Sorry, gang, but there simply isn't enough lipstick in the world to tart up that pig... I'll do the best that I can, but I'm only one man.
A Small-M Masters - Oh, they want it to be historic...Nay, they need it to be historic but, as the current generation puts it, we have the receipts. Here's how the major golf media is playing it:
Hideki Matsuyama won the Masters not only for himself but also for golf-crazed Japan
'Superstar of Japan' Hideki Matsuyama makes history with Masters title
Masters 2021: Hideki Matsuyama, quiet star, makes a loud statement for his nation and for himself
They're trying awfully hard.... But really, isn't this header from Shack's Quadriwhatever way closer to that which you saw?
Matsuyama's Grace Salvages A Bizarre Back Nine And The 2021 Masters
Not that the front nine was much better...To this observer, the early rounds set up beautifully for a typically dramatic finish. Beginning with Thursday's stern conditions that had the entire field on a knife's edge, punctuated only be Justin Rose's inexplicably stellar afternoon 65. The following two days featured typical jockeying for position, with a perfect cast blending grizzled vets (Rose, Hideki, JT and the like) with young guns such as the X-Man and Z-Man.... Vanna, I'd like to buy a "Y".
This one reminded your humble correspondent of the 2002 installment, and that's certainly not a compliment. That version promisingly featured golf's then Big Five, namely Phil, Ernie, Vijay and Retief all trying to chase down Eldrick. But one after the other blew up with a series of wild golf shots, none worse than Ernie's tee shot left of left on No. 13. I still remember him looking forlorn in that dense forest, the realization that he'd never catch Tiger etched on his face.
One thought I had was to Google the various rankings of Masters as a way of demonstrating how this year's edition would fit easily in the bottom of such rankings. Here's one such example, and the bottom of their rankings:
79. 1947 Jimmy Demaret
78. 2008 Trevor Immelman
The only reason this one isn’t last is because it was televised, which, in retrospect, probably wasn’t a good thing.
77. 1941 Craig Wood
76. 1948 Claude Harmon
75. 2003 Mike Weir
Sorry, but a Mike Weir-Len Mattiace playoff isn’t doing it for me.
74. 1938 Henry Picard
73. 2000 Vijay Singh
72. 1976 Raymond Floyd
71. 1939 Ralph Guldahl
Those editorial notes are the authors, not my own.
Of course, one can't read these rankings without one's head exploding. For instance, this one is a serious candidate for my vote for best Masters ever, but look where this guy has it ranked:
51. 1975 Jack Nicklaus
The three best players in the game head-to-head, with Jack making a bomb on 16 as Miller and Weiskopf watch from the tee...
He's got fifty ranked higher than that, so you can take your pick, but WTF:
8. 1979 Fuzzy Zoeller
The first — and only — rookie to win the Masters, and he did it in a playoff.
Boy, that sure sounds exciting, except if you happen to actually remember it. Ed Sneed, yeah you see where this is going, gagged on virtual tap-ins on each of the last three greens to force everyone to come back and watch him choke again on Monday.... Tom Watson was the forgotten man in that playoff, but Fuzzy was very much an accidental champion.
Shall we see if the Tour Confidential panel can infuse some enthusiasm into your humble blogger? I know, it's a big ask:
1. Hideki Matsuyama, long considered one of the most talented players never to win a major, now has his first. The 29-year-old from Japan, who entered the week with five career PGA Tour wins, closed with a one-over 73 to get to 10 under overall and beat Will Zalatoris by one. What did Matsuyama do better or differently this week that he had been unable to do in his previous major starts?
Zephyr Melton: Many will point to Matsuyama’s precision with his irons, particularly during his back-nine surge on Saturday, as the reason for his win. And while that run was no doubt impressive, his scrambling ability is what stands out most to me this week. Each time he got himself into a bit of trouble, he minimized the damage. Not to mention that all-world up and down he had behind 18 green Saturday evening. Those are the kinds of shots that win you golf tournaments.
Pretty much. I think you have to concluded that that blazing stretch after Saturday's rain delay was the decisive moment and, therefore, that chip from behing No. 18 was as important a stroke as any...
