AUGUSTA, GEORGIA — The 90th Masters tournament begins at Augusta National in Augusta, Georgia, with several professional golfers reflecting on the first time they set foot on the course. No debutant has won the Masters since 1979.

Xander Schauffele, ranked among the top 10 golfers in the world, said the setting initially left him more focused on his surroundings than his game. "For my first two or three times, it kind of felt like I was in a museum," Schauffele said. Over time, however, the experience shifted. "You are creating your own memories there, trying to hit those shots. It absolutely inspires you at that point," he said.

Ryan Fox recalled being so absorbed by the landscape that his performance barely registered. "I have never played so badly and not cared at all. I didn't think about playing golf, I just walked out there and thought: 'Oh wow, this is what it looks like.' It felt like that on every single hole," Fox said. He added that the course defied even heightened expectations. "You build it up to be this massive thing. You have a picture in your head of what it will be like and it is actually quite different. Everyone says it will be more hilly than you think, then it is actually more hilly again," he said.

Tommy Fleetwood, also ranked among the top 10 in the world, attended the Masters as a spectator in 2014 before first competing in the tournament in 2017. "The thing I will always remember is the moment I got to walk to the 12th green and 13th tee," Fleetwood said. "You are looking over at the 12th green and 13th tee," he added, describing the view that stayed with him.

Fleetwood drew a distinction between practicing at Augusta National and competing there under tournament pressure. "I wasn't intimidated playing the course for the first time. I think when you do that, it is more playable than you think it is going to be. But the first time I played in the tournament, I was really nervous and got caught out by so many things," he said.

Rory McIlroy said he felt apprehensive about taking a divot when he first visited Augusta National.