Sunday
Apr132008
2008 Final Round Thoughts
Well, we have a class act winner who finished it off beautifully even with one final knuckleball thrown his way on 18.
Most of you regular readers know what I think at this point about the changed golf course dynamics impacting the way the field plays, the time it takes and the hushed atmosphere in general.
We'll hash through that later on, but I'm curious mostly what your thoughts are of the week, Trevor Immelman, Tiger, Phil, the coverage, etc...
Sunday, April 13, 2008 at 04:42 PM
Reader Comments (40)
us open-lite setup and just avoid the doubles and the bogeys.
here's to laying up!
Hilarious moment was Chairman Payne's exhortation of opening golf up to the masses...as long as they aren't female.
Many thanks Geoff for all your work. Riveting blog.
He and Snedecker actually enjoyed the round. The ultimate highlight should be the true handshake they shared after the 72nd hole, it was more high school-buddies than major championship competitors.
As far as the coverage is concerned, it's not what I would like to see, but until they change networks (and they are not likely to change anything about the tournament for a long time) CBS and their team will be there. I would just soon wish they would let fescue grow somewhere, anywhere, but I know better now. And how they could miss Immelman's tee shot at 16 ( a water hole!!) is absolutely ridiculous. Maybe the cameras were still set on Tiger.
On a personal note, at last year's Deutsche Bank Championship, we had a chance to spend 5 minutes with Trevor between holes on the last practice day. My 3 sons ( who are between 7 and 11) were greeted with handshakes, smiles and pats on the head.
That's my litmus for being a golf fan - if they can't be nice to the young fans, then I can't really root for them. Needless to say, I've been a fan of Trevor's since last Labor Day, and will likely be for a long, long time.
That said, I was really disappointed that they have changed the course to the point that a 1986 Nicklaus-like charge seems really unlikely anymore. I don't know if the coverage reflected it, but the course was very US Open-like. Just long and brutal. It's a shame because I was more confident in a train wreck for the leaders to come back to the field than I was for a contender to make a big run on the back 9.
I think #13 is one of golf's greatest holes, and now is better because of a little more length. Still very reachable with good drives so the 4 & 1/2 concept remains.
The pitches Immelman and Tiger made into that green were wonderful.
If Tiger makes that putt at 13, things could have gotten real interesting.
Amazing that Immelman went left at 16, but he finished well and was a classy winner.
I think a tournament like this shows the brilliance of Tiger. He did not have his all around game, yet he finishes second, again. When the rest of the top players struggle with a part of their game in a major they miss the cut or finish well down the leader board.
The work with the course has really become a shame. How many years is it without real Sunday excitement. It seems the negative comments from the players are becoming louder. Please, bring back the width.
I agree that as long as the Masters is televised by CBS we are going to continue to be left wanting to throw up. When Jim Nantz and Billy Payne shook hands in the Butler Cabin I was glad I had not had anything to eat for a couple of hours. I thought they were going to kiss. Let's face it, we are never going to get anything but the company line from CBS. Do you think the tournament committee wanted Lunquist to mention the new Patron viewing area on 16?
Geoff, wonderful job with the blogging during the week. Its one stop shopping for Masters coverage on the internet. Can't wait for the US Open.
:) You just watched it. haha
Tiger should threaten skipping it some year, at least until they fix that blowing soft silica.
Here's what I say: the Masters is now the 5th major, not the Players. Weak field + US Open clone vs strong field + Florida golf at its pinnacle. What a shame.
The highlights of the day were the caddy reactions in the '78 replay. Hubert misses that short one to tie and his caddy collapses. Classic.
(And, in the above post, of course I mean the Masters not the Master's.)
If Tiger is putting he wins by 4.
Every tournament remains his to lose.
They need a dome for days like this.
Faldo says the "first cut." Do they talk to the talent at production meetings?
Thanks for your great work, Geoff.
Imagine the boredom if Tiger wasn't near the top. They have done a great job of wrecking 15. Unless you thread a great drive, you now just lay up because of trees.
Perhaps par was 77 today, but with the course so severally set-up, there is no way to back the course down or more properly said the Augusta members want to host a US Open-like tourney now..
Sadly the Masters is now just another TIVO golf telecast, instead of a "must see live TV".
Yes, there was a disappointing US Open feel to the round Sunday, but the weather was the main reason for that. Saturday was certainly more exciting than any US Open round I can recall.
The '78 telecast is instructive: to bring back the roars, dial back the greens just a bit. Notice how much less the ball trickled back then, not being drawn inexorably towards the bigger slopes. The second cut and most of the newer trees (except 11) would be ok if the greens could just get back to a less punishing (crucial word) standard.
signed,
Jerome Bettis is from Detroit & Stephen Curry is Del Curry's son.
A few weeks later, he won the Sun City thingy and now he's the proud owner of a green jacket.
Golf's a funny old game.....
Obviously he means "to the masses of Americans"
Save it? Release the pine beetles, termites and tree spades, mow it wall to wall, Ban the Pope of Design from ever stepping foot on the place again and crank up the Sennheisers while telling the announcers to shut up.
I feel like I was dosed with Ipecac for the entire back nine.
Randy Wilson
The group I was watching with noticed that Tiger looked exhausted on Sunday. It was like he'd convinced himself that this WAS a US Open and he looked like he'd aged considerably since Thursday. A low round was out there for him, but his loose shots and poor putting cost him in the end. At one point, I remember saying 'ok, he's still got 3 birdies out there on 13, 15 & 17'. Eventually, he just ran out of chances (How does he miss that badly on the approach to 14?).
In my opinion, no one else had a chance. And my ears didn't stand a chance either. On 18, Nantz refused to let the crowd take over and just kept talking and talking and talking. Hopefully he and Freddie will found a moment for their own green jacket ceremony sometime on the weekend. Maybe Jim slipped Freddie's jacket on him before he stepped into the champions locker room on Friday?
Those two, particularly Immelman, took insufferably long over the ball. Even my 6-year old was asking "Dad, why is this guy taking so long to hit it?"
Also, how come the media never roast "nice guys" like Snedeker and Flesch when they blow up while in contention. Snedeker (77) and Flesch (78) crapped their pants on sunday and everyone seems to praise them- why? Those guys have won tournaments on tour before so it's not like they should get a pass.
Also, how come the CBS guys always praise Peter Kostis as Paul Casey's instructor when he's playing well, but then say nothing when he's shooting 79 on sunday.
I would like Nance to say something like - hey Kostis, what happened to your guy, he almost shot 80 when he had a chance to win a major. I'd like to see what Kostis would have to say then.
On Friday and Saturday- when Casey was playing well, all your heard was how Kostis was his instructor, but then on Sunday when he's playing terrible, all of the sudden you don't hear a peep about that.
AN needs to get a pair, institute a high spin tournament ball and return the course to its former wide-open glory. (they are the only organization with the power and prestige to do it)
Let's see, every other sport has to birfucate the rules for professional play (and what is the USGA going to do with the new groove rule) IE - the NFL plays with a different ball, and 2 feet down vs 1 in college, MLB with wooden vs. aluminum bats, NBA 3pt line, 24 sec clock and width of lane, only two substitutes in World Cup play, squash has different speed balls and sized rackets..etc...)
... players would be able to curve the ball, drives would be more inacurate, and players would then have to really worry about spinning the ball back into the water on holes like 13 and 15. Even better would be to then cut down driver volume to 265cc and putthe miss-hits back into the game. That would really put some variablility and excitement into the game.