Thoughts on the '24 Masters

Sorry I’m a little late with this week’s newsletter. Lots going on this past week from a guest appearance on the Golf On Tap Podcast to The Masters. I thought I’d share some of my thoughts following this year’s first major.

1. Scottie Scheffler is the #1 player in the world by a mile. Three wins in his last four starts. Those three wins? The Arnold Palmer Invitational, The Player’s Championship and The Masters. Oh, and the tournament he didn’t win in that stretch? He finished T-2. In nine events this season, he has only finished outside the top ten once.

2. Ludvig Aberg is going to be a star. Charismatic, athletic and a great attitude, Aberg emerged as a rising star. Not only did he finish second as a Masters rookie, this was his first major. Pretty impressive stuff. He seemed unflappable. He smiled and laughed when he hit his second in the pond at #11. He even laughed it off when a spectator accidentally knocked a protein bar out of his hand. I’m looking forward to seeing more of him.

3. Tiger Woods set another record. While Tiger struggled on Saturday and Sunday, he did manage to break the record for most consecutive cuts mad at The Masters with 24. He had shared the record with Fred Couples and Gary Player.

4. Zach Johnson yelled at patrons to, “F$%# off,” and then claimed indignantly he was yelling at himself. Sorry, Zach. The video doesn’t lie. You clearly were yelling at the patrons on the 12th tee. Own it and apologize. You just made it worse for yourself by lying.

5. Lengthening the 13th hole is a bad move by Augusta. The 13th has provided lots of drama over the years. The previously shorter par-5 was reachable by pretty much everyone in the field with a good tee shot. The extra length forced even some long hitters to play conservatively off the tee and play the hole as a three shot par-5. On Sunday, I want to see players who are four back taking a chance at an eagle at 13. The extra length pretty much eliminated that scenario. I vote to move the tee back and get some possible late Sunday heroics started.

6. Back to Scheffler and Aberg. Golfers need to pay attention to these two and their attitude on the course. Bad shots don’t bother them. A bad hole doesn’t ruin their round. Aberg made double on #11 and kept battling. He looked like he might make a game of it, but Scheffler answered and slammed the door on him. As far as Scheffler is concerned, he didn’t have it early in the round, but he kept playing. Birdies at #’s 8, 9 and 10 put him firmly in control, and no one was able to keep pace. Both players put the bad behind them and focus on the moment. We all need to keep that in mind in golf and life.

7. Bryson DeChambeau and his new, USGA approved 3-D printer created irons caused quite a stir with some folks. If the USGA said they were conforming, then the clubs are good. End of controversy.

That’s all for this week. Sorry for the delay. Next week’s newsletter will be out at the normal Monday morning time.

As always, be thankful when you get to play this amazing game. Be grateful for every shot. Appreciate every moment on the course. Now, go golf!