Masters 2026: A graphic breakdown of how players’ words change once play begins

The late New York governor Mario Cuomo had a line that captured the contrast between hope and reality in his field. “You campaign in poetry but govern in prose,” Cuomo said. The same can be said about golfers in the Masters. After a parade of pre-tournament press conferences this week at Augusta National, we analyzed golfers’ words from the podium to see if there were any noticeable trends in terms of specific words and themes, as well as tone.