Tag: masters

The Masters Round One

I was busy with class and such, so I did what I could to keep up with the Masters today. Thanks to the live online coverage via Masters.org I was able to see the groups passing through Amen Corner and holes 15 and 16. While I was driving around, XM Radio had some decent coverage.

My first thought right now is that I’m going to have to do more than one post per day because there’s just way too much to write about here. For now, though, you get it all lumped together.

The Beginning

Honorary starter Arnold Palmer kicked off the tournament with a drive into the early morning fog. (Video via ESPN) The first competitors, former major champions Ben Curtis and Sean Micheel, were off an hour late because of the fog. This year marks the end of their five-year exemptions to the Masters. Next year, you won’t see them playing unless they qualify.

Following the Defending Champion

It’s not unheard of for the defending champion to miss the cut. Mike Weir missed it in 2004 after winning in 2003.

That’s why it’s awesome that defending champion Zach Johnson shot a solid round of two under par. I don’t see him going low tomorrow with the mounting pressure and dryer course, but he’ll definitely make the cut.

The Assumed Champion Tiger Woods

I’m pretty sure every single person who has made a prediction about who will win the 2008 Masters picked Tiger Woods to win. If they didn’t, they obviously didn’t get the meme.

Tiger Woods was Mister Consistent for twelve holes before thoroughly botching the 13th hole. It took him two chips to get on the green. Still angered by bogeying a par five, he bogeyed the 14th hole, too. The chip-in eagle on the 15th brought him back to even where he finishd the day. All in all, a typical first round for Tiger. He never plays well on Thursday at the Masters.

Here’s the ESPN recap of Tiger’s first day.

Here’s Tiger’s post-round interview:

* “You don’t really shoot low rounds here any more.”
* “I only heard one roar all day” (Referring to Poulter’s hole-in-one)

What Others Have to Say

Clarification of the Mickelson gambling story. (GolfWeek)

I had no idea Hank Kuehn and Venus Williams were dating. Hanks brother Trip is playing as an amateur in his last Masters.

The Golf Blog asks who Butch Harmon’s best student is: Ernie Els, Phil Mickelson or Adam Scott?

More soon!

Best of the Masters

Pure Domination – 1997

Tiger Woods’ 1997 record-setting victory. I was and still am a huge Tiger Woods fan. Just that past summer I watched and rewatched on tape Tiger’s 1996 U.S. Amateur victory over Steve Scott. Those two tournaments may still be the two best golf tournaments I’ve ever seen.

Win One for the Oldies – 1986

This is a tie between Jack Nicklaus’ win in 1986 at the age of 46 and Tiger Woods’ 1997 victory. Although I am a huge golf fan, I don’t have the appreciation for Jack Nicklaus’ greatness that others do who saw him play in his prime. Although, without Nicklaus there might not be a Tiger Woods.

Most Depressing – 1996

Greg Norman’s meltdown to Nick Faldo in 1996 was extremely tough to watch. I’m still not sure what happened there. On a much much smaller scale, I’ve lost tournaments down the stretch and been disappointed. I can’t begin to imagine the self-doubt that Norman experienced after that tournament.

It’s those situations where remembering that golf is just a game is both the best and hardest thing to do.

Tear-Jerker – 1995

Ben Crenshaw’s victory in 1995 could also be known as “Chicken Soup for the Golfer’s Soul.” He won that tournament for the late and great teacher Harvey Penick. Penick, who taught Tom Kite and Crenshaw among many other greats, passed away just a week before the 1995 Masters.

If you’ve never read Penick’s Little Red Book or Little Green Book, you’re not a true golf fan.

Clutch Finishing Hole – 1998 & 2004

I was happy for Phil Mickelson when he won for the first time in 2004. It was his first major and has changed him as a player. He earned it, too, with a great birdie putt to win by one over Ernie Els on the final hole. And the unforgettable six-inch vertical victory jump.

Mark O’Meara should get a nod here, too. He birdied 18 on Sunday to win by one, a feat that’s only been done four times in the history of the Masters.

Good and Bad of ESPN’s Coverage

The Bad – Chris Berman may butcher the broadcast.

