2020 Masters Winners, Ehs and Losers
/
No winners and losers column should be this long. But for a tradition hopefully unlike any other ever again? What the heck…
Winners
Dustin Johnson – The best player in the world overcame COVID-19, had to shed his coveted green reading books for the week, and after a few Sunday hiccups validated his consistent excellence. While he played the par-5’s in -11, his brilliance elsewhere differentiated him from everyone else: -4 on the par-3’s and -5 on the par-4’s to break the Masters scoring record. A well-earned Green Jacket in a Hall of Fame career, capped off with a rare smile and red eyes. He’s human!
April – All things considered, Augusta National proved as pleasant as ever to see in November. But the springtime vibes and inability to present a firmer, faster course served as a reminder that everything about the place is geared toward springtime. Hopefully this never happens again.
PGA and U.S. Open – The first two rescheduled majors felt like championship examinations with most demands you’d expect at a Grand Slam event. Augusta National, while prepared as well as can be in November with tough growing conditions leading up to the event, did not present the intense test we have come to know at majors.
CBS. Making up for the lack of patrons with additional cameras and aerial views, they’ve established themselves as the leader in golf television. The Masters extras delivered everything NBC’s U.S. Open coverage was lacking due to budget cuts. The drone views, the 16th hole spy cam and other beauties made up for the quiet atmosphere. Moving Dottie Pepper to on-course commentating added Masters insights we don’t normally enjoy.
The dreamy multichannel view
Historical Flashbacks – Seeing past wins provided sensational reminders of the toonamint lore without staying around too long. A half hour longer TV window filled with a few more of these artfully produced gems would bother no one. No one.
Masters.com Channels. So many options and all of them so enjoyable. There were technical issues Thursday morning on web browsers, but those viewing in the Masters app or the TV options (ESPN+, Masters TV app) had no problems. The multichannel options are both dizzying and spectacular. Especially…
Amen Corner Live – This “channel” on the Masters app and website remains the gold standard. The magic is thanks largely to combination of visuals, architecture, scenery and non-stop compelling golf no matter who is there. The focused but still easy going commentary team of Grant Boone and Mark Immelman know every inch of the corner and Brian Crowell effortlessly stepped in to spell the lead duo.
Young International Players Cameron Smith, Sungjae Im and Abraham Ancer – The first two aforementioned are repeatedly dubbed up-and-coming talents elevated their standing in the game with stout runner-up finishes. Smith thrived with a little smoke-and-mirrors work to become the first ever posting four-rounds in the 60s. Im with stunning ballstriking consistency. And if Ancer learns how to putt… What is it about The Masters bringing out the best in the rest of the world?
Brooks Koepka – an awful year ends with a healthy body and a -10 week at Augusta National. And his good buddy won the Masters! You know they work out together?
Drones and 16th Hole Fly Cam. Judging by the areas they covered, these huge additions appear to be doable even when the patrons return to the Masters. They provided a cinematic quality to the proceedings without getting carried away. A live channel of just the scenics might be worth considering. The Kaze Aerial team and the accountants at CBS who approved Sean McManus’s extra expenditure deserve Emmy’s.
ESPN – The historic magnitude College Gameday tie-in was overplayed—people, it’s a pre-Game show not a Papal visit—but the Worldwide Leader did a much better job integrating the Masters this year and in providing programming to keep viewers around after their broadcasts signed off. In year’s past they’ve been in a hurry to talk other sports after signing off. Overall, they finally gave the sense this was an obligation more than a privilege. Not anymore.
Bernhard Langer – The oldest player to ever make the Masters cut and undoubtedly back to the range tomorrow after picking up a few things from Bryson Sunday.
NFL – Making THE MASTERS move up tee times so some mediocre afternoon games start on time must make you feel powerfule. Where is Clifford Roberts to grab Roger Goodell’s annual dues renewal notice and donate it to the Butler Cabin incinerator?
Ehs
Tiger – Such a promising start, but the back stiffened up Saturday playing 20 holes and a 10 on Sunday followed by four birdies ended a mixed-bag title defense. Still, the distance was there, the swing looks as rhythmic as ever and it’s easy to see him contending a couple more times when roars are on his side.
Justin Thomas – He brings it every week and works as hard as anyone in golf. A golden opportunity missed but hardly a setback.
Rory McIlroy – He brings it every week and works as hard as anyone in golf. Another tough first day and another career Grand Slam opportunity missed. Good news? Only five months until he opens as the Masters betting favorite!
