The Masters Preview 2012
We have made it through another winter up here in the north. Thankfully it has been an unseasonably nice spring here and many of us have already had the chance to get the golf clubs out of storage. However, tomorrow the beginning of the Masters coincides with opening day and it will feel like the spring is officially here. This year The Masters has many story lines leading up to it due to an unusually high number of great golfers playing great golf right now, and the reemergence of the greatest player of our day.
As Jack, Gary and Arnie tee off tomorrow morning the golf season officially begins in the eyes of many. I can’t wait until tomorrow when the coverage starts and we see the lush green fairways and calm sloping greens. Tomorrow when Mike Tirico (egads, bring back Macatee) is handling the coverage I assume we will see a lot of former #1 in the world Tiger Woods. Everyone seems to be reporting the course is soft right now which could lead to some fireworks early, but I suspect the powers that be at Augusta National will have the course playing to their liking by the end of the week. Tomorrow should be a great opening to the action as each man puts himself in position to be putting on the green jacket Sunday, and some unknown climbs the leaderboard. Friday we will say goodbye to half the field as the men who were too old, too wild, too short and not good enough will be dismissed. Saturday the top players will put their names atop the leaderboard and rest uneasily knowing that one loose shot on Sunday can keep them out of Butler Cabin on Sunday night. Finally Sunday one man will wear a fresh new green jacket as the sunsets on the Georgian pines. As it always is, it will be a magical four days.
I hope you enjoy this year’s preview.
Yes, at one point they were good. Past Champs
You may recall a few years ago Augusta National wanted to have an age cut off because people like Doug Sanders were shooting in the mid 80s every year. I, like many old golfers who had won the Masters, didn’t think this was a good idea, because we would miss having Jack, Arnie, Gary etc. play those last few years and say goodbye to the fans. Well, it has occurred to me that there is a way to have our cake and eat it too. Just let anyone who has won more than one green jacket or three or more majors play (with the Masters being one of them of course) for as long as they like. Anyone else is cut off at age 60. That way we get to see the legends we love, but don’t have to deal with the riff raff of guys who snuck a change up by us one year. I am sorry to be mixing my metaphors, but these guys are all formerly great players, but they are washed up now and have as much a chance of winning as Sisyphus does of getting his rock up the hill.
Jose Maria Olazabal-I am certain that Ollie will be looking to have a good week as a tribute to the late great Seve Ballesteros. I am hopeful that he will break out the all navy as a tribute one day. Sadly, Ollie’s game wont be up to the fitting tribute of great play as he broke a bone in his foot a few weeks ago and hasn’t been able to play very much.
Mark O'Meara- Once again Mark was making headlines this week. Once again he was making them by talking about his former neighbor and “friend” Tiger Woods. I am not sure if he likes to talk about Tiger, likes Tiger and puts up with the question as a result of hanging out with him, or just likes the publicity, but it is the only way he makes headlines these days, not with the golf clubs.
Tom Watson- Tom was the winner of two tournaments last year, the senior PGA and the Wendy’s Champions Skins Game where he teamed up with the greatest player of all time Jack Nicklaus. A wrist injury has kept him out of much competition so far this year, so he should come in well rested. His lack of distance is a concern, but after last year he said he needed to work on his iron game. I could see this spunky kid from Stanford making some noise early in this one, but eventually the course will wear him down.
Ben Crenshaw- If you see Ben out there on the golf course this week you will be looking at the 2006 Kappa Alpha Order sportsman of the year.
Ian Woosnam- I went to Ian’s website, which appears to be a few months old. He has a message board so I checked it out to see if there was anything of note over there. It turns out there was. The interest is Woosy was so high there were 3 messages. Woosy just doesn’t seem to have much going on these days. After rounds of 81-83 last year to miss the cut at the Masters, it is hard to expect much more than a missed cut for the Wee Welshman this year.
Larry Mize - Here we are again another year with Larry Mize playing, another year in which he hasn’t done anything of note. However, It has been 25 years since he chipped in to win the Masters, one of Norman’s many heartbreaks. If you plan to watch any I predict this is not the last time you hear that it has been 25 years since the chip.
Bernhard Langer- The German was one of the first to be using the long putter back in his time. He continues to play solidly on the senior tour, but he is most often discussed in the context of whether or not long putters should be legal (for you non-golf fans this is a huge debate right now). It shouldn’t matter in the context of the debate, people seemed less unhappy with Langer when he was using his belly putter in the 90s because without it he could not have played due to his yips. Additionally, he was never a great putter with any of his many methods. Like all things, people started complaining when it seemed the belly putter was hurting them competitively.
Craig Stadler- With the resurgence of the mustache as an acceptable (relatively) way of wearing your facial hair it should be noted that The Walrus is the last man to put on the green jacket with a soup strainer on his lip. By my count the guys who are in the running to knock Stadler from this prestigious perch are Johnson Wagner, Geoff Ogilvy, Rickie Fowler, anyone else?
Sandy Lyle- The always combustible Scotsman has not failed to disappoint in his lack of concern or care for his game. While he has no chance to win or compete at this stage of his career one would think Sandy would like to come in having played a little bit of golf. However, he has spent most of his spring clearing fallen trees at the his home. Of course this gives him no help in his score, it does give us hope that we will make another controversial statement or walk off the course in a fit of rage. Always amusing for the home viewer. This week he ranked his champions dinner of haggis as the worst, he could find himself in a similar position on Friday.
