By Tony Webeck

The old adage says that The Masters doesn’t start until the back nine on Sunday but the six-strong Australian contingent and potential comeback of Tiger Woods means there will be wall-to-wall coverage all week.

Current world No.6 Cameron Smith and 2013 champion, Adam Scott, lead the Aussie charge that this year sees something of a changing of the guard with three 20-somethings to make their debuts at Augusta National Golf Club.

Sydney’s Cameron Davis was the first of the debutants to secure the most coveted invitation in world golf when he won his maiden PGA TOUR title at the Rocket Mortgage Classic last July, Lucas Herbert adding his name to the invite list when he won the Butterfield Bermuda Championship in October.

The youngest of the Aussie contingent, Min Woo Lee had to wait until the final week of the Official World Golf Ranking in 2021 to have his place confirmed, ending the year ranked No.49 in the world to meet one of the Augusta National criteria.

He played a practice round with Scott on Monday and has the creativity and shot-making skill to make an immediate impression at The Masters.

The PGA of Australia and Golf Australia will have daily coverage and the official tournament website, masters.com, delivers a wealth of the most up-to-date and comprehensive coverage.

The television coverage on free-to-air and Fox Sports is also extensive with 9Gem and 9Now providing live coverage from the Par 3 Contest on Thursday morning AEST and all four days of the tournament.

TV coverage AEST

Wednesday 9am Live From The Masters on Fox Sports 503

Thursday 5am Par 3 Contest live on 9Gem and 9Now 5am Par 3 Contest live on Fox Sports 503 8am Live From The Masters on Fox Sports 503

Friday 12.30am Amen Corner – Round 1 on Fox Sports 503 1.45am Holes 15 and 16 – Round 1 on Fox Sports 506 5am Amen Corner – Round 1 on Fox Sports 505 5am The Masters – Round 1 on Fox Sports 503 5am The Masters – Round 1 on 9Gem and 9Now 9.30am Live From The Masters on Fox Sports 503

Saturday 12.30am Amen Corner – Round 2 on Fox Sports 503 1.45am Holes 15 and 16 – Round 2 on Fox Sports 506 5am Amen Corner – Round 2 on Fox Sports 505 5am The Masters – Round 2 on Fox Sports 503 5am The Masters – Round 1 on 9Gem and 9Now 9.30am Live From The Masters on Fox Sports 5035am LIVE on 9Gem and 9Now

Sunday 1am Masters On The Range on Fox Sports 505 1.30am Amen Corner – Round 3 on Fox Sports 503 2.30am Holes 15 and 16 – Round 3 on Fox Sports 506 5am Amen Corner – Round 3 on Fox Sports 505 5am The Masters – Round 3 on Fox Sports 503 5am The Masters – Round 3 on 9Gem and 9Now 9am Live From The Masters on Fox Sports 503

Monday 1am Masters On The Range on Fox Sports 505 1.45am Amen Corner – Final Round on Fox Sports 503 2.30am Holes 15 and 16 – Final Round on Fox Sports 506 4am Amen Corner – Final Round on Fox Sports 505 4am The Masters – Final Round on Fox Sports 503 4am The Masters – Round 1 on 9Gem and 9Now 9am Live From The Masters on Fox Sports 503      

Australian Player Profiles

Cameron Smith World ranking: 6 Age: 28 Major wins: 0 PGA Tour wins: 4 Best finish at The Masters: T2 in 2020 Best finish in 2022: Won Sentry Tournament of Champions, THE PLAYERS Championship Key stat: 2.048 Strokes Gained: Total (2nd) The quote: “I feel pretty hungry. Pretty good time of year to be playing good golf. Still been working hard the last couple of weeks at home and I really can’t wait to get back out here this week. I’ve had three weeks off after THE PLAYERS, just ready to compete.”

Adam Scott World ranking: 36 Age: 41 Major wins: 1 (2013 Masters) PGA Tour wins: 14 Best finish at The Masters: Won in 2013 Best finish in 2022: T4 at Genesis Invitational Key stat: +0.602 Strokes Gained: Putting (13th) The quote: “I’m not a bookmaker, but I think I’ve been playing generally well, and I really like playing here. I’m comfortable here. I’ve addressed a few things in my golf game that are moving in the right direction. There’s no reason why, if I find a nice rhythm out on the golf course this week, I can’t be right there at the end on Sunday.”

Marc Leishman World ranking: 43 Age: 38 Major wins: 0 PGA Tour wins: 6 Best finish at The Masters: T4 in 2013 Best finish in 2022: T10 Sentry Tournament of Champions Key stat: 4.58 Birdie Average (11th) The quote: “Who knows if I will or not, but I just love the moment of when you’re here and you’re on that back nine on Sunday and you’ve got a chance to win. I feel like I thrive in that moment. I’ve played well in that position before, just haven’t played well enough to leave here with that green jacket. I have fun with it, and I don’t put too much pressure on myself, and I think that’s important for me.”

Lucas Herbert World ranking: 44 Age: 27 Major wins: 0 PGA Tour wins: 1 Best finish at The Masters: First appearance Best finish in 2022: T7 Arnold Palmer Invitational Key stat: +0.820 Strokes Gained: Putting (5th) The quote: “I felt like the golf course actually suited me more than I expected it to. I was concerned for a few shots there that probably didn’t suit the strengths of my game but it actually wasn’t as bad as I thought it was going to be for me. I thought it actually suited me reasonably well in a lot of ways.”

Min Woo Lee World ranking: 59 Age: 23 Major wins: 0 PGA Tour wins: 0 Best finish at The Masters: First appearance Best finish in 2022: T4 Fortinet Australian PGA Championship Key stat: +0.54 Strokes Gained Around the Green (3rd, 2021 DP World Tour) The quote: “I went to Augusta a couple of weeks ago and had a couple of practice rounds and it was amazing. It’s a bit different to what it looks like on TV so I’m excited to get going. Hopefully I can play well this week; it will be an amazing experience.”

Cam Davis World ranking: 96 Age: 27 Major wins: 0 PGA Tour wins: 1 Best finish at The Masters: First appearance Best finish in 2022: T10 Sentry Tournament of Champions   Key stat: 32.35 per cent, Going for the Green – Hit Green Percentage (12th) The quote: “I had a hit a couple of weeks ago, and it was a little slow, but seeing it at tournament speed has really brought the course alive. It’s a lot of fun. Just sitting there seeing everything you’ve seen on TV in person, that’s the biggest part. Walking down 10, seeing Amen Corner for the first time. It’s just knowing exactly where everything is and seeing it there in person with your own eyes, it’s a really cool feeling.”