The 90th Masters Tournament is underway. Practice rounds began Monday at Augusta National with 91 golfers walking the grounds, testing greens, and calibrating their games for the week ahead [1].

The field includes defending champions, first-time invitees, and the winners of the amateur events that serve as the tournament's qualifying pipeline. Justin Thomas, Max Greyserman, Rasmus Hojgaard, Brian Campbell, Harry Hall, and Jake Knapp were among the early arrivals Sunday, with the full field taking the course Monday [2]. Jon Rahm was photographed working out of a bunker on the second hole during Monday's round [3].

The practice schedule runs through Wednesday. The Par 3 Contest, a Masters tradition since 1960, takes place Wednesday afternoon. Tournament play begins Thursday with the first competitive tee times [4].

Masters week operates on its own rhythm. The practice rounds are part preparation, part theatre -- patrons walk the course alongside the players, the azaleas are in bloom, and the grounds carry the weight of a tournament that has been played on the same layout since 1934 [4]. The course does not change. The players do. That is the tension the week is built on.

The Green Jacket goes to the winner. The question is who arrives at Augusta already comfortable with the course and who spends four days learning it.

-- AMARA OKONKWO, Lagos