The big change Augusta National officials must make to avoid anticlimax on Sunday at The Masters

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There was plenty of excitement on Sunday at The Masters just like there almost always is.

Rory McIlroy won his second green jacket after posting a final round 71 at Augusta National on Sunday.

He is now a two-time Masters champion and became only the fourth man in the history of the game to defend his title at Augusta.

McIlroy proved to be a worthy Masters champion once again in 2026, after the drama we witnessed at Augusta National in 2025.

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McIlroy played numerous practice rounds at Augusta before the Masters and he got his rewards for putting so much effort in.

It was a thrilling final round to witness on Sunday as McIlroy switched from being fallible on the front nine to almost bulletproof on the back.

However, it feels like, without being too greedy, Augusta National are missing a trick with one hole in particular.

Augusta National must change one thing to avoid Masters anticlimax

It almost feels ungrateful as a fan to demand even more excitement at The Masters.

Augusta National hosts arguably the most exciting tournament to watch on the entire golfing calendar.

However, there is one way that they could increase the excitement even more.

The time has come for the back left pin on 16 to be scrapped on Sunday. It should be a moving day pin on Saturday.

What pin do you think Rory McIlroy would have preferred on the 16th hole?

Of course, the back left pin would have been his preference.

Can you imagine the tension he would have been feeling if the pin was back right or front right?

A miss right of the green and he would have been fighting for his life for a par while a miss left would have left him an extremely challenging 50-foot two-putt for par up the hill.

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In highly pressurized situations, judging the speed on a long putt is one of the hardest things to do.

The back right pin on 16 actually ensures for little drama. Players can hit their ball pretty much anywhere into the middle of the green and it rolls down towards the hole.

Bogeys are rare because if players do miss the green, literally on any side, they are left with a simple up and down because all they have to do is chip into the middle of the surface and the ball rolls towards the flag.

16th pin on Masters Sunday is the safest spot on the green

There is almost zero jeopardy with the back left pin on 16 at Augusta National on Sunday at The Masters.

Of course, if a player is brave enough to fire at the flag, and pulls off the shot he wants, he may well make a birdie.

The back right or front right pins still allow for birdies, but they bring bogeys into the equation as well.

However, the back left pin simply doesn’t allow for as many mistakes. There is no scope for two-shot swings in the final groups, and that is something the Augusta National officials need to realize.

16 played as the fourth easiest hole on Sunday, with an average score of 2.74 after 22 birdies and only four bogeys were made all day.

However, with the front right pin on Thursday, the field averaged 3.15 on the 16th hole, with only eight birdies being accompanied by 16 bogeys.

In 2027 and onwards, the pin on the 16th should be placed on the front right of the green for the final round.