The 2025 Masters Tournament was absolutely AMAZING!
Here are my top 10 takeaways & key moments from the event
1. Rory Getting The Monkey Off His Back
It was really cool to see Rory win. Whether you are a fan of him or not, I think his win is good for golf as a whole.
The narrative going into every Masters is “will Rory complete the grand slam?”. This win now makes room for a new story line to develop.
What that story line will be, I don’t know… what do you think it will be?
I also think Rory goes on to win a few more green jackets in the next 5yrs. IMO I think he’ll get 2 out of the next 5.
2. Rory’s First Round Chip Into The Water On The 15th
Many people were saying that he shouldn’t have been going for that pin even with the chip shot…
I saw a close up of that shot & it just looked like he played it wrong. In the groups before, Scottie hit a similar chip shot with a ton of spin to that same flag. To me it didn’t look like Rory caught the ball as intended.
It looked like he didn’t play it with enough loft. Ideally off that lie he would have played an open face spinner. For some reason it looked like he played a square face pitch that didn’t have enough spin loft for max spin.
The ball kept tumbling over & into the water. He was also not thinking straight as he elected to play from over the water & not to just replay the shot. Strange.
3. Bryson Fading Away In The Final Round
This I did not see coming. After his first hole tee shot when the ball over drew left, you could see all day that he was fighting that overdraw.
I don’t think many heard this on TV but I heard him say to his caddy on 11 (I think) “I just can’t hold the face off through impact”
Bryson only hits draws. So holding the face off for him is his way of keeping the ball straight & not over drawing.
I would love to be a fly on the wall when he has a chat with his coach regarding what it was that created that shot all day for him.
4. Rory’s Decision To Lay Up On 13
IN MY OPINION… & I’m allowed my own as are you…
I absolutely disagree with laying up on purpose on that hole. Rory is one of the longest guys out there, yet he chose to hit 3 wood & 7 iron to lay up.
I understand he had a 3 shot lead & if he had put that wedge shot in the centre of the green & 2 putted, then we aren’t talking about this, BUT…
If Rory makes an easy birdie on that hole as he did all week, he absolutely cruises home & no one can catch him. Even if he hits driver & an iron in the water, he still drops 3, plays 4, & makes 6 at worst. That’s better than the 7 he had.
Or, hits an iron into the back bunkers…
I understand hindsight is a great thing & it’s easy to say this now, but I think if he had just kept the foot down, he could have put one arm in that jacket walking up to 14.
By not actively seeking to make birdie, he made double. You should be thinking of what you WANT to do, not what you DON’T want to do.
He then played a high hook 7 iron on 15… why would you do that yet lay up on 13?
5. Bryson Laying Up On The 3rd
Lou Stagner has posted in the past about the 3rd hole & what the best play is… No matter what the flag location, it’s always best to bomb driver as close to the green as possible.
Rory made birdie doing this in the final round, Bryson made bogey after laying up. With Bryson’s length, I would love to know the reason behind this lay-up…
This felt like an important moment in the round very early on.
6. Players Who WILL Win A Green Jacket In The Future
I think Ludvig is an absolute stud & will win multiple green jackets before he is done. He came 2nd in 2024 & 7th this year even after finishing with a triple. If it wasn’t for that, he would have come 3rd.
He is absolutely going to win one day.
I also think Bryson will win a green jacket one day as well. He’s starting to play Augusta really well after his par 67 comments. He shot 3 over in the final round to lose out by 4. I think he wins the Masters soon.
I think Rory wins more. Now that he has 1, he’ll get a few more.
There are so many others you would THINK suit winning around Augusta… Scottie will win more, Shauffele, even Jason Day I think might get one in the next few years if he stays healthy.
Who do you think suits Augusta & will get a green jacket one day?
7. 2025 Masters Didn’t Need Tiger
The Masters is always better with Tiger in the field. But this year didn’t need him.
I’m a massive Tiger fan & would have loved to have seen him competing, but I honestly don’t think his game would have been ready to continue his epic 24 consecutive made cut streak & it would have been a shame to see that go.
There are a lot of exciting players & storylines now that I feel the event can still be epic without the Big Cat. I do hope we see him make a few more runs at it though… there’s no one who knows Augusta better than Tiger.
8. The 16th Hole Pin Placement
The final round didn’t have the typical 16th pin placement. It was back right as opposed to back left where the slope takes it down to the hole.
This pin placement robs us of the opportunity for hole in ones & the famous Tiger chip in on 16. Probably the greatest shot in history.
Let’s keep the pin back left. Augusta National & the Masters, the colour green & the 16th pin being back left should remain the same… always.
The excitement watching the ball roll slowly down the slope towards the hole is great. Let’s keep that.
9. The Chasing Pack & Winning Requires Luck
Justin Rose was really the only one who came from behind today to give Rory a scare. Ludvig was there but made bogey on 17 & triple on 18.
Winning requires luck. Rory was “lucky” the players who could have come out & chased him down, didn’t.
Not taking anything away from Rory’s play, he played the best, but at the US Open, Rory was on the other side of luck when Bryson did what he did on 18.
Rory also had the shot on 11 in the final round that stayed out of the water by a foot. There has also never been anyone who has had 4 double bogies go on to win the Masters. There is luck involved in every event, this time Rory was on the better side of it where his ball stayed dry when needed & no one other than JR chased him down.
10. Augusta Is The DON Of Courses
Every single year the Masters is held at Augusta & every year the event is as exciting as ever.
We aren’t bored of the course even those we’ve seen the holes before. It’s the moments that have happened on that hole that we are drawn to. Louis double eagle on 2, Bubba’s hook on 10 in the playoff, Jordan on 12, Tiger on 16, Adam & Angel Cabrera in the rain on 18.
Augusta is an absolute beauty but also a beast! Perfect fairways, firm & fast greens, anything can happen at any time & that’s what we love about it.
It always produces epic champions & exciting moments that will live on after we are gone.
I already can’t wait for 2026!
I’m sure I have missed some key moments but those are my top 10 takeaways & key moments of the 2025 Masters Tournament
Did I miss any?
Let me know. Again, these are in my opinion, you don’t have to agree.
