J.J. Watt shares details from the round he played at Augusta

CBS analyst J.J. Watt on the field before Super Bowl LVIII between the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers at Allegiant Stadium. Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

J.J. Watt shares surprising details from the round he played at Augusta

By Steve DelVecchio | Last updated Apr 14, 2025 7:01 PM ET

J.J. Watt had an opportunity to play at Augusta National Golf Club the day after Rory McIlroy won the Masters, and it sounds like the former NFL star more than held his own.

Watt revealed last month that he was invited to play Augusta the day after the conclusion of the 2025 Masters. The once-in-a-lifetime opportunity arrived on Monday, and Watt says he shot a very respectable score.

Watt played from the members' tees, which he estimates are about 1,100 yards further forward than the tees played during the Masters. The three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year says he shot a 103 with no gimme putts, no free drops and having to put the ball in the cup on every hole. The pin placements were in the same spot that they were in during the final round of the Masters, according to Watt.

Augusta National Round Update:

- Played from Member tees
- Sunday pins
- Ball-in-hole
- No gimmes, no free drops, etc

First 9: 49
Second 9: 54
Total: 103

Extremely pleased with that result.
What an unbelievable experience at an unbelievable place. Very grateful.#Masters2025
— JJ Watt (@JJWatt) April 14, 2025

Watt said he made one par in the round, which was on the first hole.

Fans will just have to take Watt at his word, but shooting a 103 at Augusta National under all of the circumstances he listed would be remarkable for any casual golfer.

When Watt revealed in March that he was invited to play Augusta, he estimated that he is around a 25 handicap. He also said he had not swung a golf club in a year.

If Watt shot 31-over par on the course where McIlroy completed the career grand slam, even playing 1,100 yards further forward, he just had the round of his life in more ways than one.

Steve DelVecchio

Steve is a veteran writer who has covered a variety of sports and pop culture topics for more than 15 years. In addition to Yardbarker, his work has been featured on prominent digital publications including Larry Brown Sports, MSN and FOX Sports. The UConn graduate has published more than 40,000 stories and is one of the most experienced trending news writers in the country

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