The 2022 Masters tournament just came to an end a few weeks ago. It has come and gone with varying weather, but that did not stop Scotty Scheffler from putting on the green jacket. Although he won, it came with a little bit of drama on the finishing holes after Rory McIlory holed out from the green side bunker on the 18th hole to become within three shots of Scotty. Although he was only three shots of the lead, Scott soon responded with a birdie on the 14th and 15th holes to hold a five stroke lead. Coming down the 18th hole, everyone knew that Scotty was going to win but would never be able to predict what happened on the 18th green. Scotty hit the green and had a birdie putt awaiting to be made to win the tournament. Instead he then proceeded to four putt the final hole and only win by a total of three strokes.

The video posted above shows Rory’s amazing bunker shot from the green side bunker on the 18th hole. After hitting the shot, it brought him within three strokes of the lead, with hopes of Scotty Scheffler choking away his lead. This would cause a playoff which would decide the winner of the tournament. Although Scotty hung onto the lead, it was still an amazing shot to put the pressure on the world’s number one golfer.

Outside the astonishing play that takes place at the masters every year, many people are starting to believe and come up with conspiracies about the famous Augusta National. Many of them include the fake bird, the no phones, the no animals, painted grass, iced flowers, and dyed ponds.

The most famous one is the use of fake birds. Many people that have been to Augusta National have stated that they have not seen any birds within the property of the course but when others watch it live on tv you can clearly hear the birds chirping. Although this is a conspiracy, the tv stations that have covered the masters have openly stated that they have been paid to pump in bird noises to make it seem like it is a place out of a dream.

Another one of the major conspiracies is the dyed ponds, and the “fake sand” in the bunkers of the course. The Augusta National dyes their water to make it seem like it is a bright and healthy blue color so then it is appealing to look at and be shown on national tv. They do this because it makes people want to watch the masters not only for the play but also to look at the natural beauty of the course even though it is not as natural as it seems. Augusta also uses a different type of sand in the bunkers that makes them look brighter to be more visually appealing. They announced that they use grounded up quartz which is a mined material.  After it is ground down to sand, it comes out as a bright white. This adds a lot of features to the course, as one watches it on tv, it is something that sticks out, but also looks right at home.

One of the biggest conspiracies is the famous Azalea flowers on the property might be faked. Many people believe that some of the flowers are iced, and they mix them in with the real ones. People think that they might do this to preserve the looks of the course, but also so that people that are there can really enjoy the feel of the course and feel like they are at a place of true beauty.

Although these are just some conspiracies, there are many others questioning the validity of the Masters and the true beauty. But there are many stories and articles that debunk these theories, with many supporting reasons.