The Amateurs
Bryden Macpherson- As I write this I see Big Blue is cutting down the nets before all their players turn pro. If you are unhappy about those guys turning pro, do not cheer for Macpherson. He is an aussie who attended Georgia for two and a half years but dropped out in February to practice for the Masters and then turn pro on Sunday. Best of luck to the Wildcats in the pros and best of luck to Bryden.
Hideki Matsuyama- He won the low am last year at The Masters and made the uncommon choice to stay an amateur and continue to attend college. He has been trying to learn from Ryo this week, which is amusing to me since Ryo has played in two more Masters than him and made the cut the same amount of times. Not exactly like Tiger playing practice rounds with Jack and Arnie when he was an amateur.
Corbin Mills - Not sure if this matters too much but I believe he will be one of two players who has a caddie with a brother also in the field. The first tandem will be the Haas brothers, as Jay Jr. is carrying for Bill. Corbin will have the brother of Jonathan Byrd, Jordan, Corbin’s coach at Clemson, on his bag. Corbin is coming off a 3rd place finish at the Furman Intercollegiate which I am assured has as good a field as The Masters.
Kelly Kraft - To say Kraft came out of nowhere to win the U.S. Amateur might be overstating it, but it was certainly a surprise. The best part is it was even a surprise to him. The whole time the U.S. Amateur was being played the announcers kept saying he was going to turn pro and go to q school while he finished up his last semester at SMU this fall. However, with his exemption to The Masters he stayed an amateur and will turn pro Sunday night, or Friday night if he misses the cut. Which I think proves the point of this whole preview, the Masters is worth putting your life on hold for 7 months.
Randal Lewis - On paper this guy is the worst player in the field. He won the Mid-Am, which is a great tournament, but one that was created because all the U.S. Amateur champs turned pro within a year of their victory and were/are all in college. However, to make matters much worse, he is 54. Nothing against people who are 54, but he is older than many of the formerly great players who are well past their peak. Good luck to Randal, as this is a dream come true for anyone with a job besides golf, but he is going into the 80s one of the two days.
The Rookies
There seems to be a higher number than usual of players making their debut appearance at Augusta this year. I have not played Augusta myself, but everything I read tells me that experience is a key component to playing well at Augusta. Based on this information, I do not expect these rookies to do too much this week as they find their way around the course. (I should note, there are other rookies in the field, I just expect them to do better or they are amateurs. You will find them in the Henry Rowengartner section).
Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano- He almost beat Tiger in the first round of the match play tournament this year. However he blew a two hole lead with three to play. Based on this one fact I do not think he will be able to hold up to the pressure of his first Masters.
Kevin Chappell- You are probably asking yourself, Kevin Chappell, how did he get into the Masters? Or maybe, Who is Kevin Chappell? The answer to the first question is he finished in the top 8 of the US Open last year. The answer to the second question is he is a PGA tour player of little esteem and without a top 20 this year.
Robert Garrigus- Robert seems to be one of the more interesting guys on tour. Probably most famous for his kids length putter he is also a long hitter, a former drug addict, and a seemingly very nice guy. Regarding his drug addiction, he used to smoke marijuana in the porta johns on the course during his Nationwide tour events. He then entered drug rehab in 2003. It was a 45 day program so he left his house to his roommate/tenant and gave him some money to pay the bills when he was gone. Upon his return, the house was a mess, the roommate was gone, the power and water were shut off and there were people looking for money from the roommate for drugs and gambling debt. Things sound bad, but his roommate was courteous enough to leave a note that said, "Hope rehab was great. Have fun." Obviously the moral to the story, if you happen to find yourself in a situation where rehab is needed, don’t leave your house to other people who need to go to rehab.
Harrison Frazar- Last year about this time Harry wrote an article for SI about how he was going to quit golf because he wasn’t good enough to hack it with the young folks and he didn’t like the lifestyle anymore. I am sure he is as surprised as anyone that he is playing this week. That said he hasn’t made a cut in 7 weeks and he is a first timer at Augusta so it is hard to expect this year to be his year at Augusta.
Scott Stallings- Without a doubt, Stallings has the best website of any golfer I have seen, even the marketing machine Tiger. You can read his blog, look at pictures and videos of him playing golf, check out his sponsors, contact his agent, and even buy one of many tee shirts he has for sale. It is all quite impressive. It is his golf that has not been impressive this year. His best finish since he won at the Greenbrier last year is a t22 at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions, a tournament with only 27 players.
Brendan Steele- Brendan is not playing well right now, having missed 4 of the last 7 cuts, and cracking the top 69 only once. However, he seems like an interesting guy. He grew up in the mountains of California, the San Jacintas to be more exact. He learned to play golf by hitting into a net and putting on artificial greens. As a lot of self-taught players seem to be, when he is good he is good, when he is off, he is off. He seems to be off now, but hopefully he can turn it around because the tour can use a guy like this.
Hopeless
The Queer- Mike Weir - It seems every year there is one guy who has become a terrible golfer in what is seemingly the prime of their career. This is the second year in a row The Queer has taken that award. For some reason the world golf rankings make it very tough to sort through more than 50 players at a time. As a result of his terrible play The Queer is way down the rankings so it was taking me a long time to get to him. After a few clicks I noticed that they also have the rankings by country. Luckily, Canada is one of the countries that is listed. I knew The Queer wasn’t playing very well, but I fully expected that he would be ranked in the top 5 of Canadians. However, The Queer is ranked 24 out of 31 Canadian pro golfers that are listed. In his last 40 starts The Queer has made the cut 9 times. He is currently ranked 1,238th in the world. Luckily, Mike won this tournament a few years ago so he will be in this tournament every year going forward.
