This happens every year. I cried during the ceremonial start of the Masters as Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer teed off.
Retief Goosen eagled the first hole, a par-4 with a hole out. After four holes he’s now at -4, tied with Ross Fisher who just got up and down from the front bunker on the par-3 12th. The two leaders at -4 are nicknamed Fish and Goose.
Rory McIlroy is off to a good start at -3 after five holes.
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The Masters
PGA TOUR
Thursday 4/7 3:00 PM – 7:30 PM ET ESPN
Friday 4/8 3:00 PM – 7:30 PM ET ESPN
Saturday 4/9 3:30 PM – 7:00 PM ET CBS
Sunday 4/10 2:00 PM – 7:00 PM ET CBS
In the live press conference a few minutes ago, Phil Mickelson just mentioned that he will be playing two drivers this week at the Masters. He will be removing the 3-iron and hybrid from the bag as he won’t need those because of anticipated higher temperatures and shorter 2nd shots on the par-5’s which will only require 4-iron or less.
Not “fade” versus “draw” drivers
Contrary to popular belief, his drivers aren’t two different setups with regards to one being a fade bias and the other a draw bias. The difference is that one driver is one inch longer than the other. The longer driver will be in use on holes 1, 2 and 8, providing about an extra 15 yards of carry to clear fairway bunkers.
Not playing Tuesday practice round
Phil will not be playing in the practice round today because the conditions will be so different compared to the weekend.
Below are the pairings for the first round of the 2011 Masters.
Group 6 looks fun with Duston Johnson, Nick Watney and Adam Scott. Group 14 is a big one with #1 ranked Martin Kaymer, #2 ranked Lee Westwood and #10 ranked Matt Kuchar. Group 16 has Tiger Woods and Graeme McDowell. Phil Mickelson is in the 2nd to last group with world #1 amateur Peter Uihlein and Geoff Ogilvy.
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Phil Mickelson after winning 2010 Masters - click for more Masters photos
Welcome to the first post of probably close to one billion here during 2011 Masters Week!
I had a hard time getting interested in the Houston Open until the final round yesterday, with the Masters looming. Phil Mickelson and Scott Verplank had quite a duel, which for most of the round was spectacular. Phil finally separated himself on the last few holes for the three shot win over Verplank and Chris Kirk. The rest of the field wasn’t even in the same zip code at -13 to Phil’s -20.
Should Phil play Augusta on every course?
My first thought about the Houston win is that perhaps Phil should play “Augusta” shots on every course. He’d said he’d be hitting shots and practicing for the Masters, rather than playing more appropriate shots for Redstone Golf Club. Net result is a 3 shot win.
Bloggers and scribes write themselves in circles about whether or not Phil is ready for the Masters
A couple of weeks ago, golf bloggers and scribes were saying that Phil wasn’t ready for Augusta. Then after shooting his 63 on Saturday at Redstone, they said he “peaked too early.” Trying to follow some of them makes my head spin. They change their tune every day. The fact is that even if aliens invade our planet, Phil will always be ready for The Masters. His length combined with his short game which is perfect for the course will almost always put him in contention.
Mickelson passes Tiger Woods in world ranking
The win has moved Phil’s world ranking up to #3 and for the first time since 1997 he is ranked higher than Tiger Woods. Woods has dropped to #7. Should Mickelson win the 2011 Masters, he’ll attain the #1 ranking in the world, provided that Martin Kaymer finishes worse than 2nd. At least that is what I’ve read.
Irrelevant Department – Phil now #2 in FedEx Cup Points
I don’t expect Phil Mickelson to win the FedEx Cup. That being said, he’s now up to #2 in FedEx Cup points behind Mark Wilson, who will also not win the FedEx Cup.
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