Masters Tournament remains the best
The final round of golf’s U.S. Open always falls on Father’s
Day. Had another holiday fallen on that June day, bumping Father’s
Day back a bit so that it landed every year on Sunday during the
final round of the Masters would have been an equally good
idea.
Masters Tournament remains the best
The final round of golf’s U.S. Open always falls on Father’s Day. Had another holiday fallen on that June day, bumping Father’s Day back a bit so that it landed every year on Sunday during the final round of the Masters would have been an equally good idea.
It may not be the official day for dads everywhere to kick back and take things easy but this weekend dads everywhere will do just that as they watch the drama unfold at Augusta National: The best Major of all.
Sure, I enjoy watching all of golf’s Major Championships, but I have to say nothing is better than the Masters Tournament.
The thing that makes it better than the others is that the tournament site never changes, which means that all of us golf freaks out there know every kick, bump, roll, break, bend, creek, sand trap, tree and just about every blade of grass on the course without ever having played it.
If the makers of Trivial Pursuit every decided to make a Masters Edition most golf lovers could sit on the board that generated the questions.
We all know the stories about Rae’s Creek, Amen Corner, Arnie and Tiger’s four wins, Jack’s record six wins, the Butler Cabin, The Eisenhower Tree, the swirling, unpredictable winds, the Azaleas, the towering Georgia Pines, Sarazen’s double-eagle shot, the Green Jacket, Magnolia Drive, how the front nine was originally the back nine, etc, etc.
Heck, most of us could probably play the back nine blindfolded just because we’ve watched so many telecasts over the years. Of course, the scores we’d all shoot wouldn’t be very Augusta-like.
Over the years, I’ve enjoyed watching this tournament more than any other for a number of reasons. The biggest reason is the course itself, particularly the back nine – a stretch of holes where double bogeys seem as commonplace as eagles, and the leader board changes as often as the wind does on the 12th tee. It’s a course where a perfect approach shot that looks like it will nestle just inches from the hole winds up 50-feet away after biting back to much on Augusta’s ferociously undulated greens.
But that’s what makes the tournament so great.
In fact, I don’t think a course could ever be built today that could generate so much drama. Drama is truly Augusta’s middle name.
Why?
The par 5s on the back nine are all easily reachable in two shots, which often leads to many eagle putts. Yet the slightest miss-hit of the second shot and the top golfers in the world would be thrilled to make a bogey and move on to the next tee. The holes are short enough to constantly egg the top players in the world into taking a gamble. Yet the subtleties and lightening fast greens make the course a real white-knuckle experience in the final round.
Both par 3s on the back nine are unassuming as well and not long by any means, but the two shots to those holes are some of the most demanding in golf. The 12th hole for example is only 155 yards. (I didn’t even have to look that up.) Most of these guys could get to the dance floor with a 9-iron, but the shot is more testing than many other 220-yard holes on Tour that call for a long iron shot because the green is so shallow green that the golfers have to drop there shot in between the water and single deep bunker in front and the lurking wooded area just behind the green.
The 16th hole is the same way. That hole is only 170 yards but the green is so severely slopped from right to left that many a golfer leaves there scratching his head. And although the pin is tucked in a relatively easy spot on Sundays, the slightest pull and the ball winds up wet and the order for a Green Jacket gets put on hold for another year.
Oh, did I mention that the course is a mere 7,445 yards long? I think it’s safe to say that my lawn won’t be getting mowed this weekend. Over the years, I’ve enjoyed watching this tournament more than any other for a number of reasons. The biggest reason is the course itself, particularly the back nine – a stretch of holes where double bogeys seem as commonplace as eagles, and the leader board changes as often as the wind does on the 12th tee. It’s a course where a perfect approach shot that looks like it will nestle just inches from the hole winds up 50-feet away after biting back to much on Augusta’s ferociously undulated greens.
