AUGUSTA, Ga. — The only thing better than watching players on the back nine on Sunday at Augusta National is hearing players on the back nine on Sunday at Augusta National.
Perhaps the best moment of the day in this regard during the final round of the 2024 Masters came on the 11th hole between Max Homa and his caddie Joe Greiner.
Homa was seven under at the time, just two back of Scottie Scheffler. Homa striped his drive down the middle of the fairway but then faced an uncomfortable approach into the par 4. With the wind gusting right-to-left, Homa set up over his ball, then backed off.
That's when Greiner stepped in with some A-plus caddieing, flooding the zone with lots of positive feedback.
"We got plenty of time," he told Homa, referring to the group ahead still not vacating the 12th tee.
"If it's staying consistent, it's fine," Greiner said of the wind.
"Our target is still the right side of the green," he reminded Homa, referring to his target.
"Everything you're doing, you're thinking about it the right way," he said.
When Homa reset and was ready to hit the shot, Greiner revealed where his target was.
"The right side of the 12th green," he said. "Short-right is where you're going to be."
It may surprise fans that a Masters contender would aim essentially that far to the right of the green, but that's the play on this hole. Aim for safety, and draw it back. That's what Homa did on this occasion—a tight draw to the front right of the green. And a few moments later, that's the line Scheffler took, too.
For Homa, the decision paid off. He hit the green, the ball stopping 32 feet from the hole. He two-putted for par, which is a big deal when you consider that Collin Morikawa and Ludvig Aberg both hit their approach shots into the water on this opening hole of Amen Corner, leading to double bogeys that greatly hampered their chances of catching Scheffler.
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