AUGUSTA, Georgia, April 3, 2012 (AFP) - A hole-by-hole look at the Augusta National Golf Club which will host the 76th Masters from Thursday:
1st (Tea Olive), 445 yards, par 4: Deep bunker on the right, but the contours of the green make it a really tough opener, made all the tougher in 2005 when the tee was pushed back 20 yards. Pine trees on the left side of a slight dogleg right.
2nd (Pink Dogwood), 575 yards, par 5: Trees left are deadly - they cost Padraig Harrington a nine in 2009. Reachable in two, but bunkers left and right short of the green see a lot of action.
3rd (Flowering Peach), 350 yards, par 4: Shortest par four on the course and a real teaser. The pear-shaped green with steep slope in front allows for some wicked pin placings. Winner Charl Schwartzel eagled here in 2011
4th (Flowering Crab Apple), 240 yards, par 3: The back tee - not always used - turns it into a beast with the green sloping from back to front. Jeff Sluman aced it in 1992, the only player to do so at this hole in Masters history.
5th (Magnolia) Par four, 455 yards: Uphill dogleg left with sloping green. A tee shot left allows a shorter second shot and brings two fairway bunkers and harsh rough into play.
6th (Juniper), 180 yards, par 3: From an elevated tee down to a vast green with a huge slope in it. Chris DiMarco shot the fourth hole-in-one here in 2004.
7th (Pampas), 450 yards, par 4: A hole that used to be a real birdie chance was made much more difficult when 35-40 yards were added to the tee four years ago. Trees were also added and five bunkers surround the reshaped green
8th (Yellow Jasmine), 570 yards, par 5: The bunker on the right, about 300 yards out, pushes players left and from there it is harder to find the green in two up the steep hill. Mounds and trees make for trouble left of green
9th (Carolina Cherry), 460 yards, par 4: The tee was pushed back 30 yards in 2002. Multi-tiered green tilts sharply from the back and anything rolling off the front can continue down for 50-60 yards.
10th (Camellia), 495 yards, par 4: A huge drop from tee to green and a big right-to-left shot required to get the maximum run. Over all the years of the Masters the most difficult hole. McIlroy took seven in final round here last year,
11th (White Dogwood), 505 yards, par 4: The opening hole of the fabled Amen Corner trio, this is a hole to be feared since the tee was moved back 10-15 yards, trees added down the right and the fairway shifted left. Water front and left.
12th (Golden Bell), 155 yards, par 3: Probably the most famous par three in golf. Narrow target, water in front, trouble at the back, it has seen everything from a one to Tom Weiskopf's 13 in 1980. Swirling wings make club selection tricky.
13th (Azalea) Par five, 510 yards: Accurate tee shot to center of fairway allows a player to go for the green in two on this sharp dogleg, but it's more of a gamble since tees moved back in 2003. Tributary to Rae's Creek flows in front of green, with four bunkers behind the four-shelved putting surface.
14th (Chinese Fir), 440 yards, par 4: The only hole on the course without a bunker, but three putts are common on a viciously sloping green. Few landing areas where ball will not run away. Phil Mickelson holed his approach in the third round here in 2010 en route to victory.
15th (Firethorn), 530 yards, par 5: Often a tough decision whether to go for the green in two across the pond on the hole where Gene Sarazen sank his 235-yard four-wood shot for an albatross in 1935.
16th (Redbud), 170 yards, par 3: Played entirely over water to a green sloping sharply from left to right, the hole will always to be associated with Tiger Woods' chip-in in 2005 on his way to beating Chris DiMarco.
17th (Nandina), 440 yards, par 4: While the Eisenhower Tree in front of the tee is a famous feature, it does not really come into play much. Control of the second shot is the key.
18th (Holly) Par four, 465 yards: Trees left of the fairway bunkers test golfers with the sand in play for long drivers. Uphill dogleg protected off the tee by two bunkers at the left elbow. Green guarded by two bunkers.