2019 Masters Preview

The Masters, a tradition unlike any other in golf. For years I have been toiling away on a live blog, recapping the ups and downs of this tourney but not this year. This year I am just taking a back seat, watching from my couch and hopefully enjoying one of the best tournaments in golf.

I say hopefully because truth be told I am getting a little burned out watching the Masters all these years and never having attended in person. It is not so much sour grapes it is just how many lotteries must a person enter before their chance for tix come up? This is exacerbated by social media of course. Much like watching 1/2 the field at the Pebble Pro-Am wear Cypress Point schwag, watching on Twitter and Instagram everyone who is at ANGC this week makes me feel like I am missing out.

One day right?

Onto the preview!

Schwag! 

First up (and best up) is this year's roundup of Masters' schwag. The most important blog post always comes courtesy of Geoff and this year we have some good stuff.

I have to agree with Geoff that this hat is pretty tight. One of the underrated style games of ANGC is the fact they make great trucker hats. You wouldn't think a genteel Southern club would do mesh hats well but they are one of the consistent winners of schwag I have seen.

Similarly, Masters t-shirts are on point again this time featuring the famous menu of ANGC

Finally this tumbler has already sold out (its only Tuesday!) but if you want one, MMO has you covered.

I think ANGC is seeing what other small shops like Tyson Lamb and Sugarloaf Social Club are experiencing. When they release limited edition items, they are quickly sold out because people are going to resell them on eBay for much higher prices (MMO excluded from this gouging). I feel like this really is against the spirit of this type of thing and while I am glad to be able to purchase these items on the secondary market I hate the direction this is trending.

For more schwag check out this link: https://golfweek.com/2019/04/08/golf-best-of-masters-merchandise-2019-edition/

Golf Preview! 

I have thought for the last few years that Rory didn't have what it took mentally to win at Augusta because he had built up winning it TOO much in his mind. I feel like he keeps psyching himself out. However, based on the current run of form, I don't think you can bet against him. He may not win but he is guaranteed top 5.

Spieth, my main man looks lost out there on the course. He is a lock to make top 3 based on his past track record and I swore I would never bet against him but boy if there is a year to bet against him, this would be it. He may fall out of the top 50 soon but maybe Augusta will be his springboard back?

Some of the big, lunky guys might make some noise on Thursday/Friday. Your Charlie Hoffmans, your Marc Leishmans, your Gary Woodlands. These guys never seem to put it together on Sunday but I think one of the aforementioned group will make noise to surprise some people.

For all the pairings check out this link: https://www.masters.com/en_US/players/pairings/index.html

So that is it for me for this year. For those lucky enough to be going, be sure to eat a peach ice cream sandwich for me and buy a hat or 2. For those couch surfing with me, enjoy the spectacle.

5th Annual Live Masters Blog- Day 4

Can you believe it? It has been 5 years since I started this cockamamie live blog writing about all things Masters, schwag, players headed for the glue factory among many other musings. Join me won't you for Day 4 of this rambling coverage? 

3:45pm: Ayup there it is. One of the few people in golf I can't stand won the Masters. How did he do it? Well he rolled soooo many putts this week, hats off to his putting. The greens are so difficult and much respect for his navigation of them.

I think you can never bet against Jordan at the Masters as a Top 3 finisher and Rahm and Rickie had surprising Top 10 finishes which means maybe they are building up institutional knowledge to win at ANGC some day. 

I also think we need to put the narrative to bed that lefthanders have a huge advantage here. Arguably Lefty, Bubba and Harman were coming into this week playing their best golf of the year and none of them were a factor. 

Finally, the course looked in great shape and I wish ANGC would stop trying to lengthen things. The rain softened the course which really bore fruit today with super low scores. The defense in this course is twofold, positioning and the green complexes. If this course is set up on the edge, it is tough to score so if defending par is critical to the members then length won't help.

Overall, another great major tournament is in the books and thank you all for making your way through another year of living blogging. Maybe next year I will actually make it to Augusta and if so, no way in hell am I doing this again :P. Cross your fingers for the lottery! 

3:30pm: Reed made the par putt. Reed is in the fairway. Against all of analysis Rickie Fowler managed to have an amazing Masters and is only 1 behind. If Reed Bogeys, playoff! One can only hope...

3:15pm: This is it, while it might only be the 17th hole, if Reed manages to par this despite a lousy drive then it is all over but the crying. Sure he could double 18 but I doubt that is going to happen. It all comes down to 17, can Reed bogey it? Rickie just parred 17 so he is basically out of it at this point. It all comes down to Reed's second shot. 

3:05pm: Jordan did all he could to get into the conversation. Still a bogey at the last means that P Reed just has to par his way in to win it. Jordan stayed over that 18th tee shot way too long and it showed, blowed it out left and luckily hit a tree but was way back to the green. Time will tell if Patrick starts gripping it tighter. 

2:35pm: There has never been any objectivity on this blog and there certainly isn't any now! 

1:45pm: The benefit of playing early is that you can "post a number". You go out hot and put up a number close to the leaders, they start thinking about that number and you never know, they might start gripping the club a little tighter and start falling backward. That is what Jordan has to right now. No leaking oil. No falling backward, go out and post a number, say 13, 14 under and see if Rory or P Reed can match it.

1:35pm: Sometimes you want something too much. You work so hard to get to a certain point but then you start overthinking it, gripping the club too hard. I think that's where Rory is at this point. He has tried various ways to "prepare" for Augusta over the last few years and it just doesn't work. He has the talent to win anywhere but I don't think he has the mentality to win at ANGC, its in his head.  

