In what is slowly becoming an annual tradition, I have decided to post my ramblings on The Masters golf tourney throughout the day. Today is Day 2, Friday!
Updates will appear on the top of this post!
3:55pm: Well that was a car wreck eh? Everyone goes out there and shoots 20 million over par (except Troy Merritt mad props). Jordan is still leading but came back to the pack in a big way. I think the members of ANGC saw 66 on day one and said "switch to the cheap wine and bake the greens". Now instead of a runaway, we have who can doc the least damage to themselves. Should make for an interesting weekend!
2:37pm: And with that, Tom Watson has played his last competitive round at the Masters. Ben Crenshaw bowed out a few years ago, Arnold Palmer is not hittin the first tee shots any more, who will be the next generation to carry on the traditions at the Masters? My out if left field prediction? Tiger Woods. I have no love lost for Tiger, never rooted for him in his prime but I do not deny his talent and with his multiple wins at Augusta, don't be surprised if he becomes the flag bearer for the place 5-10 years from now.
12:20pm: In my Masters preview post, I said my perception of the Masters has changed slightly because living out in the land of perpetual golf doesn't make you appreciate the seasonal changes that Augusta can inspire in the East and Midwest. However, with rain today and rain forecasted for this weekend in Los Angeles, I'm looking at the beautiful weather and am right back in the East Coast mindset. Bring on Spring ANGC!
11:25am: When NBC started broadcasting football games on Sunday nights they had a clause saying they could choose different teams than the ones originally scheduled for the Sunday night slot. The Masters should consider the same drop/add policy for the featured groups, I think everyone wants to see Jordan at the moment rather than the Big Easy.
11:05am: Jordan is currently 4 strokes better than the field. Usually guys go low at Augusta by birdieing or eagling the par 5s and picking up a few shots here and there and the par 3s and 4s. Jordan is so-so on the par 5s but is making birdies on the par 4s dangerous combination. Considering how the field is playing, if Jordan shoots another 66 today, it creates almost an insurmountable lead going into the weekend.
10:15: Jordan is off to the races with a birdie on 1. Yesterday the early groups got off to good starts meanwhile the later groups (except for Rory) had s trouble with conditions. This morning's groups have gotten off to slow starts or are moving backwards. If Jordan keeps up his hot play, then the distance will only grow and the weekend will be a cake walk, again. Lots of golf to play but if you are in the top 20 golfers, I would be VERY nervous right now.
9:25am: it beginning to look like a European Masters. Rose, Garcia, Kjeldsen, Willet and Lowry are all on the first page of the leaderboard. You can't help but view everything through a prisim of the Ryder Cup and through that prisim the US has some work to do.
8:30am: The live stream has its perks. While most of TV has followed movies into a quick-cutting hell hole, the Masters live stream has the gumption to watch a shot land on the green and then keep the same camera angle for a solid 5 minutes while the players walk to the green.
It just so happens to be an incredibly picturesque camera angle but still, it just goes to show why the live stream and the App are the best in the biz.
7:45am: You have to feel for the Masters live broadcast team. They try to pick out interesting threesome (heeoy) to follow every day. Jason Day? No brainer. Matt Kuchar (Kooooch heyoh), everyone remember his boyish charm even though he is balding now. Rounding out the threesome is the Big Easy, with 19 wins being nothing to sneeze at. However, poor Ernie is struggling, making 7 (7!) putts on one hole, being +10 for the tourney. When you are struggling like this it must be tough to know you are on camera, much less and more immediately in front of a gallery of thousands. It must also be tough on the broadcast team who feel obligated to watch him hack it up and try to put as positive a spin on it as possible. Golf is a cruel mistress and its even tougher on a live feed.
7:30am: I didn't pick Jason Day to win this Masters (and who I did pick is a story for another day). The reason I didn't is because even though he overpowered Austin Country Club, he was a mess around the greens. He missed a bunch and had to scramble for pars just as much as he was making birdies. You can't do that at Augusta, you have to hit narrow targets on the green but instead Day is bouncing off here and there and not scoring. I definitely root for the guy but Augusta demands all aspects of your game to be firing, not just length.
7:15am Ok, the public has clamored for it and now it is here, my roundup of some of the Masters schwag on offer to the lucky patrons in Augusta Georgia. First up, this stupid, stupid gnome (via GolfDigest):
It looks like Santa Claus became a member of ANGC but for some reason is wearing a compression bodysuit with shorts. Considering how classy the Masters usually runs their schwag ship, this is a rare misfire.
Not so with this next schwag (via GolfDigest):
It has been reported that this is the most popular item this year in the gift shops, they can barely keep these things on the shelves. I bought myself a Masters tumbler last year and I can attest to the power of glassware. These things are beauties!
Finally I will end this schwag report with an outside schwag maker. There are numerous companies that make awesome gear around the Masters and I will be highlighting them this weekend. First up has to be SwingJuice makers of some of the best Augusta gear I have seen and I am a devoted fan.
6:50am There is a meme that goes around the GolfVerse (trademark pending) of #prayfortedscott based on the opinion that Bubba is terrible to his caddie Ted Scott and we need to be vigilant. From all indications they are good friends and both share the same religious outlook but it just goes to show you that if you are enough of a dick on the course, it will bleed over into all things.
6:33am: And we are back!
It looks like the wind is already up and blowing at 10mph and we will see how conditions deteriorate, or not, throughout the day. On the live stream, they have two of the most bombastic players grouped together Bubba Watson (who is bothered deeply and personally by wind) and Ian Poulter he of many twitter meltdowns. It will be interesting to see if Branden Grace, their playing companion, can keep himself together through all of their hijinks.
All images poorly photographed from Masters.com/CBS are their property and their use herein is for commentary and criticism purposes only and no rights are claimed to the copyright thereto.
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