US Masters – Memories and 2011 Tips
The picture perfect sea of green, interrupted occasionally by azaleas in full bloom and the sturdy foundations of many a pine tree towering over the scene. The silicone-white sand and omnipresent water on the back nine that both somehow look the part in spite of being taken far away from their natural colours. A few strands of acoustic guitar and gentle accompanying piano notes. It can only be the Augusta National Golf Club in April, the scene of the US Masters.
The US Masters begun its life as the Augusta National Invitation Tournament in 1934, before adopting its current name in 1939. In the inaugural tournament, the current front nine holes played as the back nine and vice versa, before a switch to the current sequence of holes in 1935. The reversing of the front and back nines has proven over the years to be a masterstroke (pardon the pun), with the current back nine providing the perfect backdrop for a series of dramatic moments over the past seven decades. Before we get to my tip for the 2011 instalment, a trip down memory lane is in order – what better way to present this trip than as a hole-by-hole instalment over the back nine at Augusta?
10th Hole (Par 4)
1989
Scott Hoch closed the tournament with a final round 69 to find himself in a playoff with Nick Faldo, who had surged up a strong leader board in the final round with a 65 that vaulted him past Ben Crenshaw and Greg Norman, who tied for third, and Seve Ballesteros, who finished fourth. At the first playoff hole (the tenth hole), Hoch hit a phenomenal approach shot to within two feet of the hole. Faldo failed with his birdie attempt and Scott Hoch stood around half a metre away from a Green Jacket….. a tap-in putt in ordinary circumstances…. and hemissed. At the second playoff hole (the 11th), Faldo recovered from a wild drive out to the right, hitting a 3-iron to within 25 feet of the flag in gathering darkness. Faced with his own birdie putt to win, Faldo seized the opportunity and his first Masters championship.
11th Hole (Par 4)
1987
Augusta native Larry Mize birdied the final hole of regulation to get in the clubhouse at 3-under par. Greg Norman and Seve Ballesteros each birdied the penultimate hole to tie Mize. Ballesteros parred the final hole of regulation, while Norman had a putt to win the tournament on the final hole but the ball skirted the left side of the cup, sending the three men to a playoff starting at the 10th hole. Ballesteros, the 1980 and 1983 Masters champion, dropped out on the first playoff hole with a 3-putt, while Mize missed a 10-foot putt for birdie to win. Mize and Norman continued to the 11th as their second playoff hole. Mize found himself well short and right of the par-4 green in two, whilst Norman had reached the fringe of the green. With water lurking ominously behind the hole, Norman looked to hold a distinct advantage. The response from Mize quickly entered Masters folklore – his 140-foot chip pitched just short of the putting surface, bounced up onto the green, kept tracking towards the hole, and finally dived in. A visibly stunned Norman could not respond with a successful birdie putt of his own, ending the playoff there and then. "I didn't think Larry would get down in two, and I was right," Norman said of the chip-in. "He got down in one."
1990
With six holes left to play on Sunday, 48 year-old Ray Floyd seemed to have the tournament in his hands, leading Nick Faldo by four strokes. However, a minor slip by Floyd with a bogey on the penultimate hole and a late charge by Faldo (who reeled off three birdies in those six holes) sent the tournament to a playoff for the second consecutive year. At the second playoff hole (the 11th hole), Floyd’s approach shot to the green found the water on the left – game over. Nick Faldo had won back-to-back Green Jackets.
