Masters Thursday

I can hardly type, as we're within a couple of hours of balls in the air....

A More Masters Moment - Everyone went ga-ga over Tiger's 9 holes with Phil, though I like this one even more:

AUGUSTA, Ga. – The caddies were already ahead of the pack, getting yardages for the approach shots to the ninth green at Augusta National. 

In the middle of the fairway, Tiger Woods walked and talked with Fred Couples to his right. To Woods’ left was 30-year-old U.S. Mid-Amateur champion Matt Parziale, a full-time firefighter in Brockton, Mass., who rounded out the Masters practice round threesome. 

Farther back toward the tee, about 20 of Parziale’s friends and fellow members at Thorny Lea Golf Club were still in shock more than two hours after the group teed off.

If you're looking for signs of a New Tiger, this just might be one.... On the flip side, let's hope Tiger doesn't decide he wants to train with firefighters.... Yanno, that Green Beret thing wasn't helpful.

Full-Contact Par 3 - Guys, let's be careful out there....

Tony Finau is scheduled to make his Masters debut on Thursday. Whether he tees it up at 

Augusta National is a different story. 

During Wednesday's Par 3 Contest, the 28-year-old suffered a gruesome injury in celebration of a hole-in-one, seemingly dislocating his ankle when running and jumping toward the green. Finau appeared to pop it back into place and finished his track around the course, quelling reactions that he would be unable to compete in the tournament. 

Unfortunately, those fears were confirmed by Golf Channel's Todd Lewis, who reports that Finau did dislocate his left ankle during the fall. While X-rays came back negative, Finau is set for an MRI on Thursday morning.

It was electric and joyous, until suddenly turning horrifying....  The Slo-Mo was even worse, the only thing missing was Peter Kostis on the Telestrator.

Old Guys Rule - This is great, though Stewart Cink was unavailable for comment:

Tom Watson may have come up just short in his bid to win the British Open at 59 years old, but he did pull off another remarkable feat on Wednesday: winning the Masters Par

3 Contest at 68 years old. 

Watson made six birdies in nine holes to edge Tommy Fleetwood by a stroke and become the oldest player by six years to win the event (62-year-old Sam Snead won the event in 1974).

The Watson Watch was officially on when he birdied four of the first five holes playing alongside two other giants of the game: Gary Player and Jack Nicklaus, who shot a sporty four-under of his own to tie for third. 

No player has won the Par 3 and gone on to win the regular tournament, but that won't be a problem this year for Watson, who had just one mission this week.

 After those early birdies he started missing greens, and made a couple of silly long par putts.  

Jack was also in the mix but, true to form, played too conservatively coming home in the expectation that the less experienced players like Watson would come back to him....

Shack's got two versions of the Nicklaus ace.... the one with Player's rooting is the better by far.  For a fifteen year old it was damn good.... And by that I mean the club twirl was pure Tour Sauce.

They're All Hard For Me - Brentley Romine has a good column, asking players to name the most challenging shot(s) on the course.  Admittedly, I'm far more interested in the answers of Crenshaw/Faldo/Langer than Chappell/Hatton/Hoffmna, for rather obvious resons:

Ben Crenshaw

The shots: Tee shot on 12, holes 4 and 5

The explanation: “If you’re exposed to the elements it can be one of the hardest little shots you could ever play. To gauge that shot properly is so tough. You’re at the mercy of the wind. And 4 and 5 is a very difficult two-hole stretch near the beginning of the round. You feel like if you can play them with some consistency, you can develop a rhythm for the rest of the day. But they can be an early headache for people.”

He's far from the only one to mention No. 12, and I'm guessing that Mr. Spieth might be in agreement.  Interestingly, the older guys seem more focused on the front nine, especiall those two difficult Par-3's.

Storylines, Ranked - Alan Shipnuck's Twitter feed will be a hatefest after this:

The 9 best possible outcomes of this Masters, ranked (and, no, a Tiger Woods win isn't No. 1)

He might want to keep track of Matt Parziale, because he's developed a flair for the incendiary.... I'll just note that the piece builds slowly:

9. A HaoTong Li win

For all the talk about growing the game, nothing would change the sport’s landscape like China’s best player breaking through. Li would become a god throughout Asia and the win would lead to immense growth for the sport. Also, it would be fun to read all the whiny tweets on Sunday night from American sportswriters.