1:05pm: Stop it Jordan, stop making me want to care about you. Look at you, 5 under and 10 under for the tourney, only 4 back and turning through the back 9. Could Reed pull a Norman? Maybe but I think it is less likely. Rory is so rollercoastering it so far birdies here, bogeys there. Rahm is starting to make a bit of a move, maybe there is something brewing there. 

12:30pm: Directv is really a godsend every year during the Masters. So many options, none better than the Mosaic channel where it is a feast for the ADHD senses. When you attend a tourney, you only get a sense on how the group you are following is doing along with looks at the leaderboard to try to get a sense on how everyone is doing. Sitting at home, Directv gives it all to you all at once. 

12:00pm: A great summary of why Reed is a complicated leader of this tournament.

https://www.golfdigest.com/story/should-you-hold-patrick-reeds-complicated-past-against-him?mbid=nl_040818_breaking_hitlist_masters_am

11:35am: Welp Jordan starts birdie, birdie. Too little, too late. Friday was the day he lost the tourney. Double and then bogey in the first two holes and leaking oil until the par 5s on the back. As they say, you can't win the Masters on Thursday but you can certainly lose it (Jordan just waited an extra day). 

Everyone is going be concentrating on Reed, McIlroy today but I am curious about how Rahm and Fowler do today. Both have immense talent but haven't gotten it done thus far in majors. Can they put something together today? 

11:00am: The tee times start so late at the Masters (seriously, they go off at 2:40?) that I have time to do other stuff. Stuff including baking some treats for the upcoming afternoon. I don't hold Masters party. Does anyone? Do you sit around drinking peach tea and wearing pastels? I need to know! 

10:30am: The 16th hole looks like it is really screwing with golfers. So many coming up short or pulling their shots into the bunkers. It will be interesting to see if this hole decides the tourney in a few hours. 

10:10am: Looks like the wind is playing havoc with club selection on the back side. Everyone hopes for pretty conditions because the Masters is the unofficially spring kickoff to golf in the East but for me, I would like to see the pros also deal with some weather conditions in addition to the pretty conditions from time to time.  

9:40am: Starting off with Amen Corner rather than the featured groups. Of the three holes, I am most interested in 11, a long par 4 that requires a lot of different types of shots to get home in par. 12 to me is a bit overrated, its a long short hole (if that makes any sense) and yes has decided Jordan's fate among many others (thanks for staying up on Freddie's ball all those years back). I just think it is more of a mental hole than a challenging hole. I have to agree with Chairmen Ridley that the 13th has lost its teeth. Golfers are kicking butt with an iron in to the hole with eagle always looming. So basically, give me 11 all day long. 

9:30am: It was too enticing, I had to go and play golf this morning. Now I am back and my fingers are all warmed up for some hot blogging action! 

5th Annual Live Masters Blog- Day 3

Can you believe it? It has been 5 years since I started this cockamamie live blog writing about all things Masters, schwag, players headed for the glue factory among many other musings. Join me won't you for Day 3 of this rambling coverage? 

3:45pm: So where are we as the Masters is over with for the day? P Reed is the leader of the golf tournament (I hated the streaming coverage stating "Patrick Reed is OUR leader"). Rory has the best shot to take him down although several others are lurking. For me, I am on Knox watch when he comes through Amen Corner tomorrow and then I will see how the tourney shapes up around that. Have a good night everyone! 

3:25pm: One of my favorite shots from Rory's round today. ANGC may be manufactured beauty but it is beautiful all the same.

3:08pm: No matter how terrible Jordan is playing, he seems to be a perpetual Top 10 machine here at ANGC. By sticking with the featured group coverage, I have been getting an eyeful of Jordan and he seems to be the same player as he always was, just isn't getting the bounces he used to. Is it the flat stick? Not necessarily. I think the Golf Gods are saying it just isn't his year.

2:50pm: I have been curious about Berckmans Place. Is it a good place to see the tourney (if I were ever to get there)? Is it worth the $6,000 price tag? Golf.com seems to think so, here is their writeup of it:

http://www.golf.com/tour-news/2017/03/23/augusta-nationals-berckmans-place-flawless-masters-vip-room-has-rave-reviews 

1:50pm: Jordan just cash in on his ball striking. He outdrove DJ on a hole, hit it close on 12 and came away with only pars. 

Meanwhile, Fleetwood went absolutely bananas and went from Even to -7 over the course of a round. Rory is also having a banner day.

Then there is P Reed. With all the great storylines in the Masters this year, what if he won? I might just hunker down and watch the featured groups for the next few days while I contemplate that terrible notion.

12:35pm: Most people didn’t give Rahm a chance. He is a top 5 player with a terrible record in the majors and doesn’t have a natural shot shape to maximize ANGC curves but yet here we are with Rahm challenging for the lead. He has the game to win anywhere, can he win here?

11:35am: We have now descended into Langer impressions on the 15-16 hole coverage. Ok, going to take a break to do some errands but will be back soon for the afternoon wave of the leaders! 

11:00am: It is interesting seeing Poulter and Tiger play together. They were both some of the most intense competitors over the last decade but I would say age has mellowed them a bit. You can't just be that intense forever and I am glad that they aren't killing each other.

Also, triple bonus points for the commentators on the 15-16 hole coverage. These guys' announcer games are tight! 

10:20am: It seems that the greens are much softer than the last few days so golfers can really go after the pins. We might see some really low scores in the afternoon, all depends on what the weather does over the next few hours. Showers are currently slated from 2-5 EST today so we will see.

https://weather.com/weather/hourbyhour/l/USGA0032:1:US

9:45am: Paul Casey vs. Jeff Knox through Amen Corner. Jeff took the early lead with a birdie on 11 and then they halved 12 both with pars. 13th was unclear what happened. Casey got a birdie but Knox, who knows? Assuming he got a par we will call the Corner a wash, which is MIGHTY impressive for an amateur going up against a pro in a tourney setting. 