Jessica Marksbury: Yes, Z. I thought about that Saturday up-and-down on 18 a lot today. That was unreal. I also can’t help but think about the candid response Hideki gave when he was asked about the scaled-down media contingent following him this week. “I’m glad the media are here covering it, but it’s not my favorite thing to do, to stand and answer questions,” he said. “And so with fewer media, it’s been a lot less stressful for me.” For such a reportedly private and reserved person, maybe the additional breathing room was just what he needed.
Not exactly responsive to the question, Jess. You're calling it a fluke, pretty much. But, under that theory, he should have won in November.
Josh Sens: That’s a good point, Jess. Along with the sharpened short game, he just seemed to be in a good head space all week. And his calm on Sunday was impressive. After that wild opening tee shot, it would have been easy to come unraveled. But he was right back in rhythm almost straight away, nearly saving par and then striping one on the next tee.
Nick Piastowski: The ability to not turn one mistake into 10. After his air-mailed shot into 15 rolled into the water behind the green, he didn’t air-mail another, which would have possibly put him in the water that fronts the green. Instead, he took a safer route, which got him just short of the green, and he made his bogey. Then after seeing Schauffele hit into the water on 16, he took the safe play and hit into the center of the green (though he’d then three-putt). I totally would have lost it at that point. Hideki won it.
Fair enough. I do think that was a great bogey on No. 15. Was it as good as Spieth's at Birkdale? Probably not, given the absence of the inspired driving range drop and the fact that it was a five-par, but I'm guessing he never tried that fourth shot during practice rounds...
As a slight aside, there's a few comments out there of surprise that Hideki went for the fifteenth green though, excluding brave Sir Chip (Beck), that is very much the standard play with a lead. Which does sort of make sense when you realize:
- How terrifying that pitch to the green can be, and:
- Always preferable to be wet in two versus wet in three.
2. Along with becoming the first Japanese man to win a major golf tournament, Matsuyama’s now become the first Asian-born player to win a Masters. Much has been said and written about the pressure he faces from Japanese media and the quest to become thefirst male major winner from Japan. How much do you suppose that burden has weighed on him?Melton: Not enough to impact the outcome. I’ll save the emotional speculation to those with a bit more expertise in this department than me.
Marksbury: I can’t imagine what shouldering the weight of a country’s hope and expectation feels like. It’s surely not easy. But has that kept him from really achieving until now? I don’t think so. He’s won on Tour five times before this week. Majors are just plain hard to win, for anyone.
Sens: It’s an easy story to spread in print or from the broadcast tower, but best to let Matsuyama himself tell it. One thing I’ll hazard a guess on, though. When he knocked one in the drink on 15 and had to scramble just for bogey, at that moment, under that intense pressure, I doubt he was thinking, ‘Oh, man, the things they must be saying about me right now back home?’
Piastowski: I imagine it’s difficult, no doubt. I barely can hit a golf shot when no one cares, let alone an entire country. I’ll add, too, that a breakthrough win like this, one that lifts that pressure, could lead to more. Quickly.
Bamberger: Hugely. Witness his rain-delay break in his car, on his phone, playing video games.
The spit-take has to be Josh Sens encouraging us to let Hideki fill in the background. Because Hideki shares so much, Josh? I mean, apparently it was a state secret that he's married, so I'm sure he'll get right on that... Of course, Nick Piastowski plays the tired "Open floodgates" bit as well, so they've basically hit every cliché at this point.
Geoff might not have a perfect record in such areas, but who among us feels entitled to throw the first stone? At least he's calling BS on some of the more egregious nonsense:
Thankfully the right man captured Japan’s first men’s major and end his decade-long pursuit of a Grand Slam title. Matsuyama’s victory also sets the stage for months of ludicrous statements leading up to the Olympics about what this means for restoring global order, peace and Comcast’s third quarter earnings.
A sampling so far:
Matsuyama must carry the Olympic torch into the opening ceremony and light the flame while wearing the green jacket. Check.
He’s overcome the plight of 40-50 people following him daily and that number will grow to (insert equally ridiculous claim in a pandemic). Check.
Japan’s newest billionaire! Check.
Since no one in golf is remotely excited about the Olympics, expect more outlandishness from entities with a vested interest. Expect silly drivel like, “winning Olympic gold in his native land will mean even more than capturing the Masters”.
Really, Geoff, because you've been pimping Olympic golf with the best of them... But, yeah, profoundly silly.
