masters | Shooting 90

It’s something that golf fans look forward with anticipation to every year, the Masters Tournament. For me, in addition to being a major and one of the greatest tournaments in golf, the Masters signifies that, where I live, golf season is here if we’re lucky, or at worst right around the corner.

Since the Masters Tournament began 1934, it has been hosted at the private Augusta National Golf Club. It’s the only major played on the same course every year. Jon Rahm won this year’s tournament with a score of -12, 4 strokes better than runner-up finishers Phil Mickelson and Brooks Koepka, who both finished at -8. With the win, Jon returned to the number Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR). Phil Mickelson became the oldest player to finish in the top 5 of the Masters, firing a 65 for the lowest score of the final round.

I enjoyed watching the LIV Golf players in action that were invited to the tournament, especially the fine play of Phil and Brooks. I watched one round of the first LIV Golf tournament, and while I thought the format is innovative, I have not watched any since. I feel those that fund the organization allow persecution of my Christian brothers and sisters.

While being a private for-profit organization and not having to disclose financial information, Augusta National Inc. does a lot to grow the game of golf and invest in the Augusta, Georgia area. The Masters Tournament Foundation has co-founded the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship, the Drive, Chip, and Putt Championship, the Latin America Amateur Championship, and has made significant monetary contributions to The First Tee. Augusta National Golf Club, with matching funds from its corporate sponsors, has donated millions into local Augusta communities. Make a difference in your community and volunteer at your local PGA Tour event!

The Masters Tournament is unique in so many ways. Like its catchphrase says, it is certainly “a tradition unlike any other”.

Past green jacket winners are invited to the Champions Dinner the Tuesday before the tournament, with the menu decided by the current defending champion. The annual Wednesday Par 3 Contest, with the field made up of current Masters participants and non-participating past champions, has become a family affair with family members caddying and even taking shots.

The most expensive item at the concession stand is white wine at $6. Beer follows at $5. There are no sandwiches on the menu over $3. Unless you win tickets in the ticket lottery, it’s going to cost you a lot of money to attend the Masters. It’s nice to know that once you get in you can eat and drink at extremely fair prices.

Finally, the enforcement of fan etiquette makes for an enjoyable viewing experience from home. I can only imagine how much more enjoyable it is in person. There is no running, cell phones, or idiocy allowed. Scream “mashed potatoes!” after a shot and promptly be shown the exit.

The Augusta National Golf Club course was built in 1932, when professional golfer Bobby Jones, along with his friend Clifford Roberts, a New York City investment dealer, purchased a 365-acre site. The site was a former nursery named Fruitland, which started in 1853, and grew peaches, other fruits, trees, and shrubs. Hence, all the holes at Augusta National are named after trees or shrubs. A few examples are the 1^st hole “Tea Olive”, the 12^th hole “Golden Bell”, and 18^th hole “Holly”. Watch any of the coverage, you’ll hear the holes named in each fly through.

Jesus, the Good Shepherd, knows our name, and we know his voice.

John 10:3-4

The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.

Whenever he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.

Let Jesus go before and lead you. Follow in his ways.

I, like many of you, enjoyed watching the 2013 Masters. It was a great win for Adam Scott. I always watch professional tournaments looking for tips I can apply to my own game. While there are things the pros do that we should not, there are just as many things we can apply to our own games.

Here are some thoughts of mine from the 2013 Masters.

Downhill putts will break more than uphill putts. How many times did the pros not play enough break on make-able downhill putts and the ball broke below the hole? I’m not talking about long putts that they were trying to lag putt. On those putts the wanted outcome is leaving the ball below the hole to have an uphill putt on their next one. Granted, the greens at Augusta were insanely fast, especially on Friday and Saturday, but to see professional golfers continually not play enough break on putts they were trying to hole was interesting. It serves as a great reminder for high handicap and beginner golfers who generally do not play enough break to begin with. While the greens will not be as fast as a professional event, remember that downhill putts will take more break than uphill ones.

On Sunday, as a steady rain fell, the greens became consistently slower. Many pros were slow to adjust and putt after putt came up short of the hole. This brought a couple of thoughts to mind. First, I was somewhat surprised how long it took some pros to adjust. Second, it reminded me of the saying that you won’t make a putt that doesn’t reach the cup. Again, I’m not talking about the times when lag putting the ball up to the hole was the best approach. Rather I’m talking of the times where the pros were expecting to make the putt. There were several putts on Sunday that were a revolution or two from going in the hole. Who can say how that affected the outcome. Adam Scott had it figured out by the time he reached the 18th hole and the playoffs sinking the two biggest putts of his career. When you have a putt you are expecting to sink, make sure you get it to the hole.

Finally, the sportsmanship between Adam Scott and Angel Cabrera was enjoyable to watch. I’m sure the fact that they were teammates on the 2009 President’s Cup team and consider themselves friends had something to do with it. More so I believe it points to the outstanding character of these two competitors. Take a cue from Adam Scott and Angel Cabrera the next time you’re competing in your flight of your club championship or in your weekly league. Compete hard but maintain the utmost respect for your competitor, win or lose.

I plan on posting my observations on other tournaments as the season progresses. There is always something to learn from watching the best golfers in the world.

By Scott Messner

By Shooting 90