Graeme Agars: On the Masters without any Kiwi's playing

Scottie Scheffler's parking last year's Masters victory as he looks to defend his title.

The world number one heads in as favourite for the crown - looking to become the first golfer since Tiger Woods in 2002 to go back-to-back at Augusta.

Scheffler says he knows his way around the course but he can't use it for confidence.

Victory would also see Scheffler replicate Jack Nicklaus - who won three titles in four years.

Scheffler tees off at 2:15 tomorrow morning - the first group are underway at 11:40 tonight.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Sports Talk podcast with Duncie Wildergrave
from News Talk z'd be.

Speaker 2 (00:12):
Masters Golf correspondent forty four now, what a mad career.
He joins us to talk Masters, eaving Graham Darsy.

Speaker 3 (00:22):
Good to speak with him.

Speaker 2 (00:24):
Great to have you on what is it forty four
years now covering the Masters? I'm amazed you can remember.
Does it still give you a spark when you wander
in there at Augusta?

Speaker 3 (00:35):
It sure does. You know. My two favorite golf tournaments
are the Masters, and it's a fantastic way to start
the year of Majors. And the other one is the
British Open, which is still the most raw event in golf,
particularly if he gets some really nasty weather. So this,
as I said, is just the most beautiful start of

(00:56):
the year. We go back to a course that everybody
knows all about because they play here every year. There's
a huge number of advantages for that, and the place
a hurricane that went through here last year looks absolutely pristine,
even if there are a few less trees than there
normally are, So you know, we're heading for another great

(01:16):
championship in the weather. Is I think going to cooperate.
It's a little bit up and down with a chance
of some showers around early on, but mostly it looks
like being a beautiful spring week in AUGUSTA.

Speaker 2 (01:28):
What so no roaming storm clouds to wreck it all
and try and za people waving their five lines in
the air.

Speaker 3 (01:35):
Well, you don't want to say that in springtime in
this part of the world, because anything can happen. But
the forecast generally is mild temperatures and a chance of
some rain, cloudy conditions and maybe the odds thunderstorm might
sneak in, But we're not talking about that. We're going
to be positive and think that it's going to be

(01:57):
one of those beautiful springtime masters without any nasty weather
upsetting it.

Speaker 2 (02:01):
Yes, let's go along that direction.

Speaker 3 (02:04):
So who's in?

Speaker 2 (02:05):
Who are the favorites, who's looking like they're going to
give it?

Speaker 3 (02:07):
What for?

Speaker 2 (02:08):
After a couple of days hanging around practicing, you got
an inside word for us, Graham.

Speaker 3 (02:14):
Well, we've all been looking for storylines and for two
days of being here and listening to a whole bunch
of players that have come down to this. It could
be between the world number one and defending champions Scottish
Scheffler and Rory McElroy, who needs just this tournament to
complete his collection of all four Grand Slam titles. Rory

(02:36):
has won twice already, including the Players Championship three weeks ago.
Coming into this tournament, Scotti Scheffler is trying to win
his third Green Jacket in four years, if you can
believe that. He of course got away to a bad
start early in the year when he injured his hand
trying to help out in the kitchen, broke a glass
and it damaged the tendons in one of his hands.

(02:59):
That's all recovered. He's a little short of match play,
so coming in there are a few questions about him.
But if you take those two guys out of the equation,
it's wide open. You could pick any one of six,
eight ten players at all. All got a chance of winning,
and it could be a surprising Masters if the two

(03:20):
big stars fail to fire new players.

Speaker 2 (03:24):
You said experience there is everything, so you would doubt.
I know you'd probably know this gram a guys as
anyone turned up on their first A team at the
Masters and walked off with the jacket. And is there
anyone around at the moment that might better fill that spot.

Speaker 3 (03:39):
One player Faddy Zella in nineteen seventy nine. So the
odds stars they are pretty slim. I don't see a
first time winner this time round. You do need experience
to play this course, and we've only had one exception
in eighty eight previous playings of the Masters, So we'll
stick with that and say that it's going to be

(04:01):
somebody who knows their way round. We could get a
surprise win and let's say a guy like Minwu Lee,
the young Australian who won for the first time on
the PGA two weeks ago.

Speaker 2 (04:11):
How good was that? That was stunning? I did last
eighteen was quite something else. Herman is a caddy and
working under the tree. But the way he went through, man,
that is some nerve. That guy's got nerves of steel.

Speaker 3 (04:26):
Yeah, And here's the thing about him. He loves the attention.
Some guys get nervous and you know, sort of don't
want to really be in the spotlight. This guy lives
in the spotlight. So that's why I'm thinking he could
have a you know, a breakout championship here. He played
here last year, so we can't put him down as
a Fuzzyzella rookie, but he's pretty close to it, and

(04:51):
that went on the PGA Tour has given him enormous
confidence going into this tournament. So you know, if you're
looking for somebody a little bit off the beaten track,
he could be good. So could Tommy Fleetwood, the incredibly
talented Englishman who we just cannot get it across the
line in a major. This may be the one that

(05:11):
he does it. He's ideally suited that this game. He's
good around the greens, he's accurate off the tee, and
he's got the sort of game that could win the championship.
And then you've got a couple of high profile live
players that are here at the championship. US Open champion
Bryce and Deshambo Brooks Koepka and John Rahm, who is

(05:34):
a former Masters champion. We don't know how those guys
are actually playing because we don't see them that often.
You can't really take the results on the live too
seriously because it's just the same fifty guys playing each
other fourteen times a year. So that's sort of the
wild cards in the mix of the Championship this year.
They're all good enough to win. We know they've all
won majors, but whether they'll pull it off this week

(05:56):
will be an interesting test.

Speaker 1 (05:58):
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