Early Game Stories and Other Final Day Stuff

Damon Hack files a story and notes column (on Tiger, Crenshaw and Mediate). Doug Ferguson also files notes, looking at Rocco Mediate's back going out and Stewart Cink reconsidering some if his pre-tourament criticism.  Cameron Morfit at Golfonline focuses on Mediate and his pals.

Leonard Shapiro leads with the Sunday morning camera click on 18, and how, thankfully, it did not affect the outcome. Based on the number of top-of-the-backswing shots we've seen there in recent years, it's a bit of a wonder that the shutterbugs are even allowed near the tee. And Frank Hannigan's favorite columnist looks at Phil's learning curve.

Lawrence Donegan's Guardian game story analyzes the European showing while John Huggan writes about Darren Clarke.

Ben Crenshaw had two weekend diary entries at masters.org, here and here.

If it's photos you are after, the Augusta Chronicle has pages and pages of thumbnails.

And Michael Hiestand does his best to channel his infamous predecessor, Rudy Martzke:

It's pointless to quibble about coverage that inevitably will be glowing since, as CBS' Dick Enberg put it Sunday, it's set amid "spectacular and overpowering beauty" in "this glorious arena." The effect was contagious: Mickelson's upbeat TV ads for ExxonMobil during CBS' coverage made you wonder if you shouldn't be a bit more appreciative of the conglomerate.

I knew those ads worked on someone!

Two Can Play That Game

Jim Litke on Mickelson's two-driver approach:

"I needed it to combat the added length at Augusta, but this is probably the only course that I'll do it," Mickelson said afterward. "I don't know where else I'll end up needing to do it."

But Mickelson might want to rethink that, based on what he did at the beefed-up Augusta layout. Mickelson won the long-drive contest, averaging 297.5 yards per drive, nearly four yards farther than his closest pursuer and Sunday playing partner Freddie Couples.

His accuracy wasn't nearly as impressive - he hit 35 of 56 fairways, or 62.5 percent, a number that tied him for 36th. Even so, he launched even wayward drives far enough to take the heat off his approach shots. He tied for fourth in reaching the greens in regulation - Mickelson hit 50 of 72, or 69.4 percent - and tied for 16th in fewest putts needed.

And this from Billy Mayfair:

What all that added up to was another sterling silver trophy and the wide-eyed respect of his peers.

"You can kid about Phil, but he's one of the most intelligent persons I've ever met," said Billy Mayfair, who finished at even-par, seven strokes behind Mickelson's winning 281 total.

In Their Own Words...

Highlights from the Phil Mickelson and Tim Clark media sessions:

Q. Would you now advocate everyone going out and putting two drivers in the bag?

PHIL MICKELSON: Well, if they are the proper brand. (Laughter).

Q. And in all seriousness, how much did that actually help you?

PHIL MICKELSON: Oh, it was huge. It was a huge help. Because I worked with the technicians over at Callaway and I've got 20, 25 more yards with this driver that draws. I call it a draw and a fade, but the fact is, the draw is like an additional driver; it makes my normal driver a 3 wood, because it goes so much farther. And I needed it to combat the added length here at Augusta. This is the only course that I can think of that I will probably do it, and I did it last week at BellSouth to get accustomed to it. I don't know where else I'll end up needing to do that, but it was a huge help here, and I started going to that driver exclusively, only on holes that I thought I would play cuts. Like on 14 and 17, I ended up hitting that draw driver because I needed the extra length.

And Clark:

Q. Did you feel like the changes that were made were good throughout the field at all lengths of hitter as long as it's hard and fast?

TIM CLARK: If it's hard and fast, I think the changes are great. I noticed today Tiger hitting a lot of 3 woods. So they have taken driver out of his hand here and there. If it is firm and fast, it's fair for all. If it's wet, then it's going to be tough. 

First TV Review: McCleery

Peter McCleery weighs in with another fine (and quick!) review of CBS's effort.

Speaking of light, the delays and slow play in the final group almost put the Masters in a tight spot had there been a need for a playoff, there wasn't much daylight left at nearly 7:30 pm. Eastern time when the Mickelson-Couples pair finished its 4 1/2 hour round (apparently, the lengthened Augusta course takes even longer to play).

I wondered when someone was going to note this. Obviously, something for the tournament committee to study. No joke. (What do you think, another 10 minutes to the round with the walks back to #7, 11 and 15 tees?)

Jim Nantz tweaked the press pundits who had suggested only 10 players would have a chance to win the title on the revamped course. "I wonder if all those experts had Tim Clark in their list of 10?" asked Nantz on Saturday.

I knew I missed something when I fell asleep!