(note: since you may have new people wondering why he is called The Queer, it is because when you say his name quickly it sounds like My Queer. Thus the name evolved/devolved to this)
Not This Year
All of these guys have found themselves struggling of late for one reason or another. Some of them have been injured, some of them won a major and are still celebrating, some of them are changing their swing, some of them don’t have the game for Augusta, some of them are likely getting divorced and we will find out next year, but the common denominator is they aren’t playing very well and I expect them to miss the cut.
Paul Casey- If it isn’t one thing it is another with Paul. The best comparison I can think of for Mr. Casey is Eric Davis. Very talented but constantly in some type of injury and this year is no different. During a winter snowboarding trip Mr. Casey injured his shoulder reenacting one of the Flying Tomatoes moves and has only played two tournaments so far this year, missing the cut in both.
Darren Clarke- Nobody enjoyed their major win last year more than Darren, and it seems that Darren has decided that it will be his last.
Johnson Wagner- He has earned the title of best mustache on tour. Here is a sampling of the mustaches in this years Masters.
Geoff Ogilvy - Geoff is not on form this year. By far his best finish so far is a tie for 16th at the Transitions. However, Geoff has other things on his mind so I doubt he minds too much. A couple years ago I told you about his business venture into Mojo Pies, the original Australian pie. Well he has recently joined the likes of Art Vandelay and is a partner in a business called Exotic Pebbles and Aggregates, which imports rocks from Australia. http://www.exoticpebbles.com/
Mark Wilson- The 26th ranked player in the world, he has won three times in the last two years, and the most interesting thing I can find to write about the man is that he has made two hole in ones on tour, and both times he was playing with Doug LaBelle II. Sad to say for Mark, Doug is not playing in this years Masters so the likelihood of a hole in one is decreased a great deal. Mark also doesn’t have the game that really caters to greatness at Augusta National.
Stewart Cink- It is very apparent that the golf gods are getting even with Stew for taking that British Open from Watson. Yea sure it wasn’t really his fault Watson’s ball rolled over the green or that Watson cant putt or that Watson starting snap hooking everything in the playoff, the gods are still not amused. They have cursed Stew to a life of Dove commercials, mediocre golf (for a pro) and little league hockey games (per his twitter account, he seems to go to little league hockey games a lot). Which I assume is only slightly more exciting than going to a Blue Jackets game so it must be pretty boring. At least I believe his team wins sometimes (hockey jokes). Maybe Stew is comfortable in his skin, but he is also becoming very comfortable missing cuts.
Rickie Fowler- Rickie is in a weird place in te world of golf. He is still ranked pretty high in the world rankings, but his game seems to be off somehow. He very rarely contends for wins, his clothes are becoming less cool and more spectacle and his mustache is worse than many old women’s mustache (see above).
Lucas Glover- While it may look like a very safe sport, paddle boarding has put Lucas on the shelf for most of the season so far. This is now the second injury I know about from the paddle board. I suggest to all of you future paddle boarders to be careful. Anyway, it seems the injury has ruined any chance Lucas has of winning this week. He has played two weeks in a row and missed the cut and finished 82nd. On a related note, Dustin Johnson is out this week due to a back injury he sustained lifting a jet ski last week. With the re-release of Titantic the message is clear that we need to be careful near the water.
Martin Kaymer- A year after being #1 in the world and popularizing the “scarf” for golf the German has left the spotlight but continues to be a force. He is ranked #4 in the world right now and I am still expecting great things from him. However, unlike the last golfing great from his country Marty just doesn’t have it at Augusta. He has missed the cut in all four of his Masters appearances.
Kevin Na- For some reason I am greatly amused by bad golf scores by professional golfers. So of course I was incredibly amused last year when Kevin Na recorded a 16 on a par 4, the worst score ever made by a professional golfer. As fate would have it, it was the same day that hall of fame wide receiver Jerry Rice decided to play in a Nationwide event. Of course Jerry played terribly but did manage to beat 3 people. All of this action caused me to tweet to The Morning Drive and ask who had a worse day, the guy who tied Na or the three people who lost to Rice. My tweet was read on the air sending me over the moon with joy. Fortunately for Kevin, he won later on last year and took the 16 in stride. Take a look at it yourself. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWTXoNzuk8c
Tim Clark- Suffering from an elbow injury almost all of last year Timmy is just beginning to start playing again following elbow surgery he had in the middle of last year. Over the years he has been good at Augusta, but the way his comeback is going so far breaking 80 is a much more realistic expectation than breaking 70. Hopefully the elbow heels up and he is back in the hunt next year.
Vijay Singh- The two time champ has finally met an opponent he can’t outwork, father time. In a little less than 11 months Vijay will be able to join the senior tour. He will dominate unlike anyone since Hale Irwin did in his heyday. Unfortunately, it looks like the end of the road for Vijay to be contending at Augusta. Maybe someday in the not too distant future it will be he, Tiger and Phil hitting the inaugural tee shot. While that is hard to imagine now, it could be a reality.
John Senden- Senden is having very nice year so far. He has notched 5 top 20 finishes in his 7 starts. However, he has only won 1 tournament on the PGA Tour and one tournament on the Australian tour in his career. I do not see him winning this year and ending the Aussie duck. The Aussie duck is a new term I learned this week that basically means the Australians have never won at Augusta. Based on a few minutes of research I was unable to find where the term comes from, but it may come from the term blue duck in Australia, which according to website I found about Australian slang means a disappointment.
