The Masters Is Almost Here, and Augusta Is Already Buzzing

That’s where we are now.

The Masters is close enough to feel real, and if you love this game, you know exactly what that means. The first round at Augusta National is just around the corner, the annual Women’s Amateur will kick things off in early April, and the storylines are already stacking up like patrons around Amen Corner.

Naturally, the biggest buzz machine in golf is doing what it always does: generating hope. Tiger Woods said in February that he had not ruled out playing this year’s Masters while continuing his recovery from back surgery, and now a report says his private jet was spotted at Augusta Regional this weekend. Is that confirmation of anything? Of course not. Is that going to stop golf fans from connecting every dot like a true-crime documentary? Absolutely not. And honestly, that’s part of the fun. Tiger and Augusta will always be a pairing that stirs the imagination.

And then there’s the tournament itself, which is shaping up beautifully.

Rory McIlroy will arrive as the defending Masters champion, which still sounds a little surreal and a lot compelling. Scottie Scheffler remains the standard-bearer whenever he tees it up, even if his form looks slightly more human lately to some critics. Ludvig Åberg still feels like the kind of player who could put on a Sunday charge that makes the whole property feel electric. And now Cameron Young heads toward Augusta with serious momentum after winning The Players Championship on Sunday, the biggest victory of his career so far. That is how Masters fever works: one big week turns into one giant question. Who’s next?

For me, this time of year hits differently.

My annual pilgrimage to Augusta is one of the great rhythms of my life, and I do not say that lightly. Since 2010, I’ve only missed three Masters weeks. That’s not just a travel tradition. It’s a personal marker on the calendar. It’s a picture at the end of Magnolia Lane, in front of the clubhouse. It’s the first look at the golf course in that impossible condition. It’s the feeling that, for one week, the game still knows how to be timeless. And yes, it is, by far, the best perk of being a PGA Member.

That’s why the countdown matters.

The Masters doesn’t just arrive. It builds. It hums. It teases. It gives us rumor, hope, nostalgia, and just enough chaos to keep us checking our phones and imagining Sunday afternoon already. Augusta does that better than anything else in golf.

So no, it’s not time yet.

But it’s close enough that you can feel it.

And if you’re anything like me, you’re already halfway there in your mind.

PGA of America Golf Professional Brendon Elliott is an award-winning coach and golf writer who serves as Athlon Sports Senior Golf Writer. Read his recent “The Starter” on R.org, where he is their Lead Golf Writer. To stay updated on all of his latest work, sign up for his newsletter or visit his MuckRack Profile.