How players approached No. 13 green at Augusta National

AUGUSTA, Ga. – It’s been 21 years since Augusta National Golf Club first added extra length to Azalea, the par-5 13th hole at the end of Amen Corner.

The green jackets first moved the tee back 20-25 yards in 2002, then eight years later added another seven yards to the front of the tee box. Ahead of this year’s tournament, the 13^th tee was moved back 35 yards.

“We believe this modification will put a driver in play more often and restore the element of risk and reward that was intended in the original design of the hole,” said chairman Fred Ridley during his annual address on Wednesday.

“And I certainly look forward on Sunday to having someone in competition with a 3- or 4-iron in their hand or even a hybrid hitting their shot into the 13th hole rather than an 8-iron,” he added. “I think on balance it’s going to prove to be the right decision.”

That begs the question: did Augusta’s plan work?

Sure, it’s a small sample size to use just one tournament’s worth of data, especially when two of the four rounds were greatly impacted with inclement weather and numerous delays, but let’s not let a little rain and wind get in the way of a fun thought exercise. After all, we have to start somewhere.

Here’s a look at how competitors played the 13^th hole in Sunday’s final round of the 2023 Masters.

Lay up or go for it?

Augusta National’s depth of stats for the Masters is truly impressive, but there isn’t an annual stat breakdown for “Go or No” on No. 13. The closest thing we have to compare is from the folks at the Fried Egg, who took a look at how players approached the 13th on Thursday.

Of the 86 players in the field, 31 laid up (36 percent) in the opening round, 16 from the fairway (19 percent).

63% of the field went for the green in two, and 36% of second shots held the green. Three players attempted to reach the green from the pine straw right of the fairway. Eight approaches landed in the tributary of Rae’s Creek. — The Fried Egg

In the final round, four of the 53 players who made the cut went OB off the 13^th tee. Of the 49 who were in play, 24 laid up (49 percent), 20 went for the green in two and didn’t hit it (41 percent), and only five went for it and held it (10 percent).

It’s interesting to see a more even strategy during…