The 2010 Masters Golf Tournament was breathtaking in every since of the word. Each and every year this golf course leaves one astonished with her beauty and flawless perfection. This winter especially in the south seemed exceptionally long; cold and sometimes miserable. That’s just the weather without even mentioning the world’s most prominent golfer’s troubles. Golf itself has had a rather trying season here in the US. Courses are struggling economically, TV ratings and interest in the game itself are faltering, we have needed to see those springtime signs of life, those leaves; flowers… reminders of Watson’s heroics at the Open Championship and the subsequent crowning of our own local hero Stewart Cink as a major champion. How could anyone know just how spectacular this Masters Tournament would be?
At the beginning of the week the bulk of the storylines were on whether Tiger would be able to come back and compete at all given the long layoff. Also in question, what the Patron’s reaction might be to Mr Woods. Also as has been the case since the most recent round of major course changes added length and encouraged accuracy much fuss was made over those changes and how it made the course bite back too forcefully and took away some of the shot making for which it was famous especially on Sunday afternoons. On the contrary they have simply aligned the course with technology to make par yet again a very fair score and anything lower must be well earned given good weather at least. Augusta National is golf’s truly legendary stadium course where generations can be judged against each other in this first major of the year. Unfortunately the last several years have not been kind weather wise the second weekend in April and scores have suffered accordingly. Zach Johnson won with a 1 over par 289 in 2007 leading many to believe they might never see the days when the roars could be heard if not felt all over the golf course again. 2010 is the year of the roar.
We were greeted by pleasing weather on Thursday and very approachable pin placements. While everyone was watching to see how Matt Kuchar and KJ Choi would react to playing with Tiger and how the galleries would treat him… Tom Watson and Fred Couples would shoot 67 and an unbelievable 66 respectively to lead the tournament. Couples did it with such a relaxed swagger in his boat shoes to leave many of us thinking that he might just pull it off at 50. Couples has issues with his back but when on he is surgical with his wedges. At 60 years old Watson is certainly showing that age is just a number and his excellent play harkens back to an earlier time when Arnold Palmer; Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player among others played and competed well into their 50s and 60s. I had a chance to go out to the brand new practice facility Thursday morning which naturally looks like it has been there for 100 years and saw Couples taking warm-ups with his coaches and he just looked ready to play. I also saw Stewart Cink give a very nice polite welcome back to Tiger out on the practice putting green. Woods shot a very respectable 68 to put him in the hunt but knowing how approachable the pins were he was disappointed he left a few strokes on the course.
Pollen was as thick as I can ever remember seeing it. Pine stamens were everywhere and certainly altered a few shots. Naturally the army of grounds people were able to clean virtually everything up prior to the next round.
Speaking of Tiger the Patrons were extraordinarily hospitable of Tiger all week treating him much like they always have though I feel the Galleries Thursday through Saturday were not quite as large as they were in years past. Bobby Jones himself in the Augusta National Spectator Guide notes that cheering the misfortunes of a player is “most distressing.” Perhaps this is the reason for the hospitality. People certainly were able to separate private life from golf even with those aerial banners flown over the course reminding everyone on Thursday. He was a little rusty but Tiger had an outstanding tournament on the whole. Yes, he dropped clubs and cursed a bit upon failing to execute but that’s who he is and believe it or not I felt he was far more jovial than in years past. When I saw him sink an eagle on his approach to 7 to get right back in it on Sunday clearly he was appreciative of the group of Patrons who had been following and cheering him on. It clearly meant a lot to him to have people smiling and cheering for him again.
This year however was not going to be about Tiger or Freddie Couples, or even Lee Westwood who played so well. It would not be about Tom Watson. This year was about the transition of Phil Mickelson from the excellent player he’s always been to a historically great player.
Legends need moments of greatness. Phil has the talent. He’s always had the talent but for some reason his moments often felt more like you were watching Greg Norman than Arnold Palmer. Prior to his win in 2004 it was his blunders rather than his brilliance that were most often brought up and even after that first Masters Victory there was the errant drive on the last hole at Winged Foot to lose the US Open. Of course he won his second Masters in 2006 but it just wasn’t what it was last weekend. This was the stuff of Legend.
Saturday and Sunday were absolutely beautiful days for the first time in a few years and a lot of excellent players were in contention. It certainly helps as well that the two most popular players in the game by far known simply by “Tiger” and “Phil” to most of us were in right in the thick of it. Mickelson would announce himself in contention and put himself in the final pairing with Lee Westwood with an absolutely stunning stretch of play on the back nine on Saturday. In the course of 3 holes 13-14 and 15 usually the swing holes he picked up 5 strokes. 2 eagles and a birdie holing a remarkable 2 on the Par 4 14th which has one of the toughest greens ever constructed. What made this even more astounding was what else was going on around him at the time. Roars were erupting all over the back nine. Patrons anxiously waited for the changing of the manual scoreboard numbers to see just what had transpired on the other holes. Couples chipped in an Eagle on 15, Ricky Barnes chipped in an Eagle and Tiger kept pace with several birdies. The fun and excitement came back. It really set the stage for Sunday.
My day opened with hearing a tremendous roar behind me as I sat in the top of the grandstands on the 14th fairway. Nathan Green who had a few minutes ago eagled 13 had just dropped in a hole in one on 16. I knew it was going to be a fun afternoon. Tiger and Adam Scott both Eagled 7 from the Fairway. Couples made an early charge with 3 birdies on the front nine getting to 10 under at one point before making the same shot at the 12th that set him up to win the 1992 Masters this time however it was not his day and the ball went into Rae’s creek. Nick Watney and Anthony Kim both showed their merit scoring final round 7 under 65’s. If not for Lee Westwood’s birdie at 17 Kim would have placed 2nd. Tiger Woods round read like a Mickelson scorecard prior to 2004. Up and down like a roller coaster. 3 bogeys in the first 5 holes then Eagle, Birdie Birdie the final 3 before the turn but it was not to be. He needed a stronger back nine. He did Eagle 15 to establish a record for Eagles in a Masters but the 3 putt on 14 from inside 3 feet was his undoing.
Phil Mickelson has had an extraordinarily difficult year in his family life and had not won this year even being jumped in the world rankings by Steve Stricker. He wasn’t able to do much on the front nine Sunday. The birdie at 8 was the lone birdie on his scorecard but he didn’t lose any ground and was bogey free even surviving an unfortunate situation where a pine stamen fell just in front of a birdie putt knocking it off course. He tied Westwood with that birdie and didn’t look back from there. The real brilliance of the day came with an unreal 6 iron between 2 trees on the 13th. He had just birdied 12 and had the lead but true to form instead of chipping out and playing safe he went for it and was rewarded handsomely. It’s one of the most fantastic shots under that kind of pressure I’ve ever witnessed and its right up there with Tigers chip on the 16th from 2005. This is a shot we will talk about years from now. Naturally having done the hard work Phil botched the subsequent short eagle putt but that birdie would clinch it for him. He added a birdie at 15 and an exclamation point at 18 to finish with a winning score of 272 16 under par just 2 off of Tiger Woods course record of 270. In dramatic fashion Phil Mickelson has joined golf royalty with his 3rd Green Jacket joining just 7 other players to win 3 or more and Jimmy Demaret; Sam Snead; Gary Player and Nick Faldo as 3 time champions. Only Jack Nicklaus; Arnold Palmer and Tiger Woods have won more and the way he played this week you get the feeling Phil plans on winning again. I hope I’m there to see it.
No comments:
Post a Comment