TEMPE – A tradition unlike any other begins on Thursday, with the 89th Masters getting underway in Augusta. The field is stack with the best golfers in the PGA Tour and in the world. The goal is simple, put on that elusive green jacket, take home the $20 million purse, and be immortalized. The current favorite is defending champion Scottie Scheffler, who is looking to collect his third green jacket in the past four years.
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Justin Thomas, left, and Scottie Scheffler walk to the 17th tee during the first round of The Players Championship PGA golf tournament Thursday, March 14, 2024 at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.
Scheffler is the number-one ranked group and will be a part of a featured group with fellow PGA champion in Justin Thomas. However, a third golfer will finish out the trio in the group in 21-year-old Arizona State alumni Josele Ballester.
Arizona State golfer Josele Ballester received a sponsor’s exemption to the 2025 WM Phoenix Open during the WM Phoenix Open Luncheon at Chase Field on Dec. 4, 2024, in Phoenix. Syndication: Arizona Republic
Arizona State Golf announcing Ballester being a part of featured group:
The Arizona State senior earned the right to participate in Augusta because he won the U.S. Amateur last August. Ballester is the fourth Sun Devil to win the U.S. Amateur, joining Billy Mayfair, Phil Mickelson, and Jeff Quinney.
Ballester will play alongside a two-time Masters winner and have an opportunity to show the world his ability. A lot of pressure for a typical rookie, but Ballester isn’t letting that affect him as he enters the tournament confident.
Apr 8, 2025; Augusta, Georgia, USA; Arizona State Jose Luis Ballester looks to play his shot from a bunker near the no. 8 green during a practice round for the Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club. Mandatory Credit: Grace Smith-Imagn Images
Ballester on the pressure of playing at the Masters:
“It’s such a unique and special place, but at the end of the day, it’s another golf course,” he said. “Especially if you go there as a rookie for your first Masters, you might think that everything is so incredible, so cool — and it is — but you have to act like you would act on a different course. Not be afraid of taking risks, not be afraid of certain shots, because at the end of the day, it’s what I’ve done my entire life.
“The biggest (takeaway) I got is it is a cool course. Now that I know about it, I have to play it with a good mindset because if I start thinking of it as the Masters and Augusta, I might not perform as well.”
Ballester has an opportunity to represent Arizona State on a national stage, and he isn’t taking that responsibility lightly, focused on making an impact against the PGA’s best.
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Reporter Tanner Tortorella covers general assignment for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on his X account, @TannerTSports