9:05am: Lefty grabs eagle after hitting driver off the deck which I am sure is sending No Laying Up into a fit of ecstasy. The great thing about watching golfers with nothing to play for is that they will try things they might not normally try if they were in contention. Forget caution, you are playing ANGC go for it, whatever "it" is. Early rounds can be fun rounds is what I am saying.

8:40am: I know most tournaments have larger fields than the Masters but there is something nice about watching a twosome navigate the course. I'm not sure if the players actually play any faster but the possibility is certainly there for them to do so. It is like watching overtime hockey during the regular season where they go from 5 players per team on the ice to 3. It makes a difference. 

8:05am: Does anyone have an update on how Knox is fairing against Casey? With the early morning groups all way over par (Lefty currently +9) only Knox is fueling my interest at the moment. Golf Digest seems to be sensing this and reposted their excellent article from last year's Masters.

https://www.golfdigest.com/story/masters-2017-i-walked-18-holes-with-jeff-knox-the-best-masters-player-youve-never-heard-of

7:45am: As the players get fired up for moving day, I am firing up my coveted ANGC yardage book. I have been making notes in it ever since I acquired it and one day, who knows, maybe I could actually use it as I play this course (stranger things have happened!). 

7:30am: It looks wet, wet, wet there at ol ANGC. Phil rocks the two gloves and promptly send a ball way right. 

In more exciting news, Jeff Knox is on the course! Playing with Paul Casey in the most interesting match play in tournament golf, can Knox beat Casey? I think we are all crossing his fingers that he does. 

Finally here are the pin locations for today, enjoy the third round everyone! 

5th Annual Live Masters Blog- Day 2

Can you believe it? It has been 5 years since I started this cockamamie live blog writing about all things Masters, schwag, players headed for the glue factory among many other musings. Join me won't you for Day 2 of this rambling coverage? 

4:35pm: And with a poof they cut off my live stream and I am Masterless for the night. So where do we stand at the halfway point? Unless Reed makes a mess of 18, he will be the overnight leader trailed closely but Leish. Spieth, Rory, Stens, JT all lurk on the first page which could lead to a really spectacular weekend. Ibth No it all hinges on the weather tomorrow. Does the course get soft and favor the bomber? Do backs get tight and out of synch? Can anyone on the second page of the board come out guns blazing and post a number?

Only time will tell. Goodnight!

2:50pm: I don’t know what it is about P Reed but I just can’t root for him. Maybe it was the stories in Shane Ryan’s book. Maybe it is just his “resting jerk face”. Whatever it is the fact that he is on top of the leaderboard and I am going to have to watch him a bunch this weekend is not doing my soul good. Thank goodness for featured group coverage and Amen Corner coverage do I can avoid gun for as long as posdible this weekend. 

On happier news Finau is playing well despite the bum ankle. ANGC is super hilly so the fact that he is hobbling around there in 2 under is quite the “feet” already. #rimshot 

1:35pm: As many of you loyal readers know, I’m questing to play Cypress Point. I haven’t given much thought to trying to get on ANGC. If think the odds of that are lower since I live on the West Coast and am not a C Suite guy.  Still stranger things may happen and who knows maybe I’ll score an invite. I could always play some replica holes and if I find myself in Myrtle Beach. What do you think of these bad boys?

https://theworldtourgolf.com/

1:05pm: I feel like a peach ice cream sandwich yet I have none around me. It is one of the most popular treats at ANGC which is becoming more of a trend. ICS’ are also very popular at Sand Valley and are becoming the new burger dog (of Olympic fame). I would never go to a course just for the food but I would definitely get the preeminent food if I was at any of these places.

12:30pm: Sorry for the lull in updates but the Masters is slightly killing me to sleep what with all the boegeys and such. Jordan, Kuchar and Tiger are all headed downhill. Meanwhile the Aussie (yes brain he is Australian) has climbed to the top along with P Reed and McIlroy. As expected, neither DJ nor JT are doing much damage here. Their games just don’t quite fit ANGC. The streams are doing great and I just wish the dolcet announcers would pep up a little, I can’t fall asleep watching this!

9:30am: My take on this morning so far? Everyone but DJ and Freddie are trying to hang on but what does that mean for the afternoon wave? Will they shoot a couple under and thereby lap the field? The Open is known for having really differing scores between morning and afternoon waves. Will Augusta be the same?

8:55am: I see both sides of the coverage argument about the Masters. I am old enough to remember only being able to see the back 9 of ANGC on telecasts and only glimpsing the front 9 in highlights. The Masters App/Website offers the most golf coverage of any tournament during the year. On the other hand, golf fans see what is possible and they say, why can't there be more comprehensive coverage? The cameras are there, everything is humming early, there are no true broadcast windows to care about and this is the biggest tourney of the year. There eventually will be a tipping point where you can watch all the golf you want when you want it but we just aren't there yet. 

8:30am: Jordan seems to be leaking oil pretty heavily on his first two holes of the day. With the course playing tougher today, can he hold on and maybe get a few back on the back 9? Questions, I have em. 

8:15am: Augusta is buying up land left and right to lengthen the course but it seems to me that they just have to keep putting the pins in challenging positions and that should mitigate the distance debate. The pins today are  in positions where players are hitting away from the flags and hoping the greens take the balls toward the cup. There has only been moderate success with this strategy and I think the greens here are the ultimate defense of ANGC. Maybe the members will recognize this and stop carving up neighboring AGCC.

