Friday, April 8, 2022

Your Masters Frisson

Lots to unpack and never enough time in which to do so....  Where would you guys like to start?  Shocking, but if you insist...

El Gato - The reviews are in and I can confirm that folks seem happy to have the guy back.  As Reggie put it, the drink is stirred.  I'll let Alan Shipnuck lede:

AUGUSTA, Ga.—A little before 11 a.m. on Masters Thursday, Tiger Woods burst through the back door of the Augusta National clubhouse. The air was tinged with tension, as if he were a grizzled gunslinger arriving at an Old West saloon, spoiling for a shoot-out. A human corridor had already formed that stretched all the way to the 1st tee, composed of fans, reporters, staid green jackets and even Hall of Famers Hale Irwin and Ian Woosnam. No matter who you are, the energy and excitement around Woods’s return to the Masters was inescapable. But there was no bravado in Tiger’s ginger steps. He had just endured his scratchiest range session of the week, looking stiffer and less explosive after four days of grinding on his game in the practice rounds. When Woods stepped through the clubhouse door and saw the sea of humanity spread before him, he closed his eyes for a couple of beats even as the unseen forces of fate pulled him toward the tee box. It was a brief meditation that was punctured by the screams of the fans. The tizzy of the crowd contrasted with the placidity on Woods’s face and the economy of motion with which he moved. The fans had come for a party, a coronation, a Hoganesque ticker-tape parade minus the floating newsprint. Tiger just wanted to go to work.

Then came the words that, following Woods’s horrific car crash in February 2021, many feared would never again ring out: “Fore please, Tiger Woods now driving.” The first swing of his last act was a wipey, spinny heel-slice that expired in the right rough, way short of the fairway bunker. Just for old time’s sake, Woods muttered, “Gawdammit.” (He would later loose a throwback F-bomb.) But even that slightly wayward drive represented progress of a sort, given how many Masters rounds Woods has begun with screaming hooks into the 9th fairway. The crowd—one of the biggest ever seen around Augusta National—still roared. Tiger sauntered down the fairway, taking extra care on the steep, rain-slickened hills. Irwin, a badass who was an All-Big Eight defensive back on the football field before winning three U.S. Open titles, has seen some things. He shook his head as he watched Woods go. “It kind of defies belief,” Irwin said.

Love that he worked that F-bomb into his lede, yanno, just for old times sake.  Shippy's former (though there's talk of a sequel)writing partner called it a new kind of Tiger round:

Welcome home, Tiger. Welcome back to golf.

Supply-and-demand, supply-and-demand. It’s the way of the world. Even Augusta National is
having supply-chain problems, related to the pandemic, labor issues, the war in Ukraine and its fallout. There has been no supply of Tiger Woods for a long time now. For a while you had to wonder if there was ever going to be further supply of Tiger Woods. On Thursday, in a T-shirt the color of a blooming azalea with a mock collar, he supplied us with five hours of gritty golf. He supplied us with the thing that he loves and that we love, too: Tiger Woods, with all that skill, trying his hardest.

Was it the kind of golf that wins the Masters? No. But if this was his bad round — and that seems unlikely but with Woods who knows? — he can certainly contend.

Let's get the hagiography behind us before we discuss the potential issues.  If you're looking to hear about Tiger as Demigod, the place to og is the Tour Confidential panel, who are doing daily one-offs this week:

The Masters began Thursday, and with it, Tiger Woods returned. Just over 13 months since a car crash that caused multiple leg injuries, Woods made three birdies en route to a one-under 71 that put him just four strokes behind first-round leader Sungjae Im. As you watched Woods work his way around Augusta National, what did you learn from him in his return?

Sean Zak: That he’s still one of the best par-scramblers there ever has been. From the very first hole, it was an exercise in brilliant patience and assessment. A worse player — and there are many in this field — would have cracked on a couple of those. That’s the Tiger we know.

Michael Bamberger: I would say relearn: Never underestimate Tiger Woods. Given where he was on the afternoon of Feb. 23, 2021, I would not have guessed I would see him standing on a podium after the first round of the 2022 Masters, talking about a round of 71.

Jessica Marksbury: Totally agree with both Sean and Michael. That was such an exciting performance. And I think what Tiger reinforced for me today is just how “on” your putting needs to be to contend at Augusta. Those mid-round short putts he made from 4-6 feet to salvage pars were huge from a momentum perspective. And they’re not easy putts to make!