12th Hole (Par 3)
1996
Greg Norman opened the tournament with a remarkable 63 and at 13-under after 54 holes, held a commanding six shot lead over his closest pursuer Nick Faldo. Sharks typically revel when there is blood in the water, but during Sunday’s front nine it was Norman doing the bleeding with a 38 to turn at 11-under and Faldo doing the predatory circling with a 34 to reach 9-under. With further dropped shots at both the 10th and 11th, Norman stepped up on the par-3 12th knowing that he desperately needed to steady his sinking ship. Instead, he hit his tee shot a bit heavy and Rae’s Creek short of the green was waiting to accept the offering – double bogey. Norman had slumped to 6-over for the day and 7-under for the tournament, now cutting a desolate figure as knew his race was all but run. Faldo went onto finish with a fine 67 to win by five strokes, claiming his sixth Major title and third Green Jacket. The embrace between Faldo and Norman on the 18th green remains one of the game’s iconic images. For many years the words exchanged between the two men remained between them alone – it was finally revealed that Faldo had said to Norman “Don’t let the bastards get you down”, by way of reference to the naysayers who would no doubt be itching to attack Norman for his final round 78. For a man not known for his compassion, a new side of Nick Faldo revealed itself on that sunny Georgia afternoon.
13th Hole (Par 5)
2010
Last year’s tournament build up provided a stark contrast between the two best players in the world. Tiger Woods entered the event hot on the heels of scandal breaking out regarding his many extra-marital affairs, a public (if completely robotic) apology and a public backlash against him. Phil Mickelson entered the event with his wife Amy watching the first three rounds from the Augusta home the family had rented out, still recovering from successful cancer treatment in 2010 and not yet physically able to manage a full tournament of following her husband from the galleries. Lee Westwood led the tournament after 54 holes but an erratic final round cost him dearly. Woods fought an errant driver all week but scrambled his way into a tie for fourth with KJ Choi. But all eyes were focused firmly on Mickelson. With wife Amy making it out to the course for the final round, he had one arm inside his third Green Jacket approaching the 13th hole but pulled his drive into the trees on the right (Mickelson of course being a left hander, hence his pull shots go the right). The smart money was on a pitch back out to the fairway and a regulation par, but after a long conversation with caddie Jim ‘Bones’ McKay, Mickelson took a 6-iron and hit an audacious shot between two large pine trees and onto the green in two. From there he cruised home to a three shot victory and an emotional embrace with his wife behind the final green, a moment that enshrined Mickelson as the most popular golfer of 2010.
14th Hole (Par 4)
1978
Gary Player arrived at the 1978 Masters aged 42 and having not won a major championship tournament for four years. Starting the final round seven strokes off the pace at 3-under par didn’t bode well for any change to the aforementioned statements. However Player was never one to bow to adversity – he unleashed seven birdies in the final ten holes (including a back nine covered in just 30 strokes) to not only catch the leaders, but overhaul them and win the tournament in regulation.
15th Hole (Par 5)
1935
Gene Sarazen hit the "shot heard 'round the world", holing his second shot from the fairway on the par-5 15th for an albatross (or double eagle if you follow the American description of such events). This tied Sarazen for the lead with Craig Wood, and in the ensuing 36-hole playoff Sarazen triumphed by five strokes.
1997
Crowned Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year and PGA Rookie of the Year after turning professional in 1996, Tiger Woods was ready to become the youngest ever player to win the US Masters in 1997. Things were looking rather bleak after nine holes on Thursday however, as Woods reached the turn in an underwhelming 40 strokes. That was the last taste of mediocrity for Woods at Augusta in 1997 though – he scorched over the back nine in just 30 strokes to finish the day at 2-under par. He added rounds of 66, 65 and 69 over the next three days to shoot 18-under and claim victory by a massive 12 strokes, breaking both the scoring record and victory margin record held previously by Jack Nicklaus. Nowhere was the defining of a new world order in golf more evident than on the 15th hole, where Woods was hitting his second shots to the green throughout the week with a 9-iron or pitching wedge. That doesn’t seem like a big deal now, but in 1997 it was a HUGE deal – just like Tiger himself.