7:45am: So much has been said, written, blogged about ANGC over the years but I don't quite think I have seen this summary of the agronomy of the club before. I am not quite sure what some of these numbers mean but an interesting read nonetheless! 

https://nolayingup.com/2018/04/06/masters-agronomic-summary/

7:25am: I have had a yardage book from ANGC for a few years and have been marking various notes in it from afar, watching the coverage online. I feel like if I ever got a chance to play the course I could take this book and hopefully get around the track but who actually knows? Someone else had that idea and below is a link to their amusing fantasy round at ANGC.

https://www.nationalclubgolfer.com/news/alternative-augusta-course-guide/

7:10am: A lot of people in the Twitter universe are complaining about who is in the featured pairings on the Masters streaming app. I am of two minds about this. The first mind says, yes, either pick "better" groups and/or show more groups (the infrastructure is in place to show more earlier so why not)? My other mind says we are lucky enough just to get this coverage and sometimes you get more interesting groups than others. At some point golf will realize that golf fans want the options that the Masters provides for all tournaments but even then there is more that can and should be done.

6:50am: Poor Fred, he looks like his back is really bothering him. Amazing career but how much more amazing would it have been if he had been healthy. Meanwhile, it seems like so many pros are missing left on this course and getting into the pine straw. Their misses are our gains, I love watching shots from the straw. By the way, here are the pin placements for round 2.

6:30am: A featured group that features Fred Couples? What a way to start Friday! Fred was my golfing hero, I didn't wear a glove because he didn't wear a glove. I had his posters on my wall. Suffice to say, I was and am a huge Fred Couples fan and will be watching with rapt attention this morning! 

5th Annual Live Masters Blog- Day 1

Can you believe it? It has been 5 years since I started this cockamamie live blog writing about all things Masters, schwag, players headed for the glue factory among many other musings. Join me won't you for Day 1 of this rambling coverage? 

7:00pm: So the day ends with Jordan on top and a bunch chasing. One of the more intriguing chasers is P Reed. He showed Jordan what’s up in match play at the WGC so will Jordan show him what’s up at Augusta?

Pretty disappointed in Noren and Harman’s performance today. They are both grinders and sometimes they run out of steam. Can the get some steaks and energy tonight to really bring it tomorrow?

I think Kuchar is destined to be a bridesmaid never a bride. Sure he is close after round 1 but I just have this feeling about him smiling his way into the top 10 but not much else.

So there you go, round 1 in the books. Be sure to come back tomorrow for all of the round 2 hijinks sure to happen!

4:10pm: The last time Jordan won at Augusta he had a do or die chip shot on 18 during the first round to avoid a huge number. Guess what he just did on 18 again to be once again leading the tourney? The guy is Mr Automatic at Augusta and is clearly the guy to beat the next 3 days. My favorite for the tourney Noren turned in a respectable +2 round but is really going to have to turn it on to get back into contention. Full recap in a bit!

2:25pm: So apparently Sergio did his best to break Twitter and the Masters by shooting a 13 on a hole and here is my take. Sergio was the best without a major for so long that when he finally won, that was it. I never bought into that the win would then springboard his me to more majors. He totally has the game to compete and win at any tourney but I think now that he has won he can just sit back and launch ball after ball into the water Tin Cup-style without a care. And that is totally fine with me!

12:00pm: yes yes Leish is not European he is Australian. I will drink two cans of Fosters as punishment. Ok otherwise how is the tourney looking? Hadwin, who I really dig but didn’t think Augusta is surging near the lead. The course looks great and there is a fantastic lack of mashed potatoes or get in the holes and I HIGHLY recommend the PGA Tour adopting these rules.

11:00am: I could care less where a golfer is from but I do find it interesting that the first page of the leaderboard is stacked with Euros (Leish Wies Stens etc.). They always seem to excel in Georgia for whatever reason, maybe the peach ice cream sandwiches?

9:50am: Another great piece of schwag tied to the Masters are these Canoos shoes. I have a pair that they made for the Walker Cup and are super quality. Wish I was walking around ANGC in these right now!

www.canoos.com

9:25am: Doc Redman is currently tied for second place as an amateur. I have watched this guy play and while he doesn’t wow you with any part of his game, he is so damn good at all of it that I think he is going to make a heck of a pro.

8:45am: The greens have SO MUCH SLOPE to them. I can't remember the last time seeing pros walk all the way up to the hole and then back again just to get a sense of the undulations. I know no one will get docked for pace of play issues but wow the greens cause so much deliberation!

8:30am: I am currently ignoring all things Tiger yet my Twitter feed is averaging 1 mention of Tiger for every 3 tweets. After 20+ years, there has to be a balance coming at some point between Tiger coverage and coverage of every other golfer right? Right?

8:10am: The par 4 third hole has to be one of my favorites on the course. It is a shortish par 4 (350 yards) with an absolutely insane green complex. Plus it is one of the toughest holes at the moment, only yielding a few birdies and many more bogeys. It is a shame they didn't show the first 9 holes for so long on TV but now in the golden age of streaming, I will take all that I can of this front side.

7:55am: So many golfers have hit it left on the first hole but because they are pros, their recovery shots from the trees have been amazing. It makes me want to go out to the woods with the squirrels and hit punch shots for awhile. And then have some peach tea with the squirrels. That is perfectly natural right?

7:40am: I agree with the Fried Egg's assessment of ANGC, it would become much more interesting if they added back in center line bunkers to the course. Paul Casey found himself in a fairway bunker and look at how glorious it was!

7:30am: Patton Kizzire is channeling all weekend hacks by hooking two consecutive drives left with double bogeys looming on consecutive holes. I always marvel at the consistency of the pro game and it also fascinating when it comes completely unglued like poor Patton seems to be.

