How do you think you’d look in a green jacket? Probably not very good, but after 76 years of history, a life’s worth of range balls and 72 holes of the best golf of your life, few things would look better.
This week marks the 76th year of golf’s greatest event. While some will argue the merits of the U.S. Open (whose course setup is unrivaled as the games most difficult test), and others the Open Championship, which has history on its side, neither can match the excitement, neither can match the aura and neither can match the pageantry of Augusta National … golf’s unparalleled Eden.
When Bobby Jones and Alister MacKenzie were dreaming of and creating the masterpiece that we now know today, they couldn’t have possibly imagined what the Augusta National Invitational – the original name of the Masters – would eventually become. From its theme song to its Azaleas, its clubhouse to its driveway (Magnolia Lane), and the jacket to “Amen Corner”, even the most ancillary of golf fans are familiar with, know of or have seen some of the Masters most iconic traditions. From the minute you hear that song, see those azaleas and hear that now traditional – albeit cheesy salutation – “Hello friends,” you know where they are, what you’re watching and what you have in store over the next few hours of television.
This isn’t the Super Bowl; a game which has become more about hype, commercials and halftime entertainment than crowning a champion of the NFL game. It’s not the NBA Finals or World Series; whose 7-game series often result in monotonous predictability. Nor is this a soccer final; a game likely consisting of 90 scoreless minutes, decided by an anticlimactic virtual coin flip called a shootout. This is The Masters: four days of spectacular scenery, nearly a century’s worth of tradition, and the closest thing to sure excitement that a sporting event can legitimately claim.
Year in and year out, the golf season’s first major rarely, if ever disappoints: From spectacular finishes like Larry Mize’s chip-in in ’87, to heartbreaking flameouts like Greg Norman in ’96. From historic triumphs such as Nicklaus’ victory at the age of 46, to Tiger’s inaugural championship in ’97. And who could forget Phil Mickelson’s long-awaited win, Ben Crenshaw’s tear-jerking classic, and Rory McIlroy’s final round 80 en route to Charl Schwartzel’s 2011 dramatic conquest. You don’t have to be a golf fan to enjoy The Masters tournament, you just need to be a fan of sport. Excitement is contagious, and the first Sunday of every April never seems to lack.
Sure, naysayers will point to Golf’s shortcomings as potential reasons to tune-out. They’ll say it’s pretentious, boring, or “not a sport at all.” My response: A little, not this week, and who cares if it isn’t.
Is Golf pretentious? Of course, to an extent. While Happy Gilmore was entertaining and funny, you’re not likely to see 400-yard drives, transient caddies, and fist fights involving iconic game show hosts at Augusta this week. Sure, the game stems from likely ostentatious roots, but the game’s come a long ways since the days of exclusionary acceptance, and real life excitement always trumps fictitious storylines.
Is Golf boring? To the average viewer, your weekly event probably is, but even to the “layest” of laymen The Masters is must see TV. Drama, in any regard is appealing, and it’s hard to find the type of drama you find at “Amen Corner” come late Sunday afternoon.
Is Golf a sport? This debate always begins and ends with the “game” vs. “sport” argument, and in that case it depends are your definitions of such, but you can’t argue the skill at which these players play, nor the type of physical condition which the majority of these players are now in. It obviously lacks the physicality of Football, lacks the overall athleticism of Basketball, and will likely never gain “America’s Pastime” status, but let’s get real; does any of that really matter?
I don’t need a reason to watch this year’s Masters, but if you’re looking for a few I offer you the following:
- Tiger Woods – Love him or hate him, he moves the needle. He’s on the bell lap of a life-long race to break Jack Nicklaus’ records, and while recently ending a more-than-two-year winless drought on tour, he’s a major championship away from cleaning the slate of his infamous all-world scandal.
- Rory McIlroy – The young Irishman is – in my opinion – a Masters title away from becoming a legitimate threat to joining the potentially “great” argument. While many have jumped the gun on his Tigeresque coronation, I’m withholding my adoration for a bit more evidence. I think he may be “that guy,” but a couple wins and premature hype aren’t quite enough for yours truly.
- Local Contingent – Oregon has two locals in the field, including Beaverton’s Ben Crane, along with Forest Grove/Gresham/Corvallis native Robert Garrigus. Both have had success on the tour this year, and Crane’s putting, in addition to Garrigus’ length off the tee are both key elements to success at Augusta National.
- The Aforementioned Pretentiousness – You have to laugh at it. The insistence of referring to the fans as “patrons,” the removal of CBS’ Gary McCord for using the term “bikini wax” referring to the speed of the greens, and those “put-you-in-your-place” cover-alls they insist on putting the players’ caddies in. They do what they want, when they want it at Augusta, and for one week of the year I say, Amen!
- Limited Commercials – The Masters is one of the few televised sporting events that thumb its nose at corporate America. Sure, they have commercials, but they keep it to a couple companies and do so just a few minutes an hour…and they make it a point to tell you during various points of the telecast.
- The Weather – Lastly, when you’ve been suffering through the type of Spring we’ve been subjected to, it helps to spend a few hours looking at nature’s near perfection.
Watch The Masters this weekend. If you’ve seen it, you know why. If you’ve not, take my word for it. And if you don’t like Golf, don’t like pretentiousness, and don’t think much of a game you may not understand, keep the following in mind: This is more than just Golf. It’s the Masters … a tradition unlike any other.
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