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.