The 2013 Masters

[Coach1310]

In regard to Augusta, there is not a more well manicured piece of property in the world than Augusta. Part of me thinks they lay the pine straw in a pattern!! It is absolutely amazing the backdrops they have. It is one of my two favorite sporting events of the year, right along with March Madness.

In regard to the belly putter and everybody saying it gives you an advantage, EVERYONE IS FREE TO USE ONE. This is just another example of people freaking out because something "different" works. It is very similar to the introduction of Moneyball in MLB. The idea that there was a "better" way to put a team together than 100's of scouts talking about how the ball sounded off the bat, etc.

The tourney should be great. I am off to a good start in my pool, I just need Freddie Couples to keep it together for 3 more days. He is a big swing pick for me and right now it is working! Impressed with the 14 year old..... I couldn't play one over if I had a 5 footer for birdie on every hole at Augusta!! The live coverage on the site is awesome and I am just disturbed I have meetings all day and won't be able to watch it!

[schmitty3]

What that 14 yr old is doing is absolutely incredible. I can not imagine playing in the Masters when I was in 8th grade, and he has a good shot of making the cut too! The kid doesn't even weigh over 130 lbs, he's hitting woods into every green and still shoots 1 over. I just can not fathom anybody playing that good at 14 years old.

[CANOPY SAM]

Yea. 14 yr. old boy, first time at the Masters, and he finishes +1 on his first 18 holes. Better than a large percentage of the pros who've played the course many times before! What are the odds?

This tourney is a marathon though, not a sprint. It's always exciting to see who can keep it together thru 72, and who has the wheels fall off. That's what I love about this game. It can literally come down to only a few holes that will change the outcome of everything in a real hurry.

[Scoot]

You nailed it Canopy- a marathon, not a sprint. That's why I didn't pick Phil or Sergio. Both are great sprinters (golf-wise), but both IMO will not keep it together for the duration. I imagine the 14 year old will have the same result, but to a great extent. But hey, he'll always have that first round! Really cool story actually...

[10,000 Casts]

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just need Freddie Couples to keep it together for 3 more days

That's a tall order, he traditionally does well on day 1 then falls back but we'll see. Could be a great pick if he is in contention on Sunday.

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That's why I didn't pick Phil or Sergio. Both are great sprinters (golf-wise), but both IMO will not keep it together for the duration.

agreed and I hope your right. And can you believe Mayhan? That is wrecking alot of brackets and I almost picked him because I thought he was a steal in out 3rd tier but I figured everyone would pick him.

[CANOPY SAM]

Dustin Johnson could be a force in this thing. He played pretty solid yesterday, and missed a lot of putts by a very narrow margin. If he tightens it up just a little bit he could easily keep whittling down that score to the end.

[CANOPY SAM]

I just don't get it!

The Golf Channel providing programming called, "Live from the Masters." It should be called, "Live from the Masters - without any live golf coverage of the actual game going on behind us, because us sitting here talking for two days is much more interesting than actually watching the greatest golf tournament of the year!"

Why on God's Green Earth are they NOT showing the players playing? Everything they need to broadcast LIVE coverage is there! Why not use it?

[ted4887]

You can watch it live from your computer if you want. They have some limited coverage there.

http://www.masters.com/en_US/live/index.html

[Slabasaurus]

I just don't get it!

The Golf Channel providing programming called, "Live from the Masters." It should be called, "Live from the Masters - without any live golf coverage of the actual game going on behind us, because us sitting here talking for two days is much more interesting than actually watching the greatest golf tournament of the year!"

Why on God's Green Earth are they NOT showing the players playing? Everything they need to broadcast LIVE coverage is there! Why not use it?

Live from the masters has been interesting I thought. I mean, it's the golf channel. They don't broadcast many of the "A-list" tourneys. Contracts n such. Though their "live from _____" shows are always more analysis and chit chat with the occasional highlights. I have enjoyed Brad Faxon's input, especially when he went more in depth on Phil's putting.

The Masters HSOforum has a live feed that is pretty good. It's all I watched yesterday thanks to the stupid economy making me 'work for a living.' The leaderboard has a hole by hole breakdown for each player with options to click on the highlights. (Or lowlights...).

They have couples featured in one of the live feeds, so you'll be able to watch most if not all of his round on the web.

[CANOPY SAM]

I do appreciate the tips and link guys. I just really prefer to watch the round on my LG 47" HD LCD Flat screen. You couldn't even paint a prettier picture.

I guess it's just the principle of the thing with the Golf Channel. Seems like a no-brainer to just run the coverage if everything is set-up and ready to go. Doesn't it? It's got to be some kind of contractual dealio, with ESPN (or perhaps another of the big 3) owning the rights.

Coverage is now on ESPN, so I'm once again in my happy place!

The kid received a slow play warning a little bit ago, and was accessed a one shot penalty. I guess it hit him pretty hard.

DJ was on fire and jumped into the lead on his own, then the wheels suddenly came off, and he's all over the map? This game man, it will push you to your absolute limits.

