Masters Running Thread

[Alma]

Heard Feherty on Rome essentially repeating the mantra: Woods played awful, he looked really mad, and that he finished second was a testament to his greatness.

If he had only played up to his standards...

And this isn't true of Vijay Singh? Els? Mickelson?

Tiger, to his credit, didn't say he played poorly. He said he putted poorly, which was true.

Sirak's column on ESPN played the same note. Tiger had his "B-minus game." And was that Trevor Immelman's A game we saw Sunday?

 

[hondo]

Anyone else notice the 1:15 ET pairing today?

Philly Mick and Veeejay. The last time these two waltzed Augusta's fairways and greens together, they almost got into a brawl because Veej took issue with Mickelson's spikes and their effects on Augusta's greens.

Let's see how egregiously CBS conveniently ignores this little storyline.

Meanwhile, for some reason, Mariotti is at Augusta. The world trembles at the wisdom pouring forth. :

Their scores got them paired together three weeks ago at Doral. They played nice. No big thing.

 

[hondo]

Man, Tiger hasn't just never won a major when behind after 54.... but he goes so forking meekly... always.

Yeah ... let's forget the fact that he's 13-of-13 when leading. If he wins 25 majors, blows Jack's record out the window, and never wins one from behind on Sunday, does that mean he sucks?

 

[micropolitan guy]

I heard Feherty on Rome too. Made me want to gag. If he doesn't chunk that shot in the water at 16, he wins by five strokes. That's an ash-kicking, the kind that when Tiger wins by that much the analysts go into their usual fawning mode.

As it is, Tiger plays average in the final round and Immelman wins by three, which is more than most (even Tiger) win majors, and he gets tainted because Tiger didn't have his "A" game?

 

[Chef]

Tiger's birdie putt on 13 was the first time in a long, long time that he gagged it in a clutch situation. The tournament was effectively over when that thing slid by.

There's certainly something to be said for holding it together for 17 of 18 holes on Sunday at Augusta... but I think the most crucial stretch for Immelman was his back nine on Saturday. He dodged that huge bullet on 15, and built the lead... and being six clear of Tiger going into Sunday was a helluva lot more important than being two or three clear of Snedeker.

I agree.

After missing the putt on 13, Tiger was going to have to do something stupid, like go on a 86 Jack Nicklaus-esque tear through the rest.

Didn't happen.

Except for the putt on 2, Snedeker did nothing.

And ship-fire, what happened to Paul Casey? Penultimate group, and the best he can give us is 79?

Eureka.

 

[buckweaver]

As it is, Tiger plays average in the final round and Immelman wins by three, which is more than most (even Tiger) win majors, and he gets tainted because Tiger didn't have his "A" game?

If Tiger had his "A game," Gary Player is still the last South African major champion.

It's not "tainted" to acknowledge the fact that nobody else can win when Tiger is on. He's proven it, oh, 88 times in the last 11 years. I know some people get tired of the all-Tiger-all-the-time aspect of golf these days, but jesus, the man is the greatest player the sport has ever seen. Paraphrasing Dizzy Dean here, it's not hyperbole when it's the truth.

 

[hondo]

Tiger's birdie putt on 13 was the first time in a long, long time that he gagged it in a clutch situation. The tournament was effectively over when that thing slid by.

There's certainly something to be said for holding it together for 17 of 18 holes on Sunday at Augusta... but I think the most crucial stretch for Immelman was his back nine on Saturday. He dodged that huge bullet on 15, and built the lead... and being six clear of Tiger going into Sunday was a helluva lot more important than being two or three clear of Snedeker.

I agree.

After missing the putt on 13, Tiger was going to have to do something stupid, like go on a 86 Jack Nicklaus-esque tear through the rest.

Didn't happen.

Except for the putt on 2, Snedeker did nothing.

And ship-fire, what happened to Paul Casey? Penultimate group, and the best he can give us is 79?

Eureka.

Brits in contention this week:

Justin Rose, first-round co-leader, shoots 78 in the second round.
Ian Poulter, within two shots of the lead Saturday, makes four double-bogeys Sunday, shoots 78.
Paul Casey, within two shots of the lead through three holes Sunday, shoots 79.

The things they do for England. Rule Britania! Britania rules the waves!

 

[Birdscribe]

As it is, Tiger plays average in the final round and Immelman wins by three, which is more than most (even Tiger) win majors, and he gets tainted because Tiger didn't have his "A" game?

If Tiger had his "A game," Gary Player is still the last South African major champion.

