Casey Jarvis heads into the Masters planning to treat golf’s most elite major like any other tournament. But the 22-year-old — speaking from Augusta this week — admitted he needed to get to grips with the unique challenges of the famous layout.
“I know you’ve got to work around the greens,” said Jarvis, who won two DP World Tour events back to back earlier this year.
He took the Magical Kenya Open in Nairobi in February and then won the Investec South African Open in Stellenbosch a week later to earn his ticket to the Masters.
The Augusta greens are notoriously sloped and the nature of the grass around them makes chipping difficult; anything less than a perfect connection can result in disaster. “[I’ll be] hitting as many chips and putts as possible, learning how to play certain shots that I’m not used to,” said Jarvis, who narrowly missed winning a third consecutive tournament when he ended tied for second by one shot at the Joburg Open last month.
“I’ve heard around the greens is very into the grain, so it’s difficult to chip around, so I think playing as many shots as possible... hitting different putts from every part of the green.”
Jarvis — one of three South Africans confirmed for the Masters, along with 2011 champion Charl Schwartzel and Aldrich Potgieter, who missed the cut in his only previous appearance in 2023 — has a few practice rounds lined up.
One is with American Patrick Reed, the 2018 Masters champion who enjoyed two big wins on the DP World Tour earlier this year. Another is with Schwartzel.
South African men’s golf is in its second-longest major drought since Bobby Locke won his first British Open in 1949.
I don’t think of trying to win the tournament — I mean, yeah, obviously I would love that — but I want to see where my game is compared to the best in the world
— Casey Jarvis, SA golfer
The biggest gap is the 16 years from Gary Player’s 1978 Masters triumph to Ernie Els’s US Open victory in 1994, after which Retief Goosen, Trevor Immelman, Louis Oosthuizen and Schwartzel got in on the act.
Now it’s nearly 14 years since Els lifted the Claret Jug.
A new generation of local young talent is being tipped to hoist the South African flag at major tournaments in the near future, like , Potgieter, Jarvis, Christiaan Maas and Jayden Schaper.
But the Boksburg golfer isn’t chasing the green jacket for now. “I’m trying to keep the expectations as low as possible. You don’t want to get them too high before a week like this.
“I don’t think I’m trying to prove myself to anyone by playing well. I’m just trying to take everything in. I don’t think of trying to win the tournament — I mean, yeah, obviously I would love that — but I want to see where my game is compared to the best in the world…
“I’m just trying to see it as another tournament. Obviously I’m excited to be here for the Masters, but I don’t want to get my expectations too high. It’s just another golf tournament at the end of the day. I’m obviously excited — I’m excited for every tournament I play.”
Jarvis has displayed increased maturity this year, tightening up on his course management and controlling his temperament after hitting bad shots.
“I think my mindset has changed in both aspects. I definitely try not to let it get to me. I know it’s hard to do that — every bad shot gets to you — but trying to forget about it as soon as I can [is important] instead of dragging on and letting it affect the next couple of shots.”
The Masters favourite is American Scottie Scheffler, followed by defending champion Rory McIlroy and LIV campaigners Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau, the winner at Steyn City last month.
The odds on the South African contingent are small, though Jarvis is considered the best bet of the trio.
At 41 Schwartzel would become the sixth oldest champion in the tournament’s history, behind the likes of Gary Player, 42, and Tiger Woods, 43.
At 21 Potgieter would become the second-youngest winner after Woods, displacing Jordan Spieth.
Jarvis would be the third-youngest.
He’d also be the first rookie winner of the Masters since Fuzzy Zoeller in 1979.
Only two other first-timers have won — Gene Sarazen in 1935 and Horton Smith, who finished first at the inaugural tournament in 1934.
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