Update on 2006-04-10 03:35 by Geoff

Rick Arnett at SI.com is just as quick, posting this review of the coverage.

Course Changes Verdict Watch

Should be fun to see how many writers/players declare the course changes:

A) to have been validated by a Phil Mickelson win/Tim Clark 2nd place finish

B) confirmation that only bombers can win

C) that it rained and therefore it was still too wet to judge

D) that the winning score was 7-under-par, therefore it was a success (always such a nuanced take on things!)

The lengthening of the course has been "validated" because Augusta National would have been terribly outdated had they not responded in some way to the recent optimization boom. 

As far as restoring club's that Bobby Jones intended players to hit, there are serious problems with that logic. Not only are lofts different today than when Jones wrote about what players hit into holes, anyone who has read his descriptions knows he was not trying to lay down the law on proper approach clubs. It just wasn't his style.

(click to enlarge, though I don't know why you would want to)The narrowness and tree planting designed to force players into less bold tee-shot play (as Hootie Johnson described earlier in the week), has severely impacted that old sense that it was only the players, the design and the Golf Gods dictating the outcome.

Now it feels like a battle between committee and player, with the potential for excitement at the mercy of the committee. That may provide an ego boost for them, but the desire to keep winning scores in check makes it boring for fans.

If they had just added length over the last 8 years but did not add the second cut and trees that eliminate options, would there be any criticism of the changes?

I say no.

Some Quick Final Round Thoughts

Well, I don't know about you, but after those Exxon-Mobil ads, I'm ready to forgive the Valdez, the various shenanigans and the $40 I gave them for 13 gallons of gas this morning.

Any company that loves children that much, must be special.

By the way, if you need to induce a migraine, you can relive those ads here. And if you want to read about some shareholders who filed a resolution accusing the company of discrimination for sponsoring the Masters, you can go here (and even read a quote from the long, lost Martha Burke).

Oh, the golf...

Good thing there was no playoff: Leaders Start Time: 2:52 EST, Finish Time: 7:26, Sunset: 7:55

Angles: Loved the Clampett-Wadkins debate about the talk of angles on No. 11 when Couples and Mickelson had different views of the hole. Imagine if the players could actually pick a side instead of trying to keep it in a 25-yard wide fairway.

"With all due respect, those hugs mean more than the green jacket.": Wow, Phil and Rick Smith are close, but come on Jim Nantz? Oh, you mean the kids...love Lord Fauntleroy suit on Evan. Who's doing his highlights?

Options: Impressed by Peter Kostis's Orwellian take on No. 7, explaining how the new length "gives the players options." A new 12th tee at 275 yards out would install some options there too.

Bored: Did you catch the reclining rules official on No. 13 with his legs stretched out, as if he was sitting on the beach? Classy touch.

Clampett: Minimal nonsense today, only a couple of Hogan's Bridge remarks, and only one head scratcher that came when talking about No. 11: "nobody has figured out a way to make birdie here...except Larry Mize."  Hey, there were 6 birdies just this week! Sorry...

No. 11 Final Tally: Average 4.4745, Rank    1, Eagles 1, Birdies  6, Pars  158, Bogies  86, Doubles  19, Others   4

Driving Distance: The average of all drives recorded was 282.9 yards. The top 5 for those playing all four rounds? Mickelson, Couples , Singh, Pampling, Beem. That didn't stop Kostis from trying to paint Tim Clark as the new poster boy for Hootie Johnson's course changes. Still, Feherty did a much better job Peter and he should win this year's award from the Total Information Awareness Committee.

Your thoughts? 

Sherman: Augusta Unveiled

Ed Sherman points out several things you may or may not know about Augusta National Golf Club:

Burning: You would expect that Masters caps would be the best sellers in the merchandise store here. But Masters scented candles? Apparently, they fly off the shelves. Perhaps nothing sets a romantic mood better than an Augusta candle.

The candles supposedly a have floral scent. But if the club really wanted to get authentic, it would devise a candle that smells like a used towel from one of the caddies.

High-ranking assistance: Augusta's membership roll features the high and mighty, and many are put to work during the tournament. Still, it's surprising to see former U.S. Sen. Sam Nunn of Georgia listed on the media committee.

Nunn hasn't been seen in the press room this year, but he did find his way there last year. It would be a sportswriter's dream to say, "Hey, Senator, can you get me the quote sheet from Rory Sabbatini?"

One Thing We Can All Agree On...

...in this debate over what Bobby Jones or Clifford Roberts would think of what's going on at Augusta today?

I think we can safely agree that Cliff would not tolerate Miguel Angel Jimenez's pony tail. He'd re-open the barber shop, or enlist security to drag Miguel into a broom closet so he could chop that mess off.

