Almost every year a member of the golf media fraternity offers an article about playing Augusta the Monday following the tournament. My favourite example was Rich Lerner's (The Golf Channel) video essay about playing a few years ago. This year Jaime Diaz has obliged. I like these articles simply because they offer a glimpse of what it would be like if I or any of my friends got to play Augusta National.
Note: Watch for it, though, there is one of these articles EVERY YEAR. Much in the same way they have a lottery for the credentialed media about who gets to play, within that sub-set they must have a lottery for who has to write the article.
Monday, April 16, 2007
The Players in NYC
For New York readers:
The PGA Tour and UBS are teaming up to set up a 1/4th-scale replica of the famed island-green 17th hole at the TPC Sawgrass in Rockefeller Center in New York City from May 4-13. Visitors to Rockefeller Center during that time will be able to take a shot on the hole, which will feature a green surrounded by water. The exhibit will coincide with the 2007 playing of The Players Championship. -- PGA.com
That looks like fun. It will probably only cost you about 30 bucks a ball.
The PGA Tour and UBS are teaming up to set up a 1/4th-scale replica of the famed island-green 17th hole at the TPC Sawgrass in Rockefeller Center in New York City from May 4-13. Visitors to Rockefeller Center during that time will be able to take a shot on the hole, which will feature a green surrounded by water. The exhibit will coincide with the 2007 playing of The Players Championship. -- PGA.com
That looks like fun. It will probably only cost you about 30 bucks a ball.
BOO WINS!
What a finish! Weekley's two chip-in pars beat Els by a shot. Then, just when you thought it was over, Els almost holes out his second shot at 18 to force a playoff. A really great finish to a strange week of weather and golf.
A few thoughts:
Weekley's chip-ins were karmic justice for his unfortunate miss at the Honda earlier this year. Weekley is a great character, with a lot of game, and this victory ensures his place at the '08 Masters. This blog looks forward to that appearance.
Ernie's game continues to confound. He let this tournament get away from him twice. First, he shot a pedestrian even-par 71 in the third round when he led by three coming after round two. Then, three putts at two and three put him behind the eight in today's final round.
What was all the more frustrating for the big easy was his play over the final four holes. Two huge shots got him an easy two-putt birdie at 15, he followed with a perfect drive and approach to 16 that led to a tap-in par. At this point, Ernie appeared to be in complete control, but Weekley chips-in at 17 and then Ernie hits his drive in the hazard and makes bogey. With the tournament seemingly over, Els crushes his drive and almost holes his second for an improbable eagle, finishing with a birdie at the toughest hole on the course.
Is Els getting closer? Well, the results would indicate he is, but it still seems that Ernie's killer instinct/confidence is not quite there. This week was obviously a huge improvement over the Masters, but it's still not there. Els is planning on playing in Asia this week, but will be back in North America in a few weeks. I still think, as I said at the beginning of the tournament, that he's very close to running off a few wins, but Ernie is getting harder and harder to figure.
Finally, a comment about the conditions. Were they crazy or what? The wind on those final three holes was right out of the '02 Open Championship at Muirfield when Tiger shot 80. It was fascinating to see the players try to attack those final holes with all kinds of different shots. Here's hoping The Open serves up similar conditions in July.
A few thoughts:
Weekley's chip-ins were karmic justice for his unfortunate miss at the Honda earlier this year. Weekley is a great character, with a lot of game, and this victory ensures his place at the '08 Masters. This blog looks forward to that appearance.
Ernie's game continues to confound. He let this tournament get away from him twice. First, he shot a pedestrian even-par 71 in the third round when he led by three coming after round two. Then, three putts at two and three put him behind the eight in today's final round.
What was all the more frustrating for the big easy was his play over the final four holes. Two huge shots got him an easy two-putt birdie at 15, he followed with a perfect drive and approach to 16 that led to a tap-in par. At this point, Ernie appeared to be in complete control, but Weekley chips-in at 17 and then Ernie hits his drive in the hazard and makes bogey. With the tournament seemingly over, Els crushes his drive and almost holes his second for an improbable eagle, finishing with a birdie at the toughest hole on the course.
Is Els getting closer? Well, the results would indicate he is, but it still seems that Ernie's killer instinct/confidence is not quite there. This week was obviously a huge improvement over the Masters, but it's still not there. Els is planning on playing in Asia this week, but will be back in North America in a few weeks. I still think, as I said at the beginning of the tournament, that he's very close to running off a few wins, but Ernie is getting harder and harder to figure.
Finally, a comment about the conditions. Were they crazy or what? The wind on those final three holes was right out of the '02 Open Championship at Muirfield when Tiger shot 80. It was fascinating to see the players try to attack those final holes with all kinds of different shots. Here's hoping The Open serves up similar conditions in July.
Saturday, April 14, 2007
Els Backs Up
All I can say after watching Ernie during today's coverage is that he really hasn't turned the corner. I was wrong. His putting was erratic at best, the body language was poor, and the results were, obviously, not stellar. Els clearly is making strides with his game. His consecutive 65s to open the tournament proved that, but the killer instinct and the confidence still aren't there. Today was a step back, and the pressure of Sunday won't help. Look for Ernie to shoot over-par tomorrow and fall out of the top ten.
Jerry Kelly, on the other hand, is an entertaining player to watch. His physical reactions, genuine enjoyment of the game, and fearless approach to every shot make him an absolute joy to watch.
Wonderful round from Stephen Ames today. When he's on, as he was last year at The Players, he really is as good as anyone in the world. There's been a few players like that over the years. Guys who for a few rounds every year would just show remarkable form, and then the rest of the time would be just average. John Huston and Calc are two guys like that, and Ames has now taken on that mantle.
Jerry Kelly, on the other hand, is an entertaining player to watch. His physical reactions, genuine enjoyment of the game, and fearless approach to every shot make him an absolute joy to watch.
Wonderful round from Stephen Ames today. When he's on, as he was last year at The Players, he really is as good as anyone in the world. There's been a few players like that over the years. Guys who for a few rounds every year would just show remarkable form, and then the rest of the time would be just average. John Huston and Calc are two guys like that, and Ames has now taken on that mantle.
Friday, April 13, 2007
Els Fires Another 65
Ernie Els looks like a new player this week making 6 birdies against no bogeys for his second consecutive 65.
My buddy Greer pointed out that Ernie missing the cut at The Masters, while forcing him to acknowledge that he needed to redouble his efforts, also probably pissed him off...a lot. After all, Sandy Lyle and Fuzzy Zoeller made the cut and Ernie didn't. Ernie always comes across as such a nice guy, perhaps, so suggests Greer, missing the cut forced him to say to himself "Stop playing like an asshole", and that shift in mindset (as much as anything technical with his swing) has led to this week's results.
My buddy Greer pointed out that Ernie missing the cut at The Masters, while forcing him to acknowledge that he needed to redouble his efforts, also probably pissed him off...a lot. After all, Sandy Lyle and Fuzzy Zoeller made the cut and Ernie didn't. Ernie always comes across as such a nice guy, perhaps, so suggests Greer, missing the cut forced him to say to himself "Stop playing like an asshole", and that shift in mindset (as much as anything technical with his swing) has led to this week's results.
Thursday, April 12, 2007
Heritage Round 1
As mentioned, Jerry Kelly was outstanding, and it appears Ernie's game arrived a week late. Superb ball striking from the Big Easy today...78 percent of GIRs.
Couple of notes:
Will Mackenzie, the enigmatic player from NC, made FIVE birdies and finished OVER PAR, as he made but 7 pars and 6 bogeys. Will has been suffering from some rather severe putting woes this season.
Justin Rose, coming off the strong Masters showing, withdrew this morning. Rose's back has been killing him all year, and it seems logical to assume that it has flared up again. Not good news, as Rose seemed to be rounding into excellent form.
Couple of notes:
Will Mackenzie, the enigmatic player from NC, made FIVE birdies and finished OVER PAR, as he made but 7 pars and 6 bogeys. Will has been suffering from some rather severe putting woes this season.
Justin Rose, coming off the strong Masters showing, withdrew this morning. Rose's back has been killing him all year, and it seems logical to assume that it has flared up again. Not good news, as Rose seemed to be rounding into excellent form.
Annika Out
We now know the cause of Annika's poor results this season: Her back.
This is no normal back injury either. I'm no expert, but herniated AND ruptured are not words you want to hear when dealing with a back injury. In all seriousness, if this injury keeps her out for any length of time, I would not be surprised if we've seen the end of really high caliber golf from Ms. Sorenstam. It's not that she's incapable of returning to form, but one wonders, especially with all the young players on the LPGA tour and her outside business interests, if Annika has the desire to push through a serious injury.
This is no normal back injury either. I'm no expert, but herniated AND ruptured are not words you want to hear when dealing with a back injury. In all seriousness, if this injury keeps her out for any length of time, I would not be surprised if we've seen the end of really high caliber golf from Ms. Sorenstam. It's not that she's incapable of returning to form, but one wonders, especially with all the young players on the LPGA tour and her outside business interests, if Annika has the desire to push through a serious injury.
Jerry Kelly Bliztes Harbor Town
Jerry Kelly just completed a 10 birdie, two bogey round of 8-under to open a three shot lead in the first round of the Verizon Heritage. Starting on the 10th hole, Jerry carded 5 birdies and a bogey on each side for a 63 on the par-71 Hilton Head course.
Jerry played nicely at the Masters, and clearly has carried over the good vibes to this week.
Jerry played nicely at the Masters, and clearly has carried over the good vibes to this week.
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
The Big Easy Reflects on Lost Week
Few players on tour offer a weekly blog. Of those few, none is as honest as Ernie Els. While Ernie's play has been a little discouraging this year, his honesty in confronting his own frustrations on his blog makes me think an Els turnaround is not far off. I'm not saying it will happen this week, but over the next couple months, I wouldn't be surprised to see the big fella rack up one or two victories by pretty sizable margins.
Wither Sergio?
Quite an interesting article about Sergio Garcia from www.golf.com.
As I said in my Masters coverage, Sergio really is a hard one to figure. Geoff Ogilvy recently said that if Sergio ever figures out his putting, he'll be unstoppable, that his ball striking is THAT good. Conversely, viewers over the weekend would have heard Faldo express doubt not only about Sergio's putting but his full swing as well. All of this would be run of the mill comments dealing with any player who's had a run good form followed by some troubles, but what this article addresses is the transformed player Sergio becomes in certain instances, specifically the Ryder Cup (where he one day will undoubtedly hold many records) and the 2004 Masters. Not knowing the man, it would be foolish for me to speculate too much, but I will say that Sergio's occasionally exquisite play and off-course frankness/moodiness mean that he will continue to be scrutinized perhaps more than he would like.
As I said in my Masters coverage, Sergio really is a hard one to figure. Geoff Ogilvy recently said that if Sergio ever figures out his putting, he'll be unstoppable, that his ball striking is THAT good. Conversely, viewers over the weekend would have heard Faldo express doubt not only about Sergio's putting but his full swing as well. All of this would be run of the mill comments dealing with any player who's had a run good form followed by some troubles, but what this article addresses is the transformed player Sergio becomes in certain instances, specifically the Ryder Cup (where he one day will undoubtedly hold many records) and the 2004 Masters. Not knowing the man, it would be foolish for me to speculate too much, but I will say that Sergio's occasionally exquisite play and off-course frankness/moodiness mean that he will continue to be scrutinized perhaps more than he would like.
Monday, April 9, 2007
Final Thoughts
As usual, The Masters provided four days of real excitement. From a drama standpoint, the end was slightly disappointing. I only say that because Rose hit his banana slice to the moon and Tiger missed his birdie putt at 16 within a few minutes of each other. Had Rose parred 17 and Tiger birdied 16, we would have had three chances for a playoff.
In the end, Zach Johnson deserved the victory, though I could have done without his almost incessant references to God and his sponsors in his various speeches. Athletes thanking God is, to my mind, sacrilegious, but then to give seemingly equal thanks to God and his sponsors was more than I could take.
This blog was an incredibly enjoyable experience for me. I think I'll keep posting occasionally throughout the rest of the golf season, and will definitely blog each of the remaining major championships.
Thanks to of all you who came and read.
Cheers,
Adam
In the end, Zach Johnson deserved the victory, though I could have done without his almost incessant references to God and his sponsors in his various speeches. Athletes thanking God is, to my mind, sacrilegious, but then to give seemingly equal thanks to God and his sponsors was more than I could take.
This blog was an incredibly enjoyable experience for me. I think I'll keep posting occasionally throughout the rest of the golf season, and will definitely blog each of the remaining major championships.
Thanks to of all you who came and read.
Cheers,
Adam
Sunday, April 8, 2007
Zach Wins!!!