My last point about the winner took place on the sixteenth green. With Xander's bizarre water ball (more on that below), I totally get the bail-out tee shot to the right. At that point we were in the midst of another round of every challenger taking a step backwards, so Hideki had it won at that point (Zalatoris salvaging par on No. 18 slight complicates this narrative). As Hideki went through his robotic pre-shot routine over his par-putt, your humble blogger said out loud, "C'mon, Hideki, make me at least believe that you deserve this". He didn't and I really don't...
So, what else shall we talk about? This kid had quite the coming out party, no?
You can’t really know if the bravado’s legit until the rubber meets the road. Or, in this case, the driver meets the ball.Will Zalatoris said the right things all week. How he belongs out here, how he’s playing with house money, how he’s “stupid enough to think I can win.” But Masters Sunday is a different animal, especially when the wind is a factor. Surely he’d come back to earth, make a few nervy bogeys, fade from the mix, settle for a top-10, bank some world ranking points, collect a fat check and call it a day.
Screw that.
He's had no shortage of mentors:
Zalatoris was born in San Francisco into an affluent family; his father was a member of the vaunted California Golf Club for 20 years. (Good luck getting a tee time there). When he was six,Ken Venturi taught him how to grip a golf club. (Overlap grip, which he uses to this day.)When the family moved to Texas, he struck a quick friendship with some blond-haired kid who made every putt. (The one who’s mentioned a few paragraphs above.) When he was 14, Lanny Wadkins gave him tips on how to play Augusta National. (Always triple-check the wind on 12). At 17, he won the Texas State Amateur with Scott Fawcett, perhaps the premier statistician for PGA Tour players, on his bag. (Aim your approaches at the fat side of the green and trust your shot shape). Later that summer, he won the U.S. Junior Amateur. (Beat his future roommate, Davis Riley, in the final). The next year, he matriculated to Wake Forest on the Arnold Palmer scholarship. (Two-time All-American).In 2017, he was featured on a comically stacked Walker Cup team alongside Collin Morikawa, Scottie Scheffler, Cameron Champ, Maverick McNealy, Doc Redman and Doug Ghim. (Went 3-1 in a 19-7 drubbing).
The blond-haired kid would grow up to be Jordan Spieth... The ESPN crew was comparing him to Johnny Miler, which makes some sense even beyond the San Francisco connection. But of greater import, has anyone ever seen Zalatoris and Owen Wilson in the same room?
The TC panel had some thoughts on the kid as well:
3. Matsuyama didn’t have many contenders breathing down his neck on Sunday, although Will Zalatoris made a run early and then forced Matsuyama to limit mistakes down the stretch. The 24-year-old has dazzled on the Korn Ferry Tour and even took T6 in the U.S. Open. What did you learn watching Zalatoris’s spirited play this week?
Melton: That the dude is a baller. Also, this is yet another example of a young kid coming out on Tour and showing no fear. With the amount of high-level events juniors and ams play these days
(not to mention cutting their teeth on the KFT and other development tours), by the time they reach the biggest stage, they are ready to perform. I think these kinds of performances will become more and more common from relative unknowns as time goes on.
Marksbury: It was such a pleasure to watch a fresh, young player who seemed to be truly enjoying himself at Augusta National. He relished the challenge and refused to outwardly expect too much but was clearly thrilled by his success. Plus, he’s just so likeable! Like Zephyr, I’m continually impressed by the crop of young talent we seem to be seeing more of, year after year. Morikawa, Wolff, Hovland — and now Zalatoris, too.
Sens: The fearlessness and confidence of youth. I mean, showing up on a huge stage with that putting grip when you’re still in your 20s? That takes chutzpah. I kid. He can clearly handle the moment, a weapon that not every player has in their arsenal.
Piastowski: That he’s going to win the Masters one day. Possibly more than once. He hits it high and handles the pressure, two ingredients for success at Augusta. Love the personality, too — I’ve laughed every time I’ve watched this.
Bamberger: Great driver of the ball from what I could see. Better with the irons. As a putter, he’s not Tiger, he’s not Corey Pavin, he’s not Brandt Snedeker. But he’ll have his putting weeks. They all do.
Can't say enough good things, as he was the one from that -7 chase pack to make any kind of run at Hideki. That said, it's always a good move to listen to Mike Bamberger, and the putter will ultimately define this kids future.