My eldest son told me last night, "Dad, settle down. It's not even a real sport." I said, "Okay Mr.Baseball. We'll go out together this summer and see who's the better athlete!"

[Slabasaurus]

I do appreciate the tips and link guys. I just really prefer to watch the round on my LG 47" HD LCD Flat screen. You couldn't even paint a prettier picture.

I guess it's just the principle of the thing with the Golf Channel. Seems like a no-brainer to just run the coverage if everything is set-up and ready to go. Doesn't it? It's got to be some kind of contractual dealio, with ESPN (or perhaps another of the big 3) owning the rights.

Coverage is now on ESPN, so I'm once again in my happy place!

Yep. Contracts. I don't know which companies are or arent owned by comcast anymore... and who can broadcast what where without getting sued.

Even at home over the weekends I'll have the HSOforum up and use the leaderboard highlight feature just because... I like being in control!

Looks like the kid might actually make the cut. That would be somethin else. 14... sheesh. Looks like it's gonna be a pretty good weekend of golf here comin up!

[picksbigwagon]

Let me preface this by saying, I HATE SLOW PLAY, but seriously, the pga is gonna tag the 14 year old kid from china with a slow play penalty when there are more obvious Schlomo's in the field, like oh say Tiger?

[schmitty3]

Tiger is one of the faster players on tour. It's guys like Jim Furyk that I can't stand to watch. I don't see how they can deem Guan deserved the penalty. Heck he was playing with Crenshaw who shot a 84. Then on top of that they were on the 17th hole, it's like they were just looking for controversy putting him right on the cut line.

[picksbigwagon]

Tiger is methodical, not Kevin Na methodical, but Tiger is not fast out there either. Now Rickie Fowler is fast, so is Snedeker......I haven't seen the interview but Tiger was saying there was a 4 group pile up at a par three today, and they nail the 14 year old kid..........if there are 12 guys waiting on the tee, all three guys on the green get nailed....

[CANOPY SAM]

pbw. I can't honestly say I'm that familiar with the PGA rules, but I don't think that applies when waiting for groups ahead to tee off. Pretty typical when you hit a bottle neck at a par 3.

One of the commentary guys came on late this afternoon and explained explicitly the rule cited, and precisely why the 14 yr. old was nipped. He'd been warned on an earlier hole, and was still dragging his feet a bit when he finally got a citation.

Even the young man (please excuse me but I couldn't even attempt to spell his name) was interviewed, and admitted he was waiting a little too long for the swirling winds to lay down. He said he knew, and understood the rules. Tough break, but Hey, he made the cut! Good for him!

Man oh man though, that shot that Tiger clipped the pin on (15? 16?), and the ball spun back into the water!!!! Now that is a SERIOUS kick in the head!!! He'd have been set up for a slam dunk bird, and instead he swallows a bogey! Gotta give it to the kid, he took his lumps with class, and then stuck the exact same shot within 3 feet of the cup the 2nd time! I'd have whipped my club into the woods and cried like a little girl!!!

[picksbigwagon]

If the PGA can let Ben Crane (the slowest balnkety blank on tour) get away with it, it seems suspicious to me that they nailed this kid. read more online, the european pga official who assesed the penalty is the same one who warned Padraig and Tigera few years ago as they came down the stretch n a sunday round 3 years ago. Maybe the official has a little Napoleon complex going or something...........

My brother in law is slow, to the point none of us want to ride in a cart with him and when we mention to him to speed up, or the marshal tells us to speed up ( happens a few times a season ) he just ignores it and says "They can wait, we're having fun here".....I am to the point where I am gonna walk this summer when we all golf together, I was a good 30-40 yards ahead of him and everyone else at Sawgrass, and I loved it!

[picksbigwagon]

Just watched Tiger tee off on 18: narrow driving window, people 10-15 rows deep for 75 yards on both sides, did I mention the 15 yard width of the driving lane?????? I couldn't drive my truck down a gap like that

[CANOPY SAM]

I hear ya' brother. I am simply amazed at the shots, not all good, but many so truly beautiful, words can barely portray.

While watching Day tee off on that very hole I was giving my 13 yr/old daughter my best (Hey, get off your phone and get interested in this!) play by play. I was verbally noting the undulation of the hillsides, sharp rises and drops in grade, and the incredible needle-thread hole fairway these guys have to hammer a little plastic ball through, around 150 yards away from the tee box! Truly remarkable!

[CANOPY SAM]

As I've watched as much Golf Channel and Master's Coverage I can thru, and in between various chores and business dealings, and I realize I've spent two days whining on-line about lack of morning live coverage, I've wondered aloud to myself, and you, why the real-time, beginning to end player coverage hasn't been made available on the Golf Channel, as they literally sit on the very course it's being played.

Then I had an epiphany! You guys out there that know volumes more about film production can likely speak to this in much better terms than I can.

I realized that in a tournament like this, every camera on the course has to follow, very closely, every player coming up and down the fairway, through every player all the way to the last at day's end.