7:10am: Ok, ok, settling down now and finally featured group coverage! It looks like we will have some solid groups to start the day. I am most interested in Paul Casey as he is playing well but I didn't pick him for any of my Masters pools. I am not sure if his game is a good fit for ANGC but what do I know? I just know he is rocking a sweet hat.

6:45am: Whoa boy, we have now reached the official lull in the streaming broadcast. There are only so many Amanda interviews and practice shot pro tracers that can take place before I start losing my mind for live golf. I realize golf has a long day compared to any other sport but at some point I would be willing to pay to have coverage on demand. To help me through it all, here is the pin sheet for today!

6:15am: Ok Masters on the Range is great and all but when are we going to get the action? I love golf more than most people I know but even I have my limits here watching guys hit shots on the range (even with pro tracer). Limits people!

6:00am: Hot mike alert, hot mike alert! The Masters is always so well put produced, even Masters on the Range which doesn't need such high production values. I mean it is just pros practicing. Still a tight broadcast but we actually have hot mikes picking up real-deal dialogue. For some reason this makes me happy, I am a weirdo.

5:55am: The ceremonial tee shots have been struck signaling the beginning of the tourney. I wasn't even born yet when Nicklaus was tearing it up in the golf world but still it somehow makes me feel old having him be the ceremonial start of the tourney. Once he and Gary Player retire from these duties who is going to fill their shoes? How weird would it be to see Faldo do this?

The Masters is officially under way.
Jack Nicklaus helps get the tournament started with his honorary tee shot. pic.twitter.com/pNQL3iB27B

— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) April 5, 2018

5:35am: Tuning in to Masters on the Range and great to see Amanda Balionis on the news mike giving us news that Tony Finau is going to try and play despite spraining his ankle in yesterday's par 3 contest. Tony definitely wins the DJ-weird-injury award.

Amanda (along with the PGA's Teryn Schaefer) brings a great, fresh energy to hosting and golf reporting and I am all for them gaining more prominent roles in golf broadcasts. Golf needs new voices for the new generation (whether watching via streaming or otherwise) and am excited to see where Amanda goes next.

Masters Week Preview!

It is that time of year again. That time of year where I wonder what I am doing sitting on a couch when I could be eating peach ice cream sandwiches in Georgia? (a question for the ages). This is otherwise known as Masters week and here is a short preview to get you all up to speed.

1) Renovation-land

ANGC decided to buy more land and make more renovations to the course. The course remains basically the same as laid out by MacKenzie yet there have been a crazy amount of changes over the years.

http://www.augusta.com/masters/story/news-sports/2018-02-17/site-plans-show-proposed-changes-fifth-hole-augusta-national

2) Masters Favorites and Dark Horses

CBS Sports does a good job breaking down the favorites in this year's field. Suffice to say, we have more people who could actually win this thing then in years' past.

https://www.cbssports.com/golf/news/2018-masters-odds-and-picks-tiger-woods-projection-from-same-model-that-called-three-majors/

Despite the "will-he-won't-he" build up around Tiger, Phil and a few others, I have two picks for ya you can do what you want to with them:

Winner: Alex Noren. The new Danny Willet. The guy has been on fire but European so under the radar despite being top 10 in the world. I never bet against Jordan and Bubba is in fine form. Still I think Noren has a shot here to take it.

Dark Horse: There are shots at ANGC that are just easier if you are a lefty and one of the most in form lefties in the world who is tenacious as all get out is Brian Harman. This guy could do a a lot of damage in Masters pools this year.

3) Social Media Accounts

I have never won the Masters lottery to get tickets and apparently ANGC is policing the reseller market this year so my chances of going to the tourney are pretty low. I will be living vicariously through these accounts of people lucky to cover the tourney.

The Masters: Sure it is the official account but they will bring you pics and updates straight from the source.
Kyle Porter: All things golf and social media from CBS Sports, his podcasts rock and a must follow during the tourney.
Scott Michaux: Writer for the Augusta Chronicle, he is a must follow during this week's festivities.
(Not)Jeff Knox: The best story every year is who Jeff Knox is paired with and so we fire up Twitter to follow the best parody account out there.

4) Schwag

Of course, what would the Masters be without schwag? Here are some of the early favorites for schwag of the year.

The Masters zip up sweatshirt. Simple, classy and with a base price of $90 expensive as all get out.

This hat is sneaky good. All wool so you better wear it on cool days but great logo, understated use of yellow. It checks all the boxes of awesome Masters schwag.

For more schwag, be sure to check out Geoff Shackelford's article for GolfWeek!

http://golfweek.com/2018/04/01/golf-best-of-2018-masters-merchandise/

Live Masters Blog Day 4 - Sunday

I am not sure what is better, a packed leaderboard or a leaderboard full of stars? Today starts off with Rickie, Justin, Jordan and Sergio all firmly in the mix. Who will win? Let's find out together below!

4:30pm PST: There it is, the unbelievable has happened. After kicking ass on the front 9 and completely falling apart on the back 9 but somehow coming back from the dead Sergio birdies the first playoff hole and wins the MASTERS!!!!

There are winners and losers of the week but recaps seem beside the point given what we have just witnessed. All the props in the world to Sergio.

Thank you everyone for reading this live blog and following my tweets over the last 4 days. See you next year!

4:10pm PST: Welp both missed those putts below meaning we are heading to a playoff. Who knows who is going to win this thing. Sergio has hung tough all day but does he have enough to dig deep for the next hole? We will see.

4:00pm PST: Are you kidding me?

