Masters Preview
Everywhere you look, people are previewing the Masters. So, I won't get into too many of the regular issues about the tournament, the players, or the course. I'll keep it short and sweet with what I wish would happen at the Masters and what will happen.
What I Wish Would Happen at the 2008 Masters
1) The field would be expanded by approximately 10 players - The current field consists of 94 players, and this is how they qualified. I would like to see about 10 more players given the opportunity to play. Who would I include?
a) The first five players on the current year PGA Tour money list who are not already qualified. This gives more opportunities for younger players or those whose games are hot to make it in.
b) Winners of the US Open and Open Championship from six years ago through ten years ago. I think the five year exemption into the Masters for both of those tournaments is a little light.
c) Two players picked by a committee of past Masters champions (not the Masters committee) who have not otherwise qualified but are so associated with past tournaments that not having them there weakens the allure of the tournament. Some names that come to mind are Greg Norman, Nick Price, Johnny Miller (not that he'd play), Davis Love 3rd, Tom Kite, Chris DiMarco, and Lee Trevino.
2) The Masters committee would eliminate the rough entirely. I don't know how much of a difference this would make with the changes in equipment, but it would be in tune with Bobby Jones' design philosphy.
3) Someone will make a back-nine charge to win on Sunday. Maybe it has happened recently, but it doesn't seem like it has.
4) Someone wins with one of these surnames: Couples, Els, O'Hair, Stricker, Rose, Weekley, or Ogilvy.
What Will Happen at the 2008 Masters
1) Tiger Woods will post a top five, but he'll come up short because his putter will go cold.
2) The winner will either be a repeat champion or a big surprise (most likely a foreigner).
3) People will continue to complain (and rightly so) about the abundance of trees down the right side of the 11th fairway.
4) People will complain (and wrongly so) about why old guys like Gary Player, Ray Floyd, Sandy Lyle, etc. should stay home like Nick Faldo because they have no chance of winning.
5) The winning score will be -8 or better. The weather forecast looks pretty good, so there will be plenty of fireworks, but not too many to make the Masters committee go back to planting more trees.
What I Wish Would Happen at the 2008 Masters
1) The field would be expanded by approximately 10 players - The current field consists of 94 players, and this is how they qualified. I would like to see about 10 more players given the opportunity to play. Who would I include?
a) The first five players on the current year PGA Tour money list who are not already qualified. This gives more opportunities for younger players or those whose games are hot to make it in.
b) Winners of the US Open and Open Championship from six years ago through ten years ago. I think the five year exemption into the Masters for both of those tournaments is a little light.
c) Two players picked by a committee of past Masters champions (not the Masters committee) who have not otherwise qualified but are so associated with past tournaments that not having them there weakens the allure of the tournament. Some names that come to mind are Greg Norman, Nick Price, Johnny Miller (not that he'd play), Davis Love 3rd, Tom Kite, Chris DiMarco, and Lee Trevino.
2) The Masters committee would eliminate the rough entirely. I don't know how much of a difference this would make with the changes in equipment, but it would be in tune with Bobby Jones' design philosphy.
3) Someone will make a back-nine charge to win on Sunday. Maybe it has happened recently, but it doesn't seem like it has.
4) Someone wins with one of these surnames: Couples, Els, O'Hair, Stricker, Rose, Weekley, or Ogilvy.
What Will Happen at the 2008 Masters
1) Tiger Woods will post a top five, but he'll come up short because his putter will go cold.
2) The winner will either be a repeat champion or a big surprise (most likely a foreigner).
3) People will continue to complain (and rightly so) about the abundance of trees down the right side of the 11th fairway.
4) People will complain (and wrongly so) about why old guys like Gary Player, Ray Floyd, Sandy Lyle, etc. should stay home like Nick Faldo because they have no chance of winning.
5) The winning score will be -8 or better. The weather forecast looks pretty good, so there will be plenty of fireworks, but not too many to make the Masters committee go back to planting more trees.
posted by John Gorman at 6:53 PM
2 Comments:
JMO is my dark horse
Isn't he always your darkhorse?
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