History will judge whether this was the beginning of a great career for Zach, or a brief flash of brilliance. Nevertheless, this Masters Sunday was full of the usual drama. It has been a thrilling week.
Zach play was outstanding today, especially on the back nine. Hats off to him.
Justin Rose was incredibly valiant all the way to the end, and I predict we will see more major success from him soon.
Tiger was clearly struggling all tournament, but what a remarkable thing then that he finishes tied for second. The guy is amazing.
I'll post a few final thoughts later this evenin.
Zach play was outstanding today, especially on the back nine. Hats off to him.
Justin Rose was incredibly valiant all the way to the end, and I predict we will see more major success from him soon.
Tiger was clearly struggling all tournament, but what a remarkable thing then that he finishes tied for second. The guy is amazing.
I'll post a few final thoughts later this evenin.
Zach Johnson
It looks like Zach is going the win the Masters. He's playing beautifully. I think he may bogey one of the holes coming in, but 1-over will be enough. In my humble opinion.
Is Zach the man?
He certainly has the most confidence of the players out there right now. And leads by 2. Amazing play from Zach.
Questionable lay-ups
Both Johnson and Retief layed up on 13. A traditional scoring hole. Strange decisions that may come back to haunt them.
The Back 9 Begins
The drama I've been talking about all week is upon us.
Goosen seems in total control of his game. Very impressive.
There is something off with Tiger, as Faldo has been saying, but he only needs two good shots on a par 5 to take over.
Enjoy.
Goosen seems in total control of his game. Very impressive.
There is something off with Tiger, as Faldo has been saying, but he only needs two good shots on a par 5 to take over.
Enjoy.
Goosen making his move
Very impressive from the Goose to join the lead. What a story if he could win from making the cut on the number.
Rose and Harrington Struggle at 1
Justin Rose took a 6 and Harrington took a 5 at the opening hole, leaving Sabbatini in 3rd alone.
Rory Sabbatini Charges
Two early birdies from Sabbatini have put him within 2 shots of the lead.
Goosen and Singh are both under par early in their rounds.
Goosen and Singh are both under par early in their rounds.
Phil Opens With Disaster
Phil has made a 7 on the first hole. Like Ogilvy yesterday, one hole may have ended Phil's hopes. He now sits 7 shots behind the leader.
Low(er) Scores Available
Having just taken my first glance at this morning's leaderboard, it seems pretty evident that the course has eased substantially. Many more red numbers than we've seen through the first three days. What does this mean? Well, it means that somebody is going to shoot a low score (68, 69, 70), and depending on that player's position coming in, they may well walk away with the green jacket.
Obviously, Tiger is the pick heading into today's action, but I have a funny feeling that it won't quite be easy sailing for Mr. Woods. Let's consider: Tiger has struggled over the final two holes all week, he's struggled with all aspects of his game this week, and he may well have to be gunning for a score that is already in the clubhouse and once a player is off the course, the Woods Intimidation Factor has no effect. Should be fascinating television.
Obviously, Tiger is the pick heading into today's action, but I have a funny feeling that it won't quite be easy sailing for Mr. Woods. Let's consider: Tiger has struggled over the final two holes all week, he's struggled with all aspects of his game this week, and he may well have to be gunning for a score that is already in the clubhouse and once a player is off the course, the Woods Intimidation Factor has no effect. Should be fascinating television.
Saturday, April 7, 2007
Final Pairings
Appleby--Woods
Harrington--Rose
I think these are good pairings for all 4 guys. It's good for Appleby, as leader, to be with Woods. I think you want to be able to see what Tiger's doing rather than be freaked out by roars coming from up ahead of you.
For the two Euros, I think some of those famous Euro Tour bonds will help them both.
Goosen made the cut on the number and is now tied-8th. Incredible.
Harrington--Rose
I think these are good pairings for all 4 guys. It's good for Appleby, as leader, to be with Woods. I think you want to be able to see what Tiger's doing rather than be freaked out by roars coming from up ahead of you.
For the two Euros, I think some of those famous Euro Tour bonds will help them both.
Goosen made the cut on the number and is now tied-8th. Incredible.
Tiger will play in final group?
With Vaughn Taylor having bogeyed 17, it looks like Tiger Woods may indeed play in the final group despite his poor finish. As they've said many times during the telecast, the winner of the Masters has come from the final group every year since 1990. Amazing.
This is CRAZY!!!
I've never seen so many guys hit it in the water on 15.
This is anybody's tournament. Look how fast Goosen moved up the leaderboard. We could see something like Carnoustie in '99, where Paul Lawrie shot a great score and waited for four hours while everyone folded. I could see anyone at 7-over and closer shooting a 71 or something and seeing everyone wilt around them.
More complete thoughts to follow.
This is anybody's tournament. Look how fast Goosen moved up the leaderboard. We could see something like Carnoustie in '99, where Paul Lawrie shot a great score and waited for four hours while everyone folded. I could see anyone at 7-over and closer shooting a 71 or something and seeing everyone wilt around them.
More complete thoughts to follow.
The Blog curse claims Ogilvy
After complimenting his eagle, he makes a...way for it...NINE at 15 with two balls in the water.
Vijay Implodes
After bogeying 11 for the 3rd day in a row, the 2000 champ just dunked himself on 12, committing the unpardonable sin. Vijay must be terribly disappointed. Given the conditions, one would have thought his superior ball striking would have kept him in it. He still has the two scoring par 5s, but he has definitely gone in the wrong direction.
Padraig Harrington has it back to +3 with a nice birdie on 13.
Padraig Harrington has it back to +3 with a nice birdie on 13.
Tiger not immune
A bad drive, a crazy effort on his second and Tiger is in danger of bogeying 17. Geoff Ogilvy's eagle at 13 has brought him back into the tournament. It's obviously significant for Geoff, but more generally shows that eagles can be made, and given the scoring conditions, shows just how much ground you can make up with them. Remember that going into tomorrow.
Will Tiger take over?
Nantz just suggested that Tiger may take command soon. He's in tight for birdie at 13 and I think if he takes the lead soon, this thing may be over. He's just made the birdie and I think he may have a 3 or 4 shot lead by the end of the day.
Here we go...
Tiger is 2-under for his round.
Appleby has surged to the lead.
This is going to be great.
Appleby has surged to the lead.
This is going to be great.
Appleby Starts Great
Stuart Appleby has birdied 2 and 3 for the second day in a row and has the best the start of any player on the course. Remember what I said about his ability on fast, windy courses.
Tiger looks great 1-under through 6, no bogeys on the card.
Phil is even on his front half and now needs to take advantage of the back.
Mike Weir and Henrik Stenson have blown up on the front and have ruined their chances.
Tiger looks great 1-under through 6, no bogeys on the card.
Phil is even on his front half and now needs to take advantage of the back.
Mike Weir and Henrik Stenson have blown up on the front and have ruined their chances.
A thought on Schmaltzy Openings
As I said earlier in the week, I both love and hate the schmaltzy opening sequences narrated by Jim Nantz that precede the coverage on the weekend. You get the artsy shots of the dogwoods and the azaleas, you get extreme close-ups of the faces of the players in the hunt, and some ridiculous text narrated in Nantz's "dramatic" voice about how a victory will forever change the life of the winner. My response to these openings always takes three parts:
1. Before the opening starts: I'm thinking I don't want to see this stupid thing I just want to watch the golf tournament.
2. During the opening: I totally get sucked in. I love the Masters. It's the greatest tournament ever, and despite his cheesiness, I love that Nantz loves the tournament as much as I do.
3. The opening is over: I feel energized and ready to watch my favourite sporting event for the next few hours, but a little voice in the back of my head is saying: "You should really be ashamed of yourself for getting sucked in by that schlock". I quickly tell that voice to shut up and we're right into the golf.
Some other thoughts on CBS's coverage:
Faldo is terrific. Funny, extremely knowledgeable and while he and Nantz have had a few hiccups in developing their on-air relationship, I think they compliment each other very well.
Bobby Clampett was terrible and having Ian Baker-Finch replace him is one of the best things to happen to major championship coverage in ages. Clampett was obviously disliked by the other members of the CBS announce team, his endless discussions of foliage and the undertones of his religious "faith" constantly making their way into his commentary made me hate the Amen Corner part of the telecast. If you can imagine!? Baker-Finch is clearly well-liked by all, and always provides interesting insight.
Another criticism of Clampett is that his calls were awful. He's the polar opposite of Verne Lundquist. Where Verne will say something awesome and simple for a big shot, Clampett will talk too much and say almost nothing, punctuating a great shot with an non-verbal exclamation rather than a brilliant call.
Couple other things: Augusta National showing golf 56 minutes out of every hour makes it incredibly unique among golf tournaments. They don't allow CBS to do any promos for their shows either, so you get none of those irritating: "Tonight on 60 Minutes...".
Casey has birdied 2 and clearly is the most confident player on the course. Tiger is even through 2. Phil finally parred the 6 hole and is even on his round through 6.
1. Before the opening starts: I'm thinking I don't want to see this stupid thing I just want to watch the golf tournament.
2. During the opening: I totally get sucked in. I love the Masters. It's the greatest tournament ever, and despite his cheesiness, I love that Nantz loves the tournament as much as I do.
3. The opening is over: I feel energized and ready to watch my favourite sporting event for the next few hours, but a little voice in the back of my head is saying: "You should really be ashamed of yourself for getting sucked in by that schlock". I quickly tell that voice to shut up and we're right into the golf.
Some other thoughts on CBS's coverage:
Faldo is terrific. Funny, extremely knowledgeable and while he and Nantz have had a few hiccups in developing their on-air relationship, I think they compliment each other very well.
Bobby Clampett was terrible and having Ian Baker-Finch replace him is one of the best things to happen to major championship coverage in ages. Clampett was obviously disliked by the other members of the CBS announce team, his endless discussions of foliage and the undertones of his religious "faith" constantly making their way into his commentary made me hate the Amen Corner part of the telecast. If you can imagine!? Baker-Finch is clearly well-liked by all, and always provides interesting insight.
Another criticism of Clampett is that his calls were awful. He's the polar opposite of Verne Lundquist. Where Verne will say something awesome and simple for a big shot, Clampett will talk too much and say almost nothing, punctuating a great shot with an non-verbal exclamation rather than a brilliant call.
Couple other things: Augusta National showing golf 56 minutes out of every hour makes it incredibly unique among golf tournaments. They don't allow CBS to do any promos for their shows either, so you get none of those irritating: "Tonight on 60 Minutes...".
Casey has birdied 2 and clearly is the most confident player on the course. Tiger is even through 2. Phil finally parred the 6 hole and is even on his round through 6.
Saturday Early Notes:
The Lefty golfers are going in different directions. Mickelson is often to a fine start at 1-under through 4 holes, while Mike Weir bogeyed the first hole for the second day in a row.
It's a war of attrition out there, and Phil has definitely gotten off the the start he needed. As I said yesterday, a quality front nine will put Phil in position to really get close to the leaders by eating up the back nine as he usually does. Really impressive play from Phil over the last 15 holes.
It's a war of attrition out there, and Phil has definitely gotten off the the start he needed. As I said yesterday, a quality front nine will put Phil in position to really get close to the leaders by eating up the back nine as he usually does. Really impressive play from Phil over the last 15 holes.
Going to the weekend
So here we go...The Masters has turned into the US Open. I'd be interested to compare Friday afternoon's leaderboard with that from Oakmont in June after 2 rounds.
Right now there are many players within striking distance, but I really think only a few guys can win. They are:
1. Tim Clark: He's played great in the majors over the last few years and is the only player in the field with two rounds under par.
2. Vijay Singh: He's playing great, has tons of confidence and loves tough courses (remember his playoff win at Whistling Straits where he didn't make a birdie in the final round). He won The Masters the last time the conditions were similar.
3. Geoff Ogilvy: The guy is money. Take away his 8 on the second hole of the tournament and he could be leading. One of the most mentally tough players in the game. (I want him to win, because I have 30-1 on him).
4. Stuart Appleby: This may be his time. He plays great in the wind, hits it long and can make birdies on any kind of of golf course (he made 7 of them today). Everyone is going to make bogeys, the player who can offset it with unexpected birdies will win.
5. Jim Furyk: With almost no attention, Furyk is definitely in the mix. He loves tough courses, is putting superbly, and is a bulldog. His lack of length is offset by how fast the course is playing.
6. Tiger Woods: He's got to break par eventually, but his driving needs to improve to get that done. As usual, a couple of early birdies will help his cause and scare the shit out of everyone else.
