Masters disasters: Two golfers post a 9 on the 15th hole at Augusta
· Yahoo Sports
Gene Sarazen hit what many consider the most famous shot in Masters history when he made an albatross in 1935, holing out his second shot on the par-5 15th hole.
On the other end of the scoring spectrum on that hole is the 13 recorded there by Sergio Garcia in 2018, one year after he won his first and only major the 2017 Masters.
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That unlucky 13 is the highest score posted on the par-5 hole at Augusta National Golf Club and one of three 13s recorded on the course, making it the highest score on a hole in the Masters.
On Thursday, in the first round of the 2026 Masters, there were no 13s but there were a pair of 9s.
Fred Couples had one of them. The 66-year-old was actually cruising through 14, sitting at 2 under and creating some "what if" thoughts. But after laying up with his second on the 15th, he proceeded to rinse back-to-back wedges. His seventh shot finally got over the water and then he two-putted for his 9.
“I actually had a perfect yardage,” Couples said of his 90-yard third shot at No. 15. “I had seen a couple other guys, not in my group, but skip it over that green. I just felt like it was a shot I can handle.”
Following his nine at No. 15, Couples admitted, “All the gas was gone.”
Later in the day, it was Robert MacIntyre who carded a 9 on 15. He tried going for the green with his second shot but it came up short and rolled back into the water. After a drop, his fourth also wasn't strong enough bouncing a few times before rolling into the lake. He was certain to be dry from there, hitting his next one well over the green. His seventh was a chip onto the green and two putts made it a 9. MacIntyre went on to sign for an 8-over 80.
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Masters 2026: Fred Couples, Robert MacIntyre 9 on 15th hole at Augusta