Ah, the Masters. Probably my favorite golf tournament to watch, even beyond the Open Championship. I think I've never quite seen a tournament that is such a crucible for human weakness.
For those of you who don't follow golf, the Masters is played every April in Augusta, Georgia at the private club founded by Bobby Jones (one of the greatest golfers who ever played the game). It's a storied course for all the great players who have won there (and all those who haven't). This was Ike's favorite course (he was a member) and Ben Hogan's.
This is the same course that the last two years has decided to reject all corporate sponsorship so that they can control the TV broadcast. That until last year never televised the play on the front nine holes. That insists that fans at the tournament be called "patrons". Violating this rule got commentator Jack Whitaker banned from further coverage. Commentator Gary McCord was banned for referring to the surface of the super-fast greens as having been "bikini waxed". (But enough of that silliness.)
The Master is drama played out on a very public stage. It's one of the only major tournaments (and the only one of the modern four "majors") that is played on the same course every year. Every hole on Augusta's back nine (and soon the front nine) is known to golf fans. Indeed, Amen Corner (holes 11, 12, 13) is so well-known that it has been copied several times on other courses.
I call it a crucible because it has been the site of some remarkable victories (Tiger's record 18-under victory in 1997) and sad losses (Greg Norman's memorable 6-shot collapse in 1996). Who couldn't empathise with Greg as his game crumbled on the back nine of the final day? Any weakness in a golfer's game or in a golfer's mind will be exposed in the course of the four-day match.
I'm not one of those who watches races for the wrecks or crashes and I certainly don't watch golf tournaments for the mistakes. I much prefer to see great matches between players. Golf courses are built to reward careful analysis and exploitation of the risk/reward factors built in by course architects. Few of us are ever good enough to really make the trade-off and play the course as the architect has intended--but the professionals are and its a joy to watch these guys go for it on Sunday when they are two strokes down and have to take a major risk.
The course is very dry this week and playing really fast. The commentators on the Golf Channel are saying that this will reward the long hitters like Tiger, Vijay, Ernie Els, or Phil Mickelson. I think we are all pulling for Phil--yet another golfer who has collapsed a few times while in the lead.
Whoever wins will surely deserve it and I'll be glued to the TV this weekend to watch as much as I can.
NB: Live coverage starts at 1pm on USA.
Posted by artandscience at April 8, 2004 09:27 AM