Luke Kerr-Dineen: That Tiger’s various physical limitations have sharpened the mind of one of golf’s greatest-ever strategists. Tiger hit only nine greens in regulations on Thursday, yet somehow it didn’t really matter. When he wasn’t on the surface, he had left himself in “position A:” Lots of green to work with from a straightaway angle.

Dylan Dethier: He knows where to miss. He’s keen on limiting the damage. He’s here to play chess.

Josh Sens: That the less willing his body, the more able his mind becomes. Those scrambling pars on 1 and 18 were emblematic bookends to the day.

Josh Berhow: That if his body stays remotely healthy, he can compete at this course for years. He knows where to hit it, he knows where not to hit it. No one thinks their way around a golf course like Tiger. His mind has always been one of his greatest weapons. Still is.

Nick Piastowski: That his doctors and physical therapists are as good at their professions as Woods is at his golf.

OK, not a lot to learn there, eh?  This ESPN piece takes on the good, the bad and the ugly, so here's Tiger describing that cock-up on No. 8:

Worst

The par 5s are supposed to be birdie holes

Woods was even par on the four par 5s. He was a combined 43-under on par 5s in his past five Masters victories in 1997, 2001, 2002, 2005 and 2019. He was at least 6 under on par 5s in each of them.

After waiting about 10 minutes for the group in front of him (which included Bryson DeChambeau) to clear the fairway, Woods made a mess of the par-5 eighth hole. It started out well. He hit a 280-yard drive down the middle and then a nice 230-yard shot with a fairway wood, leaving him about 50 yards short of the pin.

But Woods' first chip was short of the green and his second one ended up 9 feet above the hole. He missed a par putt on the low side and ended up with a bogey.

"I'll start with the disappointment: Just making bogey from 50 yards on the eighth," Woods said. "Lack of concentration on the first one; second one, lack of commitment. Then a blocked putt. So just three bad shots in a row."

According to data from ESPN Stats & Information, it was Woods' third straight Masters appearance with at least one bogey on the eighth hole. He bogeyed it in the second round in 2019 and the third the next year.

No. Thirteen was the only 5-Par that Tiger played per spec, but I do think they buried the lede.  But let's let them throw out the other obvious shortcoming:

Short game needs work

As good as Woods' putting was on Thursday, the rest of his work around the green left a lot to be desired. On the first hole, his wedge from 30 yards was 10 feet short. On the next hole, his shot from 45 yards was 17 feet short.

On the 14th hole, after a brilliant second shot out of pine straw, Woods' ball was just over the green. Instead of putting, he tried to chip it close with a 4-iron. It went 8 feet past the hole. He missed the putt coming back and made bogey 5.

"I tried to bump and run a 4-iron through there and hit it way too hard," Woods said. "I gave it a little extra juice because it was into the wind. I made a mistake and hit too hard and misread the putt just a touch."

Not sure how to react to this.  On the one hand, this is the part of the game he's been able to put the most work in on, but work is different than game action.  

Let me circle back as promised, to my biggest qualm.  It looked to me as if Tiger was bunting it off the tee, leaving himself miles in.  Let me just stipulate to the fact that's it's a miracle he's here and we'll take anything we can get, but I expected, based upon what we saw at the PNC and in practice rounds (and Freddy's comments as well), that he'd be more Tour average off the tee.  Take this as an example:

On the revamped 11th hole, Woods hit a 283-yard drive. Not exactly Bryson DeChambeau territory, but still pretty good. He had 242 yards left!

Sure, there's plenty of  guys in the field hitting it 280-ish, but they're named Langer, Lyle and Mize.... 

First, I'm sure every day is different for him, but let's see how he sends it this afternoon.  The course will gradually firm up as the rain is done (5% chances each day per the last weather report I saw), but it's going to get windier (should help him) but also colder (which he admitted is a problem).  But over 54 more holes it will be hard for anyone to play consistently form that far back.

The other thought I'd add is that he got away with some bad shots, most notably the two snappers on 9 and 18.  Obviously that will happen, but if you're a mile back and don't get the right bounce, you might be fighting to limit the damage to just the one stroke.

The ESPN gang also offered their thoughts on Tiger's Friday:

Tiger Woods started well. What do you expect out of him in Round 2?

Mark Schlabach: I thought he'd go 2-under 70 in the opening round, and he ended up at 1-under 71. He'll go lower on Friday. Tiger just has an incredible pain threshold and determination to compete. A lot of his mistakes on Thursday are correctable. Woods said he had a terrible warm-up session and didn't feel comfortable leaving the tournament practice area. It showed on the tee and around the greens. If he straightens those areas out and keeps putting like he did in the first round, he'll go lower on Friday and be right there in the mix going into the weekend.

