Most of Augusta National’s challenges are easy to spot. Rae’s Creek often claims approach shots at the 12th hole. The 18th fairway gets tighter when the pressure is on. Still, there’s one hole early in the round that has quietly tested players for 92 years. The golfers who are most familiar with it often acknowledge its difficulty. Justin Thomas is one of those players.

Just days before the 2026 Masters, he replied to a Golf Digest breakdown of Augusta’s 3rd hole and described what it feels like for every golfer on that tee. “The more I play it, the more I think it might be the best short par 4 in golf,” Thomas wrote. “Right in front of you, nothing hidden, zero trouble in play… we’re thinking birdie probably every time we step on the tee… and can be grinding for par so quickly. Incredible design.”

A golf fan asked him the question many players think about on that tee: Is it better than the 10th at Riviera? Thomas answered directly: “I think so. 10 at Riviera, you completely know what you’re getting after your tee shot. 3 at Augusta, you can make 5 so quickly with a great tee shot.”

The 10th hole at Riviera is 315 yards, and Thomas has a career scoring average of 3.68 there, using an aggressive, well-planned approach in several Genesis Invitational tournaments. Augusta’s 3rd is 35 yards longer and has a historical average of 4.08 for all Masters players.

However, Thomas emphasizes that statistics alone cannot fully capture the challenge of Augusta’s fairways and greens, which never present the same challenge twice. Riviera is a familiar challenge, but Augusta changes every day, depending on the turf, slope, and where the pin is placed.

Tiger Woods learned this lesson the hard way. In 2003, while attempting to win his third consecutive green jacket, he stood on the 3rd tee and struck his driver. The ball ended up in the pines. He had to play a left-handed escape, then chipped over the green, followed by another chip that landed short on the fringe, leading to a double bogey. His run was over before the back nine even started.

Bryson DeChambeau once called Augusta National a par 67, believing he could handle the course with ease. But at the 2020 November Masters, he lost his tee shot on the third hole. It traveled 350 yards and was never found.

This is the defining trait of the hole. For 92 years, its design has ensured it remains a test for every player.

How Alister MacKenzie’s design of Augusta’s 3rd hole has outlasted every era of power golf

In 1933, Alister MacKenzie explained to Clifford Roberts why he considered the third hole one of his best designs. MacKenzie and Bobby Jones built it as a drive-and-pitch par 4, with the green as its main defense. The intent was to create a hole that would challenge players and remain relevant over time.

Since the late 1930s, only two changes have been made to the 3rd hole: Perry Maxwell reshaped the front corner, and Jack Nicklaus’s company reworked the fairway bunkers in the 1980s. Over 92 years, that is the extent of structural adjustments. For the 2026 Masters, Augusta changed only the 17th hole. The third remains as MacKenzie designed it.

The third hole’s design has produced consistent results over the years. Charl Schwartzel made an eagle here in 2011, helping him win the Masters. Jack Nicklaus chipped in for a birdie in 1998 at age 58. In 2024, the scoring average was 3.933, with three eagles recorded. Despite occasional low scores, the historical average of 4.08 shows the hole remains a challenge.

Thomas heads to Augusta after finishing his first run of tournaments since coming back from a microdiscectomy last November. During the Florida Swing, he missed the cut at Bay Hill, tied for eighth at The Players, and finished 30th at Valspar. Speaking on SiriusXM PGA Tour Radio, he admitted his ball-striking still needs improvement and said that being able to step away and reset has always been one of his strengths. He will need both skills at the 3rd hole, where the tee shot is tricky and the green, designed by MacKenzie in 1933, remains unchanged at Augusta.