, would it be brilliant come Sunday if it was McIlroy and Scheffler coming down the stretch.
09:43It certainly would be, Martin.
09:44And then there's one scenario that I'd like more than that, though, and that would be Bob McIntyre coming down the stretch, either with or ahead of them.
09:51Let's talk about Bob McIntyre.
09:53He's got a very good record at Augusta.
09:56I think that people sometimes forget how well he's played here in the past.
10:00Last year, a couple of massive milestone victories, Canadian Open and Scottish Open are the ones that spring to mind for me, Martin, and we're also in a Ryder Cup here.
10:11What should we expect from Bob McIntyre this time around?
10:13Yeah, well, when Bob came here for the first time in 2021, no one really knew who he was over here.
10:21He finished 12th on that occasion, which was a fantastic performance, and that got him back the following year.
10:26He was just outside the top 20 in 2022 and then didn't get an invitation in the last two years, didn't meet any of the requirements to get an invitation.
10:35And I know that certainly hurt Bob that he wasn't here because he fell in love with the place straight away.
10:41What we've got now is Bob McIntyre has come here this week thinking he can win this event.
10:49That tells you the level that he's now at.
10:53As you mentioned, those two wins last year were huge wins, both big events, strong fields.
11:00He's now in the world's top 15, and yeah, he's here with one goal, and that is to join Sandy Lyle, who won, of course, in 1988 as the Scots, to be owners of a green jacket.
11:17And if he gets off to a solid start tomorrow and just keeps it going from there, we could be in for a big weekend.
11:26Fingers crossed, Martin.
11:27I mean, McIntyre is one of many golfers from across the globe that are playing well.
11:32We feel like we've got such an amazing group right now.
11:35Who else have you got your eye on over the next four days or so?
11:39Yeah, I mean, obviously last year, if you look at Xander Shoffley, he won two of the four majors.
11:46He made his breakthrough in the marquee events and the PGA Championship at Valhalla.
11:51And then, of course, followed that up by winning the Open Championship at Royal Troon.
11:57So he's certainly got a game for the big occasions.
12:01Obviously, we've got no Tiger Woods here this week.
12:05Tiger, along with Sandy and Vijay Singh, didn't attend the Champions Dinner last night.
12:10He's recovering from an Achilles surgery.
12:13So he's not here.
12:17But the likes of someone like Akshay Batia, an American left-hander, left-handers of a great record here.
12:23And that's why Bob feels he can do well here too.
12:27Akshay Batia, a young American.
12:31I always like, when you come here, someone like Jordan Spieth.
12:34Jordan Spieth had a great record here when he won.
12:38And then he was there or thereabouts every year.
12:42He's not been at his best the last couple of seasons.
12:45But you just get the feeling, someone like Jordan Spieth, if he gets that putter going, he can certainly be up there.
12:53Everyone's going to be looking at Bryson DeChambeau.
12:56Got off to a good start last year.
12:59He's, I think, 12 live golf players here this week.
13:02He's a man who loves majors.
13:05He's won two already, two U.S. Opens.
13:08And he obviously talked here about how the par was 67 a few years back.
13:14He's left to regret that because he's never really, that's never been backed up by him.
13:18And it was a ridiculous statement anyway.
13:21But Bryson DeChambeau, when he beat McIlroy in the U.S. Open at Pinehurst last year,
13:27he showed that he's a guy who really thrives on these big events.
13:34And if he's another one in the mix come Sunday, we're definitely in for a treat.
13:40It's going to be a great, great event, Martin.
13:41Before I let you go, I just want to ask about the crowd.
13:44I'm always intrigued by crowds at golf events because you've got some that are very serene and respectful
13:50and some that are increasingly rowdy.
13:53And, of course, with the Ryder Cup coming up, that always brings partisan nature.
13:57What is the Masters crowd like in general?
14:01What's it like to play in front of the patrons and the people that come along and watch?
14:04Yeah, of course, you did use the right word there, Mark.
14:07The patrons.
14:08We're not spectators here.
14:09They're patrons.
14:10This is a very special place for me for people watching golf because people are not allowed mobile phones out in the course.
14:22We are not allowed mobile phones out in the course.
14:25Very few people can walk inside the ropes.
14:29Photographers have to be outside the ropes.
14:31Journalists like myself are outside the ropes.
14:33It's a very clean environment inside the ropes.
14:35And I love that.
14:36And also, the patrons here are not your ones that are shouting bababooey and all that.
14:46If there's people like that, there's Pinkerton guards around the course that tap them on the shoulder and say that,
14:53no, can you refrain from doing that?
14:56Now, some people would say that's a load of rubbish.
14:58But I really like the fact that it's a more clean environment here.
15:06Yes, people get excited.
15:07The roars are huge.
15:09But compared to what you may refer to there, the Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black in September,
15:15this will be a tea party compared to that because that is going to be off the charts.
15:22But, yeah, I mean, listen, it's hard to get a ticket for the Masters.
15:26Because it's the first major of the year, because it's here at Augusta National, because it's the Masters,
15:33all those factors make it so special.
15:37And it's great.
15:38It's so colourful out there.
15:40All the women have got Masters green dresses and hats and everything.
15:44It's a real occasion.
15:46And it's great for golf.
15:49There's no doubt about that.
15:50I know some people that, strangely, don't like the Masters.
15:55They're big open fans.
15:56There's nothing wrong with that.
15:57But everyone here this week, you can tell they're excited.
16:02And I'm no different.
16:05Brilliant.
16:06Well, Martin, you're going to have a slew of content coming as well as this video.
16:10We'll have your scene setter.
16:12We'll have all the information about Bob McIntyre and when he's playing.
16:17And, of course, updates, analysis, comment on the next four days of golf.
16:22We'll have it on the Scotsman website.
16:25And, of course, we'll have it in the Scotsman and then the Scotland on Sunday as well.
16:29And finally, from me, Martin, what does the next 24 hours look like for you in terms of the event?
16:35Is there a bit of a calm now on the day before the event starts?
16:39Yeah, well, the majors are strange now because all the players like to get their interviews out of the way on Monday, Tuesday.
16:46So it's a quiet day in terms of people coming in the media centre.
16:50We've got Fred Ridley, the Augusta national chairman, comes in and gives an annual address.
16:55So it'll be interesting to see what he's got to say.
16:58And then it's a case of writing a scene setter, which is all set down.
17:03It's like, OK, we've listened to what players have had to say.
17:06And it's then trying to write a piece that sets the scene.
17:09So I'm also going to the American golf writers have a dinner on the Wednesday night.
17:14And I'm going along there tonight, Mark, because Louine Mayer, the wife of Norman Mayer,
17:21who was a legendary Scotsman golf and rugby correspondent.
17:26Louine is a golf journalist herself.
17:29She currently works for Global Golf Post, and she's receiving a Lifetime Achievement Award at that dinner tonight.
17:38So Louine lives in Edinburgh, a terrific journalist.
17:43And it's going to be a real honour for her tonight.
17:47And I'm looking forward to going along and seeing her pick up that award.
17:50Brilliant, Martin.
17:52Well, I think a lot of people will be watching this with a tinge of envy, I'm sure.
17:57But what they don't realise is just how hard work it is to cover a major golf event, certainly the Masters.
18:03So you'll be a busy man over the next four or five days.
18:07We'll catch up again, no doubt, on video over the course of the event.
18:11As I said before, keep in touch on the website and also in the paper for all the best bespoke coverage
18:17from the Scotsman ahead of the Masters.
18:20But for myself and Martin at the Augusta National Press Room, it's goodbye for now.