Rory Sabbatini- In writing this preview I read a lot of goofy articles about the golfers, google most of the golfers and spend countless thinking of blurbs for each of these players. As a result of one of these searches I came across this article (http://outsports.com/jocktalkblog/2012/03/29/a-gay-golf-fan-tells-why-he-loves-the-sport/). If you didn’t read it, the article is written by a gay guy and describes why he loves golf. However, like most golf fans he hates Rory. As he says, ” I root for my favorite golfers, and I razz the ones I don’t like. There aren’t many of those. Mainly it’s Rory Sabbatini. I can’t stand his hats.” Proving golf fans of all walks of life can agree that Rory is detestable most of the time.
Henrik Stenson- The original man of steel spent a lot of his time as an unimposing reporter. This week Steely Stenson will appear to be a rather unimposing golfer playing alongside the two longest hitters in the field, Gary Woodland and Alvaro Quiros. Currently ranked 171 in the world Steely is actually climbing the world rankings after dropping to 230 earlier this year. I see no reason to expect anything but his Clark Kent game this week.
Gary Woodland- Gary decided to change agents and lost his coach as a result. You see Gary’s agent was the father of his coach and his coach decided to say goodbye when Gary did the same to his father. So far on the golf course the change hasn’t been great. Gary was able to pick up a relatively unknown golf coach based out of Las Vegas named Butch Harmon, and they are making some swing changes. So far they haven’t worked as well as the old swing but Butch usually knows what he is doing. I have little doubt a guy as powerful and athletic as Gary will get better and contend here at Augusta, but not this year.
Sean O'Hair- Sean seems to have been Sean Foley’s second big time client on tour, but has since gone his separate ways. At this point it is easy to question this move since Sean isn’t playing very well and Foley has guided his pupils to victories in 4 of the last 6 PGA tour events. I feel pretty confident Sean has a plan though. If you remember back to the 2009 President’s Cup you will recall Sean was given a personal coach for the week by captain Fred Couples. For those of you who don’t remember this, the special coach for Sean was a guy by the name of Michael Jeffrey Jordan. What is Mr. Jordan doing now? Owning the Bobcats, which he has to be getting sick of by now. Once he realizes his destiny after basketball is to coach Sean it will be all over for everyone else. As you can see Sean is just ahead of the game on teachers, wait until Tiger is getting coached by MJ.
Aaron Baddeley- He is without a doubt one of the best players from around the green on tour. Obviously this is helped out considerably by his ability to putt it in from almost anywhere. It is his consistent trouble with the long game that leads me to believe he has no chance to win this week. Based on looking at his stats he is in the top 40 in all almost any category that involves putting and outside the top 100 in any stat that involves ball striking.
Chez Reavie- Making his second appearance at Augusta Chez doesn’t seem to have the game to compete at Augusta. He has only 4 top 5 finishes in the last years. Fortunately for him two of them came in back to back weeks during the Fed Ex cup last year and he made it to the tour championship, thus earning his spot in the field. Since then he has been back to his crummy play so I don’t expect too much.
Trevor Immelman- One thing we know for sure is the I Man is well equipped for both sunny and cloudy weather in the eyeglasses department. Outside of that, one has to wonder if the I Man is ever going to get better. When he won in 2009 I thought he was on the rise. It now appears he was at his peak and has only the Queer to thank for not being the worst former champ under the age of 60.
Scott Verplank- Scott qualified for the Masters by finishing 4th at the PGA, approximately 7 months ago. That is also the last time he completed a golf tournament. He was injured shortly after the PGA and didn’t play a tournament until about a month ago. Since that time he has missed two cuts.
Playing Weekend
As usual, the top 44 and ties will make the cut as well as anyone within 10 shots of the lead. Last year 49 players made the cut. I expect that number to be about the same this year, so roughly half the field will be around for the weekend.
Patrick Cantlay- It seems like the last time an amateur golfer had this much fanfare prior to their pro debut it was a woman golfer (Michelle Wie, Lexi Thompson). But before that, it had to be Tiger and I can assure you of two things, 1) Cantlay is much less exciting than Tiger 2) he finishes U.S. Amateurs 180 degrees different than Tiger, as he totally blew it down the stretch. As a youth golfer I was often confronted with the fact that golfers really weren’t that cool. Fortunately, this stigma was muffled by the fact that the coolest athlete on the planet played golf (after MJ retired). Cantlay will not help this perception. All that said, Cantlay did shoot 61 on tour last year and is without a doubt the best amateur in the world.
Brandt Snedeker- Brandt picked up the win at Torrey Pines thanks to Kyle Stanley’s bad/misfortunate/stupid shot and even he felt like he didn’t deserve to win the tournament. There is no water on the 18th at Augusta so Brandt will have to get closer to the lead if he is going to benefit from a meltdown Sunday. I don’t think he can do it.
Alvaro Quiros- The long hitting Spaniard led the tournament last year after the first day. He then slowly slid back to finish up at 1 under in a tie for 27th. Unfortunately for Alvaro to win a major championship all aspects of your game have to be sharp every day. His power is there every day, but the rest of him is not always or even usually there.
K. J. Choi- The tank just rolls along being his tankself. Will he win Augsuta this year? Probably not. Will he win some other tournament? Yes. Now that the competition for best Korean golfer is heating up again (with the death of Kim Jong Il) I do expect The Tank to rev up a little bit and hold off the likes of Yangatang, SMB and KT Kim. One has to wonder how long it will be before KJ is using the wide grip for all his clubs and playing with men in dresses each week.
