The road from PGA National in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, where the newly rebranded Cognizant Classic will be played this week on that beast of a golf course, to Augusta National Golf Club is 530 miles, give or take a detour into Buc-ee’s.
The Masters is six weeks away, but when the PGA Tour arrives in Florida, about the time the daffodils are sprouting in Georgia, there is an almost magnetic tug toward the year’s first major championship (though to be fair, the 50th playing of the Players Championship next month is a milestone moment, too).
For all the talk about signature events, world-ranking points, a potential global tour, private-equity investment and the eternal speculation about Tiger Woods’ next start, professional golf is built around the four major championships and, specifically, the Masters.
Each sport has its defining event. Take your pick from the World Cup, the World Series, Wimbledon, the Super Bowl, the Final Four or one of multiple world pickleball championships. Take all of them, if you like.
In golf, it’s the Masters.
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