It's not "tainted" to acknowledge the fact that nobody else can win when Tiger is on. He's proven it, oh, 88 times in the last 11 years. I know some people get tired of the all-Tiger-all-the-time aspect of golf these days, but jesus, the man is the greatest player the sport has ever seen. Paraphrasing Dizzy Dean here, it's not hyperbole when it's the truth.

Correction, Buck. Gary Player would be the last South African Masters champion.

Ernie Els and Retief Goosen own a combined five majors between them -- four U.S. Opens and Els' British Open crown in '02.

 

[buckweaver]

As it is, Tiger plays average in the final round and Immelman wins by three, which is more than most (even Tiger) win majors, and he gets tainted because Tiger didn't have his "A" game?

If Tiger had his "A game," Gary Player is still the last South African major champion.

It's not "tainted" to acknowledge the fact that nobody else can win when Tiger is on. He's proven it, oh, 88 times in the last 11 years. I know some people get tired of the all-Tiger-all-the-time aspect of golf these days, but jesus, the man is the greatest player the sport has ever seen. Paraphrasing Dizzy Dean here, it's not hyperbole when it's the truth.

Correction, Buck. Gary Player would be the last South African Masters champion.

Ernie Els and Retief Goosen own a combined five majors between them -- four U.S. Opens and Els' British Open crown in '02.

Mea culpa. You're right.

It's too darn early here.

 

[JR]

Brits in contention this week:

Justin Rose, first-round co-leader, shoots 78 in the second round.
Ian Poulter, within two shots of the lead Saturday, makes four double-bogeys Sunday, shoots 78.
Paul Casey, within two shots of the lead through three holes Sunday, shoots 79.

The things they do for England. Rule Britania! Britania rules the waves!

Jesus, if you're gonna be your usual xenophobic self, at least get the spelling right: Britannia.

 

[Boobie Miles]

The Tiger failure to come from behind angle is understandable because there's not much left to say about the guy. But whoever the guy on First Take with Skip Bayless today (I know, I know, for some reason I sometimes punish myself and watch a few minutes of it) had a great rebuttal to Bayless scoffing at Woods only winning when ahead. How is that a bad thing? It's NOT a bad thing to be in such control on Saturday that no one has a chance to touch you on Sunday, or if you have even a one-stroke lead going into Sunday show's over because no one's catching you. Who cares how they're being won? That's like complaining if a team is winning titles by sweeps instead of having to fight back from a deficit in a 7 game series.

And as bad as this show is, this guy against Bayless isn't too bad. At least he has cogent arguments and actually calls Skip on his ridiculousness instead of the other idiots who just try to out-shout Bayless. An example: Bayless was saying Immelman "backed into the win" because Woods didn't challenge him and he shot a 75 on Sunday. The response: It's pretty tough to say someone backed into a win when they've led wire-to-wire. When you have a big lead on Saturday you only have to play good enough to win on Sunday. Hearing logic on this show was jolting.

God I hope that's the last First Take oriented post I ever make.

Edit: Oh Jesus, Skip is ranting now how he's still not sold on LeBron. I need to get out of the house.

 

[doubledown68]

The Tiger failure to come from behind angle is understandable because there's not much left to say about the guy. But whoever the guy on First Take with Skip Bayless today (I know, I know, for some reason I sometimes punish myself and watch a few minutes of it) had a great rebuttal to Bayless scoffing at Woods only winning when ahead. How is that a bad thing? It's NOT a bad thing to be in such control on Saturday that no one has a chance to touch you on Sunday, or if you have even a one-stroke lead going into Sunday show's over because no one's catching you. Who cares how they're being won? That's like complaining if a team is winning titles by sweeps instead of having to fight back from a deficit in a 7 game series.

And as bad as this show is, this guy against Bayless isn't too bad. At least he has cogent arguments and actually calls Skip on his ridiculousness instead of the other idiots who just try to out-shout Bayless. An example: Bayless was saying Immelman "backed into the win" because Woods didn't challenge him and he shot a 75 on Sunday. The response: It's pretty tough to say someone backed into a win when they've led wire-to-wire. When you have a big lead on Saturday you only have to play good enough to win on Sunday. Hearing logic on this show was jolting.

God I hope that's the last First Take oriented post I ever make.

Edit: Oh Jesus, Skip is ranting now how he's still not sold on LeBron. I need to get out of the house.

Listening to Skip will send you to an early grave. And if he said Immelman backed in, well, the dude has less brain cells than I thought.

Far as I could tell, Immelman played one bad hole of 72, and by that time, he could afford a little stumble. As it was, Immelman made great shots to build the lead, and had some great par saves on Sunday to keep it. More than anyone, including the great El Tigre, could claim over that four days.

I'm as big a Tiger homer as you'll find, but Immelman didn't back into this thing. He won it, period.