Assembling the summation of all the better clips from these hours and hours of film coverage (5 1/2 hrs for the last groups today), from virtually every second of play, plus the final live coverage of the last few holes with the last few groups, would take at least a couple hours to pull together, wouldn't it? Again, WHILE it's still happening.

So "producing" a visually interesting semi-live video archive of this event, only hours after it's happened, would be NO EASY TASK, even with the most skilled and experienced film production crew.

I suppose publicly admitting that I just realized this is kind of a "Hey, look how gosh darn smart I am!" Gomer Pile moment!?! Please don't take it that way?

It just hit me as something notable. And perhaps others, suffering from the same lack of common techno brainage as I suffer from, might re-think why we can't get live morning coverage, except on live streaming digital computer fuffee thingy, with small screen, scattered choppy visual image dealy giggy...???

I'm actually a very good quality example of a chivalrous gentlemen. I'm just really impatient, a little dim witted, and I behave like a teenage girl!

[CANOPY SAM]

The commentary on virtually every sports station has, and continues to report almost nothing more than the details surrounding the decision making process surrounding the penalty on the 14 yr.old. It's nice to see a very clear, confident explanation (repeatedly), and at this point it's pretty obvious he was aware he was pushing the envelope on the rules. Perhaps a bit naive, but not so much that he should be allowed to get away with it repeatedly, and not so much that his caddy didn't know better.

Altough, I can't help but to see a deep and sincere political attempt to alleviate a possible international controversy over a somewhat questionable (ethnically driven) rule enforcement. Particularly in light of the current situation in North/South Korea.

If it weren't for the diligent and heady development and enforcement of the rules, this could've been pretty ugly. Even the golfer's caddy admitted that, "rules are rules".

I find myself in complete awe of how well this tournament is run, how well this course is cared for, how well the world's best golfers perform here, and how articulate this game is.

Golf is so much a game of precisely engineered athleticism it's nothing short of amazing! I honestly don't believe most people understand just how complicated this game is.

[10,000 Casts]

Tiger assessed a 2 shot penalty for an illegal drop. I guess he'll only win by 2 instead of 4..

On another note, I hate Brandel Chamblee. He's the most arrogant, self absorbed commentator in the game..

[CANOPY SAM]

Oh geez! Now Tiger has been assessed a 2-stroke penalty for a rules violation with his drop at 15 following the lost ball after hitting the pin! He'll start today at -1 instead of -3, and some of the real uptight rules guys are even calling for him to DQ himself!!!

Sounds as if there may have been some rules confusion on his part. No intent to break the rule, but rather just sort of something in between two different rules, but not quite on the spot with either.

Are they carrying the intent of these rules too far? The 15th hole has already cost Tiger 2 strokes with a lost ball and a drop, now it's cost him another 2 strokes with a penalty, and may even cost him the tournament if he ultimately DQ's himself.

In a nutshell, this could end up costing Tiger possibly 100's of thousands of dollars, and maybe even millions! The media is even saying this could surrey his reputation for years to come. Seems more than a little harsh to me.

He was shocked and likely pretty po'd at the outcome of the his third shot on 15, hastily dropped a ball to repeat the shot, hit it extremely well, and continued on to finish out and sign his card.

Many are saying he should DQ himself to save face. What would you do?

[schmitty3]

On another note, I hate Brandel Chamblee. He's the most arrogant, self absorbed commentator in the game..

I'm ready to go through my tv and sock the guy lol. I thought I couldn't hate the guy any more, but this is bringing it to a whole new level.

I don't get it they made the new rule 33=7, where they can overrule a DQ, and that's what they did. So why would Tiger go over that rule and DQ himself. This is silly, no way he should DQ himself.

Wow, somebody needs to put Chamblee in his place.

[CANOPY SAM]

He's not the only one pushing for the DQ though. I don't disagree, Chamblee does seem a little hard-nosed, but he's cited numerous examples of how players in the past have honored the rules, and done the right thing, sometimes even against popular belief.

Like Nick Faldo just said, what if he goes on to win the tourney? There's almost certainly going to be a huge groundswell of players, fans, and likely PGA committee members who are going to be VERY upset that he didn't walk off the course. They'd say for eternity he cheated, and still went on to win!

I'm in shock. He dropped the ball on exactly the same line, about two feet back from the original ball mark. They're all saying he dropped no where in the VICINITY of where the ball should have been dropped! This is complete madness! It was less than a club length back from the original spot.

It's amazing that such a tiny, simple circumstance could cause so much controversy.

Let the kid take the 2-stroke penalty, play the game, and leave all the political baggage in the past. How about a little grace and mercy?

[CANOPY SAM]

Now they're claiming that Tiger intentionally gained an "advantage" by dropping the ball 2 feet further back! Will someone please just kill me now?

I'd wager the majority of these "judges" will down a fifth of gin tonight after the round, hop in their BMW's and Jags, and drive to their hotels or homes all the while speeding, and under the influence. But Tiger should be kicked out cause he didn't follow the rules to the letter.

WHATEVER!!!!