The Masters
Another Great Finish
I refuse to debate anyone who does not agree that The Masters is the best of the four majors. With few exceptions, the final nine on Sunday provides incredible storylines of tragedy and triumph, victory and defeat and sorrow and elation. From the course, to the members, to the patrons, to the players, to the actual playing of the tournament, it sits at the pinnacle of professional golf with no signs of being toppled. I remember more incredible Masters finishes than any other major. It is just the best.
My all-time favorite Masters was Nicklaus in ‘86. Forty years ago, an aging Golden Bear shot 30 on the final 9-holes to claim his 6th and final Green Jacket. The picture below hangs in my office. This iconic photo shows the birdie putt on 17 which put Nicklaus in the lead.
But it’s not just the compelling nature of the tournament, especially the final 9 on Sunday. There is so much more.
No cell phones are allowed on the property. This prevents unwanted distractions for the players. But it does something else which is equally important. It forces the patrons to be present. Unlike other tournaments, fans are actually viewing shots with their eyes and not through a phone camera being held up to capture the shot. It is so refreshing to see the faces in the galleries without a cell phone blocking their faces. You can see their reactions to the shots being witnessed, and it adds so much to the television experience.
Patrons yelling comments after a shot are removed from the property. You don’t hear patrons yelling, “Mashed potatoes!” or any other commonly heard belted out phrase at other tournaments. These have become overdone with time. I find the no tolerance policy for this at The Masters refreshing. I know, I know. I’m the old man yelling at people to get off my lawn.
Food prices are ridiculously inexpensive for a major sporting event. I won’t go into a list of food and associated pricing, but you don’t need to take out a loan just to grab a sandwich and a beer. The merchandise tent is a different story.
The Masters app is amazing. It provides amazing content from history to live broadcasting of the range, featured groups, Amen Corner, etc. If you haven’t downloaded it, you are missing out. Do yourself a favor and download it now.
On to this year’s Masters.
Wow.
After Friday’s round, it looked like Rory was running away from the field. He sat at -12 and six shots clear of 2nd place. But, if you were paying attention, Rory really wasn’t striking the ball very well. He got away with several poor shots in the first two rounds.
The third round became somewhat interesting when Scottie Scheffler came out firing finishing with a 65 to sit at -7. Others started little moves up the leaderboard.
And Rory came out scuffling.
The shots he got away with in the first two rounds suddenly were costing him. Other players started creeping up the leaderboard. Suddenly, Cam Young stormed up the leaderboard and finished with a 65 of his own. At day’s end, he and Rory were tied. Eight players were within five shots of the lead, including past Masters champions Scheffler and Patrick Reed.
The stage was set for an amazing Sunday at Augusta.
It did not disappoint.
At one point, these players held the lead: McIlroy, Rose, Young and Burns.
Burns faded quickly after tying the lead after a birdie at one.
McIlroy fell several shots behind after six.
Rose surged to a 2-shot lead after birdies at 7,8 and 9 but quickly made bogeys at 11 and 12. He never recovered.
Russell Henley surged up the leaderboard to get to -10 but couldn’t get closer.
Terrell Hatton finished at -10 well before other contenders.
McIlroy battled back after a double at 4 and a bogey at 6. Birdies at 7 and 8 got him right back into the mix. With birdies at 12 and 13, Rory retook the lead.
Scheffler hovered near the lead most of the day before birdies at 15 and 16 got him within 2-shots of McIlroy. His birdie at 17 rolled over the edge. When his approach to 18 came up short of the green, the tournament was McIlroy’s to win.
A great up and down at 16 was followed by a simple up and down at 17. A poor tee shot on 18 made things interesting briefly, but McIlroy only needed to make bogey for the victory which he was able to accomplish.
By winning back-to-back Masters, McIlroy joined an elite group: Jack Nicklaus (‘65-’66), Nick Faldo (‘89-’90) and Tiger Woods (‘01-’02).
As usual with The Masters, things stayed interesting right to the end. Can’t wait for next year. Now on to the PGA Championship at Aronimink next month.
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Training was difficult again this week as my schedule changed quite a bit. Time will become a factor moving forward. I do need to adjust my scheduled training days. Speed training will likely be Mon-Wed-Fri/Sat with weight training Tues-Thursday/Sun.
Swing speed has remained constant. The current plateau indicates an increase is about to happen.
As always, be grateful when you play. Be thankful for the privilege and opportunity to play this amazing game. Now, go golf!
