A guide to the fourth hole at Augusta National, including tips from two-time Masters champion and 34-time Masters competitor Bernhard Langer
Bernhard Langer Augusta National Course Guide: Hole 4
Augusta National Hole 4 – Par 3 – 240 yards
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The fourth is officially the hardest hole on the front nine at Augusta National. It’s a long and demanding proposition, with most players requiring a long iron or fairway metal to get home.
The pin is accessible when it’s on the back left of the putting surface, but when it’s positioned back right – over a deep bunker that lurks ominously in front of the green – it’s virtually impossible to get close.
When the pin is in its Sunday front-left position, perched on a knife edge between two bunker, it plays on average .71 strokes over par. Anyone recording four 3s throughout the course of the week will be delighted.
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Bernhard Langer watches his tee shot on the fourth hole during the second round of the 2014 Masters
Langer: “This is a difficult par three because the hole plays so long it can be difficult to generate both the necessary height and distance off the tee. It is better to be in the front bunker than past the flag.”
Best ever score: 1
Worst ever score: 8
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Memorable moment: In the first round in 1992, Jeff Sluman grabbed a 4-iron and pulled the trigger. His ball landed some 20 feet short of the pin, struggled uphill and crawled into the cup, before his mum ran onto the green and asked for it as a memento. He remains the only player to have negotiated Augusta National’s fourth hole in one stroke.
Worst moment: Spectators may want to get close to the action at Augusta National, but Phil Mickelson ensured they were a little too close in 2012. His final round tee shot on Flowering Crabapple hit the grandstand housing many of the fans and rolled under a bush.
In an attempt to claw it out, Mickelson moved it less than a foot. His next attempt rolled off towards the grandstand again. He eventually finished the hole with a triple-bogey six, which was enough to ensure his bid for a fourth Masters title would roll on.
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