AUGUSTA, Ga. – Any optimism that the next Masters will be restored to its full glory of spring blooms and the endless chorus of cheers was dampened only by the reality of the calendar and the recent spikes in coronavirus cases.It has been eight months since Augusta National said it was postponing the Masters because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and seven months since the club targeted two weeks before Thanksgiving as the most practical time to play this year.“I'm hopeful that we will see improved conditions regarding this virus, but April is less than five months away, so there's no assurance of that," Masters Chairman Fred Ridley said. “But we do have hopes that the tournament in April will be closer to normal than it is right now.”There is.