Story Behind Augusta’s 13th Hole and the Risk That Defines Masters Champions

Originally posted on DailyClubGolf | By Sneha Abraham | Last updated Mar 23, 2026 2:32 PM ET

When walking onto the 13th tee at Augusta, something will shift. The azaleas are everywhere. The fairway bends left and right. Running alongside the entire hole is Rae’s Creek… quiet, patient, and waiting.

Every player who has stood on that tee since 1934 has felt it. Players feel both the urge to go for it and the fear of what might happen if they try.

The 13th hole is a par-5 and now plays 545 yards. In the first Masters, it was only 480 yards. Ever since then, the hole has grown, but the question it asks has never changed.

The creek runs along the left side the whole way, then cuts right across the front of the green. Go left off the tee, and the hole opens up. If a player misses slightly, the water comes into play. When going right, you’re safe, but now the second shot is harder and longer from a bad lie with pine needles potentially in the mix.

Bobby Jones put it simply in 1959.

“A player who dares the creek on either the first or second shot may very easily encounter a 6 or 7,” Jones said.

“Yet the reward of successful, bold play is enticing.”

That’s been true every single April since.

From Nelson to Mickelson: What Augusta’s 13th Demands of Its Champions

Byron Nelson needed a miracle in the 1937 final round, and he found one right here. An eagle at 13 and a birdie at 12 wiped off six shots from Ralph Guldahl’s lead across two holes.

That moment is something that no one has forgotten. The bridge by the tee still has his name on it. Seventeen years later, Billy Joe Patton walked onto this tee on a Sunday afternoon tied with two legends. Ben Hogan on one side, Sam Snead on the other. Patton was an amateur.

This article first appeared on DailyClubGolf and was syndicated with permission.

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