The Masters – Day 1

April 9, 2015April 11, 2015 / The Grateful Golfer / 2 Comments

The first round of the 2015 Masters is in the books. The stellar play by Jordan Spieth (-8), Ernie Els, Charley Hoffman, Jason Day and Justin Rose (all -5) have them leading the field. Except for Jordan Spieth and Jason Day, the rest of the names in the top 10 were not on most pundits’ radar! But, it is still the first day.

The Masters is a game of endurance, it is not a sprint. As the next three days unfold, many aspects of the leader’s game will be tested. Most of all, their ability to handle the pressure of leading the Masters.

The first day of the Masters is always exciting where the anticipation for fantastic golf changes to reality for golfing fanatics. However, for me, there is always one aspect of the Masters I look forward to seeing each year. The honorary starters hitting the first ball. This year, like others in the past, Arnold Palmer , 85, Gary Player, 79, and Jack Nicklaus, 75, thrilled the crowds with three awesome shots.

When I look at these great players, I cannot help but remember all the fantastic memories they have created. They transcend time as I see them bend over (more of a feat than we would think given their age), line up, and launch their drives down the first fairway. These three giants are worthy of our respect and admiration for making golf the game it is today. Their stats are simply amazing. Here is a quick snapshot of how great these players really are:

Honorary Starters of the 2015 Masters
	Arnold Palmer	Gary Player	Jack Nicklaus
Masters Played	50	52	45
Masters Won	4	3	6
Masters Top 10	9	8	15
Total Majors	7	10	14
Professional Wins Worldwide	95	178	116

The stories these golfing legends could tell would be mind-boggling. Each time they tee it up at the Masters, I take a trip down memory lane. The championships they have won and lost; the spectacular shots over the years; and the grace and gentlemanly fashion in which they carried themselves is a lesson for us all. Watching the honorary starters is a tradition I love about the Masters and if you missed it:

Tomorrow is another day. The pressure will continue to build. I am looking forward to seeing if the current leaders have the game (both mentally and physically) to extend their lead. Right now, many players are working towards the privilege of playing on the weekend; I still think Rory McIlroy will win and he will start making his move tomorrow. Who are your movers and shakers for tomorrow?

I am a grateful golfer! See you on the links!

Masters Pairings

April 8, 2015April 8, 2015 / The Grateful Golfer / 6 Comments

Tomorrow, the long-awaited start of The Masters arrives. The entire golfing world is ready for Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus, and Arnold Palmer to serve as honorary starters. A tradition that goes back to 1963, the honorary starters add that bit of excitement on the first tee. Who better to start The Masters off than these three giants?

Who the participants play with for the first two days is as important as how they play. Mixing and matching players cannot be easy and I am not sure how the pairings are selected. Regardless, the following is from Masters.com and here is what we have to look forward to over the next two days:

There are many great pairings to watch, but here are the ones I will pay special attention to:

Tee Times		Players
Thursday	Friday
8:18 a.m.	11:25 a.m.	Mike Weir	Ben Crane	Corey Conners (a)
9:02 a.m.	12:20 p.m.	Patrick Reed	Keegan Bradley	Ian Poulter
9:24 a.m.	12:42 p.m.	Bubba Watson	Justin Rose	Gunn Yang (a)
9:35 a.m.	12:53 p.m.	Adam Scott	Dustin Johnson	Antonio Murdaca (a)
10:52 a.m.	1:59 p.m.	J. B. Holmes	Martin Kaymer	Brandt Snedeker
10:41 a.m.	1:48 p.m.	Phil Mickelson	Rory McIlroy	Ryan Moore
1:15 p.m.	9:57 a.m.	Jordan Spieth	Henrik Stenson	Billy Horschel
1:48 p.m.	10:30 a.m.	Tiger Woods	Jamie Donaldson	Jimmy Walker
1:59 p.m.	10:41 a.m.	Jason Day	Sergio Garcia	Rickie Fowler

I am sure when you look at my list, you are wondering what I was thinking. Remember these are the players I think will be fun to watch and I have an interest in. Who do you think should be added to the list?

Of these above pairings, a couple of things jump out at me: Watson and Scott are both paired with amateurs, McIlroy’s group is potentially the toughest, and the Reed, Keegan, Poulter group might see fireworks! Oh the fun of it all!

On a side note, Jack Nicklaus shot a hole-in-one at the Par 3 Tournament today…..only like Jack can!

The timings and groups are set, all that is left is 4 days of exciting Masters Golf!

I am a grateful golfer…..Watching the Masters!

