It’s Masters week! Most feel this is the start of spring and the golf season across the Midwest.
I’m going to start by making some picks and observations about the tournament and the players in the field. First, the field is somewhat limited with about 70 players. Of course, my pick to win this year is Tiger – bold pick, huh? – for a few reasons.
First, Tiger is coming off a dramatic victory at Bay Hill in which he birdied the last hole for a one-shot victory. He also still has the passion for the game, and by his expressions after making the winning putt he still shows his emotions for the win. His mental game is such that it almost gives him a two-shot advantage every round over the field. He loves Augusta and the atmosphere.
Now let’s talk about who will contend this week with Tiger. Phil Mickelson has been touted by the media to be his rival. Well, remember there are 70-plus players this week, and 140 players other weeks, who want to beat Tiger. You have to beat the best to become the best.
So let’s move on to a host of players that are ready to win their first major. The foreign contingent is led by last week’s winner, Paul Casey. Then you have Retief Goosen, Sergio Garcia, Nick Watney, Justin Rose, Luke Donald and the list goes on. And let’s not forget the defending champion, Trevor Immelman.
Now we can move to some of the older players. We have a crowd favorite in Fred Couples. At age 49, Freddie is playing some very good golf this season with a couple of top-five finishes, including last week when he bogeyed his last three holes for a third-place finish. Also playing this week is 48-year-old Kenny Perry, who has been one of the hottest players over the last year and could challenge this week for his first green jacket.
We also have Greg Norman returning to Augusta, a place where the green jacket has eluded him numerous times with a meltdown in 1996 in which he lost a six-shot lead over eventual winner Nick Faldo. And last but not least, the lone Hoosier to win The Masters, Fuzzy Zoeller. Fuzzy won his green jacket in 1979, his first start at Augusta, in a playoff over Ed Sneed and Tom Watson. This is the 30th anniversary of his victory, and he has decided it will be his last Masters as a competitor. Thanks, Fuzzy, for all the memories, and good luck in your final appearance as a player.
Here are some interesting notes about Augusta. It limits the amount of spectators. You must either already have tickets, or badges, as they call them, to attend the tournament Thursday through Sunday. They have a lottery for practice tickets, in which they also limit the amount of spectators. They also have a waiting list for volunteers. You never see any debris laying around the course. The prices at the concession stands are considered among the least expensive of all major sporting events, and they limit the amount of TV time along with the amount of commercials during the broadcast.
I have been fortunate enough to go to The Masters twice and can tell you that it is well worth the trip if you ever get the chance. It is most likely on every sports-minded person’s bucket list, along with the Indianapolis 500.
With The Masters this week and tax day next week, we hope that we get some good weather here and see lots of golfers. We go into a full schedule starting this weekend with a NAIA college tournament here hosted by Indiana Wesleyan. There are teams from all over the country coming to play the Brickyard. There are some very good players on these teams, and I will report back on the results next week.
Jeff Schroeder
PGA Head Professional
Brickyard Crossing
The 2008 golf season has started here at Brickyard Crossing. Mother Nature has been the star of the show, with up-and-down temperatures and rain.
So let’s talk about the upcoming Masters at Augusta. The Masters is like the Indy 500 of golf; it is something that is on everyone’s to-do list as a spectator. I have been fortunate enough to have been to Augusta a few times for the tournament, and it is an incredible experience.
My father, Rollie Schroeder, pro emeritus here at the Brickyard, got to play the course twice back in the late 80s. I asked him about it upon his return, and he said it was a trip of a lifetime, without a doubt.