We've had good fun, or at least wasted some pixels, in reacting to the Sports Illustrated writers' weekly roundtable. Golfweek has now jumped on the bandwagon, and has their stable of writers, folks such as Alex Miceli, Adam Schupak and Jeff Rude, participating in a familiar format. The Tiger Q & A can be found here:
Will Tiger win another Masters?
The Writers - It splits 4-3 that he'll win another.
Best Line - From Nick Masuda, "Is it shocking that he hasn't won one since 2005? Yes, it is. But the guy is
one
year removed from winning five PGA Tour tournaments and is one bad drop/hit of
the flagstick away from being in control at Augusta last year. Golf smarts don't
all of a sudden stop at the age of 38."
My Take - My "No" vote ties the tally, and kicks it to the Vice President in his role as President of the Senate.
If he stays at four, be honest: How wrong were you? How many did you think he
was going to win?
The Writers - Those that offer numbers range from seven up to ten.
Best Line - From Alex Miceli, "But again that was before they "Tiger proofed" the golf course, which clearly
they've done a good job of. Also in 1997, the equipment was so different and
Tiger was far above his peers, but when you put the new equipment in player’s
hands it leveled the playing field considerably. If you kept the status quo of
1997, he would have won many more."
My Take - I never had a specific number in mind and remained slightly more cynical about him getting to 19 than the average bear. But as he was racking them up at the 1-2 per year clip, I fell into the same trap as everyone else in assuming the trend line would continue. I picked Miceli's quote because I agree with his assessment that the modern equipment equalizes ball striking, to the detriment of Tiger.
Of the eight Masters he has played since his last win, Woods has finished second
twice, third once, and T-4 three times. Which of those might haunt him the most?
The Writers - Both 2006 (Phil) and 2011 (Schwartzel) get two mentions and surprisingly, last year with the Friday events on No. 15 only gets one.
Best Line - From Adam Schupak, "Hard to say but I’d go with the first in 2006. Tiger had a case of the
three-putts, as in six of them for the tournament and three on Sunday. He lost
by three to Phil
Mickelson . . . and that probably ruined whatever he was served for
dinner that night."
My Take - I'll go with Adam, just because he had to wait around and put the green jacket on Phil...salt meet open wound.
And a second, more general Masters Q & A, including Brad Klein, can be found here:
What is your favorite hole at Augusta National?
The Writers - Split verdict, with Nos. 3, 12, 13, 15 and 16 earning mentions.
Best Line - Bradley Klein, with a surprising choice, "Without hesitation, I’ll tell you, the par-4 third hole, only 350 yards. Nobody talks about it. It has the most fairway bunkers of any hole on the course, four. And it has the most elusive green to hold. Recently it’s become drivable, and thus all the more tempting. Yet the closer to the benched-in putting your drive lands and the shorter your second shot, the harder it is to put enough spin on the wedge to have it hold. And the Sunday hole location on the left is probably the shallowest target of any green on the entire golf course. There are so many times where shots come up just short and tumble down or land without enough spin and go over – leaving incredibly delicate little recovery shots. I love watching guys bogie the hole after hitting their tee shots into the fairway 30 yards short of that green."
My Take - I agree with Klein that No. 3 is a very underrated hole, though I'd likely go with No. 13 as the epitome of the risk-reward aspect of the back nine. I have significant qualms about both 15 and 16, in particular I think the green at No. 16 is pretty bad. The back right pin means that we watch the entire field hit the same 30' uphill putt. And the dramatic Sunday pin position in theory brings the water into play, but not really since you can play away from it and work the ball off the slope. But both holes are exciting, I'll grant them that.
The Writers - Most think it will have little effect on the big hitters, and near unanimity on Tiger injuring his Achilles as the most significant memory.
Best Line - From Brad Klein again, "Losing it will have virtually no impact on The Masters – not with the distance and trajectory that these players hit the ball these days. Losing it will only show that Augusta National has too many trees that block views and clutter up vistas and corridors."
My Take - The problem with the Ike tree was a result of the powers that be planting the row of trees up the right side of the fairway. The course is about the angles on the second shots, and bailing to the right provides a very difficult line into one of the more difficult greens on the golf course. This admittedly was mitigated in recent years by the guys bombing it over the Ike tree, so any effect of its demise will likely be limited to the former champs and amateurs in the field.
What does a first-time patron at Augusta National need to do first?
The Writers - Walking the back nine gets two mentions, and there's a split verdict on the merchandise tent (though there is a mail facility to send your swag home, which is clever).
Best Line - From Adam Schupak, "And spend some time at Chinese Fir, the 440-yard, 14th and the only hole on the course without a bunker. While it may be overshadowed by so many other great holes, No. 14 is where my jaw hit the ground when I eyed the green on my first time touring the course. HDTV does not do the severity of the green justice. I would take a 3-putt and run."
My Take - If only.
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