Fred Couples- Fred has given us a thrill the last few years and been in contention down the stretch. Unfortunately his old age has caused his putting to be very unreliable down the stretch of the Masters. Fred knows it, we know it, the other players know it, so our dream of Fred wearing the green jacket again will remain just that. However, let me take this time to address a more important issue regarding Fred. For some reason the USGA has chosen to ignore Fred as the most logical captain for the Ryder Cup. This despite the fact that he is clearly the best choice. The last Ryder Cup captain was so bad he couldn’t even get rainsuits that worked. Hal Sutton is more qualified than Fred? Fred has been allowed to be the captain of the President’s Cup team the last two times it was played and has captained us to two huge blowouts. He made the controversial pick of Tiger a month ahead of time and took the heat for that one, even though it was clearly the right choice. He has been on almost every U.S. team since the mid 80s. He has Michael Jeffrey Jordan locked in as his assistant captain. Yet the USGA lets stiff after stiff captain Team America to loss after loss. Please USGA, do the right thing for a great American.
Kyle Stanley- With a last name like this guy it is hard to go wrong, and I don’t expect Kyle to do too much wrong this week. He has all the tools needed to compete at Augusta, but since this is his debut appearance that might hold him back. Earlier this week I saw him do a press conference and he has shaved his beard. I don’t know if this is a Marge Schott/George Steinbrenner rule they have at Augusta or if he just felt like going clean shaven but I am concerned about how this will affect the best named player in the field, with all due respect to Sang Moon Bae.
The Hanson/en Brothers- Anders Hansen and Peter Hanson- At this point I see no reason to write a separate column entry for each of these Hanson/ens. They seemingly have nothing that separates them to the American viewing public. This especially hit me during the WGC Match Play tournament where one of these guys won a few matches and it was very hard to remember who I picked and who I didn’t. It turns out it was Peter who won a few matches. During the tournament he was asked about his anonymity in America and he acknowledged it exists. These guy are both good, but who knows who they are at this point.
Update: Peter Hanson has joined the PGA Tour for the remainder of the year. If he performs well I will not group him with his brother Anders next year.
Sang-moon Bae- In years past I would question a guy like SMB and his credentials as a top 50 player. Prior to this year almost all of his world ranking points had come from the Japanese Tour. However, I have adapted my thoughts and it seems like the Japanese tour is going to be the launching point for all the South Korean players that will be coming over to play on tour. Additionally, SMB finished 2nd a few weeks ago at the Kenny Perry Open, losing to world #1 Luke Donald, so he has proven he can hang in America.
Jason Dufner- Mr. Dufner continues in the long line of superstar athletes from his high school St. Thomas Aquinas. This list includes “The Playmaker” Michael Irvin, Brian Piccolo, Nate Salley, Leonard Hankerson, LaMarcus Joyner, Major Wright, Geno Atkins, and a lady once married to golfer Greg Norman, Chris Evert. To say Mr. Dufner appears to be more athletic than the rest of the list might be overstating it. However, Mr. Dufner is rumored to have Vijay like practice habits and has slowly become one of the better players on tour. He was a walk on at Auburn, turned pro and was on the Nationwide tour for most of ten years and then in the last two years he has been very good. I am fully expecting he will make the Ryder Cup this year too. Could he be the next Vijay? Time will tell.
The Bear- Thomas Bjorn- The Bear comes into The Masters in good form having won twice in last fall and three times overall last year in Europe. However, it is hard to imagine a man who is most remembered for his inability to get out of a bunker holding it together down the stretch.
Jim Furyk- Jim Furyk has either the best or the worst agent in the history of golf. First he had the Exelon contract that seemed weird for a golfer to endorse. That was compounded by the fact that he wore Tommy Bahama shirts with this endorsement. That contract seems to have finally ended and he now has a 5 Hour Energy endorsement, combined with a hat for 5 Hour Energy. It is hard to explain how the hat looks. It is like a free hat they give out in a gift bag. The best comparison I have for the hat is when Shaq is wearing his plain white jersey in his icy hot commercials. But, if he is getting paid more for that than he would for a Titliest hat, more power to him.
Simon Dyson- The vacuum cleaner. I have no idea if this is his real nickname but obviously it should be.
Jonathan Byrd- In an effort to find something interesting about J Byrd other than his cool nickname I was reminded that he had graduated from the Buy.com tour to become part of the PGA Tour. I then checked to see if Buy.com was still around and it turns out it is. I would not have guessed that. This is all more interesting than anything I could have written about Jonathan Byrd.
Fredrik Jacobson- The only man who has ever earned the nickname of junkyard dog wearing a painters cap. Here is a sampling of results when I typed junkyard dog into google images.
Robert Karlsson- The Scientist, or Bob as his friends call him, has made the move to the United States, specifically Charlotte. Proving two things: 1) the brain drain so often discussed is totally over blown and 2) He is not a fan of the NBA since he is still here.
The Jerk- Zach Johnson- It has been five year since this guy ruined everyone’s Easter and we can only hope he doesn’t do it again. Nobody likes to see his type of behavior rewarded with victories.
Kyung-Tae Kim- It looks like the wave of South Korean golfers that took over the ladies tour in the last decade has begun to wash up into the PGA tour. Per the New York Times, the men of South Korea were traditionally pushed into the professions of doctors, lawyers and professionals. Additionally, they have two years of mandatory military service they must serve as South Koreans, which impeded their progress. However, when the Yangatang stared down the great Tiger Woods an entire country was inspired. Kim appears to be one of the best of this new wave of players.
The Bashful Prince- Ryo Ishikawa- Ryo has officially joined the PGA Tour, using the same deal Peter Hanson is using and I am looking forward to seeing how he does. By all accounts he is as talented as anyone in the game, but flying all over the world can’t be good for his game.