Drive Chip & Putt Championship at the Masters

April 7, 2015April 6, 2015 / The Grateful Golfer / 3 Comments

The second annual Drive Chip & Putt Championship was held on 05 April 2015. This new tradition at the Masters sees 80 young talented golfers pitting their skills against each other and Augusta National. As I watch these budding superstars perform, I was amazed at their composure, understanding of golf, and sportsmanship! For a list of all the results check out the interactive leaderboard. Well done to all the competitors!

Ed Zurga/Getty Images

The 2015 Drive, Chip and Putt Championship is open to boys and girls ages 7-15. Boys and girls will compete in separate divisions in four age categories: 7-9 years old; 10-11 years old; 12-13 years old; and 14-15 years old. There is a list of other criteria to be eligible and you can find the here. Needless to say, some of these young guns know how to play golf!

If you think that getting to this national event is easy, here is what each player has to do in 2015. Past winners are not invited back, they have to qualify each year. The 2015 Drive, Chip and Putt Championship will be conducted in four stages:

Local qualifying – to be conducted throughout May, June, July and August 2015 at 253 sites in 50 states.
Subregional qualifying – to be conducted throughout July and August, 2015 at 51 sites.
Regional qualifying – to be conducted throughout September, 2015 at 10 sites.
Championship final – to be conducted Sunday, April 3, 2016 at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Ga.

As the name indicates, each player competes in each event Drive, Chip and Putt. They each have two balls for each skill and their results area accumulative to select a winner. Perfect score is 30 points over the three events. Besides having the pressure of competing against 9 other great players, the event was set at the historical Augusta National Golf Course; what a thrill!

During the Drive portion, the players had two chances to hit the ball within a grid that was 40-yard fairway width, length from 75 yards to 325 yards. The longest drive to stay within the grid was their score. I amazed to see that one of the 12-13 year old players could hit the ball 240+. The longest of the day was by a 15-year-old boy – 280+ yards!

Chipping was all about feel. Each player stood about 25 yards from the hole and chipped two balls. The winner had the lowest accumulative distances from the hole. Chipping in gave you a distance of 0. The best accumulative score for the girls was 4’1″ (chipped one in) and by a 9-year-old boy of 7’1″ (chipped one in). I enjoyed watching some of the young players adjust their something between the first and second shot.

Putting was fun to watch and the most challenging event. Each player putted one ball for two different locations. The first was a long uphill putt and the second was a much shorter downhill skater! The speed of the greens was a challenge and adjusting from an uphill to downhill putt proved to be challenging for some of the players! The best accumulative score for the girls was 6″ by a 9-year-old! The best accumulative score for the boys was 2’1″. Interestingly, quite a few of the young players putted cross-handed.

Many of the past Masters champions, like Bubba Watson and Mark O’Meara, were on hand to talk, cheer, and laugh with the young players. Having these great players on hand only added to the overall success of this national event. I enjoyed watching the future of golf. These young players demonstrated that anyone, at any age is capable of playing great golf. Congratulations to all the participants.

I am a grateful golfer! See you on the links!

Masters Week!

April 6, 2015 / The Grateful Golfer / 7 Comments

Former Champion Ben Crenshaw playing in his last Masters!

It is finally here! The news is going crazy, the hype is growing, and the pundits are pontificating. For all golfing fans, the Masters Week is the start of so many things. For those of us living in the Great White North, it means golf season is about to start. For all those others who live in warmer climates, it is an opportunity to enjoy more golf.

The news is full of stories about who is going to win, who is going to exceed expectations, and who is going to struggle! I have already announce my picks for this year, but one topic I have avoided and just cannot anymore.

Yup, you guess it: The Role of Past Masters Champions!

Why would players be given a lifetime exemption for winning the Masters? If you think of the names on the list, only about 7 of the 19 have a chance to win again. Of those, few would be rated as any kind of favorite! Why let these aging players, some were superstars in their day, take a position from a young player who would benefit more from the experience of Amen Corner? Before we go any further here are the past winners playing this year:

Cabrera, Angel
Couples, Fred
Crenshaw, Ben
Immelman, Trevor
Johnson, Zach
Langer, Bernhard
Lyle, Sandy
Mickelson, Phil
Mize, Larry
O’Meara, Mark
Olazabal, Jose Maria
Schwartzel, Charl
Scott, Adam
Singh, Vijay
Watson, Bubba
Watson, Tom
Weir, Mike
Woods, Tiger
Woosnam, Ian

After you have given it some thought, what have you come up with? Why let these aging players into the most elusive tournament in the world? Well, let me tell you.

