Moving day did not disappoint any golfing fans. The strong play of Justin Rose, Sergio Garcia, Jordan Spieth and Rickie Fowler moved these players into contention for the green jacket. The media coverage of these players overshadowed the play of Lee Westwood, Charles Schwartzel, Brendt Snedeker and Jason Day; but such is the life of players too far back to be considered a threat. With dramatics ever-present at The Masters, no lead is safe; one mistake can cost you the lead and a chance at the big prize. Continue reading
Augusta National
There is Talk of The Masters Already!
The first major is only 50 days away and the pundits are already starting to talk about who is hot and who is not. They circle like vultures in anticipation for the first chink in the top players’ game. The win by Jordan Spieth at Pebble Beach seems to have vaulted him to the top of the likely winners at Augusta.
Personally, I think it is a bit early for such a prediction, however being mid-February; the media has to start building the hype about something. Spieth’s play was impressive last weekend, but unfortunately the growing trend of ‘streaky players’ points to a different way to possibly pick a winner. Continue reading
The Masters – Day 3
The last day of The Masters will test the inner calm of all the players!
JORDAN SPIETH! I really do not have to say much more. Leading for 7 rounds in a row and looking strong enough to make it 8. If he continues to play well he will join the élite group of Jack Nicklaus, Nick Faldo and Tiger Woods as back to back champions at the Masters! Although he struggled on 17 and 18, his play to date is the highlight of the tournament!
However, there were other highlights of Day 2. I am not sure what you think are the high points, but here are mine.
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Jordan Spieth Wins the 2015 Masters
Congratulations to Jordan Spieth for winning his first green jacket. His steady play on Sunday was more than enough to put his first Major in his pocket.
Spieth’s seesaw round was a bit of a surprise to some, but not unexpected by most. His ability rebound for a bogey is what makes champions. The pundits suggested that before the round, Spieth should play more cautiously than the previous three rounds; but with 6 birdies and 3 bogies, he was playing flat-out. The question on most experts mind this morning about how the double bogey on the 17th hole on moving day would affect his game was quickly answered. It didn’t! Jordan Spieth earned his first Major Championship by winning the 2015 Masters….perhaps, the first of many.
Other notables today were all the players between 4th and 9th position. In reality after everything was all said and done, they were playing for second place. Their low scores were just a little to late. In most tournaments, one exceptional round would put a player in contention to win, but a Major, not so much. It takes at least two and usually three great rounds to win any Major. But, hats off that group for making a great showing down the stretch.
Jordan Spieth was not my first choice to win the 2015 Masters. I thought that Rory McIlroy would complete his career grand slam, but not this year. This feat is very rare, but McIlroy has plenty of time to yet. Overall, I was 50/50 selecting players to win. Here is how I made out:
- Phil Mickelson – T2
- Jimmy Walker – T39
- Jason Day – T28
- Jordan Spieth – 1st
- Rory McIlroy – 4th
- Dark Horse – Matt Kuchar – T46
Overall, not too to bad. I did, however, think that Jimmy Walker would have played better at Augusta this year. He only stepped on to the Major’s scene last year, so he does not have the seasoning that other players have. Although he is considered one of the hottest players in golf right now, playing in a Major is extremely difficult and he may need a bit more seasoning before he is ready to compete at that level.
It was exciting to watch Jordan Spieth rise to the élite ranks by winning his first Major. At 21 years old, he has many years ahead where he can continue to excite the golfing world. He reminds me of a young Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods; hopefully he will be able to handle the new notoriety and stay in form for many years to come.
Again, Congratulations to Jordan Spieth on winning the 2015 Masters.
Bring on The Open!
I am a grateful golfer! See you on the links!
Drive Chip & Putt Championship at the Masters
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!
The Grateful Golfer 