3:40pm PST: Justin makes a birdie and Sergio, who is closer, misses! Justin ahead by 1 although now Sergio just outdrove Justin. Sergio is running out of holes and it probably will all come down to 18. #pinsandneedles

3:30pm PST: INSANITY! First part of the day Sergio could do no wrong. Then the wheels fell off any Justin Rose was totally in control. Sergio battled back, Justin (maybe?) hurt his back and Sergio snags and eagle and a share of the lead heading into 16. Craziness!

3:05pm PST: Potentially Lexi Part Duex? Geoff Shackleford and other commentators have maybe pointed out some potential rules violations from Sergio.

https://twitter.com/GeoffShac/status/851191491011768320

Did anyone else notice these instances? What did you think, penalty strokes and do we need any more Lexi situations in golf?

[UPDATED] Augusta National has said NO PENALTY, strokes and score remain the same.

2:50pm PST: The only thing holding Sergio back in majors was his mental makeup. He has admitted time and time again he is either over it or can't hack it. Here he was, kicking butt on the front 9 and then blammo he runs into a wall of his own doing, Justin makes a few birdies and Bob's your uncle Justin is going to win the Masters. It happened just that quickly.

2:30pm PST: Freddie ends his day with a 72 and +1 for the tourney. Yet ANOTHER Top 20 finish for my favorite of all time. In all honesty I don't think he has 4 rounds in him to contend in the tourney but boy what excitement in wishing and hoping he could. He will always have 92 and all of our hearts!

2:05pm PST: One of the nice things about watching the Masters has been the civility of the fans. Through three days it has been about the golf but on Sunday, for some reason, the patron's voices are starting to be heard. Someone just said on the telecast "ham and cheese" after a Rickie Fowler shot. Early someone had a "babba booey" on the first tee. Honestly, the tournament is not about YOU as a fan, it is about THEM as a golfer. This narcissism absolutely infuriates me.

1:30pm PST: As the Masters is starting to turn into the Sergio show, I have been finding some other cool Masters stuff from around the webs. Exhibit A, a great photo of Augusta's layout to give you a real sense of the property.

Here is a great article from Golf Monthly about the speed of Augusta's greens.

http://www.golf-monthly.co.uk/tour/us-masters/augusta-blog/127020-127020

12:55pm PST: Sergio continues to pour on the gas and no one in the other 4 are either making a charge or are too far back. This is Sergio's tourney all the way.

12:20pm PST: I would like to point out that 4 of the 11 names on the leaderboard are former winners of the Masters. Clearly experience counts for a lot here.

12:00pm PST: Golf like all sports is about momentum and I would argue Jordan's momentum was stopped yesterday with a bogey on 16. Meanwhile with a birdie on 1 Sergio has all the momentum in the world and it's his tourney to lose at this point.

11:15am PST: CBS has gotten a lot of flack recently for not producing a quality golf product where they used to be the standard bearers of golf coverage. Lack of ProTracer, too many commercials and too much in-round filler, indifferent commentary. It sounds like they have listened to many of the complaints starting out of the gates with a lot of golf shots, then the schmaltzy intro then more golf shots. Coupled with the fact that the Masters limits the amount of commercial time then CBS does much better working within constraints.

That being said, AGNC has to loosen up and allow for shot tracking technology. CBS should also keep the lessons born from constraints and apply it to the rest of the year. Still though, its the Masters and CBS gets through it and delivers us golf fans the fix we need.



11:00am PST: The Masters is the highest rated golf tourney of the year so of course CBS wants to milk that for as long as they can but at 2pm in the East and the leaders are 45 minutes away from even teeing off? The pace of play this week has been slow (due in part to the abnormal conditions on Thursday and Friday) but whew is it going to be a long day with a such a late start.

10:25am PST: So word on the street is that Danny Willett is playing at Forest Hills Golf Club prior to the green jacket ceremony and got me thinking, what other courses are in Augusta and ones that you can play during Masters Week?

Forest Hills Golf Club: About as close as you can get to ANGC on a public track, Danny picked a great course to play at today. Their Masters Week special of $160 is a spicy meatball and I imagine event at that price point the course will be packed.
Augusta Muni: On the other side of the street from Forest Hills, the Muni has a very reasonable $50 fee for non-residents. It also seems like a really friendly course having followed them on Facebook.
River Golf Club: Just across the state line in Hammond's Ferry the Riv looks like a classic river course with nice amenities. The course offers an "all in" package with greens fees carts lunch, etc. although rates aren't on the website.
Jones Creek Golf Club: A little bit further away from ANGC, Jones Creek also has a Masters week package but is the most expensive of the options so far, $225 a golfer. That is a spicy Georgia peach.
Gordon Lakes Golf Course: Further afield on a military base is Gordon Lakes. It has 27 holes and a low civilian rate of $27. I am not sure how hard it is to get on given that it is a military base but during Masters week it is cheap and close and worth trying to figure it out.

9:55am PST: Kyle Porter announced that won the lottery to play Augusta National on Monday, one of the few media members who get the chance to after the tourney. Considering how exclusive the course is, I think I have to start looking into getting a press pass (this live blog will get me there right?).

If you want a great write up about media members playing the Monday after, check out this link. http://www.espn.com/golf/masters07/columns/story?id=2838289&columnist=diaz_jaime

9:35am PST: When you think about, can you name someone who has had a more disappointing Master than Hideki Matsuyama?

The guy rocketed up the World Rankings, won a BUNCH of tournaments and then over the last month has slowly been getting worse and worse. Still thought, he was a huge favorite at Augusta but he never was in it and currently us at +4 and just going through the motions. If his game is on, he is unstoppable but if he has to grind (a la Jordan), I am not sure if he has the game to compete at Augusta. That being said Hideki is super young and he has plenty of time to figure out the course.