16th Hole (Par 3)
1975
The 1975 Masters was significant for the inclusion in the field of Lee Elder, who was the first black golfer ever to appear in The Masters. The final round developed into a three-man battle between Tom Weiskopf, Johnny Miller and Jack Nicklaus. Weiskopf and Miller were yet to achieve victory at Augusta, while Nicklaus was aiming for a fifth Green Jacket. Nicklaus was paired with Tom Watson in the second to last group on the final day, with 54-hole leader Weiskopf paired with Miller in the final group. With three holes left to play, Weiskopf led Nicklaus by one with Miller a further stroke behind. Nicklaus’ approach to the 16th green finished near the front of the green and left him with a 40-foot putt up a steep tier for birdie. With Miller and Weiskopf watching from the tee, Nicklaus famously coaxed his putt up the hill, watched it first break hard to the left and then slightly back to the right as it approached the hole and finally took off in celebration as it dropped for an unlikely birdie to join Weiskopf in the lead. When later asked if he saw the putt drop, Miller replied “No, I just saw the bear tracks after he took it out of the hole”. A shaken Weiskopf left his approach shot 80 feet from the hole and three-putted for bogey to leave Nicklaus alone on top, while a birdie from Miller on the 17th also brought him to within one shot of the lead. Miller and Weiskopf each failed with their birdie attempts on the final hole to force a playoff, and Nicklaus had a fifth Green Jacket in his keeping.
2005
Tiger Woods and Chris Di Marco staged an epic duel over the back nine on Sunday. Woods led by two strokes with six holes to play, but a fantastic approach to the 14th saw Di Marco make birdie and reduce the lead to one, where it remained as they played the 16th hole. DiMarco found the heart of the green with his tee shot, while Woods pulled his tee shot left. Woods made a sensational chip, aiming 20 feet to the left of the hole and using the sloping green to run the ball towards the hole. The ball crept towards the cup and appeared to stop on the lip of the hole before toppling in for a dramatic birdie. Verne Lundquist’s commentary captured the moment perfectly "Here it comes …………. Oh, my goodness! … OH, MY! IN YOUR LIFE, have you seen anything like that?!" Di Marco made par and Woods’ lead grew to two, only to become one again following his bogey on the 17th. Di Marco hit the flagstick with his chip at the 18th, but rather than dropping into the hole, it rebounded ten feet away. Woods made another bogey and Di Marco holed his par attempt to send the tournament to a playoff, which Woods won on the first hole (the 18th again) with a birdie.
17th Hole (Par 4)
1960
After claiming his first Green Jacket by one stroke in 1958, Arnold Palmer was in contention again in 1960. ‘The King’ had left himself plenty of work to do late on the Sunday however, as he trailed Ken Venturi by one with only two holes to play. Informed on the penultimate tee that he needed two more birdies to win, Palmer dug into his back of tricks and pulled out a rarely accomplished feat – he made birdies on both of the last two holes to be victorious by one stroke, making putts from 17 feet on the 17th and from 32 feet on the final hole. No other player has birdied the final two holes to win the Masters by a single stroke.
1968
There was a controversial ending to the Masters in 1968, and it had nothing to do with the manner of play at the 17th hole. Rather, Roberto DeVicenzo signed a scorecard (which his playing partner Tommy Aaron had been the scorer for) which incorrectly listed a par 4 instead of a birdie 3 for DeVicenzo on the 17th hole. The rules of golf do not permit downward revision of scores once a player signs their card, and thus the par on the 17th for DeVicenzo had to stand. His extra stroke cost him a chance to be in an 18-hole playoff with Bob Goalby, who won the green jacket. DeVicenzo's mistake and his philosophical approach to the situation led to the famous quote, "What a stupid I am."