So, do you think he would let the hair down for the green jacket ceremony?

There's always hope. 

No Homers Here

The decision to start at 10:40 yesterday earned some tough love from the Jeff Schultz Atlanta Journal Constitution and Scott Michaux in the Augusta Chronicle. 

Schultz writes:

But some of Saturday's scramble and today's cram session easily could have been avoided. Rain had been forecast for days. By the time the second round ended Friday, it was a foregone conclusion that the next 18 holes were going to be wet, with the possibility of scattered thunderstorms all day. (The AJC even put this tidbit in the sports section, and normally spring football takes up the entire news hole.)

But Masters officials didn't adjust. They didn't start the field early. They didn't split the field and start half on the back nine. They looked at the same weather map as everybody else, and did nothing.

And from Michaux:

With just a little bit of foresight and a little common sense, the third round of the Masters would have been nearly completed as scheduled Saturday.

Neither element was executed.

Augusta National clearly can't control the weather, but it can do just about anything else it wants. With the preponderance of evidence suggesting that Saturday would be marred by foul weather, there should have been no reason for Masters officials not to have decided Friday night to tee off earlier and send players off both sides to work in as much golf as possible Saturday.

"They don't mess around and make a lot of bad decisions here," Mediate, who faces 32 holes today, said during the 4-hour, 18-minute rain delay.

They made a bad decision this time, and it was an unforced error despite a wealth of recent experience with poor weather.

There is no other sports property in the world that is less beholden to TV than the Masters. That's why, twice in the past five years, the Masters went off an hour earlier on Sundays because of potential bad weather that never materialized. That is one of the things that distinguishes the Masters from the other majors.

Ratings might matter to the network, but they don't matter to the golf club. If the final round coverage draws a 4.2 or a 14.2 share, CBS still will broadcast next year and the limited advertising still will include the same sponsors at the same rates.

Why, then, couldn't Augusta National have decided to start earlier Saturday and show whatever happened on a mix of tape delay and live coverage? If they had, most of the field would have finished and only a few players would have a few holes left this morning.

That would have leveled the playing field instead of the leaders facing anywhere from 27 to 32 holes today.

Every decision should be made in the best interests of the tournament and not television. We've always thought the Masters was better than that.

Back To The Big Bangers Again?

From Mike McAllister's live blog over at SI.com:

Stephen Ames, who finished at 2-under, said Augusta National is playing longer than earlier in the week. "It's exceptionally difficult out there," he said a few minutes ago. "It's back to the bangers again. The game is back into their hands."

And Tim Clark just told Bill Macatee that even with good drives, he's not sure he could have reached 17 or 18 in two.

Best Read Of The Week...

Don't get me wrong, we loved reading about the course changes and all of the wonderfully complimentary things that the players had to say.  But it has not been the most memorable week for fresh, inside-the-ropes reporting.

Doug Ferguson changes that with a must read about the caddies and players waiting out the rain delay. That's right, he made a great column out of a seemingly mundane topic.

Besides a classic Ben Crenshaw-Clifford Roberts story, I loved this:

Rich Beem stuck his head out the clubhouse door, spotted a reporter and waved him over.

"Have you seen this book?" Beem said.

Sitting in the lounge, he picked up a copy of "The Wit & Wisdom of Bobby Jones," a collection of sayings from the man behind Augusta National Golf Club and a tournament now called the Masters.

Beem pointed out one passage that appeared to go against lengthening the golf course, which club chairman Hootie Johnson has done twice in the last five years. The course now is 7,445 yards, the second-longest in major championship history.

"There was good reason to expect that improvements in the manufacture and the introduction of new methods and materials might make even our long courses look silly and make jokes of our championships," the passage said. "It was not practical to think of buying more and more expensive ground to keep increasing the length of holes to make them fit for championship play as the ball became more and more powerful, particularly when this increase in power carried no actual advantage to the game in any conceivable form."

Beem turned the page to show another passage.

"American architecture allows practically no option as to where the drive shall go," it said.

"What about No. 11? And (No.) 7?" Beem said.

He was referring to two holes that have been lengthened to 505 yards and 450 yards, respectively, both lined by trees that allow for a tight driving area and really no other option.

"Good stuff, huh?" Beem said, then went back inside.

A Few Early Filings

Leonard Shapiro has the American take on Saturday's mostly washed out round, Thomas Boswell tells you more than you ever wanted to know about Chad Campbell, who will not win Sunday.

John Huggan picks on poor Monty for The Guardian on Sunday...just kidding. Scotland on Sunday.

Dai Davies writes about Darren Clarke and his wife's battle with cancer on the eve of Sunday's final round.

