Phil Mickelson skipped the 2026 Masters<\/a> (to attend to a “personal health matter,” he said<\/a>), but on Friday afternoon, he found time for one of his favorite hobbies: chumming the water on X.<\/p>\n Watching @TheMasters<\/a> and seeing so few players long enough to go for 13 &15 now has taken away so much excitement and intrigue to the back nine. Another example of how longer isn\u2019t always better.<\/p>\n \u2014 Phil Mickelson (@PhilMickelson) April 10, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n In a reply, he added, “Not a single eagle putt on 13. Crazy [facepalm emoji].”<\/p>\n When my Fried Egg Golf colleague Will Knights pointed out that, in fact, six players putted for eagle on No. 13 in round two, Mickelson replied<\/a>, “6 of 90. Like I said ‘so few.'”<\/p>\n Huh?<\/p>\n Anyway, Phil’s complaint has been a common one among fans ever since Augusta National<\/a> lengthened the 13th<\/a> and 15th<\/a> holes earlier this decade. Mickelson and many others believe these changes have rendered two of the most famous par 5s in golf dull to watch.<\/p>\n Of course, this is a matter of taste. But we might as well be accurate about what\u2019s really happening on the holes.<\/p>\n {{augusta-national-holes-13-15-gallery}}<\/p>\n On No. 15, players have tried to reach the green on their second shots at a high rate. Sixty-three percent went for it on Thursday, 48% on Friday, and 72% on Saturday. Almost everyone in the field appeared willing to go for it after a good drive. Even Brian Harman \u2014 151st on the PGA Tour in driving distance \u2014 gave it a go in rounds two and three.<\/p>\n So to say that few players are long enough to reach the 15th green in two, as Mickelson did, is flatly inaccurate.<\/p>\n When it comes to No. 13, he is slightly closer to being right. In the first round, 33% of the field went for the green; in the second round, 42%; in the third round, 43%. (I’ve included in these percentages a couple of instances where players hit their drive in water, took a drop, and tried to reach the green on their next shot.)<\/p>\n But numbers like these shouldn\u2019t be shocking for a par 5. As Augusta National’s co-designer Bobby Jones put it in 1959, “We call 13 a par 5 because under certain conditions of wind and ground few players will risk trying for the green with a second shot.”<\/p>\n {{inline-article}}<\/p>\n Besides, I don’t think the hole in its current form actually does discriminate against shorter hitters. With the exception of some aging past champions, every player in the Masters field can cover 545 yards in two shots. Just observe Mike Weir, five foot nine and 55 years old, launching a fairway wood at the green in the first round<\/a>.<\/p>\n So why do players lay up on No. 13 more than half the time? Well,\u00a0because the drive is exacting and the approach is treacherous. You need to hit great shots in order to earn a chance at eagle. The added length simply ensures that this remains the case as players continue to dial in their #distancemaxxing protocols.<\/p>\n Critics of the lengthened 13th and 15th holes will insist that layups are boring and more layups mean more boredom. I disagree with that, but I won\u2019t say it\u2019s wrong. Again, it’s a matter of taste.<\/p>\n For my part, though, I enjoy Nos. 13 and 15 more than I did before they were lengthened. I like watching players hit long irons and hybrids into firm, fiercely protected greens. I like that mistakes are more likely to result in water balls. I like seeing contenders make hard decisions in the fairway on Sunday. I like that elite ball-strikers are getting their just deserts. And I even like the layups \u2014 or more specifically, the nuances of how players position their layups to certain pins.<\/p>\n Par 5s are fun. I wish more of them existed at the pro level.<\/p>\n <\/a><\/figure>\n Click on a pin below to preview the hole or visit the full profile.<\/em><\/p>\n \n
Interactive Augusta National Map<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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