7. Mike Weir: One word: Confidence. Mike missed a 15 footer for birdie on 18 today, and seemed genuinely shocked it didn't go in. When he gets in that mode of expecting his 15 footers to fall, it means he's firing on all cylinders. I expect him to shoot a great score tomorrow and be right there. Mike is playing with his roommate from college tomorrow, Dean Wilson; a great pairing for him.
8. Paul Casey: A pre-tournament favourite needs to keep the momentum going. He's playing with Tiger again. They'll have fun.
9. Paddy Harrington: I'd rank him higher, but he's had a tendency to yo-yo this year. Good round, bad round type thing. He's a terrific player who has disappointed in majors. I also feel like he has a fragile psyche.
10. Phil Mickelson: Starting early really helps him. If he can get through the front nine in 1-under, he can shoot in the 60s. He eats up the back (evidence his 31 to beat Els in 2004). A quick start won't scare everyone, but it will get the job done.
11. Justin Rose: I love his game. I'm rooting for him. He needs more time to mature.
More tomorrow.
Right now there are many players within striking distance, but I really think only a few guys can win. They are:
1. Tim Clark: He's played great in the majors over the last few years and is the only player in the field with two rounds under par.
2. Vijay Singh: He's playing great, has tons of confidence and loves tough courses (remember his playoff win at Whistling Straits where he didn't make a birdie in the final round). He won The Masters the last time the conditions were similar.
3. Geoff Ogilvy: The guy is money. Take away his 8 on the second hole of the tournament and he could be leading. One of the most mentally tough players in the game. (I want him to win, because I have 30-1 on him).
4. Stuart Appleby: This may be his time. He plays great in the wind, hits it long and can make birdies on any kind of of golf course (he made 7 of them today). Everyone is going to make bogeys, the player who can offset it with unexpected birdies will win.
5. Jim Furyk: With almost no attention, Furyk is definitely in the mix. He loves tough courses, is putting superbly, and is a bulldog. His lack of length is offset by how fast the course is playing.
6. Tiger Woods: He's got to break par eventually, but his driving needs to improve to get that done. As usual, a couple of early birdies will help his cause and scare the shit out of everyone else.
7. Mike Weir: One word: Confidence. Mike missed a 15 footer for birdie on 18 today, and seemed genuinely shocked it didn't go in. When he gets in that mode of expecting his 15 footers to fall, it means he's firing on all cylinders. I expect him to shoot a great score tomorrow and be right there. Mike is playing with his roommate from college tomorrow, Dean Wilson; a great pairing for him.
8. Paul Casey: A pre-tournament favourite needs to keep the momentum going. He's playing with Tiger again. They'll have fun.
9. Paddy Harrington: I'd rank him higher, but he's had a tendency to yo-yo this year. Good round, bad round type thing. He's a terrific player who has disappointed in majors. I also feel like he has a fragile psyche.
10. Phil Mickelson: Starting early really helps him. If he can get through the front nine in 1-under, he can shoot in the 60s. He eats up the back (evidence his 31 to beat Els in 2004). A quick start won't scare everyone, but it will get the job done.
11. Justin Rose: I love his game. I'm rooting for him. He needs more time to mature.
More tomorrow.
Friday, April 6, 2007
The Golf Course
Augusta National is so fast right now it's crazy. Ernie Els made a ten footer for par on 9 that when he struck the putt I thought he had left it 6 feet short.
Ogilvy has birdied 9 to get back to even par for the tournament. Really impressive play.
Phil's going to birdie 8, but needs more than that coming in.
Ogilvy has birdied 9 to get back to even par for the tournament. Really impressive play.
Phil's going to birdie 8, but needs more than that coming in.
Mike Weir
The diminutive Canadian has birdied 8 and is now 1-under on his round in a tie for 14th place. He's gone through some major swing changes recently to compensate for some injury problems. Let's hope he can keep it up. A hard, fast course will definitely help Mike.
Network Coverage
It's about to begin. I'll be posting less frequently, but will definitely have a summation this evening.
Ernie Els
Another bogey at 7. Bad news for the Big Easy. He needs a solid 9 holes to turn it around. Ernie's confidence just isn't there as I've been saying all week. I hope he can turn it around, but it needs to happen soon.
Casey bogeys 18
The curse is alive. Tiger makes par at 18 and shoots 74. He's right there. They both are.
For the second year in a row...
Ben Crenshaw will be playing in the weekend and will be in contention. Gentle, inarticulate Ben is 1-under on his round and tied for 20th through 12 holes of his second round.
Paddy Harrington
Finishes with a birdie for a remarkable 68. Fantastic playing by the Irishman, following a terrible opening round. He's tied-9th right now.
Jerry Kelly Bogeys 18
His first bogey of the day gives him an outstanding round of 69, but now there are only 4 players in red figures.
Sergio doubles, Ernie bogeys
My fantasy golf dreams just died a little. Els is still even for his round and has plenty of golf left. Sergio is two over on his round and has done nothing to impress me this week.
Paul Casey has birdied 17
A par at 18 will give him a 67. Fantastic comeback for a guy whose game I really like.
Of course now that I've made a post about it, he'll double 18.
Tiger also birdied 17. Fantastic comeback for Woods. He'll look at those saves from the water at 12 and 13 as the difference if he wins.
Of course now that I've made a post about it, he'll double 18.
Tiger also birdied 17. Fantastic comeback for Woods. He'll look at those saves from the water at 12 and 13 as the difference if he wins.
Down to 5
Vijay just bogeyed 16, so we now have only 5 players in red figures not one of whom has won a major. Tim Clark has birdied 13 to move into a tie for the lead. Great playing considering he's got a double on his card.
Question:
Was anyone aware that Paula Creamer plays a PINK ball on the LPGA tour?
Seriously? That's not good. I thought pink, orange and yellow balls went out with Kathy Whitworth in 1984.
Seriously? That's not good. I thought pink, orange and yellow balls went out with Kathy Whitworth in 1984.
Adam Scott
Is an ugly 3-over through three holes.
The GC is saying that it is going to be extremely cold this weekend. High of 53 on Saturday with a lot of wind. Scary.
The GC is saying that it is going to be extremely cold this weekend. High of 53 on Saturday with a lot of wind. Scary.
Tiger Birdies 15
He sits t-30 right now. Definitely still in the mix. Let's hope his back is okay and that he can get it in around this number.
For those who are counting...
Ernie Els has now improved on his first round by five shots through four holes.
Vijay has birdied 14 and is back in red figures. He simply has to be the favourite going into the weekend. He's won twice on tour this year and has the experience of winning at Augusta. If he can birdie 15 and par the last three, he might find himself in the final group tomorrow.
Vijay has birdied 14 and is back in red figures. He simply has to be the favourite going into the weekend. He's won twice on tour this year and has the experience of winning at Augusta. If he can birdie 15 and par the last three, he might find himself in the final group tomorrow.
Watch out for Geoff Ogilvy...
Since his 8 yesterday he's played 19 holes in 1-under par, and currently sits 5 shots off the pace set by Zach Johnson at 3-under (he just birdied 8). I've been on the Ogilvy bandwagon for a while. Simple, repeating swing, great putting touch and nerves of steel.
A mess at Amen Corner?
David Toms obliges playing the three holes in 3-over par to move to 5-over on his round. Toms's record at Augusta is not too hot with his remarkable 64 more the exception than the rule.
Lucas Glover
A par on 18 gets him in with a 70. Great playing. Tim Clark has joined the leaders. Impressive, considering he doubled the 5th.
More Blog Curse
Ames doubles after I compliment him.
According to the GC, the wind is going to pick up this afternoon. That could spell trouble for Ernie, Phil and Sergio.
According to the GC, the wind is going to pick up this afternoon. That could spell trouble for Ernie, Phil and Sergio.
Tiger may have tweaked his back
Tiger had to pull the pin on his drive at 13 (something distracted him) and may have injured his back on the tee shot.
Phil and Sergio
Both bogeyed 1, not the start they wanted.
Bradley Dredge who beat Ernie at the match play is 3-under through 8 holes.
Bradley Dredge who beat Ernie at the match play is 3-under through 8 holes.
Notes on some lesser known guys
Stephen Ames is quietly even on his round through 17.
Tom Pernice Jr. is even on his round through 14.
Jeev Milkha Singh birdied 18 to shoot 75 and sit at 3-over for the tournament.
Tiger saved par on 13, despite the ball in the water. His scrambling is keeping him in the tournament.
With a par at the par-5 2nd hole, Ernie Els is three shots better than his first round through two holes.
Tom Pernice Jr. is even on his round through 14.
Jeev Milkha Singh birdied 18 to shoot 75 and sit at 3-over for the tournament.
Tiger saved par on 13, despite the ball in the water. His scrambling is keeping him in the tournament.
With a par at the par-5 2nd hole, Ernie Els is three shots better than his first round through two holes.
Tiger hits the water again at 13
This is crazy. What is happening to him.
The Golf Channel has been great today in giving updates. Why is it that this round is not being broadcast right now. It's a real shame. Tiger's collapse is a major story and we're not seeing. Stupid.
The Golf Channel has been great today in giving updates. Why is it that this round is not being broadcast right now. It's a real shame. Tiger's collapse is a major story and we're not seeing. Stupid.
Rose leads without hitting a shot
Zach Jonson has given a shot back and so the lead is Justin's. He's in the last group and so we'll have to see if the conditions late in the day are favourable or not? The lead could be only 2-under by the end of the day.
The Walrus has played brilliantly and will be digging into a big dinner tonight with a couple of bottles of merlot as he prepares for the weekend.
The Walrus has played brilliantly and will be digging into a big dinner tonight with a couple of bottles of merlot as he prepares for the weekend.
Ernie Els
Birdies 1 gaining a stroke and a half on the field and improving on his score from yesterday by three shots. He's now tied with Tiger. Unbelievable...rumours of Ernie's demise were greatly exaggerated.
Tiger hits it in the water on 12
BUT salvages bogey. He sits at 4-over on his round and 5-over for the tournament. Yikes.
Paul Casey, playing with Tiger, has been outstanding today and stands at 4-under on his round with the two scoring par-5s still to come.
Paul Casey, playing with Tiger, has been outstanding today and stands at 4-under on his round with the two scoring par-5s still to come.
Stuart Appleby
Has birdied the first 3 holes.
I'd love to see Stuart do well this week. I think he's a really talented player who has obviously dealt with some profound personal tragedy. His game is probably best suited to windy conditions as evidenced by his play at Kapalua and his playoff loss in the Open Championship in 2002. With the conditions for the weekend expected to be windy and dry, look for Stuart to play well.
I'd love to see Stuart do well this week. I think he's a really talented player who has obviously dealt with some profound personal tragedy. His game is probably best suited to windy conditions as evidenced by his play at Kapalua and his playoff loss in the Open Championship in 2002. With the conditions for the weekend expected to be windy and dry, look for Stuart to play well.
Tiger Bogeys 11
He's just not finding the fairways, and his putting is letting him down. Still, he's only six behind!!!
If Freddie makes the cut today, he's currently inside the line, he'll equal Gary Player for the most consecutive cuts made at The Masters. Ernie, Freddie and Ogilvy tee off right now.
If Freddie makes the cut today, he's currently inside the line, he'll equal Gary Player for the most consecutive cuts made at The Masters. Ernie, Freddie and Ogilvy tee off right now.
Scores going up!
We're down to six players in red figures. Ernie Els has really been given a reprieve here. A solid round from the Big Easy and he definitely has a chance. Hopefully, Ernie will not feel the need to press, now that he knows a good, solid round around par will get him to the weekend.
Badds must be pissed at me. A birdie at 10 has him right on the cut line.
Badds must be pissed at me. A birdie at 10 has him right on the cut line.
Zach Johnson
Has joined the leaders with two birdies on the first three holes. Interesting to note that two US Ryder Cuppers are tied for the lead, and it's not the guys you'd expect.
Wetterich has made bogey at 16 and is now one off the pace. He's got to be careful now. It's very easy to bogey 17 and 18, just ask Tiger, and then all Wetterich's good work to this point will be for naught.
Gary Player birdied the 3rd. Fantastic.
Wetterich has made bogey at 16 and is now one off the pace. He's got to be careful now. It's very easy to bogey 17 and 18, just ask Tiger, and then all Wetterich's good work to this point will be for naught.
Gary Player birdied the 3rd. Fantastic.
Tiger and other thoughts...
According to the Golf Channel, Tiger's just completely lost his swing with the driver. Two of his last three drives have been in the trees. His Falkland missile drives are misfiring right now.
What is the actual lead right now? Obviously, Wetterich leads at 3-under (he's inexplicably bogeyed another par 5, the 15th for the second day in a row), but as far as Mickelson and Tiger are concerned, is Vijay the true leader at 1-under? It will be very interesting to watch where the lead moves (I can't see it being lower than 3-under right now) and who holds it at the end of the day. Not a lot of major experience among the top four guys right now. In any case, Tiger needs to get it together on the back nine.