1986
Let’s see if this quote (again from Verne Lundquist) rings any bells…”Maybe…. maybe… YES SIR!” At the age of 46, Jack Nicklaus was reaching the end of an unparalleled professional career, but managed to uncork one more magic Sunday at Augusta. He reached the turn well off the pace being set by Greg Norman, Seve Ballesteros and Tom Kite, but started to build momentum with birdies at the 10th and 11th. A bogey at the 12th was only temporary setback as he birdied the 13th, eagled the 15th, knocked his tee shot at the 16th to within four feet for another birdie and finally rolled in the downhill birdie putt at the 17th that led to the quote referenced above. A par at the final hole meant a back nine of 30 and a final round of 65, good enough to overtake the faltering leaders and win a sixth Green Jacket by one stroke.
18th Hole (Par 4)
1979
Ed Sneed, a solid player on the PGA Tour for many years, began the final round of the 1979 Masters with a commanding lead of five strokes. He still led by three strokes with three holes to play, but from that point the wheels well and truly fell off, with bogey on each of the final three holes dropping him into a tie with Zoeller and Tom Watson. All three golfers parred the first playoff hole, but Zoeller made birdie on the second playoff hole to win the Green Jacket at his Augusta debut. Ed Sneed would never win a major championship.
1982
Criag Stadler began the final round in 1982 three strokes ahead of the quartet of Seve Ballesteros, Tom Kite, Tom Weiskopf and Dan Pohl. By the time he reached the turn, his lead had grown to six strokes. Pohl, playing three groups ahead of Stadler, carded a 67 to post a tournament total of 4-under par. Stadler still led by four strokes with only seven holes to play, but made bogeys at the 12th, 14th and 16th holes, reaching the final hole with his advantage over Pohl whittled down to a single stroke. He found the green in regulation but 3-putted for a bogey, dropping into a playoff. The playoff itself was an anticlimax, with Pohl struggling and Stadler winning with a solid par at the first extra hole, in the process avoiding the prospect of being remembered for one of the biggest flops in major championship history.
1988
Scotsman Sandy Lyle began the final round with a two-stroke lead over Mark Calcavecchia and Ben Crenshaw and appeared to be en route to achieving the first ever victory by a British golfer at Augusta with seven holes to play. The situation appeared less rosy with six holes to play after Rae’s Creek took another victim as Lyle posted a double bogey. Lyle eventually reached the final hole tied with Calcavecchia at 6-under. Taking a 1-iron off the tee for safety, Lyle scorched his tee shot into a fairway bunker, appearing to open the door for a playoff or even a Calcavcchia victory in regulation. Instead, he hit a brilliant 7-iron recovery to within 10 feet of the cup and rolled in the downhill birdie putt for the win, ensuring that haggis would be on the menu at the 1989 Champions Dinner.
1991
British golfers had won the previous three Masters tournaments and Ian Woosnam looked well placed to make it four in succession, leading by two strokes going into the final day. Jose Maria Olazabal and playing partner Tom Watson issued strong challenges on the final day, highlighted by eagles for Watson on both the 13th and 15th holes. The three men were joint leaders at 11-under as Woosnam and Watson reached the final tee. Up ahead, Olazabal had found the fairway bunker with his tee shot and could not recover, making bogey to fall out of the lead. Watson carved his tee shot into the right hand trees, attempted a ‘death or glory’ recovery shot and got ‘death’ – double bogey. Woosnam hit his tee shot left of the fairway bunkers and his approach shot just left of the green, before chipping to eight feet from the hole and making his par putt to maintain the streak of British winners at the Masters.
1995
The 1995 Masters was one full of emotion for Ben Crenshaw. Famous golf instructor Harvey Penick, Crenshaw’s long-time friend and mentor, died just a few days before the start of the tournament. Crenshaw was one of the pallbearers at Penick's funeral. The emotional toll of Penick’s death, coupled with his advancing years and poor recent form, made the victory prospects for ‘Gentle Ben’ appear very slim. But fate was with him over the course of the week – he was the beneficiary of a number of lucky bounces throughout the week (to the point where Ben and his wife Julie began referring to them as “Harvey bounces”) and sat atop the leader board with one round to play. Despite a Sunday charge from Davis Love III who posted a 66 to reach 13-under, Crenshaw held his nerve in shooting a final round 68 to hold on by a shot, before bursting into tears and falling into the arms of his caddie in one of the most emotional victories in Masters history.
