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No Tiger this year due to an injury.

I'm going to go with Rory. It's about damn time.

The dark horse for me is Akshay Bhatia.

No tiger not watching, even though he would be coming dead last
You think Tiger will be coming back. Although if anyone could, it would be him, but boy does he have anything left in the tank. Missing the masters must feels to him like the entire year is going to be a wash.

In reply to carl0002

No. Tiger is not coming back to winning anything.

Sadly, he's done. His swing is still good but his body is pretty much wreckage parts.

Only Rory out there putting bums on seats these days. The other top 10 guys just don't have the drawing power.

In reply to SnoopDog

Tiger too busy filling holes left by Trump Jr.!

In reply to StumpCam

Indeed. Some big holes to fill.

Course is playing easy at the moment. Expect some decent scoring today.

Hoping some rain or high winds come into play tomorrow or Saturday to help the course defend itself against all the bomb and wedge stuff and we get to see the real cream rise to the top.

In reply to SnoopDog

Don't rule out worlds number 1, Scotty

In reply to googley

For sure. He's definitely one to watch out for.

But I picked Rory because he's due to win a Masters and complete the grand slam. Hoping this is the year.

In reply to SnoopDog

You never heard the saying in guyana " shovel man can't go where dragline dig"

In reply to SnoopDog

I agree with you regarding Tiger. He can play for one round, maybe two, but not four days. Assuming he could play four consecutive days, he would then need to play more frequently to be competitive in the majors.

Akshay got game. He can be inconsistent though. But he putts very well. Good putting can keep you in contention given how often you have to use the putter in a round. He is very young and new to playing at the highest level. Consistency should come as gain more experience.

In reply to Titleist

He's got length off the tee as well. I picked him as the dark horse because he's a good fader of the ball and as a lefty that right to left shot is critical at Augusta.

Any link for a live stream of the masters?

In reply to carl0002

Check your PM Bro.

Justin Rose (-8 ) and DeChambeau (-7) leading the way so far.

The wind is up but not enough to cause major mishaps or bad shots. Course is holding its own though.

Rory hanging in there at -3.

Eagle for Rory at 13!

-5 so far.

In reply to SnoopDog

Some big names on the leaderboard. I don’t think Rose is going to win it.

Should be a good matchup between Rory and Bryson tomorrow.

In reply to Titleist

Haven't watched yet..but plan to so tomorrow. The masters invariably is a
testy place for leader on Final day. No lead is secure .I like Rory to win but it
could be a heart stopper final day if someone else gets hot and lucky.

In reply to SnoopDog

McIlroy choking again?

In reply to FanAttick

There is no Big Cat there to intimidate.

Playoff!

In reply to StumpCam

I don’t think Rory can revolver from this if he loses

In reply to FanAttick

Yeah! That was his chance and he blew it!

In reply to StumpCam

Rory scrapes through

Well deserved, Congratulations Rory!

Exciting finish.

In reply to Chrissy

Epic win after a mighty show of resilience .
Congrats Rory. Well done and deserving of the Slam.

In reply to hubert

Got home in the super over .....

Rory did not make it easy at all. In a way it makes you respect what Tiger has done even more. There is no way Tiger even giving these guys a sniff of a chance. In any case congrats to Rory

In reply to Kay

Nice analogy Love it.

Scottie looks like he upset bout something

In reply to hubert
Agree

In reply to carl0002

For most of Tiger's majors he was just so dominant - especially when in the lead in a final round. The only one where he had to really work for it was the 2008 US Open where Rocco Mediate (of all people) took him to a next day 18 hole playoff.

But this victory for Rory was more to do with putting past traumas to bed and securing his legacy as one of the best of all time.

And you're right. He made it far more interesting than it needed to be. I still can't fathom how a player of his caliber can miss an 80 yard wedge shot 25 yards off target (his 3rd on #13). And then he missed another 100 odd yard wedge shot into the bunker at 18.

In reply to ray

The same face Spieth had when he imploded in 2016 and had to put the Green Jacket on Danny Willett.

These guys get a sense of entitlement when they win and seem to think it's their birthright to win it every year.

