AUGUSTA, Ga. — The hallowed piece of land represents not only the most famous three holes in golf, but possibly the most pivotal three holes on the most famous golf course in the world in the most visible major championship.
Amen Corner.
It’s made up of Nos. 11, 12 and 13 at Augusta National — spanning approximately 1,220 yards from the tee shot on No. 11 through the 13th green — and undoubtedly will have a significant say in who wins the 90th Masters this week … because those holes usually do.
A lot of history has been made around Amen Corner over the past nine decades. And there’s little reason to think that won’t happen again.
“It’s as pivotal a three-hole stretch as we’re going to see in golf,’’ Gary Woodland said. “I don’t know if you can see a bigger shift in three holes in the middle of a golf tournament that you can like at Amen Corner.
“Eleven is as demanding of a par-4 as you’re going to see. You’ve got to hit two golf shots. And 12, we all know, there’s not many 150-yard par-3s that we’re not aiming at pins on Sunday, and that’s definitely one of them. And 13 is one of the best par-5s in the world. You can make 3 … and you can make 7 pretty quickly. I think that’s the definition of a good hole.’’
No. 11, named “White Dogwood,’’ is a 520-yard par-4 that requires an exacting tee shot out of a deep chute from the woods. The green is protected by a pond to the left and Rae’s Creek crossing the front, which makes the approach shot as difficult as any on the course.
No. 12, named “Golden Bell,’’ is a 155-yard par-3 with a green protected by Rae’s Creek crossing its front and a pitched hill on the front with the grass shaved down. The green is very shallow, making it difficult for players to hold it unless high shots are hit. It, too, has the most unpredictable swirling winds that often confound even the most precise players.
No. 13, named “Azalea,’’ is a 545-yard par-5 that’s reachable in two shots by even the shorter hitters. But Rae’s Creek runs along the entire left side of the dogleg-left hole and snakes across the front of the green. It’s the classic risk-reward hole.
Each of the three holes has been the site of some of the most memorable Masters moments — both good and bad.
- Few will forget Fred Couples’ ball somehow not rolling into the creek on No. 12 in the 1992 final round en route to winning his lone green jacket.
- In 1987, Augusta native Larry Mize holed out a chip on the 11th in a playoff to crush the will of Greg Norman.
- Then there was Norman’s epic collapse in 1996, lowlighted by the mess he made around Amen Corner — a bogey at No. 11 on a short missed putt and a tee shot into the azalea bushes behind the 12th green that was never found. That’s where Norman’s six-shot lead entering the final round was lost to eventual winner Nick Faldo.
- Perhaps the best shot ever hit at Amen Corner was Phil Mickelson’s 6-iron off the pine needles amid the trees right of the 13th fairway in 2010. He sent a missile of an approach to 6 feet and made eagle en route to winning.
- In 2016, Jordan Spieth led by six shots at the turn Sunday and became unglued around Amen Corner. Spieth bogeyed No. 11, then hit his tee shot into Rae’s Creek at No. 12 twice to take a quadruple bogey. That allowed Danny Willett to steal the jacket.
- In 2019, Tiger Woods’ fifth Masters win, No. 12 ended the chances of four contenders on the final day. Brooks Koepka, Ian Poulter, Francesco Molinari and Tony Finau were in contention as they played the 12th, and all of them hit tee shots into Rae’s Creek.
- The worst mess ever occurred in 1980 and it was authored by Tom Weiskopf, who hit five balls into the water at No. 12 en route to a 13, the highest individual hole score relative to par in Masters history.
The name “Amen Corner’’ was coined by Sports Illustrated writer Herbert Warren Wind in 1958.
Depending on how players make it through there, it can either be a religious experience or one that leaves them praying for better results on the final six holes.
“That stretch of holes can be an incredibly important turning point in your round,’’ Cam Young said. “They’re three holes that you can take a lot of confidence from — especially if you get through 11 well. Twelve is a huge test of commitment in my opinion. It’s one of those where you don’t have full control over the ball. The wind is always a little bit of a question mark.’’
Akshay Bhatia called No. 11 “one of the hardest holes I think we play all year,’’ and added, “Then 12 might be the best 150-yard par-3 in the world. It’s so hard, you can look like a fool, (but) you can also look great hitting it to 40 feet.’’
Jacob Bridgeman is playing in his first Masters but has watched a lot of them decided around Amen Corner.
“It seems like every year the tournament goes through there on Sunday and that’s kind of where things happen,’’ Bridgeman said. “That’s where mistakes are made or birdies are made to kind of jump the leaderboard. A lot of history there.’’
Amen.