What is the actual lead right now? Obviously, Wetterich leads at 3-under (he's inexplicably bogeyed another par 5, the 15th for the second day in a row), but as far as Mickelson and Tiger are concerned, is Vijay the true leader at 1-under? It will be very interesting to watch where the lead moves (I can't see it being lower than 3-under right now) and who holds it at the end of the day. Not a lot of major experience among the top four guys right now. In any case, Tiger needs to get it together on the back nine.
Jim Furyk
1-under through 17. Very impressive. 25 of 35 greens to this point. Definitely in contention.
Tim Clark just doubled. After a solid start, some of these holes are just brutal.
Tim Clark just doubled. After a solid start, some of these holes are just brutal.
Ernie, Phil, Sergio and Chuck Howell
None has hit a shot. They've all gained ground on most of the field. This must give all of these guys (especially Els who is furthest behind) a psychological boost. A round of even or lower for any of these guys guarantees not only playing the weekend, but a shot at contention on Sunday.
Tiger Birdies 8
Taking advantage of the par-5. Tiger's 2-over on his round, but still in the top-25. Amen Corner will be decisive for Eldrick. If he can play the next four holes in even par and then birdie 13, he'll really have weathered the early storm.
Vijay bogeyed 7 for the second day in a row.
Retief is 2-over on his round and is letting the tournament get away from him.
Funny stat about Wetterich: He's made but two bogeys this week and they've both been on par-5s. With his length, he should be able to take advantage of those holes. In fact out of the 7 par-5s he's played so far, he's only made one birdie (13 yesterday).
Vijay bogeyed 7 for the second day in a row.
Retief is 2-over on his round and is letting the tournament get away from him.
Funny stat about Wetterich: He's made but two bogeys this week and they've both been on par-5s. With his length, he should be able to take advantage of those holes. In fact out of the 7 par-5s he's played so far, he's only made one birdie (13 yesterday).
Tiger Struggling
Tiger has just bogeyed 7 to fall to 3-over on his round. A look at the stats shows that Tiger's putting continues to let him down. Similar problem to last year, and accurately predicted by Brian Hewitt of the Golf Channel on Tuesday.
Jerry Kelly has the round of the day going so far. 4 birdies against no bogeys through 8 holes. I've always enjoyed Jerry Kelly's attitude on the golf course. Doesn't take himself too seriously and has the perspective to acknowledge that being a professional golfer for a living, regardless of what you shoot any given day, is a pretty good life. Let's see if he can keep in going through Amen Corner, and we might have our first really low round of the week.
Wetterich failed to birdie the 13th. With his length, he must take advantage of the par-5s to hang onto his lead.
Jerry Kelly has the round of the day going so far. 4 birdies against no bogeys through 8 holes. I've always enjoyed Jerry Kelly's attitude on the golf course. Doesn't take himself too seriously and has the perspective to acknowledge that being a professional golfer for a living, regardless of what you shoot any given day, is a pretty good life. Let's see if he can keep in going through Amen Corner, and we might have our first really low round of the week.
Wetterich failed to birdie the 13th. With his length, he must take advantage of the par-5s to hang onto his lead.
Scores dropping?
It does appear that while a bunch of guys are still struggling with the opening few holes, some guys are definitely getting the hang of them. It seems like you're either going to make birdies through the opening stretch or make bogeys, not a lot of pars.
Paul Casey is 2-under for his round thanks to an eagle at the par-5 second. A couple more birdies and he'll be right back in it.
Wetterich continues to impress having made it through Amen Corner at 4-under. He now has the scoring par-5s at 13 and 15 where he could really stretch his lead.
Vijay has just birdied 6 to enter red figures for the tournament, I hope Wetterich isn't scoreboard watching. The Vij is quickly becoming the man to beat over the weekend.
Paul Casey is 2-under for his round thanks to an eagle at the par-5 second. A couple more birdies and he'll be right back in it.
Wetterich continues to impress having made it through Amen Corner at 4-under. He now has the scoring par-5s at 13 and 15 where he could really stretch his lead.
Vijay has just birdied 6 to enter red figures for the tournament, I hope Wetterich isn't scoreboard watching. The Vij is quickly becoming the man to beat over the weekend.
Tiger and Walrus
Tiger's now 2-over on his round, 3-over for the tournament, and needs to right the ship soon. He's hitting a ton of greens and just isn't getting the putts to fall.
Stadler is cruising along at even for his round (two birdies, two bogeys) through 9 and looks like a lock to be around for the weekend. If the course stays tough, we'll see some fantastic "disgusted face" in rounds 3 and 4.
Badds is still Bad; now 9-over for the tournament. Go back to Australia.
Stadler is cruising along at even for his round (two birdies, two bogeys) through 9 and looks like a lock to be around for the weekend. If the course stays tough, we'll see some fantastic "disgusted face" in rounds 3 and 4.
Badds is still Bad; now 9-over for the tournament. Go back to Australia.
Early Friday Thoughts...
The course doesn't appear to be playing much easier. Tiger was bitten by number 1...absolutely brutal hole this week...he's at 2-over for the tournament.
Vijay is off to a nice start. Paddy Harrington has raced through the opening stretch in 3-under. Wetterich continues to impress, completing the first 9 in 1-under to take the lead to 4-under and Jim Furyk has it at even through 10 holes today.
Greens in regulation is a huge stat at Augusta and Wetterich is currently hitting 70 percent of them. It's very impressive from a guy who has been on the rise the last few years. Colour me pessimistic, however, if he's got Vijay or Tiger all over him for the 36 weekend holes.
Of players who were on form coming in, Robert Allenby has to be on the list. After a 79 yesterday and a 42 on the first 9, however, Robert can pack his bags. Amazing how the majors can just wreck your game and in so doing wreck your confidence. It'll be interesting to see how Allenby bounces back from this terrible showing.
More to come...
Vijay is off to a nice start. Paddy Harrington has raced through the opening stretch in 3-under. Wetterich continues to impress, completing the first 9 in 1-under to take the lead to 4-under and Jim Furyk has it at even through 10 holes today.
Greens in regulation is a huge stat at Augusta and Wetterich is currently hitting 70 percent of them. It's very impressive from a guy who has been on the rise the last few years. Colour me pessimistic, however, if he's got Vijay or Tiger all over him for the 36 weekend holes.
Of players who were on form coming in, Robert Allenby has to be on the list. After a 79 yesterday and a 42 on the first 9, however, Robert can pack his bags. Amazing how the majors can just wreck your game and in so doing wreck your confidence. It'll be interesting to see how Allenby bounces back from this terrible showing.
More to come...
Thursday, April 5, 2007
The Walrus
A reader requested a Walrus comment in light of his rather stellar play today. Allow me to share a memory:
When I was a young lad of four or five, my dad took me to the Canadian Open at Glen Abbey. Since I was a little tyke, we didn't enter the grounds, but rather watched the 6th hole from an adjacent parking lot. We saw Jack Nicklaus and Craig Stadler. My dad told me that Stadler's nickname was The Walrus. Since I was a child and loved animals, I decided Craig Stadler would be my favourite golfer, and so he remained for a few years. In my middle teens, I came to realize that my former favourite player (he had now been replaced by the Nicks Faldo and Price) was, in fact, a grumpy, foul mouthed fatso...and I still loved him. No player in the history of golf has used the "disgusted face" more frequently or with better effect than Craig Stadler. It's not even a disgusted "face"; his whole body sags. When a putt lips out or he chunks a chip, Stadler appears as though he may head over to the blooming azaleas and barf all over them. He is awesome. I'd love for him to shoot a 70 tomorrow and be around for the weekend.
Note: I declined to make the obvious Craig Stadler/Champions dinner joke. I thought of several, but decided not to blemish The Walrus's reputation any further than his own surging gut has already done.
When I was a young lad of four or five, my dad took me to the Canadian Open at Glen Abbey. Since I was a little tyke, we didn't enter the grounds, but rather watched the 6th hole from an adjacent parking lot. We saw Jack Nicklaus and Craig Stadler. My dad told me that Stadler's nickname was The Walrus. Since I was a child and loved animals, I decided Craig Stadler would be my favourite golfer, and so he remained for a few years. In my middle teens, I came to realize that my former favourite player (he had now been replaced by the Nicks Faldo and Price) was, in fact, a grumpy, foul mouthed fatso...and I still loved him. No player in the history of golf has used the "disgusted face" more frequently or with better effect than Craig Stadler. It's not even a disgusted "face"; his whole body sags. When a putt lips out or he chunks a chip, Stadler appears as though he may head over to the blooming azaleas and barf all over them. He is awesome. I'd love for him to shoot a 70 tomorrow and be around for the weekend.
Note: I declined to make the obvious Craig Stadler/Champions dinner joke. I thought of several, but decided not to blemish The Walrus's reputation any further than his own surging gut has already done.
Thoughts on Thursday
First of all, the course is playing harder than it has in years. That is obvious. The weather being dry and sunny has clearly turned Augusta into a true monster. Hootie's changes to the course are demolishing the best players in the world. There are 9 players under par and only two players broke 70. Traditionally, Friday at the Masters is the day with the most difficult set-up. We may not see another sub-70 round until Sunday. I'm not sure how I feel about this. Part of Augusta's charm over the years is that while the course is extremely difficult it is not immune to a low round. A difficult course yielding a low round is the exact recipe for drama. This is why The Masters has been so dramatic over the years. Rounds like Jack's 65, Gary's 64 come immediately to mind. Unless there is some rain, 69 might well be the low round of the week.
Onto to specific people now:
Looks like I was right about Els. Very unfortunate his play, but, look, you either hit the shots or you don't. Tomorrow, I think we'll see Ernie go for broke and blow up again. I don't want to see it, but it's going to happen.
Badds was bad. You heard it here Tuesday. He stunk. That said, John Rollins, my sleeper pick was equally horrendous, so I'm not exactly dominating the predictions area.
Ogilvy did a phenomenal job of keeping it together following an 8 on the 2nd. I like his chances moving forward. The same can be said of Phil for bringing it back from 6-over to 4-over. The problem both of these guys have is that they are currently 2 and 3 back of Woods and Singh with those two teeing it up early tomorrow. That means that Ogilvy and Phil (and you can throw Garcia, Howell and Goosen into that mix as well) may find themselves several shots behind Tiger and Vijay before they even tee-off. If that's the case, they'll all be pressing to catch up and pressing gets you absolutely nowhere at Augusta.
As for Tiger, I know he bogeyed the final two, but let's be honest, he's right where he wants to be and Tiger never shoots a good score in the first round of The Masters anyway. Vijay played the last 7 holes in 2-under, and looks like a lock to be in contention on the weekend.
There are only a few guys with legit major experience on the first page (Toms, Beem, Love), and none of these guys has been in contention recently. There is a power vacuum at the top, and, as I said, with Tiger and Vijay teeing off early, things could get very interesting for those less experienced guys tomorrow afternoon.
Adam Scott impressed me and Olazabal made a nice birdie at 18. Both are at 2-over, right in the mix.
Tomorrow will see me blogging a lot more. Had some things I wanted to take care of before the weekend.
Onto to specific people now:
Looks like I was right about Els. Very unfortunate his play, but, look, you either hit the shots or you don't. Tomorrow, I think we'll see Ernie go for broke and blow up again. I don't want to see it, but it's going to happen.
Badds was bad. You heard it here Tuesday. He stunk. That said, John Rollins, my sleeper pick was equally horrendous, so I'm not exactly dominating the predictions area.
Ogilvy did a phenomenal job of keeping it together following an 8 on the 2nd. I like his chances moving forward. The same can be said of Phil for bringing it back from 6-over to 4-over. The problem both of these guys have is that they are currently 2 and 3 back of Woods and Singh with those two teeing it up early tomorrow. That means that Ogilvy and Phil (and you can throw Garcia, Howell and Goosen into that mix as well) may find themselves several shots behind Tiger and Vijay before they even tee-off. If that's the case, they'll all be pressing to catch up and pressing gets you absolutely nowhere at Augusta.
As for Tiger, I know he bogeyed the final two, but let's be honest, he's right where he wants to be and Tiger never shoots a good score in the first round of The Masters anyway. Vijay played the last 7 holes in 2-under, and looks like a lock to be in contention on the weekend.
There are only a few guys with legit major experience on the first page (Toms, Beem, Love), and none of these guys has been in contention recently. There is a power vacuum at the top, and, as I said, with Tiger and Vijay teeing off early, things could get very interesting for those less experienced guys tomorrow afternoon.
Adam Scott impressed me and Olazabal made a nice birdie at 18. Both are at 2-over, right in the mix.
