Wednesday 6 April 2016 19:26, UK
Augusta National chairman Billy Payne has confirmed that changes are being considered to "many holes" following the recent purchase of neighbouring land.
There has been speculation over the future of the 13th hole in particular, with suggestions that the par-five could be lengthened from its current 510 yards, with a new tee being introduced on land formerly owned by the Augusta Country Club.
The fourth and fifth holes could also be considered for a redesign, but it is the par-five 13th that is more under scrutiny with a number of players able to take the dogleg out of play with a huge drive.
Six-time champion Jack Nicklaus said on Tuesday that he would rather see changes to stop the ball travelling vast distances, but Payne insisted using modified equipment specifically for the Masters would be a "last resort".
"As we do every year, and historically forever, we are always looking at options for a number of our holes," said Payne at his annual pre-tournament press conference. "We create plans looking into the future, when we believe that the shot value of certain second shots, principally, has been impacted by how far the ball is now travelling.
"As a consequence, 13 is one of those holes we are studying. We have made no decision whatsoever. Plans are underway to be considered, and as I said, that is one of many holes that we now have under consideration.
"As we've stated many times going back many years, we retain all options. At the same time, it's not something we would want to do. And as it relates specifically to 13, which seems to be the subject du jour, we think there are multiple options where we could increase the difficulty of the hole and restore the shot values, only one of which deals with extending the length.
"So we are in the middle of all of those studies, a lot of arithmetic, lot of design issues, and we would only resort to equipment as the last resort because we believe that the governing bodies in golf deal with that very effectively."
