Sunday, April 10, 2011

Another Masters To Remember

   What will we remember most about this Masters, that Charl Schwartzel birdied the last four holes to win a wild shootout or that Rory McIlroy shot 80 after taking a four-stroke lead into the final round?

    And what about Tiger shooting 31 on the front nine, waking up the echoes?

   It was another remarkable Sunday at Augusta National and it had a surprise ending. If you picked Schwartzel as the guy to emerge from the stew of contenders over the final four hours, you're smarter than me (which isn't any great compliment).  He's a very good player, one ticketed for big things a while back by Ernie Els, but I didn't see him winning this Masters.

   Here are some random thoughts about this Masters:

   -- I think Rory McIlroy will get past what happened Sunday but it will take some time. I can't imagine how long that flight to Malaysia will feel this week. He wasn't sharp on the front nine but the collapse was so sudden and so extreme it was almost disturbing. I'll be interested to hear his thoughts when he arrives at Quail Hollow next month.

   -- If Tiger Woods can figure out his putting, he's going to win again soon. His long game has come around but now he can't make enough putts to win. It's not a recent phenomenon. He's struggled on the greens for a while and because he made seemingly everything for forever, it's odd to see him miss now.

     The old Tiger would have center-cut the eagle putt at 15 on Sunday. Instead, he walked off tied for the lead after making a birdie and seemed dejected. He's expected to play the Wells Fargo Championship next and it will be interesting to see what happens on the greens.

   -- Schwartzel looked solid all day. He had a great start and a fantastic finish. He shot 66 on Sunday to win the Masters, including 32 on the back nine. That's how you do it.

   -- Jason Day was very impressive. He looked like he loved the moment and the pressure. This could be a huge step for him.

  -- It's remarkable how much drama Augusta National can produce. There likely won't be a more dramatic golf day this year than Sunday.

1 comments:

Anonymous said...

thanks for your blog this weekend....what a Sunday it had everything....sad to see the kid blow up...love him or hate him, Tiger is the most exciting player in golf....the South African deserved to win, birdies the last four holes, are you kidding me?...a few weeks off & then most everyone will be coming to Charlotte...