Tomorrow will see me blogging a lot more. Had some things I wanted to take care of before the weekend.
Early Coverage Thoughts...
Faldo thinks the winning score could be OVER PAR!!! He also said the course really changed over night.
Thank god CBS has canned Bobby Clampett in favour of Ian Baker-Finch.
Tiger just looked sick on a birdie effort at 8.
Phil needs a miracle save to avoid bogey at 18.
Tiger does not have his putting stroke today. Remember what I said Tuesday about Brian Hewitt's comments about Tiger not getting a sense of the speed this week.
Thank god CBS has canned Bobby Clampett in favour of Ian Baker-Finch.
Tiger just looked sick on a birdie effort at 8.
Phil needs a miracle save to avoid bogey at 18.
Tiger does not have his putting stroke today. Remember what I said Tuesday about Brian Hewitt's comments about Tiger not getting a sense of the speed this week.
A Massacre?
The Masters is about to come on the air and there are no big names on the leaderboard. Is the course just playing extremely hard or have the big boys choked?
I have to hand it to Phil. Really well done making back to back birdies to get to +4. He's doing his best to keep himself in it.
Sergio's back to back bogeys to end his round, just the opposite.
Justin Rose is leading the tournament at -3. He has no bogeys on his card. Given the rest of the scores, this is exquisite play.
Looks like Arnie split the fairway this morning.
I both love and hate the schmaltzy openings that USA and CBS do. I'll talk more about them on the weekend.
Enjoy the TV coverage and I'll summarize my thoughts at the end of the day.
I have to hand it to Phil. Really well done making back to back birdies to get to +4. He's doing his best to keep himself in it.
Sergio's back to back bogeys to end his round, just the opposite.
Justin Rose is leading the tournament at -3. He has no bogeys on his card. Given the rest of the scores, this is exquisite play.
Looks like Arnie split the fairway this morning.
I both love and hate the schmaltzy openings that USA and CBS do. I'll talk more about them on the weekend.
Enjoy the TV coverage and I'll summarize my thoughts at the end of the day.
Tiger is Even through 2
Not significant? 51 of the players or more than half the field have bogeyed at least one of the first two holes. Tiger's made two pars. Phil's given another back at 12. Those aforementioned back nine par 5s will be huge for him. He needs to play the final 6 in -2 under to have a shot.
Gary player shot 83. Hitting 3 of 18 greens. He's 71 years old. Amazing.
Gary player shot 83. Hitting 3 of 18 greens. He's 71 years old. Amazing.
This Blog Is a Curse
Every time I compliment a player he responds with a bogey. Hilarious.
Tiger made a par at 1. No big deal? Well, much of the field has bogeyed it.
Tiger made a par at 1. No big deal? Well, much of the field has bogeyed it.
Will Anyone Break 70?
I grant you that Tiger and Vijay have yet to tee off, but right now this leaderboard looks more like a US Open than a Masters. No one is really going low right now. I'm impressed with Zach Johnson birdieing both par 5s on the back. If there is a recipe to playing well at the Masters, it is taking advantage of the par 5s. Especially 13 and 15. That gives you some breathing for the final three tough holes.
Very few low scores means that Phil is still in this thing. He's righted the ship with birdie on 8 and now, if he can get it in in -1 to finish with a 75, he'll be okay.
Ernie is done. Just like that. From the stats it looks like poor putting and a few missed greens killed the Big Easy.
Tiger and Vijay must be thinking they can really grab a hold of this tournament by shooting a good score. A 67 from either of them will basically force their main rivals to go really low tomorrow and take risks that may lead to a missed cut.
Very few low scores means that Phil is still in this thing. He's righted the ship with birdie on 8 and now, if he can get it in in -1 to finish with a 75, he'll be okay.
Ernie is done. Just like that. From the stats it looks like poor putting and a few missed greens killed the Big Easy.
Tiger and Vijay must be thinking they can really grab a hold of this tournament by shooting a good score. A 67 from either of them will basically force their main rivals to go really low tomorrow and take risks that may lead to a missed cut.
Quite a Start...
Well two favourites, Els and Mickelson, are absolutely hacking the course to pieces. Both at +5. As I said yesterday, Els doesn't surprise me, but I'm shocked that Phil has started so poorly. The lead currently sits with Stenson and Rose at -2, but Els and Mickelson must be completely dazed by their starts.
It's clear the front nine, especially the first few holes, is playing extremely hard. Few players, if any, are escaping those early holes unscathed. Aaron Oberholser and DL III both have very impressive rounds going deep into the back nine. Oberholser appears to be over the back injury that put him out of action for the first few months of the season. Last week's top-10 and a good start here show that he's rounding into form at a very good time in the season.
Gotta love Tom Watson at even par through 12. I'd love to see a strong week from Tommy.
The Masters website, www.masters.org is great, but I miss the play-by-play feature of the pgatour.com leaderboard.
Stay tuned...
It's clear the front nine, especially the first few holes, is playing extremely hard. Few players, if any, are escaping those early holes unscathed. Aaron Oberholser and DL III both have very impressive rounds going deep into the back nine. Oberholser appears to be over the back injury that put him out of action for the first few months of the season. Last week's top-10 and a good start here show that he's rounding into form at a very good time in the season.
Gotta love Tom Watson at even par through 12. I'd love to see a strong week from Tommy.
The Masters website, www.masters.org is great, but I miss the play-by-play feature of the pgatour.com leaderboard.
Stay tuned...
Wednesday, April 4, 2007
Predictions
One reader has already expressed his breathless anticipation for what will undoubtedly be dubious selections for this year's tournament.
First a couple of thoughts heading into Thursday:
1. I am so sick and tired of people making a big deal about Phil's two drivers. First of all, who cares? Some guys carry four wedges, some guys have different degree increments between their irons. Phil has 14 clubs, just like everyone else. I understand that there is a slight novelty factor to having two drivers, but Phil himself has admitted that it's more like a driver and a two wood, in terms of how far the ball travels with each club. Phil's doing whatever he can to win, and is certainly playing within the rules. Let it go. Besides even with seven drivers Phil would be hard pressed to beat Roy "Tin Cup" McAvoy, were Cup playing with his farm tools.
Quick sidebar: Golf movies are awful. The Bobby Jones Story was a joke. The Greatest Game Ever Played was okay, but the golf wasn't authentic. Bagger Vance was poor to very poor. Tin Cup was completely ridiculous in plot, but I thought a sense of love for the game of golf permeated the whole movie which excused its more ridiculous plot points. There was an era of authenticity even though the wrong network was broadcasting the US Open and it had the most ridiculous closing sequence in any sports movie, ever. That authenticity came from so many tour pros being involved, and from Kevin Costner really liking golf. Happy Gilmore is in a class by itself and I don't have enough time to discuss it at length. Suffice it to say, I love Happy Gilmore. (I've never seen Dead, Solid, Perfect...but I know that it is a movie about golf).
Back to the Masters...
2. Overall, this has been a fairly calm Masters week so far. No major controversies; no Martha Burk vs. Hootie, no complaints about course changes, not even any concern about the weather. I can only hope this means that the Masters drama will be confined to the golf this year. That's a good thing.
Now onto the predictions:
Winner: Tiger Woods
I'm not going to be stupid and not pick him. No rational person can argue that someone else has a better chance of winning.
Top 5 guys: Mickelson, Ogilvy, Singh, Casey
No explanations needed. Casey is a bulldog and will be the first of the "young guns" to step up and contend in a major.
Disappointments: Els, Stenson
Ernie's press conference scared me a little, I have to confess. And Stenson's been playing well for over two months. His form faded a little at Doral. All good things must come to an end.
Sleeper: John Rollins
He's played really consistently this year regardless of the venue. I think he'll do well.
Euro Sleeper: Thomas Bjorn
This is a hunch pure and simple.
Okay. I can't wait to get started. I'll be posting fairly regularly during the day, and will give a summation after play is completed tomorrow night.
Fore, Please. Arnold Palmer now driving. Let's hope Arnie doesn't kill a "patron" with a snap hook, and prematurely end his honorary starter tenure.
Billy Payne: Uh Arnold...you killed that guy with your honorary starter tee shot.
Arnold: I don't know what to say...
Billy: Arnold, you're fired.
Arnold: But...
Billy: No, Arnold. Your golf swing looks like someone dry heaving in a straight jacket, and we can't find a single patron who really remembers when you were any good.
Arnold: But...
Billy: We're just kidding, Arnie old boy. Kill as many patrons as you want. It's great to have you back.
First a couple of thoughts heading into Thursday:
1. I am so sick and tired of people making a big deal about Phil's two drivers. First of all, who cares? Some guys carry four wedges, some guys have different degree increments between their irons. Phil has 14 clubs, just like everyone else. I understand that there is a slight novelty factor to having two drivers, but Phil himself has admitted that it's more like a driver and a two wood, in terms of how far the ball travels with each club. Phil's doing whatever he can to win, and is certainly playing within the rules. Let it go. Besides even with seven drivers Phil would be hard pressed to beat Roy "Tin Cup" McAvoy, were Cup playing with his farm tools.
Quick sidebar: Golf movies are awful. The Bobby Jones Story was a joke. The Greatest Game Ever Played was okay, but the golf wasn't authentic. Bagger Vance was poor to very poor. Tin Cup was completely ridiculous in plot, but I thought a sense of love for the game of golf permeated the whole movie which excused its more ridiculous plot points. There was an era of authenticity even though the wrong network was broadcasting the US Open and it had the most ridiculous closing sequence in any sports movie, ever. That authenticity came from so many tour pros being involved, and from Kevin Costner really liking golf. Happy Gilmore is in a class by itself and I don't have enough time to discuss it at length. Suffice it to say, I love Happy Gilmore. (I've never seen Dead, Solid, Perfect...but I know that it is a movie about golf).
Back to the Masters...
2. Overall, this has been a fairly calm Masters week so far. No major controversies; no Martha Burk vs. Hootie, no complaints about course changes, not even any concern about the weather. I can only hope this means that the Masters drama will be confined to the golf this year. That's a good thing.
Now onto the predictions:
Winner: Tiger Woods
I'm not going to be stupid and not pick him. No rational person can argue that someone else has a better chance of winning.
Top 5 guys: Mickelson, Ogilvy, Singh, Casey
No explanations needed. Casey is a bulldog and will be the first of the "young guns" to step up and contend in a major.
Disappointments: Els, Stenson
Ernie's press conference scared me a little, I have to confess. And Stenson's been playing well for over two months. His form faded a little at Doral. All good things must come to an end.
Sleeper: John Rollins
He's played really consistently this year regardless of the venue. I think he'll do well.
Euro Sleeper: Thomas Bjorn
This is a hunch pure and simple.
Okay. I can't wait to get started. I'll be posting fairly regularly during the day, and will give a summation after play is completed tomorrow night.
Fore, Please. Arnold Palmer now driving. Let's hope Arnie doesn't kill a "patron" with a snap hook, and prematurely end his honorary starter tenure.
Billy Payne: Uh Arnold...you killed that guy with your honorary starter tee shot.
Arnold: I don't know what to say...
Billy: Arnold, you're fired.
Arnold: But...
Billy: No, Arnold. Your golf swing looks like someone dry heaving in a straight jacket, and we can't find a single patron who really remembers when you were any good.
Arnold: But...
Billy: We're just kidding, Arnie old boy. Kill as many patrons as you want. It's great to have you back.
Wednesday Press Conferences
Billy Payne has changed the qualification criteria for the Masters. Returning in some ways to the old format, anyone who wins a fully-allocated FedEx Cup points event will be invited to the next year's Masters. As Brian Hewitt pointed out on the Golf Channel, this brings back the drama of the event the week before the Masters as someone without an invitation can then get in with a win...this move adds drama, I love it. This change will be very popular with the players, especially the second-tier guys.
Ernie Els said some great things in his press conference. He acknowledged that if he never wins this event, it will be a blight on his resume. My concern with Ernie, and I confess this was voiced a couple of weeks ago by former tour pro-turned-commentator John Maginnes, is that I don't know if he has the confidence necessary to win. Ernie is an extremely nice guy (or so it seems), and I wonder if he lacks the killer instinct necessary to beat Tiger and Phil at Augusta. I think it would be a real shame if his name was added to the list of almost-rans rather than the list of champions. Again, I don't necessarily care about what a win would mean for a golfer, but were Ernie to win the third leg of the career slam this week, it would add some fantastic drama to the PGA this year at Southern Hills. Only five players have won the career slam, making it one of the most difficult accomplishments in professional sports.
This happened yesterday, but it was awesome:
Someone asked Tiger "Do you start to get the sense that maybe there are a few guys younger than who've got up to the task to possible push you and Phil and Vijay on this course now?"
