Masters 2024: How do you beat Augusta National? Dominate the par-5s

A surefire way to take apart Augusta National is to demolish its quartet of par-5 holes — Nos. 2, 8, 13 and 15. When Dustin Johnson posted his tournament record 20-under-par score of 268 in 2020, he played them in 11 under par. In 1997, Tiger’s unforgettable takedown of AGNC included a 13-under rout of the par 5s alone.

Those guys were beasts off the tee, but short hitters have made hay too. In the past 30 years, nine Masters champs (in red, below) were ranked outside the top 50 in driving distance the year of their wins.

And these are the ones who beat up the par-5s the best:

PATRICK REED (2018)
Winning score, to par: -15
Score on the par 5s: -13
Birdies: 9; eagles: 2

NICK FALDO (1996)
Winning score, to par: -12
Score on the par 5s: -12
Birdies: 12; eagles: 0

JORDAN SPIETH (2015)
Winning score, to par: -18
Score on the par 5s: -12
Birdies: 13; eagles: 0

ZACH JOHNSON (2007)
Winning score, to par: +1
Score on the par 5s: -11
Birdies: 11; eagles: 0

HIDEKI MATSUYAMA (2021)
Winning score, to par: -10
Score on the par 5s: -11
Birdies: 6; eagles: 3

MIKE WEIR (2003)
Winning score, to par: -7
Score on the par 5s: -10
Birdies: 11; eagles: 0