The 2009 Masters
One of my favorite weekends of the year is just about to get underway…yep, it’s Master’s weekend. This year promises to be full of storylines, great shots, bad breaks and another exciting finish.
The fact that Tiger is back is THE major talking point…can he do it? You certainly wouldn’t bet against it would you? I have to say that golf has been a bit boring during his 8 month absence and the TV viewing figures have confirmed what we already knew…if Tiger doesn’t play, a lot of people tune out.
So Tiger’s back but who else can we expect to challenge? First of all Padraig Harrington has put down his mark winning 3 major’s in the last 2 years, Antony Kim won the AT&T and Camilo Villegas won the BMW Championship. Old lefty, Phil Mickelson, seems to have lost his putting touch but you can never write him off and Vijay Singh managed to win three times in Tiger’s absence so he could well pose a threat. Paul Casey comes into the Master fresh on the back of his play off win last weekend at the Shell Houston and of course, Sergio Garcia, “El Nino” has always been there or there abouts.
There’s also much speculation about Gary Player and Greg Norman, back after a 7 year absence, bowing out this year but that remains to be seen. Both have given the golfing world so much to appreciate but for fans of my era, Norman will forever be remembered for the way he “choked” when up against Nick Faldo all those blue moons ago in 1996 and when Larry Mize pitched in on the second hole play off in 1987 to beat him.
Norman qualified, at age 53, by finishing in a third-place tie at the British Open last year. Rejuvenated by his marriage to tennis great Chris Evert and with his son, Gregory, carrying his bag, Norman is making the Masters this year into a family affair. Now 54, he said at his press conference yesterday that he’s been thrilled by the support he’s received from other players and fans and doesn’t rule out being in the mix come Sunday…we’ll see.
Then there are the teenagers in the field, three of them: 19-year-old Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland, 18-year-old Danny Lee of New Zealand and 17-year-old Ryo Ishikawa of Japan. All have won professional tournaments, even though Lee is still an amateur.
So, let’s settle back and enjoy another great event…I can’t wait for the action to begin.