Can someone explain the X-Man to me? I started the week already fatigued at awaiting his breakthrough, but then he lands the choice slot in the final group with Hideki. If you think that doesn't matter, just ask Nick Faldo what he thinks of it all. So, what does he do? He blows up on the front nine:
Schauffele entered the final round at Augusta National Golf Club trailing Hideki Matsuyama byfour strokes. After a birdie at the second, Schauffele appeared to have shot himself out of the tournament with what he called “a messy start.” He made costly bogeys at the third and fourth hole and then doubled the fifth, which he failed to par in all four rounds. At 3 over for the day through six holes, Schauffele’s deficit had grown to seven strokes. He could’ve been deflated, but he was not.
“I never gave up,” Schauffele said. “It almost took the edge off.”
I guess it did, because he went on quite the little heater... Takes a good, hard run at the leader, until.... well, I just don't know how to explain what happened on No. 16:
He trailed by two strokes and had the tee at the par-3 16th hole.
“I was coming in hot. I was feeling good,” Schauffele said. “I was in full chase mode.”
This was his chance to apply the pressure. Instead, he left Matsuyama off the hook. Schauffele tried to draw an 8-iron at the 170-yard hole and his shot hit a wall of wind and landed short on the bank and rolled into the water. He went on to make triple bogey, sealing his fate.
“I hit a perfect 8 iron,” he said. “The wind was into us, left to right. It got smoked and eaten up. You could kind of see it. The ball hovered there.”
Was there another ball in the water on No. 16 all week? Seriously, I don't remember another since Norman in 1996, a strong comparable on the choke-meter.
Schauffele gave an affecting interview after the fact, in which I thought he said he was trying to cut the shot. When asked why de didn't draw the shot, he answered that he simply didn't think of it.... Egads, quite the course management fail.
I'm not exactly sure what's going on here, but when a touring professional says he flushed it, yet the shot comes up forty yards short, I think we need a Warren Commission to get to the bottom of this. He says he was still in chase mode, which at two back with three to play is true enough, and we can all understand that he wanted to throw one in close to generate an aftershock to Hideki. But here's the thing... to get close to that Sunday pin does not require one to play at the pin, and there's really no benefit to doing so. No benefit and, as Xander no doubt understand now, quite a bit of risk....
Even if Xander hits a so-so shot, it's still a difficult swing for Matsuyama, especially so soon after the jolt on No. 15. Just seemingly horrible decision-making from Xander.
This guy remains an enigma as well:
Masters: Jordan Spieth adds another chapter in golf's best comeback story this season
It's hard to dismiss a T3, though way too many loose shots. That triple on Number 9 on Thursday for sure, but this had my eyes involuntarily rolling:
“I wish that I had the control of my swing that I hope is coming or I think is coming soon because it would have made things a little easier this week,” Spieth said. “Structurally, it’s still not matching up where I want it to, and I feel like I’m doing a significant movement to try and get there. I still have a little bit of the old tendencies, but I get it in a better striking position, with the wrists in a better place, the club face and the shaft plane in a much better place, which is why I’m able to come out and contend.”
I guess Greller shaving his beard failed to provide the needed jolt...
The TC panel lumped the pretenders together:
5. Jordan Spieth had four solid rounds but still finished three behind Matsuyama. Xander Schauffele had a triple-bogey 6 on 16 on Sunday and ended up three back. Jon Rahm had three rounds of even par before a blistering 66 on Sunday, leaving him four back. Which player from this week — among these three or others! — is most kicking himself for what could have been?
Melton: It’s got to be Justin Rose, right? After his dazzling opening round, it looked like he had a chance to turn this into an early blowout, but the rest of the week he was just stuck in neutral. Another missed opportunity at Augusta for Rose.
Marksbury: No way should Will Zalatoris kick himself after the way he played at Augusta this week, but he was the only one putting meaningful pressure on Hideki at the start, posting three birdies on the front. And if you think about Will’s three-putt on 10, his missed shortish opportunity for an up-and-down par on 12, and his three-putt for par on the par-5 13th, that’s three shots right there that, in a different world, could potentially have won him a green jacket.
