Augusta's fifth hole lengthened 40 yards ahead of Masters

One of the toughest holes at Augusta National Golf Club just got more difficult.

The 2019 Masters is less than 10 weeks away, and this week the club released its official tournament media guide. Included was a hole-by-hole breakdown, one that featured a sizable shift to the par-4 fifth hole.

After measuring 455 yards for last year's event, the fifth has been lengthened 40 yards and will play as a 495-yard par-4 this spring. Players will now face a 313-yard carry to clear the pair of bunkers down the left side of the fairway, and the hole will rank behind only the 505-yard 11th among the longest par-4s on the course.

This marks the first club-enacted changes to the Augusta National layout since 2006.

The changes to No. 5 have been months in the making, as the club began cosmetic changes on the hole shortly after Patrick Reed slipped into his green jacket last spring. The new tee is expected to sit on the opposite side of Old Berckmans Road, which has been closed to traffic since 2015, and the move is expected to alleviate congestion between the fourth green and fifth tee.

Last year the fifth played to a scoring average of 4.16, making it the sixth-hardest hole on the course.

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