And John Hawkins blogs about the Saturday tee time mystery and answers what most of us couch potato pundits were wondering (but afraid to ask):

Yet again, we're left to wonder why the third round wasn't moved up to, say, 8 a.m., and why the most crucial stages of a major championship are likely to resemble a Chinese firedrill. Saturday's forecast had called for rain since the beginning of the week. Today's leaders wouldn't have gotten very far before the suspension, but in sticking with the original plan, viewers stood to see little, if any, of the third-round action that matters most.

It was a virtual replay of the scenario that plagued last year's Masters, when Tiger Woods made up seven strokes on leader Chris DiMarco during untelevised play Sunday morning. It's a problem the good folks at Augusta National already have rectified -- the rest of tomorrow's third round can be seen at 8 a.m. on USA Network -- but it doesn't change the fact that the tournament allowed itself to become needlessly inconvenienced by the weather.

A two-tee start at 8 a.m. Saturday would have sent off the final pairing (Chad Campbell, Rocco Mediate) at around 10:10. They would have finished the front nine before the rain, returned after the suspension and putted out on the 18th well before darkness. Not that any sensible scenario makes much difference now.

Cynical Me?

And you think I'm curmudgeon? I'll look like Norman Vincent Peale after you read read this from Kevin Mitchell in The Observer:

I'm not sure I was as excited about my first Masters as Charles Howell III was about his. He grew up three miles down the road, after all. And he was playing. I'm just scribbling, as pleasant a task as that is.

Charles III (what is it about American golfers that their parents can't think of a different first name for them?) said he was so in awe of the Augusta National Club and the event before being invited to play here for the first time in 2001: 'Even if they made us hit wooden drivers and gutta-percha balls, I'd show up and be happy just to be there.'

It was the kid's entry in the pass-the-bucket all-comers' championship for baloney. Golf and Americans love that stuff: the wonder of the game and the history and the honour and how they'd like to be buried at Amen Corner, if only the guys in the clubhouse would let them, and 'please, please, Hootie, let the sun shine on all my hopes and dreams' - and, if you haven't already, God bless America.

The writers write it down because it looks great in print.

Cynical me? A bit. There is romance and history at Augusta and it must be a thrill for any young player to be on that stage. And a heart-arresting experience to win it. But there is no shortage of horse shit in the azaleas, either. This year's programme fairly dribbles with testimonials from players about the orgasmic experience of being allowed in to golf's earthly paradise.

Wow...oh there's more. Wally, close your eyes.

Maybe they are fit to bursting. But golfers, like all professional athletes, are in sport for one reason: the result. As a rival boxing trainer once observed of the all-dancing Sheffield fighter Herol Graham (who had been described as poetry in motion): 'Nobody ever got knocked out by a poem.'

Yet golf, more than any other sport, drowns in its own schmaltz. Which is odd. Because, for all their love of a soundbite, golfers are pragmatists who work their backsides off honing their game by the millimetre to get just the slightest edge on their opponents (and the course). No amount of sentiment is going to distract them from their work when they step up to the tee.

And where they leave the past behind is in the laboratories of the multinational equipment manufacturers. People there, who might otherwise be finding a cure for cancer or shoes that talk, are paid a lot of money to make clubs that look and sound as if they could fly you to the moon.

That's where the pretence stops. It's not Hootie Johnson, Augusta's chairman, who is golf's overlord. The real oligarchs of the game are the guys who run Nike and all the other fat companies.

Hannigan and Hootie

Frank's love for the man, which started when he went down to Augusta to file this April 2000 feature, has clearly got him still swooning enough that he writes this column blasting the golf media's coverage of the redesign.

Johnson is a victim of the USGA which failed utterly in its mission to control distance. Since 1995 the distance on the Tour has increased around 10%. Johnson, with his latest changes, has upped the yardage of the course by 10%. It's not clear to me what he was supposed to do: just leave it alone so that Augusta would have become a sort of toy, a museum piece?

Frank, he could have added length without adding the rough and trees and chintzy bunker lips and oh, did I mention the trees?

And he could have left some of the old tees behind so that they would have playing options that keep the players off-kilter, something Bobby Jones loved.

Who's Going To Win...

...the contest between Lanny Wadkins and David Feherty to see who can celebrate the course changes most while earning vital brownie points with the ANGC Total Information Awareness Committee.

Wadkins declared that the quality of the leaderboard appears to be "validating" the changes (which Jim Nantz met with silence).

Meanwhile, Feherty wheeled out his "living, breathing organism" spiel for the second day in a row, apparently working under the impression that the new trees are magically popping up on their own.