— Written by TSR contributor Joel Rahn
April is once again upon us and you can’t call yourself a golf fan unless you get excited to hear the light and airy magnificence of CBS’ theme song for The Masters buzzing in your ear. Who can hardly wait for the inevitable opening shot of the gorgeous Magnolias, lining both sides of “Magnolia Lane” and the television excellence of commentator Jim Nance, who undoubtedly will ramble on about the history of the Masters, Amen Corner, and the fun-loving Rae’s Creek?
The 2009 Masters has its share of storylines, but the most notable headlines are the changes applied to the course, Gary Player playing in his final Masters Week and of course, Tiger Woods.
Ever since Tiger put on a clinic at The Masters in ’97 by dismantling the field by 12 strokes, Augusta National lengthened and tightened up the course tremendously. Every year it seems that pros and critics alike that complain about these changes, but it’s hard to disagree with Club Chairman Hootie Johnson’s adjustments – especially when you consider Augusta National has the reputation of being one of the toughest tests in the sport of golf. (And quite frankly, they plan on upholding that reputation.)
The best golfers in the world – wielding the most advanced golf equipment known to man – are about to do battle against a 7,435-yard beast. It’ll be interesting to see who gets chewed up and who prevails and something to note for all the critics of the course is that Augusta is actually 10 yards shorter this year.
Tiger, as always, is getting a lot of attention (as he should). Along with Hogan, Palmer and Nicklaus, Woods is obviously one the greatest to ever lace up the cleats. But before we measure Eldrick “Tiger” Woods for his fifth Green Jacket, don’t forget about one thing: He’s not playing his best golf at the moment and who would expect him after recently returning from a seven month hiatus?
Take his last win two weeks ago at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. His uphill left-to-right 16-footer for the win took everyone’s breath away, but what the Golf Channel didn’t show was Sean O’Hair frantically praying for Ashton Kutcher to jump out of a bush informing him that he had just been “Punk’d”.
Going into the final round, O’ Hair had a five shot lead and in any other tournament, against anyone other than Tiger, he would have probably emerged victorious. But when things started to go south, O’Hair promptly hit the self-destruct button and practically handed the win to Tiger. So even though Woods is an obvious favorite, this year’s Masters is still very much up for grabs.
Finally, let’s tip our hats to Gary Player. The 73-year old will be competing in his 52nd, and final Masters. This man’s dedication to this tournament is unrivaled and it takes perseverance to get out there and knock it around with the tour’s young guns. It might be impossible, but wouldn’t it be sweet if the Black Knight could manage to make the cut and play this weekend?