Tiger paused. Had a slight smile and said: "Who?" Arrogant? Confident? Either way, it's awesome. You've got to earn Tiger's respect and that means playing well at Augusta. Not winning the Houston Open or the FBR Open.
Ernie Els said some great things in his press conference. He acknowledged that if he never wins this event, it will be a blight on his resume. My concern with Ernie, and I confess this was voiced a couple of weeks ago by former tour pro-turned-commentator John Maginnes, is that I don't know if he has the confidence necessary to win. Ernie is an extremely nice guy (or so it seems), and I wonder if he lacks the killer instinct necessary to beat Tiger and Phil at Augusta. I think it would be a real shame if his name was added to the list of almost-rans rather than the list of champions. Again, I don't necessarily care about what a win would mean for a golfer, but were Ernie to win the third leg of the career slam this week, it would add some fantastic drama to the PGA this year at Southern Hills. Only five players have won the career slam, making it one of the most difficult accomplishments in professional sports.
This happened yesterday, but it was awesome:
Someone asked Tiger "Do you start to get the sense that maybe there are a few guys younger than who've got up to the task to possible push you and Phil and Vijay on this course now?"
Tiger paused. Had a slight smile and said: "Who?" Arrogant? Confident? Either way, it's awesome. You've got to earn Tiger's respect and that means playing well at Augusta. Not winning the Houston Open or the FBR Open.
Masters Wagering
I mentioned earlier that the Duval bet in '98 definitely added to my enjoyment of that event (although it the end I felt sick). The fact is betting on golf is incredibly fun. Here's why:
Most of us have one or two favourite players, guys we'll follow in the John Deere classic, if they're playing in Asia, whatever. It's obviously fun to bet on these guys, but what if they miss the cut or withdraw due to injury? A bet on a few other players that you think have a chance, but that you don't otherwise follow, gives you a few more horses in the field and increases the likelihood that you'll have someone to root hard for coming down the stretch.
A popular format for Masters betting is the Masters pool. You get to pick 4 or 5 players using some formula involving World Ranking, commissioner decreed groupings or current money list standings. At the end of the week, the total earnings or positions of your players determines the pool winner. Not only does such a format give you several guys to root for for the whole week, but it makes you follow THE ENTIRE TOURNAMENT more closely. You'll wake-up early on Saturday and Sunday to follow the early starters on the internet to see if your guys are moving up the board. There is obvious excitement here, but it also makes you a much more knowledgeable fan. The more players you follow closely, the better understanding you have of their games, how the course is playing, who it favours etc. Betting in a Masters Pool is a great way of improving your golf IQ.
For me this weekend I have a series of bets:
First, I'm in a season-long pool with a team of 10 players. This pool takes everything I said about Masters' pools and multiplies it by ten. The major championships are given a premium in this league and currently my partner and I (my buddy from college, Greer) sit 4th out of 12 teams. This is a big week for us. We've got five of our ten players in this week (about the league average for this limited field event). They are:
Els
Garcia
Stricker
Rollins
Oberholser
Having read the Els article I posted earlier, I'm hopeful Ernie will have a good week. Stricker and Oberholser both had top-10s last week, and Rollins has been one of the most consistent players on tour so far this year. Sergio is Sergio. Honestly, I was surprised to notice his how poor his record at the Masters has been. Given the success of his Spanish colleagues here, I would have thought he'd have done better. As always with Sergio though, he only goes as far as his putter will take him and Augusta isn't exactly an easy putting course. So that's my season-long pool.
I'm in a second pool (just joined today) that asks you to pick 5 players whose World Golf Ranking Avg. adds up to less than 25 points. Tiger himself has 20 points so I've gone with this team:
Mickelson
Els
Singh
Howell III
Tom Watson
The top four need no explanation, so why Watson? Well after the first four, I had less than a point to play with, so I decided to go with experience and sentimentality. One of those decisions where if Watson makes the cut and manages a top-20, I look like a genius, if he shoots 80 on Thursday and misses the cut and I lose the pool by a small margin, I look like an asshole. (Note: This pool's winner is determined by adding up your team's earnings at the end of the week).
Finally, Greer and I also have some wagered on Geoff Ogilvy. I love Ogilvy's game and I love his honesty with the press (Check out his interview: http://www.golfdigest.com/newsandtour/index.ssf?/newsandtour/gw20070302opinion.html). Anyway, Greer and I got terrific 30-1 odds on him. I'm a little surprised by these odds, but I'm not complaining. Phil and Tiger both spoke yesterday about how important it is to have had experience at Augusta and in major championships before you enter the cauldron that is the back nine on Sunday. Ogilvy's been in it at Winged Foot, and has done remarkably well in the Match Play event the last two years. There are shorter odds on a lot of players with less experience and not demonstrably better games.
I'll be back later with a note about today's press conferences and my official picks for the weekend. (Official? Yeah, really official!)
Most of us have one or two favourite players, guys we'll follow in the John Deere classic, if they're playing in Asia, whatever. It's obviously fun to bet on these guys, but what if they miss the cut or withdraw due to injury? A bet on a few other players that you think have a chance, but that you don't otherwise follow, gives you a few more horses in the field and increases the likelihood that you'll have someone to root hard for coming down the stretch.
A popular format for Masters betting is the Masters pool. You get to pick 4 or 5 players using some formula involving World Ranking, commissioner decreed groupings or current money list standings. At the end of the week, the total earnings or positions of your players determines the pool winner. Not only does such a format give you several guys to root for for the whole week, but it makes you follow THE ENTIRE TOURNAMENT more closely. You'll wake-up early on Saturday and Sunday to follow the early starters on the internet to see if your guys are moving up the board. There is obvious excitement here, but it also makes you a much more knowledgeable fan. The more players you follow closely, the better understanding you have of their games, how the course is playing, who it favours etc. Betting in a Masters Pool is a great way of improving your golf IQ.
For me this weekend I have a series of bets:
First, I'm in a season-long pool with a team of 10 players. This pool takes everything I said about Masters' pools and multiplies it by ten. The major championships are given a premium in this league and currently my partner and I (my buddy from college, Greer) sit 4th out of 12 teams. This is a big week for us. We've got five of our ten players in this week (about the league average for this limited field event). They are:
Els
Garcia
Stricker
Rollins
Oberholser
Having read the Els article I posted earlier, I'm hopeful Ernie will have a good week. Stricker and Oberholser both had top-10s last week, and Rollins has been one of the most consistent players on tour so far this year. Sergio is Sergio. Honestly, I was surprised to notice his how poor his record at the Masters has been. Given the success of his Spanish colleagues here, I would have thought he'd have done better. As always with Sergio though, he only goes as far as his putter will take him and Augusta isn't exactly an easy putting course. So that's my season-long pool.
I'm in a second pool (just joined today) that asks you to pick 5 players whose World Golf Ranking Avg. adds up to less than 25 points. Tiger himself has 20 points so I've gone with this team:
Mickelson
Els
Singh
Howell III
Tom Watson
The top four need no explanation, so why Watson? Well after the first four, I had less than a point to play with, so I decided to go with experience and sentimentality. One of those decisions where if Watson makes the cut and manages a top-20, I look like a genius, if he shoots 80 on Thursday and misses the cut and I lose the pool by a small margin, I look like an asshole. (Note: This pool's winner is determined by adding up your team's earnings at the end of the week).
Finally, Greer and I also have some wagered on Geoff Ogilvy. I love Ogilvy's game and I love his honesty with the press (Check out his interview: http://www.golfdigest.com/newsandtour/index.ssf?/newsandtour/gw20070302opinion.html). Anyway, Greer and I got terrific 30-1 odds on him. I'm a little surprised by these odds, but I'm not complaining. Phil and Tiger both spoke yesterday about how important it is to have had experience at Augusta and in major championships before you enter the cauldron that is the back nine on Sunday. Ogilvy's been in it at Winged Foot, and has done remarkably well in the Match Play event the last two years. There are shorter odds on a lot of players with less experience and not demonstrably better games.
I'll be back later with a note about today's press conferences and my official picks for the weekend. (Official? Yeah, really official!)
1996
In terms of dramatic impact, 1996 was kind of like watching a bus accident. In slow motion. For four hours. Golf really is the most humbling game. Greg Norman was so dominant over the first three rounds, there was just no way he was going to lose. And then he lost. He was beaten by 11 strokes in the final round. 11 STROKES!!! Faldo shoots an absolutely perfect 67 and turns a six-shot deficit into a five-shot win. But let's be clear, if you're Nick Faldo the night before, do you really think 67 is going to get it done? With the way Norman was playing? Probably not. But what Faldo did that was genius was play to his own strengths and on that Sunday were those strengths accentuated Norman's weaknesses. Faldo was like a robot hitting fairways and greens, while right from the start, Norman was erratic. After Faldo wrestled the honour away from him, it must have definitely affected Norman psychologically to see Flado stripe fairway after fairway while his own swing was becoming less and less certain.
One thing that really sticks out for me is Norman digging his fingers into the back of his shoulder after hitting it in the water on 16. Like he was punishing himself physically for such a bad shot. It was very intense and I remember it very clearly.
Another painful aspect of that shot on 16 was that Norman's eagle chip on 15 just lipped out. If that had gone down, perhaps Greg might have righted the ship. He would've been only one down with three to play and would have had the honor on 16 tee.
We normally think of choking in golf as a very quick process, one or two holes tops, but mostly it's just one terrible shot (Calc at the Ryder Cup topping it into the water or Scott Hoch at The Masters against the same Nick Faldo). A few times though, it lasts a while. Great players blow huge advantages over a round or a nine and you wonder how in the world they can even pick up a club again? Palmer blew a 7 shot lead to Billy Casper in nine holes in the '66 US Open (although Palmer did not lose outright until the playoff the next day). I was really happy when Norman rebounded to play well in the '99 Masters. Also, while Norman is certainly a guy whose potential was unrealized (remember in '86 he won the Saturday Slam...leading all four majors going into the final round, and I'm pretty sure he's the only player to lose each of the four major championships in playoffs), he was snake-bitten a few times. Tway and Mize both sank miracle shots to beat him, and Nicklaus was not going to lose the '86 Masters. Further, Norman shot a 64 in the final round of the '93 Open Championship to win by 2. Only Johnny Miller's 63 at Oakmont in '73 is a better final round by a champion in a major. Weep not for Greg Norman...especially since he's richer than God, but it was easy to feel for him that day.
I view that Masters like the BBC version of THE OFFICE. It's amazing television, but, at times, almost painfully unwatchable.
One thing that really sticks out for me is Norman digging his fingers into the back of his shoulder after hitting it in the water on 16. Like he was punishing himself physically for such a bad shot. It was very intense and I remember it very clearly.
Another painful aspect of that shot on 16 was that Norman's eagle chip on 15 just lipped out. If that had gone down, perhaps Greg might have righted the ship. He would've been only one down with three to play and would have had the honor on 16 tee.
We normally think of choking in golf as a very quick process, one or two holes tops, but mostly it's just one terrible shot (Calc at the Ryder Cup topping it into the water or Scott Hoch at The Masters against the same Nick Faldo). A few times though, it lasts a while. Great players blow huge advantages over a round or a nine and you wonder how in the world they can even pick up a club again? Palmer blew a 7 shot lead to Billy Casper in nine holes in the '66 US Open (although Palmer did not lose outright until the playoff the next day). I was really happy when Norman rebounded to play well in the '99 Masters. Also, while Norman is certainly a guy whose potential was unrealized (remember in '86 he won the Saturday Slam...leading all four majors going into the final round, and I'm pretty sure he's the only player to lose each of the four major championships in playoffs), he was snake-bitten a few times. Tway and Mize both sank miracle shots to beat him, and Nicklaus was not going to lose the '86 Masters. Further, Norman shot a 64 in the final round of the '93 Open Championship to win by 2. Only Johnny Miller's 63 at Oakmont in '73 is a better final round by a champion in a major. Weep not for Greg Norman...especially since he's richer than God, but it was easy to feel for him that day.
I view that Masters like the BBC version of THE OFFICE. It's amazing television, but, at times, almost painfully unwatchable.
1998
The 1998 Masters is seared into my memory, and that's not a good thing. I'll say a few positive things about it first.
1. It was an incredibly dramatic tournament. Mark O'Meara birdieing three of the last four holes to win by one over Duval and Couples and by two over Furyk. Terrifically exciting stuff. Not to mention the fact that a 58 YEAR OLD Jack Nicklaus finished tied for 6th, TWO SHOTS BETTER THAN TIGER WOODS. Jack's performance on Sunday was a little bit of an '86 flashback and clearly inspired all the other players on the course. It was amazing when CBS came on the air, Jack had just chipped in for birdie at 7 or 8 and Nantz said: "You are not going to believe what you are about to see". It really was incredible. I mean, 58 years old and the guy finishes better than the guy who the year before won the tournament by 12 strokes and is less than half his age. Jack was a legitimate contender at The Masters for almost 40 years. What other athletes can claim to have competed at the highest level in their sport for that long?
