The Masters: A Tradition Unlike Any Other

Its that time of year again where I contribute something to this blog. The Masters is upon us and I'm estatic. This is my favorite major out of the four. There is so much tradition that goes with this tournament and so many great golf moments come The Masters. It is a goal of mine to one day go to Augusta National, I would like to play but that would never happen sadly.

Last years champion, Phil Mickelson, looks to repeat his performance from last year. Ill never forget last year when he went 7 under (I think thats right, I cant remember and I dont feel like looking it up) through three holes. He had that unbelievable shot where he was in the trees and he knocked to about 3 feet. Pretty sure it made Sportscenters top ten list, however probably wasnt able to beat some lame ass dunk. It became an instant classic Masters moment and gave Phil the momentum that carried him through the rest of the weekend towards the victory.

This year im not so sure if he can repeat and for really one reason, and that is because he is Phil Mickelson and you cant really predict what he is going to do. As I write this the St. Louis Blues just tied the Hawks 3-3 in the 3rd and makes me miss how awesome last summer was with the Hawks winning it all (It was a crappy goal and I let Duncan Keith know how I felt about his effort on that play). Back to The Masters, this year should be a good one though. Tiger will be going for another major win getting closer to the all-time record, however I dont think he will win. I dont think he is back to his old form and I havent seen anything that makes me think otherwise.

I would like to see Ricky Fowler do well just because he is young and will win a couple majors in his career, so why not start with this one. I'm also interested in watching Rory McIlroy. He is another youngen that has a bright future in the PGA. Plus his name sounds like Roy Mcavoy from the movie Tin Cup which is a good movie.

My pick to win this year is Bubba Watson. I think he has played well this year so far and because it seems like a good pick. Also look for Mark Wilson to do well. He is the current money leader and FedEx Cup Points leader. He is having a good year and could carry the momentum he has gained into this tournament. Alright thats it from me, hope you enjoy tournament.

US Open Preview

It’s about that time again to talk about the US Open. This year’s championship will be played at the famous Pebble Beach in California. If I had to pick anywhere to have the US Open it would be Pebble Beach. The scenery is absolutely beautiful especially the 18th hole that runs along the ocean. It has the white sand traps and amazing views wherever you are on the course. I hope to one day be able to play Pebble Beach. Phil Mickleson will hope to continue his Masters success and continue his run at a grand slam (winning all 4 major golf championships in a row).

Now there are a few questions that people will be asking about this year. One of them is will the weather cooperate this year unlike last year. For those who don’t remember last year was a very wet weekend which had many off their game and multiple rounds being played in one day. Will this weekend be nice for this year US Open? I sure do hope so.

Another question will be of course how Tiger will do. A couple of weeks ago Tiger withdrew from a tournament complaining about back problems blah blah blah. I can’t see Tiger doing well this weekend in fact I’m pretty sure it’s a lost year for him, that’s just my opinion though. He really hasn’t shown any type of dominance in the little he has played this year and I don’t expect him to show it this weekend. The US Open is known for higher scores due to the long rough and slick greens. He certainly has the ability, but don’t think he will show it this weekend.

One other question that comes to mind is will Robert Garrigus carry an extra pair of pants? For those of you who don’t know what I am talking about Robert Garrigus was the golfer that had a 2 stroke lead going in the final hole and gave it up by triple bogeying 18. However he is also the golfer who had HUGE swamp ass. Literally it looked like he decided to sit in a puddle. If you want to know what I’m talking about just search for it you’ll know what I’m talking about.

I can’t tell you will win this weekend and I really have no idea who will play well this weekend. I’ll give the usual names that I always look for and that are Mickleson, Furyk, and Woods. I’ll give you a sleeper pick and no it’s not you Sergio, but Justin Leonard. Why you ask because his name jumped in my head and I got this feeling that he might do well. Alright have a good weekend.

Masters Wrapup

The Masters is over and done with and Phil Mickelson won his third Green Jacket. Lefty shot 16 under for the tournament while Lee Westwood shot 13 under, and Anthony Kim shot 12 under.

Tiger Woods had a solid showing at this years Masters by playing above everyone's expectations (did that sex rehab center have a golf course?). Woods was 11 under for the tournament, but struggled at times with his drives and putting.

Back to Phil, Mickelson played awesome this weekend I thought. The most memorable moment for him and probably the tournament was where he picked up 5 strokes on 3 holes on the back nine on Saturday. Phil almost had three Eagles in a row which would have been unreal. I thought it was going in and two inches to the left it would have been.

There was a point on Sunday where I thought Phil was going to fall apart, his drving became an issue at one point but he was able to keep it together which past Phil was not known for.

After Mickelson won The Masters there was a touching moment with him and his wife. Phil's wife is a breast cancer survivor -- he took time off last year to spend time with her. The win must have made it that much more special to them. It was absolutly a memorable Masters and Mickelson played outstanding.

You can't forget about Westwood, who also had his fair share of moments. Westwood was going for his first major victory , but couldn't overcome Phil's play on the final day.

I was also glad to see Fred Couples and Tom Watson play well over the whole thing. I never really thought they had a chance, but it would have been cool if they did. Overall it was a great weekend for golf and it showed why I love The Masters so much. I look forward to watching next years Masters. Hey Noffke The Masters is coming up.

A tradition unlike any other: The Masters Preview

What a week it is, Monday was Opening Day for our respective teams and the National Championship game and this weekend is the Masters. For those of you who don’t know the Masters is my favorite major. The winner of the tournament gets the famous Green Jacket, which he is only allowed to keep for a year and then it must be returned. The Maters is the only tournament that is invite only, meaning there are no qualifiers and is the smallest field of players of any tournament. The tournament is also always played at Augusta National Golf Club. These factors and the many traditions make it the most prestigious tournament in golf.

Now the big storyline of the tournament is the return of Tiger. It is his first tournament back from his awful disease of sex addiction (if you haven’t seen the South Park episode about this you should go watch it, it’s hilarious). Personally I’m sick of hearing about it, I get it he cheated on his hot Swedish wife can we move on, so hopefully they don’t focus on that story this weekend. Now I don’t really start watching a lot of golf until The Masters so I don’t know who has been playing well recently, but I will give you some names to look for.

Tiger Woods – He hasn’t played in a while so no one knows how well he will play. I thought he should have played in a tournament before The Masters, but he decided against it. Regardless he is still the best golfer in the world and I have no doubt he’s been playing in private the past couple months. I know some people that think he will miss the cut, but I am not one of those people I think he makes it the whole weekend. While he has the ability to win it I just don’t see it happening.

Ian Poulter - Like I said I haven’t watched a lot of golf, but after talking to my Uncle and future brother in law this past weekend they both have stated that he has been playing really well the past couple weeks.

Ernie Els – Another golfer that has been playing well recently. Els hasn’t been as good since his knee surgery a couple of years ago (much like David Duval and his back), but he seems to be on his way back to competing more. I’ve always liked Ernie and hope he does well.

Phil Mickleson – He hasn’t been playing well recently but still has the ability to win a tournament as long as he doesn’t get creative.

Sergio Garcia – The Masters marks the start of his traditional can’t play in major’s campaign, but he’s probably just using these tournaments to get ready for the Ryder Cup this year.

So those are some names to look for (not really Sergio I just had to get that in) if you plan on watching this weekend. Coverage starts tomorrow on ESPN for the first two rounds and CBS for the final two rounds. Enjoy the weekend.

Tiger Woods: Attention Whore

What an under the radar return to golf...

My early estimation: New record set for Master's viewership...If only I worked in advertising...gold mine possibilities for Tiger spoofs during this.