I really love this tournament, and would really like to be in the gallery for one of the next two days. You can watch all the big names you want, but I would be following Jesper Parnevik, Shigeki Maruyama, and John Daly. Is that not a group of real characters? Every one of them enjoys playing golf, and they all interact with fans. What a joy it would be to watch them for eighteen holes.
The Masters is special because it is Bobby Jones’ tournament. It signals the real beginning of the golf season, and is played on one of the most beautiful courses in the world. The site was once a nursery, and Jones and Alistair Mackenzie laid out the holes to take advantage of the natural beauty there. The azaleas against the strong green background of pine trees and magnolias are striking.
I will never play Augusta. The course is for great golfers, very wealthy members and their guests, and the occasional celebrity. I played Pasatiempo last year, one of Dr. Mackenzie’s other designs, and thought “Augusta” throughout the round. It is as close as I will get. It would be nice to actually walk the grounds someday.
The Masters’ site has a live cam at the practice area, and a real-time scoreboard for those who care to follow along. And CBS will obey the club’s dictum and only break for commercials four minutes of every hour. Tradition is everything at Augusta National, and some mock them for holding on to the past.
I think those folks are simply jealous.
Oh, boy, I just had fun doing a satellite image flyover of the course on Google Maps.
Comment by Bogey — April 8, 2005 @ 11:54 pm
Great idea! Here’s the link for all interested.
Comment by Bunker — April 9, 2005 @ 8:20 am
OMG – what an ending! I still can’t believe that chip did its slow-motion meander into the hole on the 16th. I really felt for DiMarco right then.
Comment by Barb — April 11, 2005 @ 9:21 am