In reply to SnoopDog

Is there such a thing at Augusta? Course playing easy - What exactly does that mean?. Cuz have you seen putting on those greens. Nothing is as it seems on those putting surfaces. Those greens are Houdini incarnate. I would like to see that grounds crew they got something special about them. I think they deliberately placing these undulations around the holes, that make things appear ok when they are diseased . You think its straight in when its leading to the left. You think its leaning left when its leaning right. The slope tells you to expect a big curve, but when you putt, it barely deviates. A put runs pass by a foot ending up at the t-box from whence you came. Then you have the elevation changes. It is literally playing on a well manicured mountainside with occasional plateaus, a few lakes, strategically placed beaches and a few unnecessary waterways. Think about playing an iron off a hillside over a lake/waterway with a green protected by bunkers on 2 sides and very pretty azaleas in the back. And to add insult to injury you cant see the green surface from the fairway and further more you are driving into a tunnel with a wall of trees, shrubs rough and pine straw on both sides. Nothing easy about that.

In reply to carl0002

Traditionally, that course was designed masterfully (pun intended). When traditional equipment was used it represented one of the true and best test of a professional golfer at the highest level.

However, with the advent of the plastic ball, frying pan sized titanium drivers, and graphite shafts the course became much easier as that modern gear rendered it a short course. As an example, guys like Bubba Watson were launching it over the trees at #13 on to the fairway which made it an easy hole as eagle and at the very worst, birdie, was in the cards every time. The way that hole was originally designed was just beautiful. It was designed when pros used persimmon drivers, blade irons, and balata balls. It required a slight draw off the tee to put the player in a risk/reward scenario if they were in the fairway. They could use a fairway wood or a long iron (1 or 2 iron) to get to the green in two. However, that required a precise shot as the green is well protected by bunkers and Rae's creek. Only the very best ball strikers could pull that shot off. The player could then lay up and hit the green in 3 - a much more conservative play but much less risk. Almost all the holes at that course have been lengthened to accommodate the modern gear. I'm one of those guys who think that the course is being butchered as a result.

The only thing that reins in scoring these days is to prepare the greens to be lightening fast and the winds and atmospheric conditions from holes 9-13. There is also the enormous pressure of playing for a Green Jacket. That kind of pressure alone will make the best in the world nervous on a regular golf course.

The Masters have a YouTube channel where they uploaded all the final round broadcasts going back to the late 60's. When you get a chance look at some of the final rounds played in the 70's, 80's and early 90's when guys still used persimmon drivers and balata balls. You'll see guys like Faldo using a 1 iron to hold the green on #15. A fcuking 1 iron!!!! Nowadays these guys can't hold a green with a fcuking wedge.

In reply to hubert

Were you ever so right about a heart stopper. Even Rory's heart might have stopped a time or two

In reply to SnoopDog

Almost all the the PGA courses were suffering from the advances of modern day equipment, so they had to make them longer to at least get the pros to use an iron instead of only having 2 clubs in their bag - a driver and a wedge . But some next level $hit going on at Augusta. They even give you these huge greens but the damn thing so big and wavy it messes with your head to encourage you to seriously consider putting in the opposite direction of the pin.

Even if it was remotely possible, me as a likkle week end player would never want to play at Augusta. I think it would seriously discourage me from even walking near a golf club again. To this day Jorden Spieth has not recovered from that meltdown.

In reply to SnoopDog

To make the courses tougher, they can also narrow the fairways and let rough grow in addition to speeding up the greens.

In reply to hubert

The final day of just about any majors is must watch for anyone following the game. It’s when the fun really starts

Yesterday didn’t fail to deliver.

In reply to SnoopDog

The Masters is an official money event for the PGA, European, and Japan Golf Tours. The field of players is smaller than those of the other major championships because it is an invitational event held by the Augusta National Golf Club.

It is the only tournament that is not controlled by the PGA and is private.
Tiger has been working with Rory on long irons into the green.

In reply to Titleist

Agreed.

But when it comes to classic courses like Augusta, it pains me to see them butcher and defile a golf course which was beautiful designed to test all 14 clubs in the bag. We will never see pros having to use a 1, 2 or 3 iron to hold an approach on a par 4 again. Now its 8, 9, and pitching wedge into par 4s.

For me, the ultimate test for ball striking at the pro level is the ability to use a long iron into a par 4 and hold the green. That's why I sometimes go back and watch the final rounds of the Masters from mid-70s to mid-90's - just to see the real ball strikers like Greg Norman, Seve, Nicklaus, Faldo, and even Tiger. Seeing those guys hit those spinny balata balls with a 1 iron into par 4s is a real treat. We don't get that in the modern game anymore.

.....

A strange game

The less one plays determines the winner...