This is a new and interesting year in Masters television coverage. For the first time, ESPN is broadcasting the first two days of the tournament. Chris Burman, in particular, has received a tremendous amount of negative feedback from traditional golf patrons. He’s a bit rough around the edges. More of a professional football guy than a Masters broadcaster. However, he’s sat through his share of U.S. Open tournaments with NBC.

The Good – The Par 3 Contest will be on TV.

For the first time ever, the Par 3 Contest held on Wednesday will be broadcast live. If the players were political candidates, the Par 3 Contest would be a can’t-miss photo op. It’s pure fun to see the players kids caddying and to see the old champions hack their way around a few short holes. More often than not, someone makes a hole-in-one. The cure of the Par 3 Contest remains alive, however. No player has won both the Par 3 Contest and the actual tournament in one year.

Broadcast time: Wednesday, April 9th from 3pm to 5pm.

My Masters Picks

MY PICKS: I’m making my picks early. This is my order of likely winners.

(1) Tiger Woods – The loss to Oglivy at Doral a few weeks ago will have Tiger fired up. Augusta is perfect for his game. The only thing that might hurt is chances is if the course it too soft. That will balance out the field and allow some of the less skilled players to play target golf on the tricky greens.

(2) Phil Mickelson – He’s been playing well for the most part with one win, one second, and seven of eight cuts made. He’s got the length and is gaining more discipline. Despite Phil being a former champion, this is the riskiest top-six pick for me. He’ll definitely make the cut, but will he be in contention come Sunday?

(3) Geoff Oglivy – This guy is playing great. Last time I saw him he was staking everything from everywhere at Doral. His funny looking swing holds up under pressure against even the most formidable of opponents. He’s won a U.S. Open, so we know he can close.

(4) KJ Choi – He won early in 2008 and has played consistently well since then. I keep pulling for this guy to win a major, and I think Augusta is a great chance for him. K.J.’s putting is a little suspect, but he has a great greens-in-regulation percentage. He should probably be higher than 4 on this list.

(5) Vijay Singh – I don’t know what to make of Vijay lately. He’s got this funky new swing where he drags the club inside and tries to draw the ball more. That’s a good shot for Augusta, which is known as a right-to-left course, if he’s got it under control. Singh has won before, can hit the long ball, and has been practicing and resting at home in preparation. He should be close come Sunday.

(6) J.B. Holmes OR Steve Stricker

Kentucky native J.B. Holmes hits the ball a long long way, which is great for Augusta. He’s won once already this year and has been playing well. However, this is his first Masters.

Steve Stricker has never won a major, but he’s got a lot of experience and has been playing very consistently for the past year. I definitely think he’ll make the cut and be near the top come Sunday, though I’m not sure he’ll threaten the leaders.

I got rid of Padraig Harrington from my top six because he’s not playing well, and has let me down when I’ve picked him before.

WINNING SCORE: -9

It’s been raining and the course is very soft, which eliminates Augusta’s main defense of hard and fast greens. Zach Johnson’s winning score of +1 last year was an anomaly. The weather was cold and tricky. Since 2002, excluding last year, the highest winning score has been -7 and the lowest winning score -12. Look for it to fall within that range this year.

Masters’ Week Coverage

I’ll be covering the Masters from my living room. My inside sources will be the ESPN / CBS television broadcast and anything I can read online. I figure if I keep my clubs nearby it’ll be better than being there. Now if I could just get my hands on a pimento cheese sandwich.

Here are some good places aside from The Yugflog Blog that you can keep up on the latest Masters news:

Masters.org – They have a great customizable live leaderboard I use every year. Also, they stream Amen Corner live as well as holes 15 and 16. If you can’t watch on TV, or if you want to supplement your TV, this is the place to go.

GolfDigest.com – They have some good “now and then” and “coming of age” stories.

Geoff Shackelford will be writing in to locations – the usual blog posts which pick apart the interview transcripts beautifully and also on a GolfDigest special called Dateline Augusta.

ESPN, of course, has some coverage, but they shuffle most of the work off to Masters.org.

If you’re visiting Augusta or, like me, trying to channel the Augusta experience to your living room, you should check out Augusta.com. They have tips on getting around Augusta, how to rent a house, and golf coverage, too.

Finally, the PGA of America has some cryptic coverage. Best thing about their site is the countdown clock.

Do you know of any other great sites to watch?