2. It was my first Masters while an undergrad at Yale and so my first opportunity to watch golf with some guys who have become some of my best friends. As I was saying in my '86 post about watching the Masters with my dad, watching with these guys was a great experience in '98 and playing and watching golf together has become a major part of our friendships.
A lot of people ask me how I can watch golf on TV. "It's so boring," they say. That's an absolute fallacy. Golf and baseball are, in my opinion, the two most exciting sports to watch on TV. Perhaps I should clarify that, major championship golf and playoff baseball are the two most exciting sports to watch on TV. Why? Because the they are not constant action sports. There is dramatic build-up to a pitch or a golf shot that makes the split-second moment of action incredible. The lining up of Mickelson's putt to win in '04. He's lining up his putt, Els is on the putting green and everyone watching is asking themselves and their friends "will he make it?", "If he misses, Els will kill him in the playoff" etc. You have the opportunity as a fan to think about what's going on and really appreciate the moment in sports like golf and baseball. That's what makes watching them with friends so exciting.
Now on to the negative side of the 1998 Masters:
I'm not a huge gambler. When I go to Vegas, I'm much more interested in saving my cash for drinks and...other things, but I do like to wager on sports. Not aggressively, mind you, but a few bets get the juices flowing for me. At the end of the 1997 golf season, David Duval, a man who had about 11 top-3 finishes on tour without a win, suddenly won his last three starts. All of a sudden, Duval seemed to be a force to be reckoned with. My father happened to be traveling to the UK sometime during that off-season and I told him to see what kind of odds he could get on Duval to win The Masters. I figured, here's a guy who's always in contention, but has had trouble breaking through, now he's broken through in a major way. Also, Duval wasn't some flash in the pan, he was one of only three players ever to be four-time All-Americans in college and played at Georgia Tech where he obviously would have played Augusta occasionally.
My dad got great odds: 33-1 and we put 20 British pounds on Duval to win. Things started well for Duval. He was 5-under heading into the weekend and right in the thick of it, but a Saturday 74 left him 3 shots out of the lead held by Fred Couples. Sunday started brilliantly for Duval and not so brilliantly for the rest of the field. After birdieing 15, David stood on 16 tee with a THREE SHOT LEAD. I was staring 660 British pounds in the face. Then, Double D committed the cardinal sin with the traditional back left hole location. He left his ball back right, meaning an almost impossible two-putt down the hill. He first putt ran about ten feet by and he didn't make the comebacker. Bogey 4. Meanwhile, O'Meara was about to birdie 15 and Couples was about to eagle it to completely erase Duval's lead. Just like that. It was gone.
I held out hope, though. After O'Meara birdied 17 to join Couples and Duval at 8-under, I figured we might be looking at a playoff. Freddie left his approach to 18 short (only a miracle would lead to birdie) and O'Meara hit a nice shot, but was hole-high, some 20 feet away. WOO HOO! Playoff time. An awesome Masters and I may still win 660 British pounds. Freddie chipped up close and then O'Meara lined up his putt. In the Butler Cabin, Duval was waiting and watching. An Augusta member told him: "Don't worry, David. No one makes this putt". Seconds later, O'Meara's putt fell and Duval said he felt like he's been punched in the stomach. That made two of us. As painful a golf bet loss as I've ever had and a prime example of how things can change on the back nine at Augusta.
Duval made a great run at the Masters between '98 and 2001, finishing T2, T6, T3, 2. In both '98 and '01 he closed with 67s, but on both occasions bogeyed 16 costing himself the tournament. The fact that he is no longer a factor at The Masters is a real shame. He always played the front nine extremely well, putting himself in position and putting pressure on the players around him. Would it have killed him to just par 16 in 1998 and at least take his chances in the playoff?
In the end, it makes for a great story. I didn't lose that much money and my bet definitely ADDED to my enjoyment of the tournament. More on golf betting to come.
1. It was an incredibly dramatic tournament. Mark O'Meara birdieing three of the last four holes to win by one over Duval and Couples and by two over Furyk. Terrifically exciting stuff. Not to mention the fact that a 58 YEAR OLD Jack Nicklaus finished tied for 6th, TWO SHOTS BETTER THAN TIGER WOODS. Jack's performance on Sunday was a little bit of an '86 flashback and clearly inspired all the other players on the course. It was amazing when CBS came on the air, Jack had just chipped in for birdie at 7 or 8 and Nantz said: "You are not going to believe what you are about to see". It really was incredible. I mean, 58 years old and the guy finishes better than the guy who the year before won the tournament by 12 strokes and is less than half his age. Jack was a legitimate contender at The Masters for almost 40 years. What other athletes can claim to have competed at the highest level in their sport for that long?
2. It was my first Masters while an undergrad at Yale and so my first opportunity to watch golf with some guys who have become some of my best friends. As I was saying in my '86 post about watching the Masters with my dad, watching with these guys was a great experience in '98 and playing and watching golf together has become a major part of our friendships.
A lot of people ask me how I can watch golf on TV. "It's so boring," they say. That's an absolute fallacy. Golf and baseball are, in my opinion, the two most exciting sports to watch on TV. Perhaps I should clarify that, major championship golf and playoff baseball are the two most exciting sports to watch on TV. Why? Because the they are not constant action sports. There is dramatic build-up to a pitch or a golf shot that makes the split-second moment of action incredible. The lining up of Mickelson's putt to win in '04. He's lining up his putt, Els is on the putting green and everyone watching is asking themselves and their friends "will he make it?", "If he misses, Els will kill him in the playoff" etc. You have the opportunity as a fan to think about what's going on and really appreciate the moment in sports like golf and baseball. That's what makes watching them with friends so exciting.
Now on to the negative side of the 1998 Masters:
I'm not a huge gambler. When I go to Vegas, I'm much more interested in saving my cash for drinks and...other things, but I do like to wager on sports. Not aggressively, mind you, but a few bets get the juices flowing for me. At the end of the 1997 golf season, David Duval, a man who had about 11 top-3 finishes on tour without a win, suddenly won his last three starts. All of a sudden, Duval seemed to be a force to be reckoned with. My father happened to be traveling to the UK sometime during that off-season and I told him to see what kind of odds he could get on Duval to win The Masters. I figured, here's a guy who's always in contention, but has had trouble breaking through, now he's broken through in a major way. Also, Duval wasn't some flash in the pan, he was one of only three players ever to be four-time All-Americans in college and played at Georgia Tech where he obviously would have played Augusta occasionally.
My dad got great odds: 33-1 and we put 20 British pounds on Duval to win. Things started well for Duval. He was 5-under heading into the weekend and right in the thick of it, but a Saturday 74 left him 3 shots out of the lead held by Fred Couples. Sunday started brilliantly for Duval and not so brilliantly for the rest of the field. After birdieing 15, David stood on 16 tee with a THREE SHOT LEAD. I was staring 660 British pounds in the face. Then, Double D committed the cardinal sin with the traditional back left hole location. He left his ball back right, meaning an almost impossible two-putt down the hill. He first putt ran about ten feet by and he didn't make the comebacker. Bogey 4. Meanwhile, O'Meara was about to birdie 15 and Couples was about to eagle it to completely erase Duval's lead. Just like that. It was gone.
I held out hope, though. After O'Meara birdied 17 to join Couples and Duval at 8-under, I figured we might be looking at a playoff. Freddie left his approach to 18 short (only a miracle would lead to birdie) and O'Meara hit a nice shot, but was hole-high, some 20 feet away. WOO HOO! Playoff time. An awesome Masters and I may still win 660 British pounds. Freddie chipped up close and then O'Meara lined up his putt. In the Butler Cabin, Duval was waiting and watching. An Augusta member told him: "Don't worry, David. No one makes this putt". Seconds later, O'Meara's putt fell and Duval said he felt like he's been punched in the stomach. That made two of us. As painful a golf bet loss as I've ever had and a prime example of how things can change on the back nine at Augusta.
Duval made a great run at the Masters between '98 and 2001, finishing T2, T6, T3, 2. In both '98 and '01 he closed with 67s, but on both occasions bogeyed 16 costing himself the tournament. The fact that he is no longer a factor at The Masters is a real shame. He always played the front nine extremely well, putting himself in position and putting pressure on the players around him. Would it have killed him to just par 16 in 1998 and at least take his chances in the playoff?
In the end, it makes for a great story. I didn't lose that much money and my bet definitely ADDED to my enjoyment of the tournament. More on golf betting to come.
Article Links
Thought I would put up some links to some of the better articles I've read this week:
Nice article on Nantz.
On Sunday, CBS will be showing a 1 hour special re-broadcast of the 1960 Masters. Worth watching.
A piece on Els.
I'll get to my thoughts on Els in my predictions section later today.
A piece about Tiger
now being a member of the old guard.
Geoff Ogilvy.
A well-reasoned debate about the quality of competition for
Jack and Tiger.
Nice article on Nantz.
On Sunday, CBS will be showing a 1 hour special re-broadcast of the 1960 Masters. Worth watching.
A piece on Els.
I'll get to my thoughts on Els in my predictions section later today.
A piece about Tiger
now being a member of the old guard.
Geoff Ogilvy.
A well-reasoned debate about the quality of competition for
Jack and Tiger.
Tuesday, April 3, 2007
1997
The '97 Masters may be second only to the '86 Masters in amount of coverage. That said, here are a few thoughts:
1. Tiger went 40-30 for his opening round 70. 30 on the back of Augusta is impressive at any time, but in the first round of your first major? After going 40 on the front nine? When you've already been heralded as the second coming? Insane.
2. If you've watched the highlights from '97 recently (they've been on all week on the Golf Channel), the course looks completely different. First of all there wasn't any rough. And second, the guys are hitting shots from drastically different places now than they were then, especially on 11 and 15. A lot of people will say this is all because of Tiger and that's true, to an extent. The real reason for these changes (and another reason why '97 is so significant) is that it was the first year where technology started to really change the game. Consider that in 1996, when Tiger defeated Davis Love III to win in Vegas, Davis was using a persimmon driver! The following year, I doubt you would have found any persimmon woods at Augusta. So, '97 represented the perfect storm of a great new talent and improving golf technology that would force Augusta National to add 550 yards in 9 years.
3. Now my previous point was all about the ramifications for golf that I have already decried as secondary to drama in my post about 2001, and it's true that 1997 lacked traditional Sunday-at-The-Masters drama. But anytime someone makes an entrance like Tiger's in 1997, traditional drama gets thrown out the window. This was drama of the more ceremonial variety. The anointing of a new boy genius. It was incredible to watch Tiger beat Jack's record and so utterly destroy the field. One of the most emphatic announcements of greatness in the history of sport.
A couple other thoughts:
-Crazy to see how skinny Tiger was back then, and how long his swing really was. In his press conference yesterday he talked about winning that tournament and that he really didn't have a lot of shots in his bag back then. Of course, he didn't three putt, there was no rough and he was hitting wedges into every par-5, so he had ENOUGH shots to get it around.
-The third round was the first professional example of Tiger using something an opponent says to motivate him. In this case, Monty shot his mouth off and was demolished. Same thing happened to Stephen Ames at Match Play a couple of years ago, and on down the line.
1. Tiger went 40-30 for his opening round 70. 30 on the back of Augusta is impressive at any time, but in the first round of your first major? After going 40 on the front nine? When you've already been heralded as the second coming? Insane.
2. If you've watched the highlights from '97 recently (they've been on all week on the Golf Channel), the course looks completely different. First of all there wasn't any rough. And second, the guys are hitting shots from drastically different places now than they were then, especially on 11 and 15. A lot of people will say this is all because of Tiger and that's true, to an extent. The real reason for these changes (and another reason why '97 is so significant) is that it was the first year where technology started to really change the game. Consider that in 1996, when Tiger defeated Davis Love III to win in Vegas, Davis was using a persimmon driver! The following year, I doubt you would have found any persimmon woods at Augusta. So, '97 represented the perfect storm of a great new talent and improving golf technology that would force Augusta National to add 550 yards in 9 years.
3. Now my previous point was all about the ramifications for golf that I have already decried as secondary to drama in my post about 2001, and it's true that 1997 lacked traditional Sunday-at-The-Masters drama. But anytime someone makes an entrance like Tiger's in 1997, traditional drama gets thrown out the window. This was drama of the more ceremonial variety. The anointing of a new boy genius. It was incredible to watch Tiger beat Jack's record and so utterly destroy the field. One of the most emphatic announcements of greatness in the history of sport.