OK, but haven't we suffered enough?  You guys are on your own with this one....

 The Riddler - Shack goes deep into the new Chairman's presser, with ambiguous results:

“Although differing views may well, in fact, exist on the subject among golf’s major

stakeholders, we hope and strongly encourage all who are a part of our sport to work together in the best interest of the game as this important issue evolves,” Ridley said during his news conference. 

Asked if he felt burdened to be the tiebreaking vote between the distance-concerned U.S. Golf Association and R&A, and the distance-loving PGA Tour and PGA of America, Ridley said, “I think that we have an open line of communication, I think that our opinions are received, respectfully, and I think that that dialogue will continue as this issue evolves. So I’m not worried at all about that.”

“From our perspective, we will always do what’s necessary to maintain the integrity of our golf course,” Ridley said. “But as I said in my comments, I don’t think that’s the only approach to this. So my hope is that every organization, every stakeholder involved will look at this issue from a holistic basis and not only what might be in the best interests of their own organization.”

Which I interpret as, "Don't think I won't shoot him":

I beseech you to find an holistic solution.

 I think that's reasonably well-played from Fred, as he really doesn't want to go it alone.  And he's certainly correct in that...

Of greater interest, he discusses a specific golf hole that's been the subject of some debate:

There's a great quote from Bobby Jones dealing specifically with the 13th hole, which has been lengthened over time, and he said that the decision to go for the green in two should be a momentous one. And I would have to say that our

observations of these great players hitting middle and even short irons into that hole is not a momentous decision.

With that declaration, that the club’s most important hole has been impacted by changes in the game, Ridley’s tone and ensuing comments made clear he is tired of seeing added tees, fairways grown long and mown toward tees and other steps taken to keep Augusta National relevant.

He is in a very uncomfortable position, though it's a dilemma for another day....

The Culture Of The Tree -  I've been a little tough on John Feinstein in recent times, but the tough love has yielded results, notably this fine item on the most important spot withing the club (at the very least from Monday-Wednesday):

There is one thing about the Society of the Tree that is unlike anything else in the sports world or the business world: No cell phones. 

To say that Augusta National’s rules on cell phones are strict is like saying Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer are revered around here. Even members aren’t allowed to use cell phones anywhere outdoors once inside the gates. The media is allowed to bring phones into the Taj Mahal like press building that sits on the edge of the property, but is strictly forbidden from taking them anywhere near the golf course. Spectators—patrons in Augusta-speak—can’t bring them onto the property even on practice days. 

To take out a phone under the tree or almost anywhere else is to risk banishment.

Several years ago, early one morning before play began, Golf Channel’s Charlie Rymer was standing near the old press building to the right of the first fairway when someone asked if he could check on a statistic. Instinctively, Ryder pulled out his phone to call someone and check on the stat. 

Within seconds, he was set upon by two security guards, who took his phone from him and dragged him off to a small, darkened room where he had to wait for 45 minutes to learn his fate. The club finally decided to let him off easy since he was a first-time offender: he was banned from the grounds for the rest of the day, but allowed to return the next day.

The best part might be the photos:

Just read it already.

Women's Day - Exciting news from the Old Boy's Club:

In a groundbreaking moment in golf, Augusta National chairman Fred Ridley has announced the new Augusta National Women’s Amateur Championship, which will take place on Saturday before the Masters. The new event will bring together 72 amateurs from around the world, with the final round being played at Augusta National. 

The first two rounds of the 54-hole stroke play event will take place at the Champions Retreat Golf Club in Augusta. After a cut to the low 30 scores, the final round will take place at Augusta National on April 6, when an amateur will be named a champion on the iconic course. 

“As a little girl, knowing you have a chance to play on the greatest stage, it would’ve sent me to the range,” said LPGA Hall of Famer Annika Sorenstam.

On the one hand, this is a great move by the club, and I particularly like that it's an amateur event.  

Now, a discordant note....  Folks will find that watching women play this course is quite boring....  The front nine will punish them, and they won't reach any of the Par-5's....  

But it's a nice gesture on the part of the club.