 |
| "You forgot the 'E-S.' " "Nope, that's how you spell it Tig." |
Going into the day, with McIlroy holding a four stroke lead, this Masters had the potential of being merely a victory lap for the young man from Northern Ireland. But instead, thanks to some amazing play, some lucky shots, and an epic collapse, it turned out to be one of the more exciting tournaments in recent memory, featuring seven different players in the lead at some point on Sunday.
Things got off to an interesting start, when Schwartzel, the unknown South African, made the most impossible chip since Larry Mize in 1987, making birdie on the first hole. He then followed that up with a Robert Gamez style approach on three, making eagle two. Suddenly, with a lot of golf left, Schwartzel and MacIlroy were tied for the lead. And to finish off, Charl was able to make birdies at 15, 16, 17 and 18; closing out the tournament with a two stroke lead. Who would have thunk it?
Many of the early favorites (read: my picks) were nowhere to be seen. Ernie Els, my dark horse, barely made the cut and finished in second last place. Phil Mickelson, nine back to start the day on Sunday, limped home to a two-over 74, and was never a factor. Another of my favorites, Dustin Johnson, had moments of brilliance, but never put anything together and spent the weekend off-camera.
One player in the mix, the man everybody assumed would be there, was Tiger Woods, who started the day seven back, finished in a tie for fourth after a final round 67. After a blistering front nine 31, Tiger seemed poised to win. He was tied for the lead at the turn, and many thought his winning a fifth green jacket was a foregone conclusion. I was already picturing the headlines; "Tiger back from the Woods," "Tiger Stalks Field, Pounces on Fifth Green Jacket," etc. But Tiger Woods is a different man than he was before 2009, when he won 14 major championships in 12 years. He's still a great player, but no longer is he the dominant force he once was. No longer does his name on the leaderboard cause other to shudder with fear and fall off the pace.
As Tiger made the turn, I thought of how Tiger had never come from behind to win a major, but felt, the way he had been playing, that the streak may come to end. I never would have predicted an even par 36 on the back. But Old Tiger (meaning young Tiger) would never have three putted for bogey at 12. Old Tiger would never have parred 13, after having only a six iron into the green. Old Tiger never would have missed a four foot putt for eagle at 15. The kinks in the armour are so apparent. While he may win his share of tournaments over the next few years, maybe even a couple more majors (not enough to pass the Bear mind you), his years of dominance are clearly over. Never again will Vegas odds makers have him at even to win a major. He might not even be the favorite again.
In a way, the 2011 Masters Tournament offered a look at the future of professional golf. While Tiger was in contention Sunday afternoon, he was one of the older players. Only Lee Westwood at 37 was older and in contention on Sunday. At 35, Tiger is no longer the kid, but instead has been moved to "wily veteran" status, while the McIlroys, Days and...uh....Schwartzelzi of the world are poised to take over. The men who dominated golf in the "otts," Woods, Mickelson, Els and Singh are slowing exiting stage left. Schwartzel and last year's British Open Champion, Louis Oosthuizen, even grew up playing in the Ernie Els Foundation golf program in South Africa. They were once but the learners, now they are the Masters.
-TheRev
twitter.com/TheRevBW
thesportsroundup@gmail.com
Agree? Disagree? We want to hear from you! Click below to comment
1 comment:
Love the last line! Classic
Post a Comment