A couple other thoughts:
-Crazy to see how skinny Tiger was back then, and how long his swing really was. In his press conference yesterday he talked about winning that tournament and that he really didn't have a lot of shots in his bag back then. Of course, he didn't three putt, there was no rough and he was hitting wedges into every par-5, so he had ENOUGH shots to get it around.
-The third round was the first professional example of Tiger using something an opponent says to motivate him. In this case, Monty shot his mouth off and was demolished. Same thing happened to Stephen Ames at Match Play a couple of years ago, and on down the line.
Tuesday Press Conferences
I'll get to 1997 soon, but first a quick word about Tuesday's press conferences.
1. Gary Player is amazing. This year is his 50th Masters. His thoughts on the state of the game were quite interesting, especially his comment that food/diet will have the largest impact on the game over the next few years.
2. Aaron Baddeley is getting a lot of attention this week because an anonymous player picked him to win. http://www.golf.com/golf/gallery/article/0,28242,1603650,00.html
Baddeley doesn't impress me. He putted very nicely to win FBR this year, but he's NEVER been in contention in a major. Look at the last ten champions at Augusta: Tiger (4), O'Meara, Olazabal, Singh, Weir, Mickelson (2). All had much more experience than Badds. It's typical of the current media obsession with golf for one article to instantly make someone a favourite. Also, Badds has the fortune of playing with Tiger the first two rounds. You don't think Tiger will want to kick his ass to prove that article wrong? Don't be surprised to see Badds miss the cut.
3. I'm happy Arnie has agreed to be the ceremonial starter. It's a great tradition that was lacking these last few years. I kind of think Arnold should have considered going this route years ago, but what can you do? I know Arnold did a lot for golf, but having never seen him play great (see my post about the 1986 Masters) I don't have the same reverence as most golf writers and commentators (I give the Golf Channel guys a pass because he's their boss). Arnold made the game popular, I get it. He resurrected the Open Championship, wonderful work. But out of the Big Three, he was by far the least capable player. Arnold's swing mechanics and his lack of longevity bear this out. Jack had 24 years between his first and last pro majors, Gary had 19 years and Arnold? 6.
4. Interesting point made by Brian Hewitt on the Press Conferences show today...Tiger has run into problems over the course of his career when he couldn't get the speeds right on the green. As Hewitt pointed out, the only complaint of an otherwise incredibly confident sounding Tiger was that the greens have been different speeds on each of the practice days. Significant? Doubtful, but something to watch for.
1. Gary Player is amazing. This year is his 50th Masters. His thoughts on the state of the game were quite interesting, especially his comment that food/diet will have the largest impact on the game over the next few years.
2. Aaron Baddeley is getting a lot of attention this week because an anonymous player picked him to win. http://www.golf.com/golf/gallery/article/0,28242,1603650,00.html
Baddeley doesn't impress me. He putted very nicely to win FBR this year, but he's NEVER been in contention in a major. Look at the last ten champions at Augusta: Tiger (4), O'Meara, Olazabal, Singh, Weir, Mickelson (2). All had much more experience than Badds. It's typical of the current media obsession with golf for one article to instantly make someone a favourite. Also, Badds has the fortune of playing with Tiger the first two rounds. You don't think Tiger will want to kick his ass to prove that article wrong? Don't be surprised to see Badds miss the cut.
3. I'm happy Arnie has agreed to be the ceremonial starter. It's a great tradition that was lacking these last few years. I kind of think Arnold should have considered going this route years ago, but what can you do? I know Arnold did a lot for golf, but having never seen him play great (see my post about the 1986 Masters) I don't have the same reverence as most golf writers and commentators (I give the Golf Channel guys a pass because he's their boss). Arnold made the game popular, I get it. He resurrected the Open Championship, wonderful work. But out of the Big Three, he was by far the least capable player. Arnold's swing mechanics and his lack of longevity bear this out. Jack had 24 years between his first and last pro majors, Gary had 19 years and Arnold? 6.
4. Interesting point made by Brian Hewitt on the Press Conferences show today...Tiger has run into problems over the course of his career when he couldn't get the speeds right on the green. As Hewitt pointed out, the only complaint of an otherwise incredibly confident sounding Tiger was that the greens have been different speeds on each of the practice days. Significant? Doubtful, but something to watch for.
2001
The reason normally cited for including the 2001 Masters on a list such as this is the Tiger Slam. In winning Woods held all four professional major titles at once, a feat never before accomplished in the era of professional majors. That's great and all, but as an actor (and a golf fan) I'm much more concerned with the narrative course of an event rather than its historical consequences. This is not to say that I'm not interested in the history of the game, I am. It's just that I don't get emotionally involved in an event based on what this win will "mean" for this player or that player. Intellectually, Tiger's feat astounds me, but what really had me going in the 2001 Masters was the battle in the final round.
While they were 1, 2, and 8 respectively in the world golf rankings coming into the week, Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and David Duval were unquestionably regarded as the best three golfers in the world. At one point in the final round, all three were tied for the lead. In the end it was Duval who proved to be Tiger's toughest foe, and if it weren't for a putter gone cold, his final round 67 may have been a 65 or a 64 and the course of history may have changed. Duval shot 67 and missed putts inside of 15 on 16, 17 and 18. I'll have more on him later, but the reason the 2001 Masters is so special is that for one weekend the promise of Tiger playing with a generation of stars like Nicklaus had done seemed on the verge of being fulfilled. Here, finally, we had Tiger's peers stepping up and shooting great scores that Tiger needed to overcome. The excitement of these burgeoning rivalries was palpable in the telecast that Sunday. Sadly, it was not to be.
Duval went on to win the 2001 Open Championship, but it would be his last victory on tour. His form faded and he has dropped from the world of major championship golf (a sad loss). Mickelson was still three years away from his first major championship, and while he has captured at least one major in each of 2004-2006, his inability to beat Tiger head-to-head and his major failures (2004 and 2006 US Opens, for example) prevent Mickelson-Woods from reaching Watson-Nicklaus levels.
While they were 1, 2, and 8 respectively in the world golf rankings coming into the week, Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and David Duval were unquestionably regarded as the best three golfers in the world. At one point in the final round, all three were tied for the lead. In the end it was Duval who proved to be Tiger's toughest foe, and if it weren't for a putter gone cold, his final round 67 may have been a 65 or a 64 and the course of history may have changed. Duval shot 67 and missed putts inside of 15 on 16, 17 and 18. I'll have more on him later, but the reason the 2001 Masters is so special is that for one weekend the promise of Tiger playing with a generation of stars like Nicklaus had done seemed on the verge of being fulfilled. Here, finally, we had Tiger's peers stepping up and shooting great scores that Tiger needed to overcome. The excitement of these burgeoning rivalries was palpable in the telecast that Sunday. Sadly, it was not to be.
Duval went on to win the 2001 Open Championship, but it would be his last victory on tour. His form faded and he has dropped from the world of major championship golf (a sad loss). Mickelson was still three years away from his first major championship, and while he has captured at least one major in each of 2004-2006, his inability to beat Tiger head-to-head and his major failures (2004 and 2006 US Opens, for example) prevent Mickelson-Woods from reaching Watson-Nicklaus levels.
Masters Memories
Here are my top 5 Masters in my lifetime:
1. 1986
2. 2001
3. 1997
4. 1998
5. 1996
Obviously this is an entirely subjective list (please feel free to disagree), but allow me to defend each choice.
1. 1986. What hasn't been said or written about Jack's comeback in 1986? It is, perhaps, one of the greatest sporting moments of the 20th Century. What it did for golf fans of my generation, more importantly, was expose us to Nicklaus's greatness in a tangible way. We got to SEE it live (even if we were quite young), and seeing an athlete in his element gives one a much higher appreciation of his or her abilities than if you simply HEAR about it years later. Seeing Nicklaus play great (and while he was not in his prime, it was certainly vintage Nicklaus) offered a new generation of fans an opportunity to truly appreciate Nicklaus's greatness, and therefore be able to make some firsthand comparisons with the greatness that was about to be unleashed on the golf world some ten years later.
On a more personal note, I remember watching the '86 Masters with my dad in our old house on Oriole Parkway in Toronto. To this day, I don't know that I've ever seen my dad so excited because of a sporting event, and we attended Game 6 of the '93 World Series (Joe Carter's home run)! It was a great bonding experience for me, and though we'll be in different places during this year's tournament, I can assure there will be frequent phone calls between us.
Some other thoughts on 1986: Jack's victory also led to two of the great comments in the history of golf broadcasting. First, a 26 year-old Jim Nantz tossing it to Tom Weiskopf by asking Jack's old rival what was going through Nicklaus's mind standing on 16 tee. Weiskopf responded that "if I knew that I would have won this golf tournament". A brilliant, witty comment that conveyed profound respect for Nicklaus, a slightly melancholic assessment of his own not-so-realised career, and a perfect understanding of the drama of the moment. Nicklaus, of course, didn't disappoint knocking his tee shot stiff for the penultimate birdie of the round.
The ultimate birdie would come a hole later, called beautifully by Verne Lundquist. Jack had about 18 feet, he and son/caddie Jackie disagreed about the line, Jack went with his gut, and the putt never left the hole. With about three feet to go Lundquist said simply: "Maybe" and as the ball dropped in the cup exclaimed "Yes Sir!". Awesome call.
Quick note on Verne. He's a great golf announcer (as proved through his work in HAPPY GILMORE), but it's awesome for CBS that in losing Gary McCord to his bikini-wax musings, CBS gains Verne. He's been on 16 the last few years and made a lovely call of Tiger's "show the swoosh" chip-in birdie in 2005.
I'll be back in a little while to defend 2001 as my second-favourite Masters Tournament of my lifetime.
1. 1986
2. 2001
3. 1997
4. 1998
5. 1996
Obviously this is an entirely subjective list (please feel free to disagree), but allow me to defend each choice.
1. 1986. What hasn't been said or written about Jack's comeback in 1986? It is, perhaps, one of the greatest sporting moments of the 20th Century. What it did for golf fans of my generation, more importantly, was expose us to Nicklaus's greatness in a tangible way. We got to SEE it live (even if we were quite young), and seeing an athlete in his element gives one a much higher appreciation of his or her abilities than if you simply HEAR about it years later. Seeing Nicklaus play great (and while he was not in his prime, it was certainly vintage Nicklaus) offered a new generation of fans an opportunity to truly appreciate Nicklaus's greatness, and therefore be able to make some firsthand comparisons with the greatness that was about to be unleashed on the golf world some ten years later.
On a more personal note, I remember watching the '86 Masters with my dad in our old house on Oriole Parkway in Toronto. To this day, I don't know that I've ever seen my dad so excited because of a sporting event, and we attended Game 6 of the '93 World Series (Joe Carter's home run)! It was a great bonding experience for me, and though we'll be in different places during this year's tournament, I can assure there will be frequent phone calls between us.
Some other thoughts on 1986: Jack's victory also led to two of the great comments in the history of golf broadcasting. First, a 26 year-old Jim Nantz tossing it to Tom Weiskopf by asking Jack's old rival what was going through Nicklaus's mind standing on 16 tee. Weiskopf responded that "if I knew that I would have won this golf tournament". A brilliant, witty comment that conveyed profound respect for Nicklaus, a slightly melancholic assessment of his own not-so-realised career, and a perfect understanding of the drama of the moment. Nicklaus, of course, didn't disappoint knocking his tee shot stiff for the penultimate birdie of the round.
The ultimate birdie would come a hole later, called beautifully by Verne Lundquist. Jack had about 18 feet, he and son/caddie Jackie disagreed about the line, Jack went with his gut, and the putt never left the hole. With about three feet to go Lundquist said simply: "Maybe" and as the ball dropped in the cup exclaimed "Yes Sir!". Awesome call.
Quick note on Verne. He's a great golf announcer (as proved through his work in HAPPY GILMORE), but it's awesome for CBS that in losing Gary McCord to his bikini-wax musings, CBS gains Verne. He's been on 16 the last few years and made a lovely call of Tiger's "show the swoosh" chip-in birdie in 2005.
I'll be back in a little while to defend 2001 as my second-favourite Masters Tournament of my lifetime.
Getting Started
Hello all. So here's what I have in mind: As a currently unemployed actor and massive golf fan, I thought I would put my creative energies this week towards the creation of a Masters Tournament blog. I'll be posting throughout the week beginning today on whatever Masters-associated topic strikes my fancy. Obviously, once play begins Thursday, the issues of this year's tournament will take on more importance. Please check-in when you can, comment if you so choose, and I hope I can augment your experience of my favourite sports week of the year.
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