The Masters – Super Sunday

April 13, 2014 / The Grateful Golfer / 3 Comments

Congratulations to Bubba Watson for his commanding win at the 2014 Masters. He joins an élite group of 16 other green jacket winners!

Unfortunately, unlike other golfing pundits, I would not rate this year’s final round as exciting as years past. There were no late charges, no last minute collapses, no dramatic shots from out of the cabbage (OK this one might be a stretch) or no misinterpretation of the rules! I am sure others are going through their Rolodex of events to call me crazy, but maybe…wait, in need help, I have fallen into the Masters media hype!

All joking aside, the 2014 Masters did live up to its billing. We were witness to many position changes, notable players missing the cut, many first-time Masters players performing very well, and many senior players standing up to be counted. All the players navigated Augusta National to the best of their abilities against a monster of a course.

Bubba Watson did exactly what any 54-hole leader should do; he shot -3 and took the green jacket. He did not panic, made some great shots, putted well and stayed composed through his 5 hours on the links. Augusta National tried to put pressure on Watson; however on the final day, the course was the only one. Watson responded by making the right shot at the right time – fantastic Bubba Watson style course management!

Jordan Spieth played well. It is difficult playing in the last group of any Major. The pressure of playing in the last group on the final day of the Masters is unimaginable to an amateur. His composure is noteworthy. Unfortunately, he could not capitalize on his many opportunities to apply pressure on Watson during the back nine. Regardless, he finished tied for second (with another Masters first-timer) and will be a player to watch in the future!

Other players shot low scores on the last day, but were too far back to apply any pressure on the leaders. Players like Joost Luiten had the low round of the day of -5; Stewart Cink shot -4; Rory McIlroy and Bernhard Langer shot -3; all were great rounds and they should be commended for their performance, however it was a case of to little too late.

Overall, it was an exciting four days. This years Masters is in the books and we all look forward to next April.

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

The Masters is More Than Just a Tournament

April 9, 2014 / The Grateful Golfer / 4 Comments

The Masters is more than just a tournament!

Living north of the 49th parallel, the golf season is way too short. Most years the season is about seven months long. This is not near long enough unless golfers are willing to move south! Regardless, the Masters always means more, much more to the avid golfer in Canada. The April Major signals so many great things that it is important to mention them to help set the stage for the weekend. So here they are:

Local Course Still Under Water 6 April 2014

Spring is here!;
Four days of awesome golf on TV;
Strongest golfing field of 2014 slugging it out with no mercy;
Presenting the green jacket to the winner – not sure why, but love to watch it;
The local golf courses are open (or should be);
The warm weather is here to stay;
I can get my clubs out of storage;
I can start working on my swing with more than a pencil; and
I pick the Masters Champion: Rory McIlroy!

The Masters is an exciting time of the year and it is more than just a tournament.

What does it mean to you?

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

The Shell Huston Open

April 1, 2014April 6, 2024 / The Grateful Golfer / 5 Comments

Recently, I wrote two articles for Pundit Arena; one called Valero Texas Open – The Most Important Tournament of the Year. For journeyman golfers, winning two weeks before the Masters has the potential to vault them into the first Major of the year. The second outlined how Professional golf stats are useless when trying to predict a winner. Just ask Steven Bowditch – he won an invitation to the Masters. He was no where on any statistical list and shot a smooth 4-over on the last day!

So how important is the Shell Huston Open? With Tiger Woods withdrawing from the Masters today, this tournament becomes even more important because of the potential to bounce the bubble guys around! The field will be tough and world-class. Some of the top 10 are resting, but notables like Henrik Stenson, Rory McIlroy, Phil Mickelson, Steve, Stricker, and Matt Kuchar will be out to lead the charge. The Shell Huston Open is important, but given the field, the Valero Texas Open was the tournament for journeyman.

If the Valero Texas Open is the most important tournament of the year; then the Shell Huston Open is the most pressure packed tournament of the year! Many pundits will say no, no, no! It is definitely the Majors or the Ryder Cup. Conceding that playing in the Majors is like a pressure cooker; try being one of 50 guys fighting for the last invite to the big dance. These professionals will be riding a roller coaster of emotions, try things that only superman should try, and watching the leader board as if it was a lottery draw. The pressure will continue to build until like a balloon – POP – they are all done!

The Shell Huston Open is not just another professional event – the press to win has the potential for players to erupt like a volcano. The journeyman players will be dialed-in, ready to play, and shaking in their boots all at the same time. Should be fun to watch!

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

PGA Fantasy Golf League

March 4, 2014 / The Grateful Golfer / 2 Comments

Recently, I signed up for the fantasy golf league at the PGA Tour. It is very easy to use and the program is intuitive and anyone can choose four players each week for the upcoming tournament. Always trying to learn new things, I thought it would be a great way to understand trends, stats, who is hot, and who is not. So far, all is going well, but I am not learning too much yet.

The biggest challenge for the first three weeks (including the World Match Play event) was my lack of knowledge about many of the journeymen players. Each week, some always steps up and throws a wrench into the standings. Personally, it is fun for the tournament, but not so good for my scores. As an example, I took Phil Mickelson last week at the Honda Classic. We all know that was a bust because he did not make the cut. My other players finished a high 54th and a low 35th. Can’t win with picks like that. That stellar performance had me 74th place at the Honda Classic.

This week is the World Golf Championship-Cadillac Championship. The players will compete on a newly renovated “The Blue Monster“. It is longer and has more holes with playable water. But for the golfing élite, it is a challenge they all relish.

This week I picked –