The Masters @ Augusta National, to me it's the start of Summer. Baseball season opening day has already come and gone and once those first couple of games are underway then it's time the Masters. The coveted Green Jacket. Augusta National is the most private and most prized course in the United States. Hell the groundskeeper pretty much has an unlimited budget in order to keep the course looking spectacular.
Every golfer who sets foot on the grounds almost always takes a second, deep breath and just pauses. The history and the legends who have walked this course is astounding. A lot of players, veterans and first-timers, can't handle the pressure that comes with the tournament but then some thrive on it. Those who do thrive are the ones who find success at the Masters. I've been watching golf all my life. I've been to countless tournaments and watched at least 5x that on tv and there is no tournament (in the US at least) that comes with the same pressure like the Masters. The British Open is a whole different story.
The days leading up to the first round are always quite relaxed. The always entertaining Par 3 Contest on the courses Par 3 holes is almost as great to watch as the tournament itself, but for different reasons. The Par 3 Contest is a fun event, players bring their families, kids and other fans into the fun. Many players have their kids caddying for them and it's just a great chance to let loose before the tournament begins. Despite all the fun of the tournament, many are very supersitious when it comes to the contest, and for good reason: no player who has won the par 3 contest has won the Masters. A lot of players will flop a shot, hit a ball in the water, or have their kid or a fan hit the putt for them. The day that someone wins the tournament after winning the par 3 contest will quite possibly be the greatest win in Masters history, from a superstitious standpoint at least.
First round play came on Thursday. Not only was the anticipation of the tournament to begin high but Tiger Woods' first tee shot in his rebirth in the sport was even higher. Before Tiger even teed off there were lots of suprises and lots of good golf. Tom Watson and Freddie Couples, 2 of the oldest players in the field, were battling it out for the lead. Not many people were expecting to see them play as well as they did. It's amazing how different a year can be at the Masters, or in any sport for that matter. Last year's champion may not even cut while another player who just skated through at a few strokes under par all weekend could walk away as the champion. No tournament can do that to any other golfer. Tiger's return had dominated the media leading up to the tournament. No one really talked about the tournament itself but rather on what Tiger was going to do. I thought before the 1st round that the weekend was going to be a disappointment because of the hype behind Tiger's rebirth. Boy was I wrong.
This weekend was single-handedly the best Masters tournament I've ever seen in my life. From the first round it was nothing but spectacular golf. And unlike most years this year it wasn't just about a handful of players doing well, the entire field (at least those under par) played amazing after amazing shots. Eagles from the farways, outstanding chip shots and long birdie putts were the theme for this weekend. More players this year were in the zone for the tournament. While some putts wouldn't sink and other tee shots were better, the majority of the field was playing each hole with extraordinary skill. Other than the champion, Phil Mickelson, the biggest story has got to be Tiger, of course. The man disappeared from golf following his personal life meltdown and the world was anticipating when and where he'd make his return. Boy did he not disappoint... at least the fans. He ended up in 4th which by no means is a bad tournament but for Tiger, it's a failure. Like he said he comes to win and when he doesn't he fails. That's the true sign of a competitor.
This year however it was Phil Mickelson's tournament. Even when he wasn't leading he was right in the mix, never more than a few shots out of the lead. After the 3rd round he was one shot out of the lead, but I don't think anyone expected him to have the kind of Final round today that Phil had. No bogeys... none... not one... zero...zilch. Phil played about as close to a perfect game that one could play in golf @ Augusta. After the 3rd round back-to-back eagles and a near triple eagle it would be hard to top that on Sunday. However somehow Phil managed to do so. With daring shots and brilliant putts he was able to shock the golfing world with what might be the greatest shot of his life in the rough on the 13th hole. He could have played it safe and just drove the ball out into the far way but what he did was brilliant. He took the risk and hit the shot full swing and landed the ball right where it needed to be. Pure brilliance.
Watching each round this weekend just reiterated everything that I loved about the game of golf. It was thrilling, exhilarating, and just down right entertaining to watching all weekend. People who think this sport is boring should have watched this weekend and they would have experienced the magic of the Masters.
No comments:
Post a Comment