Augusta National Golf Club

Major season gets under way this week. Thank goodness it’s that time of the year again – Masters Week! Here are my ramblings and predictions for the week.

These sites will help you keep track of all the action:

Masters.com (this site is truly exceptional)

Which even includes a live feed from the driving range.…..!

Golfweek.com

Golf.com

Golfdigest.com

“Tuesday Clippings” /  “Wednesday Clippings” / “Thursday Clippings” /“Saturday Clippings” / “Sunday Clippings” segment from Geoffshackelford.com

Thursday’s pairings have been released.

Here’s the outlook for the weather:

A heavy storm rolled through Augusta early on Tuesday morning.

Here are the odds:

Augusta National Snow

Augusta National 2011

Augusta National in Winter

This year I am having a hard time seeing how Phil can lose. I certainly would not have said that last week, but finishing with 63, 65 on the weekend in Houston must really have his confidence up. And he has always been a streaky golfer! For some reason I like Martin Kaymer too and my sleeper pick is Martin Laird.

Your 2011 Champion....

The other majors this year are the US Open at the newly renovated Congressional, the British Open at Royal St. Georges and the PGA Championship at the Atlanta Athletic Club.

If your weather is horrible and you’d like to get away and play a little golf of your own you may want to look to Hawaii. Of course you’ll need Hawaii tee times.

Enjoy the golf and check back often for updates of interest.

]]> http://www.andrewricegolf.com/2011/04/masters-week-2011-edition/feed/ 0 http://www.andrewricegolf.com/2011/01/augusta-national-2011/ http://www.andrewricegolf.com/2011/01/augusta-national-2011/#comments Sat, 22 Jan 2011 13:19:17 +0000 Andrew Rice http://www.andrewricegolf.com/?p=2012

Today I had the privilege of playing every golfer’s dream course  – Augusta National. While I did not play as well as I would have liked as you can tell from the pictures it was a beautiful day and who can complain when you’re on God’s gift to golf!

The course seems to be weathering the cold winter well and there are a few new, yet subtle changes. In addition to the new practice grounds from last year, the 11th and 17th greens have been resurfaced.

Take a look at the ALBUM I created and enjoy. As you well know it is a special place!

Here are pictures of Augusta under a blanket of snow in 2010 and here are my pictures from earlier in 2010.

Mickelson is Master again! (AP)

Eighteen of the last nineteen years the winner has come from the final group out on Sunday at the Masters; Tiger has never won a major championship when coming from behind on a Sunday; Phil has three majors while Westwood only has a handful of close calls; we should have seen it all along – this was Phil’s event to win or lose and when he grabbed the event event by the scruff of the neck on the 13th hole Sunday with an emphatic six iron from the trees, he showed he had clearly opted for a courageous and thrilling victory!

While watching the broadcast I could not help but think back to the “old” days when players had legitimate shots at making eagles and birdies on the inward nine that always made for the most exciting finish in golf. The difference this year was that players seemed to have that ability on the front nine as well. I eventually lost track of all the eagles being made in my giddy stupor over how much fun this golf tournament was to watch. From the freak pine stamen event on the second green, to Tiger’s hole out on the 7th, to the most fun sand shot I have ever seen (Westwood, also at the 7th) the front nine gets my vote as the most thrilling nine holes of any major championship in recent memory.

If only the powers that be at Augusta National could comprehend how much the golf community enjoyed seeing Couples, Watson and Langer have a chance; how much we enjoyed watching the youthful passion of Anthony Kim shoot 31 on the back  to be in with a chance; and most of all some of the memorable shots that were played from the most improbable places on the golf course. This course set up, coupled with the near perfect conditions, made for a Masters of old - one where the roars replaced the groans and red replaced black on the large manually operated scoreboards. Please keep this balance between difficulty and achievability because it was so much better than what the last few years have held. Who cares what the winning score is? A week from now no one will remember. You got it right this year (with a little help from Mother Nature!).

Here are a few interesting points I noticed:

Choi and Woods were in sync all week (Tielemans/SI)

• KJ and Tiger played together all four days and matched each other on the scorecard every day. I wonder when the last time that happened was?
• The Phil Mickelson “pine stamen” incident on the 2nd green was the freakiest thing I have ever seen on a putting green – watch the footage here. Bobby Jones always spoke about destiny; what did this mean? Absolutely nothing in the end.
• Jason Dufner birdied the last three holes (16, 17 and 18) on Friday to make the cut at +3!
• When Anthony Kim gets hot lookout! I doubt if there are many players, Tiger included, who can match him shot for shot.
• Sergio Garcia scored 154 (+10) on the weekend in perfect conditions. Whaat? How can a golfer with such talent underachieve so well? It must be due to the fact he is playing against more than just the other golfers in the field each week…. Bad, bad attitude.
• It was good to see Adam Scott and Trevor Immelman hang in over the weekend and both finish in the top twenty.
• Y.E. Yang is a tough customer and never even got a glimpse or a mention – even after a solid 70 and another top ten finish in a major.
• Matteo Manassero is a name that we will be hearing for a very long time time. Not only did he post an excellent final score, but he did exceptionally well in most of the stat categories. He hit the second most fairways for the week!
• I find myself completely unable to root for Tiger Woods.

