Spaniard is seeking his second Green Jacket at first Masters since 1994 without Tiger Woods or Phil Mickelson
H
alf a mile from the gates of Augusta National, at the foot of Washington Road, sits a keyboard and piano store. It closes on Masters week every year. “Spring has sprung and so have we,” reads a sign in the forecourt. Clearly there is insufficient correlation between golf fans and those with a tendency to tinkle the ivories (or similar) for the business to remain open.
Masters mania is not for everyone. This feels a pity; almost nine months since the last putt dropped on the final major of 2025 and 27 weeks on from the Ryder Cup rumpus of Bethpage, golf is back at the forefront of the sporting world. Another date reference is significant. This Masters, the 90th edition, will be the first since 1994 without either one or both of Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson on the draw sheet. Rather than cause for a golfing lament, this provides opportunity. The post-Tiger world need not be as scary a place as so many seem to believe.
Mickelson announced last week he would not compete at Augusta because of a family health matter. He was second at the Masters as recently as 2023, two years after his jaw-dropping victory at the US PGA. While little more is known about Mickelson’s situation, Woods has been subject to analysis the world over after his latest brush with law enforcement when behind the wheel of his car. Woods is thought to be undergoing treatment in Switzerland as he looks to introduce elements of normality to his life. Masters entrants typically shuffle uncomfortably when asked to assess Woods’s predicament. They can switch the storyline over four days inside the ropes.
