Another Masters Tournament is in the books. As usual, plenty of news was made at Augusta National Golf Club. Let’s take a quick run through some of the bigger topics, including Tiger (of course), Jack Nicklaus bowing out, and gamesmanship between two of the Big Four.
Tiger’s Fourth Masters Win
Where does Tiger Woods’ fourth Masters victory fit in with his previous three titles? 1997 was the most momentous, as he shocked the golf world with his domination. 2001 ranks second, as it completed the “Tiger Slam” of four consecutive major victories. 2002 is third, being most notable for making Woods only the third person to successfully defend a Masters title (along with Jack Nicklaus and Nick Faldo).
Chronologically and esthetically, 2005 is fourth. This was Tiger winning with his new, oddly Seve-like game. Streaks of brilliance offset by stunning runs of wayward driving and wild scrambling. The Tiger of 2000-02 would have stepped on Chris DiMarco’s neck after holing that deft chip for birdie on No. 16 in the final round. That Tiger would have found the fairway on 17 and 18, probably birdieing one of the holes and never giving DiMarco a chance to get back into it. Instead, Tiger hits it off the world with his drive on 17, then can’t will himself to make a putt that would have clinched the title on No. 18. In the playoff, he finally made the birdie he should have made in regulation to close out DiMarco, but let’s not let Tiger’s win obscure the reality that he’s beating people with his B-game.
The old Tiger didn’t lose anything when he throttled down from driver to 3-wood or 2-iron (especially that “stinger” shot we don’t see much anymore). Now he flails at the driver more than he used to and is hardly automatic with the 3-wood. It’s amazing that he can win major championships with a swing that is still getting used to major changes. Chalk it up to being able to ride a hot streak in the third round to build a big lead, and having the mental toughness to hold it together through a crazy week of rain delays and uneven play.
DiMarco’s Close Calls
Chris DiMarco, on the other hand, is on a Tom Lehman-like roll. That’s good and bad. Like Lehman a few years back, DiMarco is getting into the final pairings in a lot of majors. And, like Lehman before he finally won the British Open, he doesn’t have a title to show for it. Here’s hoping he breaks through and wins one soon. He’s a stand-up guy, a great story of perseverance and an underrated iron player. And he doesn’t spew canned BS in his comments to the media. This year’s PGA Championship at Baltrusol might be his time to finally win the big one.
Jack’s Last Blast
Jack Nicklaus has earned the right to end his playing days at Major Championships his way. And apparently, he’s decided that now is the time to leave the Masters behind. He realizes that he doesn’t have the length to compete for the championship anymore, and he’s always said he wouldn’t be a “ceremonial golfer.” So after missing the cut this year, he said he’s done. But I selfishly wish Jack would change his mind and come back in 2006 for one more Masters as an active player. Then he could have a fitting farewell from the fans, er, patrons at Augusta, and savor the tournament without the tragic death of his 17-month-old grandson, Jake, looming as it did this past week. On his final hole of the second round, Nicklaus missed a 4-foot birdie putt. Please, Jack, come back. We want to cheer you around Amen Corner and up that hill at 18 one more time. And we want to see you knock that last birdie putt squarely in the back of the cup.
Vijay vs. Phil
It seems like Vijay Singh is trying to get inside the heads of his biggest competitors. A couple weeks back, you’ll recall that Tom Pernice – one of Vijay’s best friends – requested that Tiger’s driver be checked for conformance after the Ford Championship. Many insiders believe Pernice was either acting on Vijay’s request, though both deny it (and Tiger’s driver was fine, of course).
Now you have the Vijay-Phil mini-brouhaha at Augusta. Seems Vijay thought Phil was leaving some mighty large spike marks on the wet greens in early-round play, so he asked Masters officials to check Mickelson’s cleats. Like Tiger’s driver, Phil’s cleats were found to be within spec. But the incident put a frown on Phil’s usually smiling mug. And he and Vijay barely spoke when the two were paired together during the final round.
Vijay’s known to his few friends on tour as a wicked practical joker. Perhaps he’s engaging in a little gamesmanship with his biggest competitors. If that’s the case, Ernie Els needs to watch out. Vijay probably is cooking up a little surprise for him right now.
Speaking of Ernie…
And, I must admit I didn’t exactly ace my predictions for the Masters. I forecast that Els would finally win the green jacket he should have won by now. I thought Ernie would keep Tiger at arm’s length and win. Instead, Ernie never got anywhere near the lead, making the cut on the number and finishing 47th, 22 strokes behind Woods and DiMarco. In fact, Els finished ahead of only three golfers who made the cut: Jay Haas, Chris Riley, and Craig Stadler. Needless to say, I didn’t win my Masters pool.
But I did have this to say about Tiger in my preview: “If it comes down to a match-play situation, Tiger wins his fourth Masters.” I guess that turned out all right, huh?
I disagree about Tiger’s swing. I hear everybody keep saying, as you did, that he’s still in “swing changes.” Well, he always is! And so is everyone else! Sure, he’s made some dramatic shifts in his swing posture and style in the past couple of years, but everyone needs to realize that it’s the nature of professional golf to stay on top (or try, at least) and adjusting one’s swing is key to doing that. Everyone needs to get off Tiger’s back about his swing.