It’s that time of year again for golf fans. The stunning course at Augusta is opened up for the best of the best to put on a display in the most exclusive tournament in golf.
Unfortunately for Kiwi golf fans, there is no Ryan Fox there this year.
Fox missed out on the invitation this year due to him not finishing in the top 12 of last year's Masters or being currently ranked in the top 50 in the world. To earn an invite, he needed to win any of the recent PGA events, which he was unable to do.
It did briefly look promising for Fox who was in contention at the Houston Open, before dropping away, ending up tied for 15th after the last round.
Who will earn the green jacket this year though? Reigning champion Scottie Sheffler is the favourite, while world number two, Rory McIlory searches for his first title to complete the winning of all four majors.
Heavy hitter Bryson DeChambeau is also tipped to be right in the mix, as well as former winner Jon Rahm and 28-year-old American Collin Morikawa.
The first of the traditions took place overnight with Scottie Sheffler’s Champions dinner, and the par three contest early this morning. Nicolas Echavarria looks to break the curse and become the first contest winner to push through and win the green jacket.
The first round starts late tonight, with the first tee time at 11:40pm NZT, and will go through to early tomorrow morning, with the last group planned to start at 5:45am NZT.