Ross Fisher- Making his American debut for the year this week Ross has been greeted by a mass of fans everywhere he has gone. Hopefully the attention won’t bother him too much. Should he be able to survive the attention he is commanding, I can see him finishing somewhere around 30th place.
Charles Howell III- He returns to his hometown of Augusta and playing the Masters for the first time since 2008 should be good for this one time wunderkind turned middle aged journeyman pro. He has been playing with the belly putter since last May so that may explain the change in his fortunes, but I don’t see a change in his status of green jackets owned coming this week.
Matt Kuchar- I envy Matt Kuchar even more than the rest of these players. Like all the players Matt is both rich and a great golfer. He always seems to be happy. Seems to have a good family. Shares a great sponsor with the coolest man in the field so likely gets to spend time with Freddie on occasion. All that said, it is his work with the racquet that really makes me jealous. By all accounts Matt is the best ping pong playing golfer in all of America as well as a nationally ranked player in the mixed doubles circuit with his wife on the tennis court. You have to think you has won the double club championship at whatever country club he plays at in Sea Island.
Graeme McDowell- The northern Irishman who made his name on chutzpah and witty comments seems to be losing half of the occasion. At Bayhill he had the jungle cat in his sights, beginning the day only one behind. He shot an uninspiring 73 to let the cat waltz to victory and mark his comeback as complete. Then last week he finished with a 77 and dropped way down the leaderboard. Finally, based on his twitter feed he is not pleased with his putting, not always a good sign. If he can get that turned around though he could be right in the mix.
Miguel Angel Jimenez- The mechanic picked up three wins last year in one of his finest seasons. He is an ageless wonder who seems to remain about the same all the time. He has averaged about a 25th place finish at Augusta since 2001, with one missed cut and three top 10s (8th, 9th, 10th). I see no reason his form will change this year. Carry on with the antics Mechanic.
Bill Haas- Wild Billy seems to have taken his wild days and put them behind him. As sad as I am to see them go, it has been great to see his success on tour. After he hit the shot of the year, getting up in down from a lake, he made both he and his brother extremely rich by winning the Fed Ex Cup. For whatever reason it seems to take Bill a few years to ease into being comfortable in each new golfing situation, so I expect continued progress this week, but it is not his time yet.
Webb Simpson- Another man whose nickname could be “The Vacuum Cleaner,” too bad Dyson already has it. It is Webb’s first time playing at The Master’s this year so it is hard to expect him to win, but at the same time, he has been one of the 5 best players in the world for the last year. His caddie has been on the bag for two Master’s victories so he will have that knowledge when he is out there as well. He isn’t the longest hitter out there but you won’t find a better putter out there. Under the right conditions I could see Webb slipping on the green jacket.
Y. E. Yang- While I consider myself a big fan of Yang and the drink he inspired, The Yangatang, I found out something new about him when I was looking him up this year. At the age of 19 The Rooster learned that the game of golf existed, and started learning the game of golf by watching videos of golf swings. Then when he was 21 he went into the South Korean army, where he guarded a naval port. I have seen no write up about this but presumably he played a lot of golf at this naval base. Immediately following his military service, he moved to New Zealand to become a professional golfer and now here he is. It is incredible in four years he went from not knowing the game existed to pro. It is also quite a leap of faith for him, as I assume coming out of the army he was nowhere near good enough to make a living playing golf.
Padraig Harrington- Paddy seems to be making strides on his game. Paddy seems to be the golfer who is striving for perfection. Unfortunately, for all of us who have played the game we know that isn’t really attainable. On a positive note, Paddy has started to play better recently and looks to be poised to make a move. According to Paddy his putting routine (not his putting) is not what it should be. If he can get that worked out he will be looking good.
David Toms- While David is a participant in the Masters this year he is easing his way into being a fan in the future by starting his own pool (link if you are interested https://www.davidtomsfoundation.com/contest.cfm?CFID=17940155&CFTOKEN=33281875). I am sure there are a lot of participants but the prizes are pretty cool, including a flag signed by the winner. I do not know the extent of his relationship with Tiger, but it seems like it might be hard to get him to sign a flag if he wins. David seems like a cool guy though so he can likely get Tiger to do it.
Martin Laird- The man hits it high and far two very key components to winning at Augusta so you never know. One add fact about this guy, he played for the same college coach as Jerk Johnson but at a different school. The Jerk went to Drake and Laird went to Colorado State. Like the Jerk, he was a good but not great college player and then has been very successful. So obviously this guy Jamie Bermel knows how to coach up good pros with decent college careers at non-golf schools in non-golf climates. If you are a high school golfer and you aren’t getting recruited by Clemson or Wake Forest, who seem to have about half the field, go find Jamie.
Bo Van Pelt- He comes in playing well. Since I try to not to write the same thing about guys every year I am not going to make a comment about the fact that he is from Richmond, Indiana a place best known for Tom Raper RV. It also occurred to me that unless you have spent time driving around on I-70 between Ohio and Indiana you probably don’t even know how big Tom Raper RV is or how many signs they have on that stretch of highway. Anyway, Bo is a good golfer who got 8th last year.
The Molinari Brothers- Edoardo Molinari and Francesco Molinari- It is hard to keep track of these two guys as they have similar q ratings in the world of golf. They both rose towards the top of the rankings two years ago, have kind of flattened out and now are somewhere in the top 100 of the world rankings. I find it best to compare them to the Mario brothers. They are both Italian, both have the same profession, and one is a stout man, one more of a string bean. In this case Francesco is the stouter man and is currently ranked a little higher than Edoardo, thus he is Mario. Eduardo is tall and tends and plays second fiddle to his brother on the golf course (ranked a little lower), much like Luigi did in the plumbing business.
