Hole 10 – Camellia

PAR 4 – 495 YARDS

You’ve got to sling it off the tee and if you don’t get it going right-to-left enough it can be at least three clubs’ difference.

Not sure why, but the fairway on 10 is often wet, so it’s possible to get mud on the ball. I remember Chris DiMarco got a mud ball and it veered off to the right. Don’t be short here and avoid going left where it runs off down into the trees.

Also the bunker on the right is tricky because of the damp, heavy sand. It doesn’t have the same consistency as the others.

CHARL SCHWARTZEL: “A terrific hole which curves and runs down the hill to a green surrounded by trees. Ideally your tee shot rolls far enough down the hill to give you a fl at lie. If not the second shot is far more diffi cult off the slope. A bunker protects the righthand side of a green that slopes away to the left . Miss left and the chip back up is a real test.”

DENIS PUGH: “This is one of the holes that makes everyone say you’ve got to hit a draw around Augusta because if you don’t you lose a lot of yardage off the tee by leaving it out to the right, and the hole is really built for a big sweeping hook. When you stand on the tee you have to pick an aim point because you just see trees and the horizon and don’t see any fairway. Some players hit 3-wood so they can use the extra loft to make it easier to hit a draw. The worst thing you can do is try and hit the draw and snap hook it like Rory did last year, and we all know what happened there. It’s a difficult tee shot. The green really wants to be hit with a mid-iron but if you don’t hit the draw and leave your tee shot at the top of the hill you’re going in with a rescue or fairway wood.”

MARK ROE: “You see a lot of guys find the sand trap on the right of the green because they don’t want to miss left because it can bounce down into the trees there. You can’t guarantee the strike of a chip shot off the pine needles so it’s brutally difficult if you’re down there. It’s a very tricky green with a very steep slope from back to front and right to left so anything past the hole is very, very quick. It’s another hole where you’d take four pars. That’s the key to Augusta; you play these stronger holes in par and try to make your birdies on the par 5s.”

BILLY FOSTER REMEMBERS: “With Lee [Westwood] we always discuss things. I’ll tell him what I think it is and generally we’ll be on the same wavelength. At times, if I disagree, I’ll say, ‘I think it’s this because…’ and I’ll have to back it up with facts. If he’s got a different feel for the shot, then he might go with his own instinct, but it’s up to me to convince him. It’s how you put it across to your boss.”

PETER ALLISS: “Historically this is the toughest hole at Augusta National. This is another drive into space, requiring a hard hook to gain extra distance. Too far left and the trees prove a problem but too far right and you’ve got a monster second shot. It’s a good idea to just play for the middle of the green and let the ball bounce and spin as it likes to give yourself a chance with a putt.”