2004
Phil Mickelson entered the 2004 US Masters with the weight of the ‘best player never to win a major’ mantle placed firmly on his shoulders. After 54 holes he was tied for the lead at 6-under with Chris Di Marco, but Di Marco fell away in the final round and it was left to Ernie Els to issue the biggest challenge to Mickelson’s first major. As Mickelson himself slipped back to 4-under after 11 holes on Sunday, an eagle from Els on the 13th vaulted him to 7-under and a three-stroke lead in the tournament. Mickelson responded with birdies on the 12th, 13th and 14th holes to rejoin Els in the lead. The 15th hole saw an Els birdie and Mickelson par as the South African regained the ascendancy. Mickelson faced a treacherous downhill 20-foot putt for birdie on the 16th for a share of the lead and calmly eased it home, and with a par on the 17th and no further birdies from Els, faced a birdie putt on the final hole to take his first major championship title. Jim Nantz of CBS Sports summed up the birdie attempt best with his call: “Is it his time…. YES! At long last!” Mickelson jumped for joy as the monkey was lifted from his back and a maiden major title was in his keeping.
2009
Phil Mickelson, who was playing with Tiger Woods in the final round paired, put an early scare into the leaders with a front-nine of 30, but was unable to carry this momentum into the back nine. The championship evolved into a three-way battle between joint 36-hole leader Chad Campbell and the two 54-hole leaders Angel Cabrera and Kenny Perry. Perry was extremely well placed to take the title, but posted bogeys on both the 17th and 18th to slip back to 12-under and into a playoff with Campbell and Cabrera. Campbell was eliminated on the first playoff hole after failing to make his par putt, whilst Cabrera was the beneficiary of a fortuitous ricochet off the pine trees with his second shot that left him in a position to salvage par. On the second playoff hole, Cabrera two-putted from 15 feet for his par and Perry posted yet another bogey, unable to get up and down from left of the green. Cabrera became the first Argentinian to win the Masters.
2011 US Masters selection
To recap, similar principles to those which apply for “Sting’s racing selections” will be in place here – bets will only be recommended for a top-5 finish in the tournament of that week where the price offered is $6 or better, with odds offered by Centrebet being used in the analysis.
Results for March 24 selection
Bubba Watson (Arnold Palmer Invitational) T-24.
Year to date selection results:13 selections, one refund, no winning collects.
The devil lies in the (greenside) detail at Augusta National. Those who can putt and scramble well are likely to be prominent on the leader board come Sunday. Precise iron play is also called upon in order to (a) hit as many greens as possible in order to avoid treacherous up-and-down attempts and (b) find the correct spots on each green in order to avoid nigh-on impossible putts. With these key facets in mind, a PGA Tour statistical by-line such as the one below is ideal:
2011 (prior to the Houston Open): tenth in putting average, eighth in scrambling, 21st in greens in regulation (GIR) percentage
2010: sixth in putting average, fifth in scrambling, 34th in GIR percentage
These results are attributable to Matt Kuchar, whose tie for eighth at the just-completed Houston Open made it six top-10 finishes in eight tournaments this year, following on from a 2010 season where he posted five top-3 finishes and eleven top-10 finishes. This stellar run of form has seen him vault into the top-10 on the official world golf rankings – a strong move considering he started the 2010 year at number 62 and the year prior at number 135. The previous lowly rankings help to explain his limited recent history at Augusta – before a T-24 effort at the 2010 Masters, his most recent appearance came when missed the cut in 2002. His star has risen significantly in the past 18 months and I can see it rising even further in the next seven days – the $8.00 on offer at Centrebet about a top-5 finish is very appealing.
Thanks to Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images North America for use of the photo