Stats for the top five finishers: (out of 49 players who made the cut)

Driving Distance

Mickelson 2nd / Westwood 6th / Kim 38th / Choi 42nd / Woods 19th

GIR

Mickelson 5th / Westwood 1st / Kim 10th / Choi 4th / Woods 17th

FIR

Mickelson 45th / Westwood 43rd / Kim 46th / Choi 24th / Woods 38th

Total Putts

Mickelson 13th / Westwood 36th / Kim 6th / Choi 5th / Woods 3rd

Quote of the Day goes to Phil Mickelson when asked about the difference between a great shot and a smart shot:

A great shot is one that you pull off and a smart shot is the one you hit when you don’t have the guts try it!

A Friend in Need..... (Getty)

Complete Final Leaderboard

Putt Like Phil by Dave Stockton Sr. (Phil’s new putting coach)

What’s in Lee Westwood’s bag

This Masters Week was Hard to Beat by John Steinbreder

Tiger Woods (Vuich/SI)

Here are a few impressions from the opening round at Augusta National on Thursday:

• The day was all about Tiger and judging by the golf he played – rightly so! While he received multiple fortuitous bounces (8, 9, 10, 11) he left his fair share of 8 footers out there. On Thursday he was a modern day Seve Ballesteros playing at full steam. Good to watch for sure.
• That being said, Tiger still has a long way to go in improving his reaction to less than stellar shots. I saw and heard multiple GD’s and what looked like an f-bomb.
• Shingo – what happened to the hat?
• Charl Schwartzel is the real deal! He played a fantastic opener and I look for him to still be around come Sunday. He gets my vote as the best swing in golf at the moment.
• Aaah Freddy - that swing is perhaps even smoother and freer than it has ever looked. And I love the “golf sneakers”, with no socks none the less, to go along with no glove. He looked and swung like a friend had pulled him off the couch for a quick evening 5 holes at their local track! Did you know that Fred is -77 for 12 rounds on the Champions Tour this year….! Yesterday was the lowest round he has ever had at Augusta National.

Freddy Couples (Beck/SI)

• Each time I checked the leaderboard a different Champions Tour golfer was leading – first Langer, then Watson and finally Freddy Couples. What a great day for golf!
• I can see the emergency meeting Thursday night with the superintendent: How do we get rid of these silly pine stamens? Why is there pine pollen floating on the ponds? And why are the scores so low? I’m sure every stamen you saw yesterday is already off property, but can you picture Augusta with no pine trees next year?
• What happened to Ernie and Angel on the back nine yesterday? Els played a fine round, but spoiled it with an ugly double at the closer for 71 and Cabrera had it to -3 before dropping four shots in the final four holes for 73.
• I love what Jack and Arnie did to start the tournament. Call me sentimental, I just think it adds so much to the event and it’s tradition. Gary Player where are you?
• KJ Choi is swinging and putting beautifully and I look for him to be around on Sunday. Playing with Tiger seemed to spur him on.
• Does Matt Kuchar have the flattest back swing you have ever seen?
• If you have not used the scoreboard at Masters.com I would highly recommend it. It includes video highlights for multiple shots from each player - take a look!
• It was good to see Trevor Immelman and Adam Scott have nice openers. Two young stars who have been missing for awhile.
• In the battle of the long bombers Dustin Johnson (305.50 yds) currently holds a 1 yard advantage over playing partner Alvaro Quiros (304.50 yds)
• Lookout for Phil…..lookout!

GIR Stats

FIR Stats

Putting Stats

Driving Distance Stats

Augusta National

The week that every golfer anticipates from all the way back in November is finally here – Masters Week 2010! I would like this to be a one-stop shop for all things pertaining to Augusta National and the Masters and as a result I have tracked any and all pertinent information down and linked it to the site. Enjoy!