9:25am PST: Good morning live blog readers! It is yet another Masters Sunday and I am yet again blogging my crazy musings to the world. As always the features groups are off first including the ever ageless Steve Stricker. I swear this guy is going to be playing until he is 90. I have yet to get my Masters setup fully in swing but that will happen before the leaders tee off!


All photos, screengrabs and intellectual property are used herein for news and commentary purposes only.

Live Masters Blog Day 3 - Saturday

Here it is moving day. Who will move into the first page and who will move out? Who will give me Masters tickets for next year? Who? Who? Who? Find out below!

4:00pm PST: Ok Masters Recap Time, Saturday Edition.

They call Saturday "moving day" for a reason and with Justin Rose going five under, Jordan going four under and Schwartzel at four under, a lot of guys made big moves to put them into the conversation.

Meanwhile Rickie, Sergio and Hoffman didn't have quite the same type of days but all did just enough to stay either tied for or near the lead. So what is store for tomorrow?

I think looking at it from a momentum perspective everything is coming up Justin at this point. The guy has the game and he played the most solid of the top guys. Jordan is dangerous when he is chasing but his mistakes on the back 9 keep happening. At this point I think its Justin or bust but really anyone on that first page has a shot. See you tomorrow for more live bloggin!

3:10pm PST: Sergio and Rose are playing super solid golf. Super solid. It will be interesting to see who Hoffman is paired with tomorrow and how that effects his round.

Jordan meanwhile just can't get through the last 3 holes without some sort of mistake. Last year when he was down to Willett and pressing he needed birdies and couldn't convert on the last 3 holes. I think if Jordan is going to seriously challenge tomorrow he needs to go out in 4 or 5 under on the front side.

2:45pm PST: When there were only a few TV channels everyone had a shared experience of watching events like the Masters. Everyone remembers Jack's charge in 86, Freddie staying up in 92 or Tiger in 97. Now with multiple feeds on multiple platforms, my Masters experience is much different than yours (maybe). For example, I have been staying off the main feed for most of the day and switching back and forth between Amen Corner and Featured Group action.

I have barely seen any of Hoffman or Garcia or Rose. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy the flexibility that multiple channels affords but at the same time I don't have the same sense of the tournament this year. I am in a CoupleofRahms/Spieth land but I have vowed for the last hour to follow the main feed to see what everyone else is up to.

2:30pm PST: We are watching something special right now with Jordan Spieth and that just goes to show you that no one knows what is going to happen at this tourney. It has been hours since I blogged about CoupleofRahms and Hoffman/Garcia aren't exactly lighting the tournament on fire. But who is?

Jordan, Jordan Spieth. Mr. Masters. Had a terrible Thursday, almost completely out of it but he is charging up the leaderboard and is currently one back. I learned this awhile ago, NEVER bet against Jordan at this course.

2:00pm PST: Jordan has been watching a lot of TV, to his benefit:

Before his 2nd shot off the straw at 13, Spieth said to Michael Greller "What would Arnie do?" Answered himself "Hit it to 20 ft." Close.

1:45pm PST: One of the things golf commentators often remark about Jordan Spieth's game is that he knocks it around the park and is all over the place and yet grinds hard and is more often than not is in red numbers. He never gives up despite the odds and just grinded out two amazing back to back par saves on holes 10 and 11.

1:25pm PST: CoupleofRahms are both back up to -2 and are inching closer to the lead as Hoffman and Garcia are both stuck at -5. Golfers are threatening to go low but no one has really broken out of the pack with a sub-68. Jordan meanwhile has an amazing up and down to stay at -3. He is turning into Amen Corner now which he hasn't exactly excelled at this week. Jordan doesn't have many flaws in his Masters game but the back 9 has been much crueler than the front 9 that's for sure.

1:07pm PST: Jordan stuffs it close for another birdie. If there is one guy who knows this course inside and out and has the game to go low its Jordan. Before the tourney Jordan had this to say:

“I think we know, and the other players that are playing next week know, that we strike fear in others next week,”

It will be interesting see if Jordan is only a few shots off come Sunday if the field does feel fear a la the heyday of Tiger Woods. There are horses for courses and Jordan is quickly joining Freddie has that type of horse.

1:00pm PST: Jordan must have been listening to me as he just birdied a par 5 and even had a great look for eagle. What about everyone else?

The leaderboard at the moment looks like a repeat of Thursday with Hoffman and McGirt on top. Rickie and Sergio really haven't made any moves and Pieters is going in the other direction. Paul Casey, yet another pre-Masters darkhorse is blitzing the field and is currently -4 for the day. If Casey is near the lead come Sunday, he has got the game to challenge anyone.

12:45pm PST: Aside from CoupleofRahms, I am a huge Jordan Spieth fan. Jordan is always a threat to win at this tourney but he is 4 strokes back of the lead. The key for him today is to go super low on the par 5s where he has been horrible this week. A quadruple birdie coupled with a bogey has left him cumulatively +1 on the par 5s for the week. If he wants to make up strokes on the field he has to birdie the last three par 5s (he parred the first one today).

12:35pm PST: CoupleofRahms Update 2: Rahm falls back to -2. Two birdies and a boegy he is a bit feast or famine. As I mentioned on Friday's wrap up, once Rahm figures out this course, watch out.

Couples stays steady at -2. That is not to denigrate what Freddie is doing. He has had several birdie putts not fall so far. If his putter catches fire then he could really go on a run. Of course, he has to stay away from the par 3s which he butchered yesterday. Time will tell.