Michael Collins: Expect him to shoot 1 over in Round 2. Even par should make the cut easily if the weather forecast holds. Unless he accidentally falls asleep with his leg in the ice. I'm joking, of course. I'm sure Tiger's got his own cryotherapy unit that has an auto shutoff.

Kevin Van Valkenburg: I thought he looked stiff and a little tentative on Thursday, and I'm hopeful a full night and morning of treatment will help him loosen up by the afternoon. I think he'll strike it better on Friday with his irons, but he got a few breaks on Thursday that made up for that. I'd expect something similar, around par or just under.

Nick Pietruszkiewicz: As always, it depends on how the body feels. But if it feels loose enough to allow him to swing the way he did Thursday or even close to that, he's not going to back up. He has an unmatched ability to get around Augusta National. The 71 on Thursday came despite a pretty poor chipping day and, again, not taking advantage of the par-5s. He knew he could play before he got here or he wouldn't have come here. On Friday, a number in the 60s is coming.

Silly to think in terms of specific numbers with the wind being such a wild card...  We all know how wind can effect us, especially if we're not feeling loose and are struggling to get it out there far enough.   

Though, isn't the best part the fact that we have absolutely no clue what to expect from the guy?  I could see him piercing flushed irons through the wind and posting the best +1 any of us have ever seen, or I can imagine him toeing a few early drives and wearing down from the effort.  But I'll be watching, as will every able-bodied golf fan.

Udder Stuff - It's a fun leaderboard to this observer, although many will necessarily bemoan the difficulties of the bold-faced names.  Dave Shedloski has seven items that we might have missed in our Tiger-induced myopia:

The return of Sungjae Im

With four birdies in his first seven holes, South Korea’s Sungjae Im got his name on the leader
board in a hurry, and though he stumbled in the middle of the round, he eagled the 13th and birdied the 15th to post five-under 67 for the Day 1 lead, one ahead of Cam Smith.

Im finished T-2 in his Masters debut in 2020 after opening with a 66, so he’s no stranger to playing well at Augusta National. He did miss the cut last year, and he didn’t come in with his usual top-10 producing precision. But he was very good on Thursday, mostly on the strength of a hot putter and hitting 12 of 14 fairways.

A two-time PGA Tour winner, Im agreed that his form hasn’t been as sharp of late. But he got inspiration, he said, from watching his father Ji Taek hit a shot on the ninth hole in Wednesday's Par-3 Contest. “It was the most beautiful shot I’ve seen. It was like a professional shot,” said Im, who, being a professional, then went out and hit a few good ones of his own.

His father's swing won't be confused with Steve Elkington's, but the question here seems to be how he'll react as the course firms up (and, of course, how firm that might be).  The bigger issue being how to view that one-off Masters in November with it's historically soft conditions.

I speculated about getting a wager down on the one guy to miss the cut, but is this the best of all outcomes of last year's Bryson-Brooksie cage match?

More Brooksy Bryson woes

It hurts to play hurt. Yeah, obvious. But Bryson DeChambeau was feeling more than just the pain in his injured hand.

The long-hitting former U.S. Open champion was far from sharp in his four-over 76 that included playing the par 5s in one over with three pars and a bogey. (Or is that nine over since he once said Augusta was really par 67?) That’s definitely not the script DeChambeau has been trying to follow after he bulked up and started cutting loose with the driver.

The return of a “Brooksy” catcall probably didn’t help either after he bogeyed the par-5 15th. He had to have heard it. So much for southern hospitality. And the score probably did feel like nine over while playing alongside Smith, who offset two double bogeys with eight birdies in his 68.

Yeah, but why wouldn't you write this bit to cover that fact that they both suck these days?  Brooks beat him by one, which makes them both candidates to be slamming trunks later today.  

That Bryson comment always amused me, because it would have been non-controversial (and nothing we haven't heard before) had he called it a Par-68.  He's far from the first guy to lose it over the seemingly benign third hole.... Jeff Maggart, call your office.

The ESPN gang has all sorts of call and response stuff up, so let's draft on them:

Which player, not named Tiger Woods, are you most impressed with heading into the second round?

Schlabach: Joaquin Niemann. I watched Niemann, a 23-year-old from Chile, go wire to wire to win the Genesis Invitational at Riviera in mid-February. He's immensely talented and it is finally starting to show. To open with a 3-under 69, while playing with Woods on Thursday, is quite impressive. He had three birdies and an eagle on the ninth, where he knocked it in from 105 yards off the fairway. It was the sixth eagle on the ninth in Masters history.