Course Conditions – Sure, the Augusta National turf looked thin in spots. Several tees were glorified mud pads and the bent greens appeared to have come out weakened by a long summer. But credit to the maintenance staff for refusing to mask the blemishes with green sand or paint and doing all of their hard work under the cover of darkness.
Camerawork. Probably caused by the lower sun and deep shadows, but it seemed like the normally top-notch CBS crew struggled with this year’s setting.
My Group Feature. The technology behind the new AI-driven creation is mind-boggling. Well done Watson and IBM. However, the feature reset my “Favorites” a few times—first world problem alert!. My Group is a great reference tool for players, coaches, friends, fanboys and ex-wives wanting to revisit double bogies. But without the storytelling of announcers, but it was fairly tedious to watch compared with other channels.
Oddly-timed mid-round CBS interviews – Hearing about Rory McIlroy’s newborn while the leaders were on Amen Corner Saturday, Andy Ogletree while the leaders were in the back nine Sunday before he gets interviewed again in Butler Cabin as low amateur. Then Rory again with the leaders on 17.
Paulina - Great Masters green shirt, but your man has just won The Masters and has to go sign his card. He doesn’t need to know where you’ll be. I think he’ll find you when he’s reunited with his cell phone.
No Ropes Just A Line - How wonderful to not see a rope and instead keep the lucky few on site behind a painted line. Too bad a huge number of marshals couldn’t wear a mask when it a camera shot and viewers saw way too many bad legs, presumably media members. Move those lines back for April when, sadly, they will probably be in use again.
Losers
Weekend TV Windows. Even with the well-known sunset time and likelihood of threesomes off split tees, CBS did not come on the air Saturday until 1 pm ET as the leading group teed off on the fifth. Sunday we missed the leaders playing the early holes live along with all of the fun buildup prior to the opening tee shot while they were also not part of Featured Group coverage. So yes, the Masters wisely sticks to a less-is-more approach with their network broadcast while providing robust digital viewing alternatives. But given how much happened in those early holes Saturday—Tiger and Phil playing themselves out, Rory playing himself into contention—the late network arrival seemed a huge miscalculation. Informercials were airing nationally Saturday and while I understand those pay affiliate bills, the Masters doesn’t come around often.
Unbecoming rough.
Rough – The “Third Cut” looked awful, did not make the course play better and undercuts the whole defending Jones and MacKenzie narrative. Oh and a record -20 won, so par was not protected and no one wants it to be.
Whoever put Sunday’s 16th hole 31 back and four from the right – Presumably the traditional and always captivating back left pin placement was not offering turf suitable for a Masters? Or someone just wanted to make sure we were not treated to a Sunday thrill. Why oh why?
Bryson DeChambeau - 124 into 13 was fun but the energy levels were unsustainable. Augusta requires more calm and patience than you exuded.
SubAir – For all of the mentions about how the subterranean system can magically suck moisture out of surfaces and help committees flip a switch, the 2020 Masters proved what most superintendents and agronomists already know: it can’t.
Tees strategically placed
13th tee – First, evidence surfaces of trees that appear to magically stay in place thanks to cables, might lean during Masters week (but we’ll never know). And then there were the shots of the shaded tee, looking more muddy than major. And in the saddest sight of all, a funny weekend effort to stop players from long drives by only placing makers on half the box. Lords, just lengthen it now to avoid the chintz and the apparent horror of taking a stand on distance that your esteemed co-founder Bob Jones would have wanted. But don’t complain about the ugly opening in the trees that comes with it. There were alternatives.
The Winner’s Walk Up 18 - CBS cut to a commercial break instead of watching Dustin Johnson’s walk up 18 to applause from the small gathering of members and guests. Why?
Whoever Put Michelle Wie Into A Prime Role In Year One. Grouped with Andrew Catalano and Bill Kratzert with all working from different locales, the struggles were well-documented on social media. Thursday and Friday they were constantly talking over each other (particularly Wie and Catalano), Kratzert was not heard enough, and the overall effect was painful. Wie may develop into a solid broadcaster, but putting her in such a high profile role under an awkward setup that would test even a veteran announcer, did a huge disservice to her career.
Mud ball – Apparently the new “bikini wax” for announcers to avoid, the MB words did get mentioned without the apparently offensive ball part. Players used the term regularly but Dottie Pepper averted disaster with her “organic matter” euphemism.
Nike – I’ll let Twitter do the talking.
