Another Masters has come and gone and this one was filled with all sorts of story lines, not unlike every year at Augusta.
The winner, Patrick Reed, was apparently not the most popular to don the green jacket but he did exactly what was required over four days to claim the top spot.
He read the greens as well as Tom Brady reads a defence. He kept his mistakes to a minimum and when someone ahead of him on the course did something dramatic, he responded in kind.
Sure, he has some family issues and is as soft and cuddly as a cactus but there is no doubt he can play golf. I have no doubt he will have another major under his belt soon.
I am not sure I can say the same about Rickie Fowler. His showing this time around was solid but once again he fell short and this one may have put a bigger block in his mind about winning a major. I hope he does break through at some point, but the field is getting so much better each month, making winning a major even tougher.
Now what do we make of Tiger and his four days at Augusta? He started off Wednesday telling a reporter that he really liked his chances of winning. Anyone who has ever interviewed a professional golfer knows they all chant the same mantra-I am here to win.
Sadly, a couple of t.v. networks and a few publications with Golf at the start of their name seem to feel Tiger is the only one who says this and believes in himself.
Well, we saw just how far off he is from competing with a field which is full of people who can win on any given Sunday.
He played well in a pair of events leading up to the Masters but hitting 66% of his greens, ranking 37th in proximity to the hole and finishing T32 says a 15th major is a ways off and the clock is ticking.
The golf course once again proved to be the main opponent to everyone in the field as it usually does. You can score, and you can fall apart at any point out there.
We were also reminded how pretentious Augusta is when media types are ordered to call the fans patrons and the back nine is referred to as the second nine. Apparently, Bobby Jones was worried someone would call it the backside which might make some people blush back then.
The rough is called the first cut because, well because Augusta National says so and you don’t ever cross them as you will never darken their door again.
Broadcaster Jack Whitaker once called a group of fans a “mob”. He was never invited back. Gary McCord use the term “bikini wax” to describe the putting surfaces. That was 17 years ago and Gary watches from home.
We also get treated to the sappy voice-over from Jim Nantz every year to make us feel warm and fuzzy. Just play some golf and let us absorb the magic of Augusta without your help.
In closing, the Hero award goes to Tony Finau who dislocates his ankle on Wednesday and plays four solid rounds of golf in his first Masters.
Who knows what tales will be told in 2019.