Ryan Palmer- Many of the analysts say a draw is the best way to play at Augusta. While this ignores some evidence to the contrary, especially a man who hit a fade and won 6 Masters, this should be a benefit for Ryan who hits a draw all the way around the course and will be ready to cash in on the holes where a draw in necessary. If all else fails he will be able to sing all the way on his trip home to Amarillo.
Wild Cards
I put these two guys here because they are totally unpredictable. If either one of them shoots 65 or 85 tomorrow I will not be surprised at all. If either gets their nose into the battle down the stretch they are tough to beat, but it is a matter of keeping it together for 4 days that gives them trouble.
Sergio Garcia- There is really no telling what to expect with Sergio. He is playing well again, but there is no telling how he will fair this week. He is back to #20 in the world after dropping to a career low of #74 in 2010. He won twice in 2011 and this year has played up in down highlighted by his total nonsense at Doral. He started off with a 5 under 31 prompting many to say Sergio is back. He promptly followed that up with an 8 over 44 on the back nine. He shot 2 over Friday, 4 under Saturday and then started off with an eagle on #1 on Sunday and then had a 12 on the par 4 third. What can we expect from him? Who knows.
Angel Cabrera- Even the biggest die hard golf fans have to find themselves wondering what Angel does all year. He doesn’t seem to play in very many tournaments. He was in the final pairing last year though and he seemed to be coming off a similar pattern.
Contenders
At the Masters the top 16 and ties get invited back for the following year so it is a goal for many. All of these men have their sights set on higher aspirations and should have a chance during the weekend.
16) Hunter Mahan- The hottest player on the planet right now, and if this were the US Open or the PGA I would have him penciled in at the top of my betting card. But, since this is The Masters I am still leery of his chipping. Every time he has had a chip shot this year the announcers have commented that he has worked on his chipping and he has improved. I assume this is true, but it hasn’t really proven to be the case when I have been watching. He also looks very uncomfortable over all chips and pitches. So save your money on the Mahan bet for the Olympic Club and sit back and admire his ball striking.
15) Nick Watney- This entry is brought to us from our old friend Kenny- Nick’s best chance to win a major came in 2010 when he led by 3 shots going into the final round of the PGA at Whistling Straits. I’m assuming he slept on a slightly deflated air mattress that Saturday night because he barfed up an 81 on the following day to finish T-18. That’s not exactly what you want to see if you’re picking contenders for your Masters pool. That said, seemingly everyone associated with the PGA Tour greatly respects the talent of Mr. Watney and I think he’s definitely a future major winner. It will likely take several collapses for him to get comfortable on the big stage. Nick came in 7th in the 2010 Masters so he’s had success at Augusta. If he putts well, I could see him being on Page 1 of the board on Sunday.
14) Louis Oosthuizen- If the Africa Open was a major Louis would be coming into this tournament having just defended his crown. Of course different people would probably play in it too. Louis seems to be playing well, and almost won last week. Based on his finish last week though I am concerned about when the tournament gets started on the back nine Sunday how will he fair. I also noticed that he has a new caddie from the guy who caddied for him during the British Open, the guy who he fired before the week started and then rehired after he won. It appears his old caddie is now working for Branden Grace.
13) Ian Poulter- As usual Ian is confident. After suffering from a bout with pneumonia earlier this season he had a nice 3rd place finish at Bay Hill, only a few strokes behind the winner Tiger Woods. On a related note, the most amusing anecdote I have heard from the book The Big Miss is related to IJP (Ian James Poulter). Apparently after some practice rounds prior to the 2007 U.S. Open Ian showed up at the airport and “mooched” a ride on Tiger’s plane. Tiger was very unhappy and texted Hank Haney about his unhappiness. I am not sure how this makes Tiger look bad since I am guessing almost everyone with a private plane would be annoyed if you tried this move. Anyway, you have to have some guts to pull that move and Ian certainly has that. He will hang as a result of that, but it is his last of distance that will ultimately cost him a chance.
12) Jason Day- A birdie machine and last year he almost pulled out the victory. He showed the world last year he has the ability to go low at Augusta with his 2nd round 64. The only thing holding him back right now is he makes too many bogeys to win with how good all the top players are playing. It is not his time yet, but he will get there. Especially, since he will be training here in Columbus under the watchful eye of the Golden Bear.
11) Charl Schwartzel- The defending champ and a great player. He hasn’t really had a noticeable drop in performance since his win and has played well a number of times. However, I agree with Norm MacDonald, who said, “I actually defend the great Tiger Woods, because I’m tired of seeing guys named Charl Schwartzel. I mean, I don’t want to name anyone by name, but Charl Schwartzel comes to mind as someone who destroys a five-and-a- half-hour broadcast there at the end.” Last year’s Masters was incredible, Tiger, Scott, Day, Rory and then all of the sudden Charl knocks in four straight birds, wins the green jacket and everyone is looking around at each other and wondering who he is. Regarding Norm MacDonald, he has become an incredible twitter follow during the golf season due to the play by play he gives each week. I don’t know if it is all a big elaborate joke or he just loves golf and tweets about all weekend, but if you ever need an update check out his twitter feed.
10) Lee Westwood- Sometimes it seems Lee would be best served to keep his mouth shut, or as the Rock said, “know your role.” It seems every time someone says something about Lee or doesn’t say something about Lee he fires right back. In the last year he has been in “feuds” with the press about whether he deserved to be #1, Rory about the breakup with Chubby and now he is upset because the media is making the buildup to the Masters about Tiger and Rory instead of him. Well Lee, I have news for you, win a major or 14 and then you will be on the tip of everyone’s tongue too. Until then you don’t need to respond to every perceived slight. He is a few heckles from the crowd and a Mrs. Doubtfire part II being released from becoming Colin Montgomery.
