1) Tiger Woods still being good. 2) Tom Watson, if it's even possible, adding to his legend further. 3) Someone following Uncle Tom's footsteps as FRED COUPLES IS IN THE LEAD(?).
Crazy. CRAZY.
EDIT: This is the second thread in three days I've screwed up the dates in the thread title. I'm just going to stop making threads from this point forward.
(edited by El Nastio on 8.4.10 2353) You know, I really don't know what to put here. Close your eyes and thank of something funny!
What is this, the third year since the course was supposedly made "US Open tough"? Without wind or hard landing areas, Augusta was mostly defenseless today. I can't remember the last time you had so many big names at the top of the board on Thursday.
Originally posted by Me, three weeks agoPrediction: Tiger makes the cut, but never seriously challenges for the title. Something like 20th place.
Maybe after living through the entire Michael Jordan era, I should have known better than to doubt Tiger's ability to come through when the spotlight is brightest. I think just about all the bounces went his way today, but that was some impressive ball striking. Remains to be seen if he can get the putts to fall if he's going to win the tournament.
I did see his press conference Monday, and thought that came off really well. Although Tiger's now made some pretty categorical statements about future faithfulness and PED denial that better not come back to bite him. The crowd was totally in a forgiving mood, so it looks like he's cleared to play again.
OTOH, the ad with his deceased father playing Tiger's conscience struck me as iffy. I think a fairly big part of his marketability was that father-son relationship, and that Tiger was 'brought up right'. I suspect Earl Woods' reaction would have been a bit more forceful if he was around to hear this news.
For my money, if Tiger wants to be the ubiquitous endorser again - he needs to go farther with the explanations than he has so far. (If he just wants to play golf and quietly be the good family man, I've heard enough.)
As great as the Couples or Watson stories would be, both have been playing well lately (Watson with his Open run last year, and Couples with his domination of the Champions Tour). The real surprise is seeing Sandy Lyle so near the lead.
All in all, a GREAT leaderboard for the first day. Big names, legends, past major winners, a couple of the BPWAMs (Westwood, Poulter) and of course, Tiger himself.
I changed the thread title to reflect the current year.
As happy as I am to see Fred and Tom at the top of the leaderboard, I don't know if I can handle another heartbreak like Tom gave me last July. I'd just as soon he finish tenth.
The Tiger story is fascinating - all that attention and speculation, and he shoots his best opening round ever. I almost want to say it's inevitable that he'll win this.
I do know this - I will be on my couch all weekend long watching.
Excellent Day 3 today. Phil's back-to-back eagles (with almost a third) was mind-blowing. Great to see Freddie still in contention, and I should also mention Tiger, given that he's staring at me in the banner right now.
Tomorrow's finishing round should be nothing short of spectacular.
Yeah, it was quite an awesome "Moving Day" at Augusta, and you can't help but root for Lefty. And Couples and my boy Tom of course. This will be my most anticipated Sunday at the Masters of all time just for the stories and the fantastic golf being played.
Watch out for Hunter Mahan. He's the dark horse that could sneak up on the more recognizable names and win it.
"Put on your helmets, we'll be reaching speeds of 3!" "It was nice of you to give that dead woman another chance." "All right, look alive everybody...oh sorry Susan."- MST3K: Space Mutiny Click Here (myspace.com)
Originally posted by Torchslasheryou can't help but root for Lefty
Au contraire, mon frère.
Maybe he means root against. Because, that's me. I know, guy's got a story. I don't know why, but I like to see him lose. With him and Westwood up there as chokers, I see Tiger and Choi at the end
We'll be back right after order has been restored here in the Omni Center.
That the universe was formed by a fortuitous concourse of atoms, I will no more believe than that the accidental jumbling of the alphabet would fall into a most ingenious treatise of philosophy - Swift
Well, Phil was clearly the best golfer on this day. I was rooting for Choi or Westwood to win their first major, or for Old Man Couples to win another jacket, but it's hard to argue against the display that Mickelson put on today.
I guess this is the thread for it since it's Masters-related, but does anyone else think the most overblown element of this Tiger scandal story is the "oh, he should learn to control his emotions on the golf course" angle? Who cares? If he curses after a shot, then that makes him like every other golfer in the world. Big deal.
I am not a huge Mickelson fan, but damn it that was some of the best ball striking I have seen in a tournament in a long time. The shot out of the trees on 13 and inside 6 feet was nothing short of amazing!
Tiger definitely showed his rust today and I didn't have him seriously contending but it was still fun to see what he can do. Choi will win a major as will Westwood but it's only going to happen if one of the other 2 really falter.
Being from Washington, it was really cool to see Couples make a run at it. I was rooting for him much like I did when he won in 1992 but those short misses really hurt him at the end...