12:25pm PST: Every year I add one item to my Masters collection. I have never attended a tourney (anyone want to give me a ticket to 2018?) and I can only imagine once I get there how much stuff I am going to buy in person. I hear that they provide you lockers for your schwag and even shipping services. Until that glorious gluttonous day happens I take a sip out of my Masters Cup!

12:15pm PST: First CoupleofRahms update. Rahm is pulling an early Rory by going 2 under for the first three holes. Freddie is hanging in there with a -1 under. Of the two I have to confess that Rahm has the game at this point to go really low and Freddie hasn't played 4 rounds in awhile. Still you hope that they feed off each other.

12:00pm PST: Ok FINALLY DirecTVs feed is on the air. DirecTV basically mirrors the internet feed but brings it to you in HDTV. At this point in our modern era, with a million channels and bandwidth, there is no reason not to offer fans as much coverage as possible on as many platforms as possible.

That being said, every April I fall down on my knees and thank the Golf Gods (TM) for partnering with DirecTV because it is the best way to experience the Masters that I know!

11:45am PST: Almost everyone is on the course at this point except the lead dogs. Rory must have read my post below because he is already 2 under for his round. Freddie and Rahm are holding steady at 1 under. Jordan isn't making up any ground at the moment and while he has plenty of holes, he has to get going.

Can anyone really make a move a post a sub-68 today? If so, they will be in prime position for later today.

11:05am PST: Rory tees off.

It will be interesting to see if he takes my "advice" and stop pressing so much. He has all the talent in the world but I think you can want something too badly it severs as a detriment to your goal. Of course, watch him go out and shoot 65 today to shut me up but at 11:05 I am standing by it.

10:45am PST: Ooof seeing the scores of some of the guys I picked this week scroll across the screen makes me question my golf fandom. I thought for sure Kevin Kisner and Daniel Berger were trending in the right direction and would do something this week but that was not to be.

It looks like it is heating up there in Augusta. The patrons are wearing shorts. The golfers aren't wearing jumpers. Does this mean scores will be lower today? The announcers seem to think not given the flag locations but looking at the early morning groups I think many of the positions are gettable.

10:15am PST: I played a bunch of golf in Virginia but not much in the Carolinas-Georgia region of the country. Certainly the South has a lot of trees (at least many more trees than SoCal) and the courses tend to be narrower in those regions. However the Carolinas-Georgia courses have an added feature of pine straw to help golfers.

I always think about pine straw when I watch the Masters because I see golfers hit it WAY off line only to be bailed out because the trees aren't thick and the pine straw holds up the ball a bit. Sure you have to learn how to hit off pine straw but I think you have a lot more leeway with a straw course.

#lookatthatstraw

9:45am PST: Yea, yea, yea featured groups, big names but only the Amen Corner Coverage has Jeff Knox. Knox is now a local legend (and even has a Swing Juice shirt!) and you can catch him live and direct on the Amen Corner feed right now!

9:20am PST: A Tradition Unlike Any Other here on the blog is bringing you the best in Masters schwag each year. Look back to my Thursday and Friday posts for Masters-specific gear you can rock for 2017. This morning Golf.com posted a subsection of schwag, the Masters-inspired schwag that you can rock.

http://www.golf.com/equipment/photo/2017/04/06/masters-2017-best-augusta-themed-golf-gear

None of this is particularly exciting to me and I think the inspiration for this stuff has steadily gone downhill each year. That being said, I am a HUGE fan of Swing Juice shirts (I have several) and I am glad to see them included in the list!

8:55am PST: What is really interesting about watching two golfers play AGNC is that you really feel like you are following them on the golf course. You see them wait, you see them judge yardages, hit shots, everything that goes into a round of professional golf. TV gives you the impression it is shot, putt, repeat but there is a lot of waiting and walking and judging that goes along with it.

#waiting

8:35am PST: Ok, our first featured group is Brandt Snedeker and Matthew Fitzpatrick. I really like these guys for very different reasons. Brandt is a super solid guy who put together one of the best rounds of the last 5 years winning the rain-soaked Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines. Matthew is a super young gun out of Europe who seems like he has a bright future ahead of them.

That being said, each is +5 (of course Brandt rolls a birdie in as soon as I type that) and while not technically out of the tourney are so far back they will be having peach ice cream sandwiches way before Jordan or Rickie or Sergio tee off. What I get out of these early groups is a sense of where the pins are and how the course is playing for when the later groups come through. Grist for the mill as it were.

8:15am PST: Ok while Masters coverage is currently blacked out, you can use the Masters shot tracker to follow your favorite golfers who are back of the pack. The only downside? There is no Jeff Knox tracker.

To help fill in the blanks, I thought I would list some great sites/social media accounts you should follow over the course of this weekend:

1) Augusta Chronicle. This newspaper brings it every year with great articles and content and is a MUST follow during the tourney. You can check out their Twitter account or website.

2) Kyle Porter: When you think Masters you think CBS. Sure ESPN has Thursday and Friday but CBS gives you the meat and potatoes. The CBS golf bench is deep but one of the best sure is Kyle and you can check him out on his Twitter account.

3) Humorists: These guys bring the funny and you should be following them to get a good laugh when things get too serious on the telecast:

NoLayingUp
WrongFairway
(Not)JeffKnox
RaeRaesCreek

7:55am PST: It is Saturday and the day I think things really shake out on the leaderboard. They call it moving day for a reason and it will be fascinating to see where we are at the end of the day.

Of course, I am SUPER excited that Jon Rahm and Fred Couples are playing together. If they are a featured group, I might just focus on them the entire time but don't worry, I will focus on EVERYTHING Masters this weekend ;).

All pictures, screengrabs and intellectual property are used herein for news and commentary purposes only.