This week is all about the Masters as Dave has broken down the Big 5 and their chances in The Numbers Game, the staff has all placed their picks in our 2006 Masters Predictions and here we are, just a day away from the start of the first major of 2006, the 70th Masters Tournament. While not my favorite major, it is a tournament that I really look forward to seeing and if you’re like me or other TST Staffers, you find yourself glued to the television, radio, and web for the latest news of the tournament and its players.
So let’s take a look at why this tournament will keep us so captivated this week.
The Tournament
Starting in 1934, Bobby Jones and Clifford Roberts wanted to hold an annual event for their friends and esteemed guests. The original name of the tournament was the Augusta National Invitation Tournament but was changed in 1939 to the Masters at the request of many. The new name was not to the liking of Bobby Jones. Jones never officially competed in the event, having retired from professional golf by the time it began, but did participate in 12 events as a tournament host. The first winner was Horton Smith but it was in 1935 that Gene Sarazen hit “the shot heard round the world” scoring a double-eagle on the par-5 15th hole, eventually forcing a playoff and winning.
The Course
Upon arriving at the course, players, media, caddies, and guests are greeted by what’s been called the most exhilarating drive in golf: Magnolia Lane. Stretching from the entrance gate to the clubhouse it’s approximately 330-yards and has 61 large magnolia trees that line both sides. The trees were planted as seeds by the Berckmans, who owned Fruitland Nurseries and date back to the late 1850s.
The 10th hole, also known as Camellia is a stunning 495 yard par-4 and is the hardest hole on the course with a lifetime scoring average of 4.32
Amen Corner is quite possibly the most famous group of holes in the world and is comprised of holes 11, 12, and 13. It is here that moves are made and tournaments are often won or lost. The name came from legendary Sports Illustrated golf writer Herbert Warren Wind who coined the phrase in 1958 while trying to describe the place where crucial action took place. He got the name from a jazz recording called “Shouting at Amen Corner.”
Three bridges are dedicated to the great Ben Hogan, Byron Nelson, and Gene Sarazen for not just their wins but the manner in which they were won. The bridges are near or cross Rae’s Creek, which runs back of the 11th green and in front of the 12th green. The creek is named after James Rae who died in 1789 and owned the home that once was a fortress up the Savannah River from Fort Augusta.
The Green Jacket is a trophy that nearly every golfer dreams of wearing and one that Shooter McGavin even tried to steal once. It started as a tradition in 1937 when members were urged to buy and wear a Green Jacket during the tournament so that guests would know who to turn to for questions. Sam Snead was the first champion to be awarded an official Green Jacket for his win in 1947. Champions only receive one jacket even if they win multiple times. Several jackets are made for the awards ceremony and one is tailor-made at a later date. The champion is allowed to take the jacket home for one year and must bring it back to the club when he comes back to defend his title. It will then be stored at August for him to wear whenever he comes back to visit.
You can read about more Masters landmarks here.
The Winners
After last week’s thrashing at the Bellsouth, Phil Mickelson has many raising any eye to see if lefty can capitalize again at the Masters. It will be interesting to see if decides to go with the two driver setup or to put the 56° sand wedge back in the bag. In recent years he has spent better time preparing for majors and it shows. Phil is also one of the highest profile players to adjust his hist to suit the course and his game for an event, so it will be interesting to see what he chooses and if it pays off. As I said in my Masters Prediction Phil’s last five years at the Masters would be a dream for most with four top-seven finishes and a win in 2004.
Tiger has four wins at Augusta in only nine years and has said over and over that what drives him is to pass Jack for the most amount of majors won. Tiger is right at home at Augusta with a scoring average of 70.83 over 42 rounds. He’s tied with Raymond Floyd for the lowest 54-hole score of 201 and owns the lowest 72-hole score of 270 during his 1997 win. Speaking of his win in 1997, he captivated us with his young, brash, and fiery spirit to finish nine strokes clear, but it was his glorious chip-in on 16 last year showed us that he still has a lot of fire left in his belly. He is this year’s defending champion with his playoff win last year over Chris DiMarco.
Jack Nicklaus has six green jackets to his name and for now still bests Tiger in this tournament. His record at the Masters speaks for itself, his first came in 1963 for a whopping $20,000, he also won the tournament back to back in 1965-66 but probably his most famous win was his last one in 1986 at the ripe age of 46 to become the oldest winner at the time. Jack, Tiger, and Nick Faldo are the only players to successfully defend their titles at Augusta. Until Tiger’s win in 1997 Jack had the 72-hole scoring record with a 271 during his win in 1965. He is tied with Ben Hogan and Tom Weiskopf with four runner-up finishes and the real amazing stat aside from his six wins, is in 45 appearances he has 15 top-five finishes, 22 top-tens and 29 top-25s. Last year he said goodbye to the Masters, but it’s safe to say for now that Augusta is still his.
TV Schedule
You will have plenty of opportunities to watch and listen to this week’s tournament including watching Amen Corner Live. CBS Sports along with Masters.org will have live streaming video of all the action in Amen Corner from April 6th-9th on masters.org and cbs.sportsline.com. All in all there will be approximately 22 hours of coverage for you to watch.
Amen Corner Live Thu, 4/6 10:30am-5pm ET Fri, 4/7 10:30am-5pm ET Sat, 4/8 12:30pm-5pm ET Sun, 4/9 1:30pm-6pm ET
If you’re a traditionalist you can catch all the action on USA and CBS at the following dates and times:
Live Coverage Thu, 4/6 4pm-7pm ET USA Fri, 4/7 4pm-7pm ET USA Sat, 4/8 3:30pm-7pm ET CBS Sun, 4/9 2:30pm-7pm ET CBS
Replay Thu, 4/6 8pm-11pm ET USA Fri, 4/7 8pm-11pm ET USA
Highlights Show Thu, 4/6 11:30pm-11:45pm ET CBS Fri, 4/7 11:30pm-11:45pm ET CBS
We recommend setting your TiVo to record it all. 🙂
Photo Credit: © University of Florida’s Turfgrass Club, © Sports Illustrated.