Sens: Xander. He had pulled to within two and had an 8-iron in his hand on the 16th tee. A solid shot there, hitting ahead of Hideki, and things would have really gotten interesting. He said he “flushed” the shot, but that was a big miss at the day’s biggest woulda, coulda, shoulda moment.
Piastowski: I’ll go with Rahm. Though he won’t admit it, I imagine it was pretty tough to deal with the emotions of becoming a new dad while playing a major. Not to mention that he played just one practice round at Augusta after arriving later in the week. I think it took him a while to get going, and that showed on Sunday.Bamberger: Let us not forget Justin Thomas. But Xander, for sure. He’s playing with Hideki. If he stiffs it on 16, it’s nothing but tension the rest of the way.
All of the above... Though Mike makes a good point, that the play among the chasers was so bad on Sunday that it caused us to forget JT's horrible finish on Saturday.
But it has to be X-man, no? He had the final group pairing with Hideki, was on a roll and had Hideki staggering back to his corner...
Things I liked - A short list, though perhaps not quite as short as you might expect.
- Thursday's Conditions - I just loved watching the guys deal with that fiery golf course. Yeah, it exposed the underlying unfairness of No. 15, but it tested the players in ways we see much less often than I'd like. Just Rose's afternoon 65 might have been one of the best rounds ever played at Augusta, that's how hard it played. Left completely unexplained was what happened between Thursday and Friday, when in the absence of rain the course slowed down dramatically. More like Thursday, please.
- Respect - The winner's caddie grabbing the 18th hole flag is a common scene, though this one had a very telling Japanese twist:
A bow on No. 18. pic.twitter.com/h5CHqvJ2eS
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) April 11, 2021
Of course, no one these days can let go of an old grievance:
A country with a horrible history of cruelty has an awesome culture of politeness
— Jblaine Beam (@athikerrebel) April 12, 2021
I think we need to be discussing reparations with Hideki.... I liked the bow, and you can't talk me out of it.
- Local Color - I find most of the CBS coverage to be treacly and predictable, so imagine the shock of that CBS ad-lib to run the Japanese media coverage. Let me add, especially when they included the coverage of Hideki's second shot into the water while playing No. 15. Here's Geoff's take:
Audio And VisualCBS called an incredible audible by going to replays of Tokyo Broadcasting at key points and it was spectacular. However the need to get the scorecard signed and to Butler Cabin for five minutes of glorious awkwardness unlike any other meant we missed Tokyo’s call of the final putt.
He's got it at that link above, but in a format that your technologically incompetent blogger is unable to embed. The only caveat is that, as good as those Japanese clips were, they don't hold a candle to over-dubbing golf broadcasts with Spanish fútbol commentary. Just Google it if you've never had the pleasure...
- Respect, Part II - Apparently it was National Pet Day, the rest of which you can probably anticipate:
The issue in such a significant moment was Player’s son and caddie, Wayne, holding a sleeve of golf balls for clear display to every camera shot when Elder was announced to the tee. He even maintained a vice like grip on the box while applauding.
Clearly this was nothing but a marketing ploy to push the products of one of the ‘Black Knight’s’ many sponsors given Player had the ball he was to hit in his pocket, and given it was not a competitive event, even the worst drive wasn’t going to require a provisional.
(Eagle-eyed fans noticed the list of sponsors now includes Golf Saudi. An involvement from one of the game’s greats that is uncomfortable to say the least.)
Expressing a stunning lack of awareness and tone-deafness, Gary Player said after the ceremony that Elder has "experienced a lot of things that I experienced in my life."
Really, Gary? Like this?
Elder is the first Black man who was allowed to play in the Masters, a tournament held at a course that steadfastly refuses to join many of us in the 21st century. So intense was the hatred directed his way in the lead-up to the 1975 Masters that Elder rented two houses in Augusta for that week, staying in both, doing his best to keep his whereabouts secret, in case anyone who had threatened to harm was in town to make good on their threat.
Gary Player famously invited Elder to South Africa, and that's what I meant above about having a story to tell on the subject of Apartheid. I'm happy to acknowledge all sides of it as well as to note that Player had difficulties navigating the world sports scene because of his government's policies, for which he's not responsible. But I'm not interested in defending Gary Player when his good-for-nothing son can't stay out of the frame.
We'll see how this win ages, especially in this year when the world is coming to Tokyo. For now, as you might have noticed, I've failed to summon any enthusiasm.
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