Masters does it again
By Tom Woerner
For the Record
I am the first to admit that perfection is almost impossible to achieve but I think the folks at Augusta National Golf course came pretty close last weekend. I can’t imagine a better sports experience from beginning to end.
The week began with the two greatest golfers of this generation, Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer, teeing off in the ceremonial first stroke that marks the start of The Masters each year. It ended with winner Phil Mickelson in an emotional embrace with his wife who is in the middle of a battle with cancer.
There was a lot of good golf in between all the emotion of the weekend. My pick of Tiger Woods to win the event didn’t quite come true but he was in the hunt on Sunday and finished tied for fourth. That is a lot better than most predicted. Some said he wouldn’t make the cut in his first tournament back after the sex scandal that rocked his world.
Fred Couples almost made history by becoming the oldest golfer in history to win the event. He faded on Sunday but the fact he was even in the competition shows something about older competitors. Tom Watson is even older and led on parts of Thursday and Friday. He could have easily won the British Open last year. Both show modern equipment and better fitness regimens are allowing older golfers to compete longer.
When this year’s Masters was over I think Mickelson showed he may be stalking Tiger in the battle to become the world’s best on the course. He hit shots Sunday that only a few in the world could pull off. He is beginning to put his history of falling apart on Sunday afternoon in the past. There were no hook shots into the gallery like the one that cost him the U.S. Open several years ago. This time he and his caddy made all the right club selections, which has not always been the case in the past.
Once again the underlying star of the tournament was the course itself. It could well have been my imagination, but the grass seemed a little greener this year. The azaleas were as beautiful as ever. Golfers were challenged as much as they are every year. Augusta is the one of the hardest courses in the world and I can’t imagine a course anywhere that is more beautiful.
The bottom line of the whole weekend is that once again Augusta National put on the best sports event in the world. There is no venue in the world that is better prepared for its event.
When one walks down Magnolia Lane they are walking into the pages of history. Unique features such as the Nelson and Sarazen bridges, Amen Corner. Eisenhower Tree and the Crow’s Nest add to the mystique. There truly is no place like it in the sports world.
This year was even better than usual thanks to a little luck and good fortune. The tournament lived up to its reputation and the 2010 version is another chapter in a great legacy. The wait is on for Jack and Arnie to tee us off again next April.
Friday, April 16, 2010
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Final Four picks a little off
Final Four Picks Come Up Short
I thought it was broken with some recent picks, but the jinx of the Corner lives on. Apparently, it spread itself throughout the duration of the NCAA tournament with teams I picked falling like incumbents in this fall’s congressional elections.
I guess I should apologize to West Virginia if my prognostications brought them any bad luck. I underestimated Duke coach Mike Kryzewski and his ability to motivate a team in March and April.
In the case of Michigan State, I would probably pick them again if they played Butler again next week. I think the Spartans became the victim of one of the legendary tournaments for which the NCAA is famous.
The Butler Bulldogs were a fairytale that almost ended with everyone, with the exception of anyone living in Durham, living happily ever after. Literally, a few bounces of the ball on a last minute shot kept them from winning the whole thing. If they had won in front of their hometown crowd it would have been one of the greatest stories in tournament history. It would have been almost as dramatic as the 1983 North Carolina State ride to the national championship.
It may be good they lost in one way, I am not sure how Indianapolis would have handled the victory celebration. Fans in Durham are used to the celebrations but it would have been chaos and mania after a Bulldog win. Fans may get another chance because I believe the team has a taste of the tournament in its mouth. They’re already likely getting ready, in their mind, for next year’s run at the title.
Duke is the one who was determined to leave me with an egg on my face. They put down a West Virginia team I really thought was rolling towards the title. Coach K did one of the greatest coaching jobs of his legendary career. His team beat the Mountaineers soundly and managed to hold off Butler, an accomplishment in this tournament.
That is probably why billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov, the new owner of the New Jersey Nets, will reportedly offer him at least $12 million to lead his team. I am a little leery of making predictions now but I don’t think Coach K will go anywhere at this point. That kind of money will get his attention, but his heart is at Duke. 20 years ago it might have been a different story. Now he has the perfect job in a more than stable financial situation. I think he will retire in North Carolina.
I can’t put a column out this week without one more word about Tiger Woods. Two words, three might be more appropriate, if directed towards the rest of the Masters field. Watch out.
Don’t be surprised if he wins big. The incident when he played with a broken bone in his leg and won the U.S. Open shows he can put things out of his head when he hits the golf course.
Just because the public hasn’t seen it doesn’t mean Tiger hasn’t been hitting balls. When he steps up to the first tee between the azaleas — affairs, Thanksgiving wrecks, crude text messages and a difficult home situation will temporarily go out of his mind. I will go out on a limb to say Master’s officials better find out what size Tiger wears in a green jacket.
I thought it was broken with some recent picks, but the jinx of the Corner lives on. Apparently, it spread itself throughout the duration of the NCAA tournament with teams I picked falling like incumbents in this fall’s congressional elections.
I guess I should apologize to West Virginia if my prognostications brought them any bad luck. I underestimated Duke coach Mike Kryzewski and his ability to motivate a team in March and April.
In the case of Michigan State, I would probably pick them again if they played Butler again next week. I think the Spartans became the victim of one of the legendary tournaments for which the NCAA is famous.
The Butler Bulldogs were a fairytale that almost ended with everyone, with the exception of anyone living in Durham, living happily ever after. Literally, a few bounces of the ball on a last minute shot kept them from winning the whole thing. If they had won in front of their hometown crowd it would have been one of the greatest stories in tournament history. It would have been almost as dramatic as the 1983 North Carolina State ride to the national championship.
It may be good they lost in one way, I am not sure how Indianapolis would have handled the victory celebration. Fans in Durham are used to the celebrations but it would have been chaos and mania after a Bulldog win. Fans may get another chance because I believe the team has a taste of the tournament in its mouth. They’re already likely getting ready, in their mind, for next year’s run at the title.
Duke is the one who was determined to leave me with an egg on my face. They put down a West Virginia team I really thought was rolling towards the title. Coach K did one of the greatest coaching jobs of his legendary career. His team beat the Mountaineers soundly and managed to hold off Butler, an accomplishment in this tournament.
That is probably why billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov, the new owner of the New Jersey Nets, will reportedly offer him at least $12 million to lead his team. I am a little leery of making predictions now but I don’t think Coach K will go anywhere at this point. That kind of money will get his attention, but his heart is at Duke. 20 years ago it might have been a different story. Now he has the perfect job in a more than stable financial situation. I think he will retire in North Carolina.
I can’t put a column out this week without one more word about Tiger Woods. Two words, three might be more appropriate, if directed towards the rest of the Masters field. Watch out.
Don’t be surprised if he wins big. The incident when he played with a broken bone in his leg and won the U.S. Open shows he can put things out of his head when he hits the golf course.
Just because the public hasn’t seen it doesn’t mean Tiger hasn’t been hitting balls. When he steps up to the first tee between the azaleas — affairs, Thanksgiving wrecks, crude text messages and a difficult home situation will temporarily go out of his mind. I will go out on a limb to say Master’s officials better find out what size Tiger wears in a green jacket.
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