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Not puttin' good in the neighborhood

Frayed Knot Apr 07 2007 07:52 PM

Stuart Appleby (see what I did there?) led The Masters by a couple of shots for most of Day 3 but triple-bogied #17 and barely holds on to a 1-stroke lead heading into Sunday. Tiger looked like he was playing his way out of things early but Appleby and the rest of the pack all blew up near the end and came back to him as the cold, windy day wreaked havoc with long shots and the dry conditions with the chipping and putting, all of which led to the highest 54-hole leading score in Masters history: 216 (+2). Tiger (+3) & the Aussie Appleby will be the final pair on Sunday. Weather is expected to be not quite as cold and a bit less windy. Will be interesting to see if the poobahs at Augusta decide to go with some easier pin placements for the final round in an effort to create lower socres and a more "shootout" friendly environment. The cool thing about that course is that, unlike the US Open and some others, the possibilities of real high or real low scores can exist at the same time making several-shot swings on a single hole more likely and can make for some great viewing on the Sunday back 9

Rockin' Doc Apr 07 2007 10:46 PM

Besides that, Augusta National is absolutely beautiful.

Centerfield Apr 07 2007 11:06 PM

Funny that on moving day Woods did the most moving while in the clubhouse.

Frayed Knot Apr 08 2007 10:52 AM

I don't generally root for Tiger. No real reason really, mostly just pulling for underdogs I guess. Not that I'm a fanatic about it, but I'd really like to see someone actually challenge him down the stretch today. The last few times he's won at Augusta he's managed to play fairly pedestrian golf down the stretch (and sometimes worse than that) but still hold on because no one else stepped up when it counted. That he's the best in the world - and by a large margin - isn't even in question. If he plays his best or even close to his best: he wins, frequently going away. But, even though I think today's international field is deeper than the ones say Nicklaus had to contend with, there doesn't seem to be that layer of top-notch players that existed in Jack's day. No one, to my knowledge, has ever really "stolen" one from Tiger whereas Jack had as many 2nd place finishes in majors as he did 1sts on account of days where he was good but Palmer, or Miller, or Watson, or Trevino, or Player, etc. threw in a great round on a majors Sunday. It would be nice to see Tiger actually lose on a day where he plays decent to good but somebody ... ANYBODY! ... plays great. But I'm not counting on it. The final few pairings (as far as I can tell): * Toms (+6) - Donald (+6) * Mickelson (+6) - Sabbatini (+6) * Goosen (+6) - Dredge (+5) * Taylor (+4) - Johnson (+4) * Harrington (+4) - Rose (+3) * Woods (+3) - Appleby (+2)

Frayed Knot Apr 08 2007 10:13 PM

The weather and the scoring were improved on Sunday and, while you never got the rollicking back & forth on the back nine that you often get at the Masters, there were a few good moments especially after Tiger eagled #13 to pull within 1 shot of the lead. But he then missed a makeable birdie putt on 14 and managed only even par golf down the stretch while not quite getting the multi-player collapse he needed. Instead, Zach Johnson - out of that golfing hotbed of Iowa - birdied 13, 14 & 16 to win by 2 shots with a 1-over par 289, tying the highest winning score in Masters history. It was his 2nd win on tour and first major. Tiger finished in a 3-way tie for 2nd at +3.

Rockin' Doc Apr 08 2007 10:35 PM

As you had mentioned earlier in the thread, Tiger played well, but not great. The difference today was that the entire field failed to implode and fall apart under the pressure of seeing Tiger looming near the top of the leaderboard. It wasn't the most dramatic Sunday back nine at a Masters tournament, but it was refreshing to see someone not wilt in a showdown involving Tiger. Zach Johnson finished strong to win.

cooby Apr 08 2007 11:11 PM

Watching the Masters is a feast for the eyes, especially after a long winter and during the agony of waiting for spring. I've got a gorgeous counted cross stitch pattern of one of the holes on that course, and now that I can see again, I might just stitch it up. (not to change the subject)

Johnny Dickshot Apr 08 2007 11:14 PM

Did anyone raise the point that perhaps Phil Mickelson's game suffered as a result of becoming as fat as a walrus? I loved that putt the South African guy made before he completely lost it.