• Tournament Tee Times  All the best to KJ Choi and Matt Kuchar who drew the short stick – and Tiger!
• Masters.com  The Official Site – for the latest news and some great photography
• Live online coverage – here
• Official Course Tour
• Golf.com Masters Coverage
• Golf.com has some excellent and unusual aerial shots of the course

Augusta 15th Hole Aerial (Sports Illustrated)

• Read some interesting first accounts of Tiger’s Press Conference on Monday

The "New" Tiger?

• Golf Digest Masters Coverage
• The Golf Channel’s Coverage
• TV Times and Schedule
• Updated Masters Odds  England finally seems to have a solid chance again in Poulter, Casey, Donald, Rose and Westwood.

The English are coming..... (How/Getty)

• Augusta National just over 7 weeks ago! You have never seen the course looking like this….
• The course is closed during the summer. Here is what it looks like in the winter…..

Augusta National in Winter

This week also happens to mark the one year anniversary of andrewricegolf.com! In our first year we have had almost 40,000 visitors and continue to grow. Thanks so much for your support and readership and I can promise another year of even better and more insightful content.

BTW – my picks for this week are Phil and the Goose! Yours?

Enjoy the tournament.

Seve the Great

I miss you.  I miss the way you played golf the ”incorrect” way, yet managed to make it so exciting and seem so right.  The game of golf is worse off without you and it does not appear that there is currently anybody to take your place.

 I remember crying when you three putted the 10th green in the playoff for the 1987 Masters against Mize and Norman.  I remember watching you do your now famous fist pump when you defeated Tom Watson in the Open Championship at St. Andrews in 1984.

I remember watching you when I was just a boy shoot 31 on the back nine at Gary Player CC all while hitting only one fairway.  I remember the sound of the one-iron you hit on the 18th hole that day and rushing out onto the tee box to collect your discarded tee.

Seve, I know you will always love the Open Championship because it allowed you to play golf your way.  You were given the opportunity to recover, to hit amazing shots from seemingly nowhere, and that’s why you thrived there.  The only thing I would have enjoyed more than watching Tom Watson this year (2009), would have been rooting for you down the stretch at Turnberry.

I don’t think you would enjoy playing the new Augusta National.  It requires the same rigid style of golf that is a requirement for success at the US Open and PGA.  In the quest for difficulty they have managed to remove a certain element of excitement – particularly from the back nine on Sunday.

1984 St. Andrews

 The game of golf is just not the same without you.  It has become a little boring actually.  There is this new guy, Tiger Woods.  He too has taken much of the excitement out of the game, simply because he wins so often that it has become predictable and, well, boring.  You see, when you played, there was nothing predictable.  I never knew if you were going to find the hole you were playing never mind win the tournament, and that is what made you so exciting to follow.

You have done so much for golf throughout the world – one might even say you are the “Arnold Palmer” of Europe.  Your swashbuckling style and flair launched a thousand careers.  The game has seen multiple young Spanish stars rise from what you started.  Spain has even become a golf destination because of your passion and love for this great game.

1980 Augusta National

Seve, the game misses you. Golfers all over the world wish you well in your latest battle.  And we thank you for what you have done for our game. Gracias Senor.

• Seve has just been granted an honorary membership to the R&A
• For a walk down the Ballesteros memory lane click here.
• For a great golf excursion to Spain visit La Manga

Mickelson attempted three draws on the back nine, all with poor results – tee ball @ 11 (trees), tee ball @ 12 (water) and tee ball @ 18 (bunker). Every other tee shot on the back nine played into his fade perfectly.

Perry and Campbell started to come unglued down the stretch with typical mistakes that drawers of the ball make – blocks and hooks.  They both hit a few of each and it was clear that the recent constriction of 17 and the fade required off 18 did not fit their eye. Now, they both hit the 18th fairway in the playoff, but the doubts raised by their earlier mis-steps remained and eventually proved to be their undoing.

Cabrera was a different story. His fade seemed to hold up when he needed it most (18 in regulation and the second at 10) and with a few saving par putts he was able to keep himself in the game. What a beautiful shot he hit into 10 for his second!

Here are a few points that caught my eye during yesterday’s broadcast:

• A fade holds up better under pressure as there is less timing required
• There is no such thing as a perfect swing, only a functional one
• Never give up! No matter how many trees your ball hits you are never out of a hole
• Once the Tiger and Phil show ended it was nice to watch the Masters
• I like Billy Payne – I think he will do a great job for Augusta National
• Phil is now officially longer than Tiger (even when he fades it!)
• Tiger curses on live television more than anyone I have ever seen!
• I would like to play Augusta National every day!

Remember this – draws go further, but require more timing and are thus less consistent. Fades finish straighter, require less timing and are thus more consistent! Every good golfer I have ever taught is seeking consistency.