Collins: Scottie Scheffler. Normally there's a letdown after reaching No. 1 so fast, but Scheffler just keeps on plugging along. He's got a great attitude, and the way he and caddie Ted Scott have been working together reminds me of Jordan Spieth and Michael Greller in 2015.

No question that I've bene expecting a regression to the mean.  Ignoring that this might just be his mean....

Van Valkenburg: Sungjae Im. I've been a huge fan for years, because it's truly fun to watch him fire at pins. He's really fearless, and I love unique swings.

Pietruszkiewicz: Cameron Smith. It's something to start and end a round with a double bogey and still be on the first page of the leaderboard. But that's what happens when you throw eight birdies at Augusta National. The question is what carries over in Round 2: All those birdies or the two big numbers? He's too good, which has been obvious for a while now, to care much about the miscues. He won't separate from the pack, but he'll post another good one on Friday.

I picked Cam in my pool, which made that double on the finishing hole hard to watch.  He's got no shortage of firepower and might just be the best pure putter out there, but how do you make two doubles and still find yourself in second place?

Which big name worries you the most and might be headed home before the weekend starts?

Schlabach: There hasn't been a first-time winner at the Masters since Fuzzy Zoeller in 1979. There's a reason. It takes time to figure out Augusta National, and budding star Sam Burns is realizing that this week. He shot 3-over 75 on Thursday.

I grabbed Burns in the second tranche of players, in my defense not realizing that it was his first visit. 

Collins: Justin Thomas. I feel bad for him because he spent all that time with Tiger Woods and his game doesn't seem to be in a good place right now. Everyone is left to wonder what would have happened if he had been selfish and worked this week on his own. Probably the same result, but no one will ever know.

Van Valkenburg: Bryson DeChambeau looks lost. I know he's injured, but I'm not sure playing through this injury is doing him any good. It might be time to shut it down.

Pietruszkiewicz: There really is only one answer here and it's Justin Thomas. He shot 76, which was the same number posted by the ageless Bernhard Langer. OK, Langer is actually 64, but you get the point. I'm with Michael. The swirl of Tiger had an impact.

I haven't liked JT's game in quite some time, notwithstanding that Players Championship last year.  Not completely sure what's going on, though the Internet is blaming it on his new bestie, who beat him by five (Tiger, not Charley).

Which player, not named Tiger Woods, do you have an eye on to make a Friday run?

Schlabach: Corey Conners. The Canadian doesn't get nearly enough credit for how good he is. He is one of the best iron players in the world and already has a pair of top-10s in four starts at Augusta National. He hit 13 of 18 greens and 10 of 14 fairways on Thursday. Even better, Conners had scores under par in each of his previous four second rounds, including a 65 in 2020 (when he tied for 10th) and a 69 in 2021 (when he tied for eighth).

Good call.  he looked very much in control yesterday, and has been playing quite well. 

Collins: Patrick Reed. He seems close and loves this golf course. Reed's game has been off lately, but we all know the magic this place holds in the hearts of former champions. He also loves playing in tough conditions. If everything plays out, I expect Captain America's B-game to get him within a couple of shots of the lead by Friday evening.

Oh Gawd, no!   

Van Valkenburg: I'll take Shane Lowry. I thought he had a real shot coming into this week, but he couldn't hang on a fairly benign day. Hopefully the wind blowing Friday will be to his advantage.

Pietruszkiewicz: Patrick Cantlay opened with 79 a year ago. And that was that. He looked as if he was headed for another clunker Thursday. On 13, he figured things out. Made birdie there and at the 15th, then stuffed his tee shot on 16 to set up a third in four holes. Once he gets going, look out. He could be the guy the rest of the field is looking up at heading into the weekend.

I agree that Cantlay made something out of an unpromising round, I just never know what to expect from the guy.  Is he as good as his press?   I just can't decide about the guy...

What did you think of how Augusta National played on Thursday, and what do you expect out of the place on Friday?

Schlabach: The wind is going to start blowing and will keep howling until the final round on Sunday. The forecast calls for winds of 20 to 30 mph on Friday with stronger gusts. Then it's going to get cooler on Saturday with winds 15 to 25 mph. Tiger won't like the cooler temperatures, but he'll like the wind. Many other players won't.

Collins: Hearing Jon Rahm talk about mud balls is disappointing. Most players didn't have that issue. It was wild how fast the skies cleared, the temps rose and the winds picked up. Because of that, when the wind really starts pumping tomorrow, expect this place to hand out many more scores over par than under par.