All in all, I was really happy with the way it turned out...
Chuck Norris drives an ice cream truck covered in human skulls.
Originally posted by Big Baddoes anyone else think the most overblown element of this Tiger scandal story is the "oh, he should learn to control his emotions on the golf course" angle? Who cares? If he curses after a shot, then that makes him like every other golfer in the world. Big deal.
First off, I think tossing clubs is one thing, getting caught on mic dropping a G.D. is another. Even then - aside from John Daly, Craig Stadler, and going back to guys like Tommy Bolt - ferocious tempers for professional golfers are the rare exception to the rule. This is the sport where players are expected to (and do) call penalties on themselves for infractions no one else sees. And given that Tiger sucks up about half the spotlight for the entire sport, this has been a long-standing issue that he's mostly gotten a pass for because he's Tiger Woods.
Originally posted by Tiger Woods, from his statement back in FebruaryI recognize I have brought this on myself, and I know above all I am the one who needs to change. I owe it to my family to become a better person. I owe it to those closest to me to become a better man. That's where my focus will be.
I have a lot of work to do, and I intend to dedicate myself to doing it. Part of following this path for me is Buddhism, which my mother taught me at a young age. People probably don't realize it, but I was raised a Buddhist, and I actively practiced my faith from childhood until I drifted away from it in recent years. Buddhism teaches that a craving for things outside ourselves causes an unhappy and pointless search for security. It teaches me to stop following every impulse and to learn restraint. Obviously I lost track of what I was taught.
As I move forward, I will continue to receive help because I've learned that's how people really do change. Starting tomorrow, I will leave for more treatment and more therapy. I would like to thank my friends at Accenture and the players in the field this week for understanding why I'm making these remarks today.
In therapy I've learned the importance of looking at my spiritual life and keeping in balance with my professional life. I need to regain my balance and be centered so I can save the things that are most important to me, my marriage and my children.
That also means relying on others for help. I've learned to seek support from my peers in therapy, and I hope someday to return that support to others who are seeking help. I do plan to return to golf one day, I just don't know when that day will be.
I don't rule out that it will be this year. When I do return, I need to make my behavior more respectful of the game.
If he can't learn to deal with the temper, why should anyone believe he can stop chasing women, or stay away from performance enhancers? (Though it's only fair to point out that he did a much better job Sunday of anger management - during a much more frustrating round.)
I was starting to root for Choi for awhile, just for his relentlessness and consistency under the Sunday pressure. But I'm happy with Phil as champion - he should have dedicated that win to Seve Ballesteros for getting through the entire round with those drives he hit, and zero bogeys.
The usual suspects (Simmons, Whitlock, et al) are having a field day with Jim Nantz's big line.
"Tiger managed a 69 through all of this"
Edit: Whitlock easily wins the day with this gem
Originally posted by @WhitlockJasonOk, 69 has been covered to death. I apologize. Anyone mention he was five strokes short of a climatic finish?
Second Edit: One more thought. I do love that the win goes to the guy that stuck by his wife at every turn while Tiger's coverage consists of another round of on-the-course tirades. Looks like the spirit of karma is alive and well in sports.
Originally posted by It's FalseSecond Edit: One more thought. I do love that the win goes to the guy that stuck by his wife at every turn while Tiger's coverage consists of another round of on-the-course tirades. Looks like the spirit of karma is alive and well in sports.
Strange, that's not at all what the Tiger coverage has been like on the ESPN *I've* been watching.
Originally posted by It's FalseSecond Edit: One more thought. I do love that the win goes to the guy that stuck by his wife at every turn while Tiger's coverage consists of another round of on-the-course tirades. Looks like the spirit of karma is alive and well in sports.
Strange, that's not at all what the Tiger coverage has been like on the ESPN *I've* been watching.
- StingArmy
I think he means tirades *by* Tiger Woods, not by the commentators or analysts. As in his "Tiger Woods, you suck goddamnit" and "God, Tiger; Jesus Christ" that were picked up on microphone during the tournament.
It is the policy of the documentary crew to remain true observers and not interfere with its subjects. "This topic is going to suck to read in three years." -Psycho Penguin "Well. Shit." -hansen9j
I got that. My point was that 1) I hardly think you can call the moderate amount of cursing and complaining by Tiger "tirades," and 2) while his words/actions were acknowledged by the usual array of sports commentators, the commentators have been far more interested in discussing his overall performance.
The comments to which I replied seemed to be implying that the only thing people were talking about with respect to Tiger was his "tirades."
Good Lord Faber got his ass handed to him. Supposedly the best pound for pound in the world, with the best conditioning ever. However, that won't put your jaw back on. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cnYwuvSwUMo
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