Major Talking Points

From Bryson's blueprint and Rory's headspace, to DJ's dominance and the possible return of patrons, we consider 10 key questions ahead of the second Masters

- Michael Catling, John Huggan

1 WILL FANS BE ALLOWED BACK IN?

Augusta National claim “to be confident” in their ability to invite a limited number of patrons, especially after 5,000 fans attended the Waste Management Phoenix Open every day at TPC Scottsdale in February. What we know for sure is that the Par 3 Contest – AKA the tournament no one wants to win – will be going ahead, as will the Augusta National Women’s Amateur the week before. But perhaps the biggest difference from November – and every other year that’s gone before – will be that Lee Elder, the first AfricanAmerican to play in the Masters, will join Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player as an honorary starter. The invite, while long overdue, is seen as an important and symbolic step in growing the game and eliminating barriers to entry which, lest we forget, were prevalent at Augusta not so long ago.

WHO IS LEE ELDER?

In 1975, Elder became the first black golfer to play in the Masters. Leading up to the tournament, he received so much hate mail that he rented two houses during the week of the tournament due to fears over his safety. He also had to change in the car park because members would not let AfricanAmericans use the clubhouse. He would play in the event another six times and despite suffering horrendous racial abuse throughout his career (a fan once threw his golf ball in a hedge during a tournament), he would go on to make history as the first African-American to compete in the Ryder Cup in 1979. He ended his career with four wins on the PGA Tour and was recently honoured by Augusta National with two scholarships in his name at Paine College.