Van Valkenburg: It's going to get harder. Much harder. Which I like for Tiger's sake. The wind is going to blow hard and I want to see guys who can control the flight of their ball. That has Tiger, limp and all, right in it.

To this observer, it seemed as if the Par-5's played harder than usual.  We expected that on No. 15 due to the added yardage, but it seemed like not a lot reached Nos. 2 and 8, probably due to wet conditions.  I'll be looking at how that changes as the course dries out but the winds pick up.

No. 15 could be a fun place this afternoon.  If we get 30 mph gusts, that wedge in could be terrifying....  Heck, it's terrifying in soft, windless conditions.

Kind of a shame not to have Phil here, because I suspect he'd like the latest changes.  His philosophy has always been to make the hard holes harder and the easy holes easier, so he logically should be a fan of the changes on No. 11.  Which just looked brutal to this observer....  Not only are they coming in with longer clubs, but they've raised the green and made scrambling from the right side that much harder.  Here's more on that:

The real issues comes on the second shot, which has been complicated by significant changes around the green. Noted a GOLF Magazine course rater, who played the course recently: “The
big change is the movement of the wee humps or berms, which have been increased in height and moved more into fairway from right to left.” Miss right and players also will find a deeper swale on that side of the putting surface — in the expanse from where Larry Mize famously chipped in to win the 1987 Masters. Don’t expect similar theatrics moving forward.

“We thought the Larry Mize shot is gone, now it’s really gone with them raising the green up even more on the right-hand side,” Tiger Woods said. “And we’re further back so we’re more prone to hit the ball over there anyways. So, it’s a harder and more difficult pitch.”

“What people probably don’t realize is that pond on the left has been extended another 10 yards back towards the tee,” Rory McIlroy said. “So that pond used to start at the front of the green. That pond now starts 10 yards before the green. So now it brings in those mounds and the water. So the penalty for missing that second shot is much greater, and then if you do miss it, obviously it’s a very, very difficult up and down from there.”

As an aside, I found the entirety of Fred Ridley's comments on course changes of interest.  He seems a good steward of the institution, though one with perhaps an excess of trust in out governing bodies.  Obviously the inevitable extension of the 13th hole is out there, but I did appreciate his reluctance to change such an iconic hole.  Any chance he might just convert it to a Par-4?

Got Time for Some Phil/Saudi Mishegoss? - Gary Player!  What a great humanitarian....  In a second, kids.

So yesterday I read this Mark Cannizzaro op-ed pleading with golf's leadership to parole his hero:

 Yeah, but the interesting thing is watching Mark construct his argument:

Mickelson, 51, the reigning PGA champion and still one of the most popular players in the
history of the sport, has been essentially exiled since February after controversial comments he made to a reporter that he said were part of a private conversation were made public.

The reaction to his comments, which were critical of the PGA Tour and an admission that he was involved with a rival Saudi league, have left Mickelson alone on an island. In February, he issued a statement of apology and said he was going to take some time away from the game.

Ironically in view of the Hunter Biden laptop story, Mark's byline appears in the New York Post, whereas his journalistic integrity seems a perfect match for the N.Y. Time or Washington Post.

Sure, Mark, all Phil did was make some comments.... And, by the way, how's Phil faring with his argument that Shipnuck about the rules for that conversation?  But you have no qualms about citing it without Shipnuck's defense?

As for his apology, did you even read it?  I'll stipulate that he apologized the Greg Norman and the Saudis, but could I get a citation of where he apologized to anyone else?

But it seems to this observer that there's a much bigger issue.  Does Phil want to return?  Obviously the next date of significance is the PGA Championship, where we'd all assume that he wants to bask in the glory of being defending champion.  That will tell us a lot about his intentions, but I'm equally focused on that first Saudi-sponsored event in London.  To the extent that he intends to play there, Mark might have to console himself with the fact that it's lees a trial separation and more a permanent divorce.

Now, you might think any reference to the Saudis would be verboten this week, but you would be underestimating Golf's global ambassador.  Because, fresh on the heels of his spawn throwing shade at Lee Elder's moment in the sun, this is how Gary showed up yesterday:

WTF, Gary!  But that context is necessary to appreciate this: 

Yanno, you'd think a guy that got a pass on the despotic regime in his home country might be just a little reticent to shill for a different one, but then you'd haver misjudged Gary Player.  I'm sure Phil appreciates your support and will be happy to see you in London.

It should be quite the great weekend.  Enjoy and we'll cover it all on Monday.

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