Saw other golf threads , none for the Masters yet?
Tiger is +2 through 11. Most of the other big names are just getting started.
Tiger and Rory went off as the favorites. It still just blows me away that only after a few good tournaments Tiger is a favorite to win a Augusta.
The bookies didn’t think he was the most likely to win. They HAD to make Tiger the favorite because he attracts so much money from casual bettors.
What was mind-blowing yesterday was how many commentators had skipped past how Tiger would perform, and were already deeming him the winner AND speculating whether his victory (which hadn’t even happened yet!) should be ranked as the greatest comeback in sports history.
Come on, guys, could you wait til he actually puts on a green jacket before you try to rate his comeback?
Yes.
Masters Tiger-hype has been significant since before he won his first green jacket. This year it’s as if someone has offered a secret prize to the commentator who can most exceed the bounds of reason.
Tiger finishes first round at +1. Moderately respectable - probably about 4 or 5 off the pace.
Defending champion Sergio Garcia takes 13 strokes at #15, thanks to 5 balls in the water.
Good. Can’t stand that guy. I wish John Daly would come back and be good. And be paired with Tiger. They could pass around doobies while walking the fairways while they contemplate the secrets of the universe, how golf is very much like the universe, and slurp bourbon from Daly’s flask.
Ties for the highest ever score on a single hole at the Masters. I’ve not gone and looked it up, but I seem to recall that being done by T.C. Chen once at 13…
ETA: Nope. Tom Weiskopf and Tommy Nakajima. Tom’s was at 12, Tommy’s was at 13.
My prediction that Tiger at +1 would be 4 or 5 from the lead reckoned without Jordan Spieth, who finished at 6 under.
Interestingly, Spieth failed to record par on any of the final 6 holes - he managed 5 birdies followed by a bogey at #18.
That 15th green has been doing that for years; the penalty is simply too harsh for having a bit too much spin on your pitch. I’d bet Augusta’s competition committee will have a discussion about it at some point l.
Just watching Sergio on 15 right now. So painful!! Que lastima, Sergio.
It looked like he was trying to re-create the climactic scene from “Tin Cup.”
You might remember Tony Finau from getting a hole in 1 during the par-3 tournament, dislocating his ankle while celebrating, and popping the ankle back in. Somehow, he’s at -4, two shots off of Spieth. (Add exclamation points to taste; my original version of this post had 10.)
Agreed - severe punishment for too much spin seems wrong, and a bad course feature.
Better would be a fringe of longish grass not far from the water, so that a ball that rolls off the front leaves the player with a tricky shot rather than a lost ball.
Despite Garcia’s meltdown, it was still the easiest hole in Round 1. Both this year and historically, according to that link. Which is surprising; I would’ve guessed 13, but w/e. Anyway, they can’t make it much easier of a hole than they already do.
Not Augusta’s fault that Garcia can’t take some of the spin off one of his wedges. I mean, I can see one screwed-up wedge shot from the drop area, but four? That’s on him.
For anyone who didn’t know, you can watch live action at masters.com before ESPN coverage begins. Actually you can watch all day for commercial-free coverage. They have links for broadcast (general coverage), featured groups, Amen Corner and holes 15-16 (the last ones aren’t up yet since no one has reached those holes).
This is not a bogus streaming site, it’s perfectly legit and I am not a spammer!
It IS a bad shot. After all, it’s not like everyone is doing it, not even with their wedges. Look at the shot Jordan Spieth hit into that green for an example of exactly how to hit the shot. The very fact that the 15th green has done that for years, and is still being set up to do that, shows that the competition committee is perfectly happy with the result. Sergio was a brain-dead idiot yesterday.
Day 2
Spieth +3 on the first 2 holes. Ouch.
Wow, that was a great shot. Now I can’t help but root for Tiger but man, he’s got a TON of people ahead of him that are good. I hope he shoots a 67 today.
15 feet or so away on 6, off the green for Ricky Fowler. Just a little chip for his second shot, and it runs 50 feet or so past the hole. No problem for his up and down, just sink the 50 foot or so putt coming back.
Crazy greens. Crazy game.
Cut line at top 50 players + anyone w/in 10 shots of the lead.
Still plenty of golf to be played, but Tiger better be careful not to toss away too many strokes. Of course, it wouldn’t be the first time he had 1 (or 2) horrendous rounds, and then came storming back as the rest of the field faded…
Of those near the top, I’d like to see Rory do it.