I’ve never done crack or any severely addicting drug… or even mildly addictive drugs. But I feel like I’m in a serious withdrawal state right now after the Masters concluded a day and a half ago. The Masters is as close to a drug as tournament golf can get.
Most “journalists” have a large portion of their articles written before the tournament ends. I’m starting mine over a day later, and honestly, I’m coming up pretty blank. Perhaps I’m partially brain dead from traveling all last week to the other side of the planet, and then suffering a sudden passing of an uncle on Masters Saturday. That’s my excuse. Then again, I’m not a journalist. I’m a blogger. Thankfully I don’t have a deadline a minimum number of words to turn in.
Willett Winning or Spieth Collapsing – Which Will Be Remembered?
Quick quiz: Who won the Masters the year Greg Norman blew a 6-shot lead? Golf aficionados probably know, but the average joe doesn’t. It was Nick Faldo, the first englishman to win the Masters.
Will the 2016 Masters be the same? Will it be known as the year Spieth blew the 5-shot lead with nine holes to play? I hope not and here’s why. Danny Willett played his ass off. His final round was as close to flawless as it could have been. Willett had five birdies and NO bogeys. None. Willett shot a 67 in the final round of only his 2nd Masters to win it. That’s spectacular golf people. Spectacular. Hats off to Danny Willett.
Jordan Spieth
Jordan Spieth was fighting his swing in the final round of the 2016 Masters. He was getting away with it until #12 where he dunked two shots in the water and one in the back bunker on the world’s most famous par-3. He was able to recover from his off-shots previously and make up for it with great putting, but you can’t hit a recovery shot from water.
I think this Masters will be a very good learning experience for Spieth. It might take a little while for the sting and mental effects to subside, but in the long run it will be a character builder and something he can look back on and build from. Greg Norman used his Masters meltdown as a building block to great golf and business success.
Rory McIlory
One major championship left for Rory to claim the grand slam. I think this one is going to be more and more difficult for Rory to obtain. He has the perfect game for the Masters physically, but mentally this one is going to be tougher and tougher for him.
Rory played some very questionable shots from a game management standpoint. One in particular is the punch shot he hit out of the left trees on the par-4 11th. Too aggressive and it went in the water.
Jason Day
Jason Day should win a Masters one of these years. He too has a perfect game for Augusta. He just didn’t seem to have it this past week, especially with the putter.
Ernie Els and the Yips
On the first day we watched Ernie Els 7-putt (later it was recounted and was determined to be a 6-putt). Bad case of the yips and impossible to watch.
Aces on 16
The Sunday pin placement on the par-3 16th lends itself to aces and that’s just part of the great setup that produces excitement at the Masters. The 3rd and final ace was by Louis Oosthuizen and was amazing. His ball hit another player’s ball and still went in the hole. Never seen anything like that before.
No Tiger. No Phil. No Problem.
This is the first time since possibly the mid-90s that neither Tiger Woods or Phil Mickelson have at least been part of the Masters conversation. Times aren’t changing. They have changed. Welcome to the new world. We may have a flash of Phil and Tiger in the future still, but the new guard has taken over.
The Masters Never Disappoints
I say this every year and it’s true every time I say it. The Masters Tournament never disappoints. Thanks to Bobby Jones and Allister Mackenzie for setting up a golf course and event that is truly the best and most exciting and entertaining, year in and year out. Even though I was not able to watch Thursday or most of Saturday this year due to more important things conflicting, it was still a thrill.
Good news! Only 359 days until the 2017 Masters Tournament!
It’s the weekend at the Masters Tournament! Cozy up to the tube in your favortie chair, grab some snacks and stock up your drinking selection. Print out the game below and enjoy the show!
YES SIR!
Due to an emergency trip, I missed most of Thursday’s Masters Tournament coverage. I caught up with as much as I could via media and the internets. The highlight for Thursday was that Jordan Spieth, who everyone thought was “struggling,” jumped out to the lead with a fine 66. The lowlight was Ernie Else apparently 7-putting for a 10 on the first hole. One of the worst cases of the yips I’ve ever seen. Later they recounted the putts and it was “only” a six putt. Kept it under double digits.
The course, because of windy conditions, was playing tougher than normal.
I was so shredded from flying to Singapore and back in 4 days that I was not very functional Friday. Massive headache that morning. So I stayed home from work and had to relax. Fortunately there was a golf tournament on to keep me from being too bored.
Friday’s round was even more tough. The lowest score of the day was -1, so nobody broke 70. Haven’t seen that in a Masters in a long time. Rory McIlory was one of the ones who shot that low round, to get to -3. Spieth dropped two shots today, for a 74. That’s the first time he’s ever shot over par at Augusta. Amazing.
Some interesting events have happened so far. Today was the last round Tom Watson will every play competitively at Augusta. What a class act. Fun times following him and Rory around during a practice round a couple of years ago.
Jason Day quickly went to 2nd place and -5, but dropped some shots to end up +1. +1 seemed out of it for a while, but when Jordan came back to the field it made +1 within reach.
Phil Mickelson’s apparel script featured some strange looking old-school pants and no belt. He missed the cut. End of story. Blame the scripting. EDIT: I’m told Phil was wearing a belt which was the same color as his pants. #fail
Can’t wait for Masters Saturday to start. The big showdown between Jordan Spieth and Rory McIlory is about to commence. They’re paired together and every fan and media member seems to be salivating like mad. But…
Often times when there’s a big matchup like this it ends up being a dud and some player from the pack overtakes them. If that happens who would it be? Windy conditions and fast greens would separate a player who has the experience and guts to weather tough and high intensity golf. My quick look at the leader board didn’t produce any obvious players within a couple of shots. However there are two players at +1 who could definitely shake it up, Angel Cabrera and Jason Day.
The forecast is for winds from 18-26 mph, and the wind will worsen as the day goes on. The advantage is for the early players, not the final groups.
I loved Jordan Spieth’s comments when asked about playing with Rory. He said he’d rather play against someone less threatening. That’s fantastic.
Let’s go.
Saturday April 9, 2016
3-7 p.m. ET on CBS TV
Masters.com Live Streaming:
Featured Groups: 10:30 a.m. – 7 p.m.
On the Range: 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Amen Corner: 12-7 p.m.
Holes 15-16: 12:45-7 p.m.
Sunday April 10, 2016
2-7 p.m. ET on CBS TV
Masters.com Live Streaming:
Featured Groups: 10:30 a.m. – 7 p.m.
On the Range: 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Amen Corner: 12-7 p.m.
Holes 15-16: 12:45-7 p.m.
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