9) Keegan Bradley- The last time a man was 1 for 1 in majors played he was named Francis Ouimet and later a book and movie were made about his win called “The Greatest Game Ever Played.” I highly doubt that Keegan’s battle with Jason Dufner at the Atlantic Athletic Club will ever inspire great literature but statistically he is batting 1.000. He managed to get through the dumbest controversy of the golf year, the fact that he spits too much okay so I expect he will be fine at Augusta.
8) Justin Rose- On his twitter feed Justin promised his many fans he would be leading after round 1 as he tweeted, “Thanks for all the Masters support guys. Looks like there is some money on me! At the very least I'll lead after round 1 and get you all excited” This may be a bit of a joke from the Englishman because he has been leading after the first round three times (2004, 2007, 2008), but maybe he can emulate the great 1990 Reds, and the Ray Floyd in 1976 (the last wire to wire champ) and be the lead dog all week.
7) Bubba Watson- Bubba has made as much noise as anyone on tour this year (with obvious exception of Tiger doing anything) by his purchase of the General Lee, the car from The Dukes of Hazard (speaking of Tiger, imagine if he bought the General Lee, Brandel Chamblee might explode). Bubba also has the game on the course for a chance at contending. He hits it a mile, moves it both ways, and has gotten comfortable contending as he is up there quite a bit these days. On top of all that, for the pink lovers in the crowd his driver is all pink.
6) Adam Scott- The man carrying his clubs all week has won 3 green jackets and he will be the key to victory if Adam can do it this weekend. If Stevie shows up look for Adam to be the first Aussie to put on the green jacket.
5) Steve Stricker- There are two ways I see Sticker finishing here. He will either play steadily all the way around the course all four days, lurking a few strokes off the lead and never make a move. Or, he will have a hot day in one of the first three rounds, be close to the lead or leading and falter down the stretch missing numerous short putts along the way. Either way, I see him in this position at the end of the week.
4) Luke Donald- In the modern sports landscape Luke’s best comparisons come from the world of tennis. He reminds me of both Caroline Wozniacki (who happens to be the girlfriend of Rory McIlroy) and Andy Murray. All three of them seem like very nice people and very hard workers. Both Luke and Caroline have been ranked #1 in the world for extended portions of the last year and been criticized for their lack of a major. However, for all three the biggest problem is their talent in comparison to their best competitors. All three are very good and consistently win non majors all year as their opponents are some combination of not focused, injured, pregnant, taking months off, etc. However, both are in major trouble when their more talented competitors are focused, trying their hardest, which happens to be when the majors take place. Murray seems to have the highest mountain to climb as he will likely have to beat two of either Federer, Nadal or Djkovic head to head to win a major, Wozniacki seems to have the least amount of talent. The good news for Luke is the talent of the next three guys can’t impact him, and he can theoretically birdie every hole to beat them. It is just tough to do when they can overcome mistakes some much more easily.
Big Three
Let’s be honest, if Billy Paine comes out today to have his press conference and announces that he has cancelled the Masters and they are having a tournament between these next three men for the Green Jacket is anyone besides most of the other players in The Masters really going to care? The dream final day is to have Tiger and Rory side by side in the final group with Phil starting 2 strokes back one group ahead so he has to go for birdies to get himself back into it. Because all of the build up is focused on this scenario it is almost sure not to happen. We can dream though. And yes, I have gone out on a limb here by taking the three most talented players in the game top 3.
3) Rory McIlroy- In reality Rory is the best player in the world right now and probably will be for a long time unless Tiger can track him down. After he blew it last year who knew how he would react. It appears that loss has caused him to work harder. His putting has gotten better, he got stronger and he contends every week. He should have won last year and he has gotten better. Having said that, he doesn’t close out tournaments particularly well and the two most talented players in the generation ahead of him were both off their games last year.
2) Phil Mickelson- When the year began I thought maybe Phil was washed up. Turns out he just didn’t practice during the offseason and was playing his way into shape. He took down Tiger and everyone else at Pebble with an incredible final round. He followed that up with a loss in a playoff at Riviera and he was back. Phil’s game is perfect for Augusta since he can get away with his misses more than most places. The big mystery is always his putting which didn’t look great last week and he switched putters in the middle of the tournament. That said he is good for about 5 birdies a day so he will be in it on Sunday afternoon.
1) Tiger Woods- I could probably write another 10,000 words about Tiger. In my opinion he is the most fascinating athlete of all time. As anyone who has read this preview in the past knows I am a fan of the man, and I really hope he will come back strong. Everything he has done in the last 6 months points to the fact that he is on his way back. The story continues to develop and this tournament will be another glimpse into these questions. Will the trouble Tiger had closing regular tournaments carry over to the majors or will his close at Bayhill be indicative of his closing of majors? Can he putt at Augusta? You may recall he really could have won last year if he had putted better on the back nine Sunday. I believe the things that got him to #1 in the first place are coming back or are back and we will be begin to see it again this week. I fully intended to pick Rory to win this Masters until last night and I asked myself this one question. If Tiger is standing on the 10th tee Sunday afternoon tied for the lead with anyone else in the field who do I think will win? My answer is Tiger.
Enjoy the Masters!
Note: Feel free to use this preview for all betting purposes, but be warned that if I actually knew the results of the tournament I would be living the life of Biff Tannen.