Because they make the game better! These classy gentlemen, although most are past their prime, educate and mentor the younger superstars of today. They add that “savior faire” to an already awesome golf tournament. Some of these great players, like Ben Crenshaw and Tom Watson, are like that favorite uncle we like to periodically visit just talk about life.

These past champions help keep the rich and historic aspects of the Masters alive. They bring their own flair to the event which helps the fans connect to all the players. They become that underdog, who older players like myself can relate to, the fan favorite and unknown that all golfing fans secretly love to follow!

Ben Crenshaw indicated this will be his last year of competing in the Masters. As all the champions will eventually find out, there is a time to take a bow and exit stage left. Ben Crenshaw is demonstrating yet another lesson to the younger players that eventually everything comes to an end. Crenshaw played with class and leaves with class – Thanks for all the great memories.

As this week unfolds, take time to remember the past champions for they bring more to the game than just golf! As they tee it up on Thursday, listen to how loud the crowd cheers when their name is announce! As we watch them tee it up, there is still a small glimmer of hope and the thought that on any given day, anyone can make history!

I am a grateful golfer! See you on the links.

My 2015 Masters Picks

April 5, 2015April 6, 2015 / The Grateful Golfer / 9 Comments

Master week is finally here! We have been waiting for this for moment and without any further adieu, it is time to reveal my picks for this year’s Masters. The field is very strong and the young guns are peaking at the right time, however so are the wily veterans!

Selecting a top 5 and a dark horse is no easy feat. Everyone has their own selection criteria and expects that they have the answer. I am no different. I do look at their current stats, performances at last year’s Majors, and their focus leading up to the Masters. All of these, plus a few other secrets, helps with my predictions. The following picks are from an article I wrote for PunditArena.com. Here we go:

Top 5 Players

Top 5 Players

Phil Mickelson. Lefty is an aging veteran who has struggled of late. However, his early performance at the Shell Huston Open could not have come at a better time. His short game has returned and his putting was solid. Additionally, Mickelson worked hard on fitness, he is mentally prepared, he knows how to handle Masters’ like pressure, and if “Phil the Thrill” shows up, anything can happen.

Jimmy Walker. His play over the past two years has eclipsed everyone. He knows how to win and handle the pressure of a Sunday afternoon. His short game is solid and his consistency is top-notch. Walker’s recent wins at The Sony Open and The Valero Texas Open must be taken into account. Although he has not won a Major, yet, he is number one in the FEDEXCUP ranks and is the most consistent golfer on tour. He is definitely a viable candidate to win the green jacket.

Jason Day. Fighting an injury for most of 2014, Jason Day is a forgotten player. His win at the Farmers Insurance Open in February shows he is back to form. Finishing 2nd and 3rd in previous Masters, Day knows how to play Augusta National. He did not play in the Shell Huston Open and I think taking 2 weeks off will give him time to rest and prepare for the crazy week ahead. Although he may be considered a long-shot by many, he has the game to win. A strong start is very important; gaining confidence early will make him tough to beat.

Jordan Spieth. This young superstar has done everything but win a Major. Although he has only 2 wins in 66 professional events, Spieth is always in the mix. He has the game to win, except he is light on experience. His heart-breaking loss to Bubba Watson last year at The Masters was a lesson he will not soon forget. Spieth is the whole package, he is playing exceptionally well of late, and his chances of claiming his first Major are very good.

Rory McIlroy. Given McIlroy’s not played to everyone’s expectations this year and he is not as obvious a choice as some would suggest. He is the number one golfer in the world, hits the ball a country mile, has the green side touch of a surgeon, and is hunger to complete his career grand slam. He has taken three weeks off competitive golf to work on his game. He stated that he wanted to be mentally and physically ready for the gruelling Masters week. Although is play to date is spotty at best, he will be ready at the first tee on Thursday!

Dark Horse

Matt Kuchar. Kuchar is always around because of his great all-round game. Some consider him mister consistency; however I disagree with that statement. I would assess Kuchar as a streaky player. It is now time for him to step up to claim his first Major! Kuchar performance in the past 3 Masters is exceptional. If he gets hot this weekend, I am not sure anyone will be able to stop him. He is a fan favourite and is due for something spectacular to happen.

So there you have it, my top 5 pics and my dark horse. All of these, plus many more, make great candidates to win the green jacket this year. However, there is only one who will rise to the top.

This year, I pick Rory McIlroy. I selected him back in October as the man to beat and I stick to that prediction.

I am a grateful golfer! See you on the links!