There’s hot, and then there’s the tension of the back nine on Sunday with five players within two shots of the lead. The TV weathermen said it was 30°C, but they weren’t at Amen Corner when Rory McIlroy stood on the tee at Augusta National’s 12th hole—that deceptively tricky 155-yard par three—tied for the lead and waiting for the wind to settle so he could hit his shot.
Four days earlier, Tom Watson was asked what one change he would make to the course if he could. He didn’t hesitate. “I’d fill in that creek in front of No. 12.” “Touché,” said Gary Player. “Good move,” added Jack Nicklaus.
“The 12th is the critical hole on the course, and I think everybody here understands that,” Watson said. Player nodded. “That hole,” he said in his own inimitable way, “has crippled more men than polio.”
Yes, everyone in the room blinked when he said it. The point is, no matter how big your lead, you haven’t won until your tee shot is safely across the water. Just ask Jordan Spieth, who gave up a five-shot lead with a quadruple bogey there in 2016 and has seemed to play with a twitch ever since.
Nicklaus once called the 12th “the hardest hole in tournament golf.” He had a rule for it: don’t go for the pin if it’s on the right. Play for the middle of the green, make your par, and get across to the 13th tee box. “It comes down to whether you want to keep it in play,” he said, “or go for a two and come away with a five.” Nicklaus knows. In all his years playing here, he put it in the water only once.
This Sunday, the competition committee had placed the pin—where else?—way out on the far edge. It was so far to the right it could have stood in the special election for Marjorie Taylor Greene’s seat held earlier in the week. The 56-man field had managed only three birdies there all day and was a combined 15 over par.
Here was McIlroy, tied for the lead with Justin Rose, who was playing a few hundred yards ahead, and one shot ahead of Cameron Young, Russ Henley, and Tyrrell Hatton, who was already back in Butler Cabin waiting to see if there would be a playoff.
McIlroy had already lost the tournament once, breaking another of Nicklaus’s rules on another par three. “No fucking double bogeys,” Nicklaus had told him earlier in the week. At the 4th, McIlroy found trouble when his tee shot flew left to the fringe of the large bunker. He blasted out to nine feet but then took three putts, missing a heartbreaking two-footer that rolled around the back lip of the hole and out. The sigh of disappointment could be felt all the way up to the clubhouse.
His putter was so cold it was a wonder no one asked to nuzzle up to it to cool off. And that was before he made another bogey on the other par three, the 6th, when his putt from the first cut stopped dead on the edge. At that point, McIlroy was back to nine under, two shots behind Young. He had been the first player to take a six-shot lead into the weekend at the Masters. Now it looked like he might be the first to lose after doing so.
But being the competitor he is, it was about then that he turned up for his round. He birdied the 7th by finally making a putt, and then the 8th with a wizardly second shot that curved around the trees to the heart of the green. Suddenly, he was right back in contention. Has anyone who can make the game look so easy ever found it so complicated?Now he stands at the 12th, Golden Bell, with the wind whipping in fierce gusts along the creek, rustling the pine needles, and the crowd so silent that the stewards would scold you for even a cough. That famous yellow flag seems to dare him to take it on, and everyone is thinking, “Just do what Nicklaus told you to.”
The club swings down and the ball soars up, up, up into the bright blue sky, over the water, and begins its descent onto the narrow strip of parched grass just beyond the bunker. It bounces once, twice, three times and rolls right up toward the cup. Seven feet left—a birdie putt even he couldn’t miss.
Many players have lost the Masters at the 12th. McIlroy is one of the few who won it there.
Frequently Asked Questions
Of course Here is a list of FAQs about Rory McIlroys approach to Augusta Nationals 12th hole which famously differed from Jack Nicklauss classic advice
Beginner General Questions
1 What is the 12th hole at Augusta National and why is it so famous
The 12th hole named Golden Bell is a short but incredibly treacherous par3 at The Masters Its famous for its narrow green swirling winds and Raes Creek guarding the front Even the best players in the world often make big numbers here
2 What was Jack Nicklauss traditional advice for playing the 12th hole
Jack Nicklauss legendary guidance was to always aim for the middle of the green no matter the pin position He believed taking the water and bunkers out of play was the only way to consistently avoid disaster
3 How did Rory McIlroy defy this advice
McIlroy has publicly stated that he ignores the middle of the green rule Instead he aggressively attacks the pin when its on the right side of the green believing his high soft shot gives him a better chance at birdie
4 Has Rorys aggressive strategy worked for him
Historically the 12th has been a problem hole for Rory However in recent years particularly during his strong performances his aggressive approach has been more successful leading to key birdies and avoiding major mistakes
Advanced Strategic Questions
5 Whats the rationale behind Rorys aggressive play on the 12th
McIlroys reasoning is twofold 1 Technology and Skill Modern equipment and his ability to hit a towering stopping shot reduce the risk of the ball rolling back into the water 2 Mindset He believes playing aggressively with confidence is better for him than playing defensively with fear which can lead to tentative poor swings
6 Isnt this incredibly risky Whats the downside
Yes its highrisk The downside is that a slight miss can find the back bunker or if he comes up short the ball can spin back into Raes Creek A defensive shot to the middle of the green
