Master still close to perfect

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.