SI Cover... Cool photo, but no props for Zach...

I saw this link on a friend's website, which shows the cover of the April 16 edition of Sports Illustrated. I must admit, it is one cool photo of Tiger breaking his club, but only giving Zach Johnson a "box" inlaid on the cover... Come on guys!

If winning the Masters isn't enough, I wonder what it will take to get Zach on the cover of SI?

Everyone needs to cut Tiger Woods some slack

I've been waiting for someone to stand up for Tiger Woods, but apparently it's easy to join the chorus of Tiger-naysayers. It almost seems like some people enjoy, with glee, watching Tiger lose. So he didn't close out the 2007 Masters. So what?

His record for past majors is that he's won every major where he's had the lead after 54 holes. That record (which is still intact) suggests that Tiger doesn't typically come from behind to win. This week was no different. He wasn't leading after 54 holes, and he lost after 72 holes. Same old Tiger.

And most people seem to be forgetting that Tiger Woods was really the only person (except for Justin Rose for a few moments before he self-destructed on 17) that threatened down the stretch. Sure, there were a few others but they faltered long before 17. Tiger's driver is balky, but had he converted the makeable birdie putt on 16, he'd have closed the gap to 1-stroke with 2 holes left. Even on the 18th hole, Tiger was still a threat of making eagle (remember Pebble Beach). And had Tiger holed out, Zach Johnson would've been toast because he was already so teary-eyed doing all those interviews on 18.

Masters recap: Tiger got what he deserved, so did Zach Johnson

Finally, it caught up with Tiger, in the same way it caught up with Phil Mickelson at Winged Foot. If you look at Tiger's game, he has no weaknesses, except for one: his driving. He ranks 160th on tour in driving accuracy, at 55.36%. That's his worst overall ranking of all his standard stats. His absolute worst stat, by far.

Anyone who watches Tiger regularly knows that he's prone to hit the drive right in the same way Phil Mickelson is prone to hit the banana left. It's one of the reasons Tiger shelved Butch Harmon for Hank Haney. In many cases, Tiger can get away with his errant drives with his scrambling or because of the easiness of the course. (At the British last year, Tiger went a different route, hitting 2-iron off the tee most of the way.) In the end, Augusta National punished Tiger for his wayward drives, even forcing Tiger to sacrifice one of his irons in the final round that he hit against the tree to get out of the woods. That's what the "Tiger-proofing" of Augusta was all about.

By contrast, Zach Johnson hit over 80% of the fairways at the Masters, which was tied for the second best average during the tourney. Zach hits it much shorter (265 yard average) than Tiger off the tee, but sometimes you don't need to bomb it to win. Of all of Zach's individual stats, his driving accuracy was the highest this past week.

Looking at the numbers, I've finally come around to agree with Jack Nicklaus: there's something really messed up about golf with all the equipment changes today. The new high-tech drivers have seduced the top players to go for more distance off the tee, while sacrificing accuracy. Just check out the PGA statistics. You can search the driving accuracy stats from 1980 to today. During that time, the longest drivers on tour have gained 40 yards average. But, at the same time, the top golfers on tour no longer get close to the 70 percent accuracy range or higher that used to be the case with many of the top players, such as Greg Norman in 1988 or Jack Nicklaus in 1980. Unlike in the past, most of the top golfers today are "bombers" with lots of distance, but little accuracy. That's why Retief Goosen got trigger shy on the back nine and hit iron off the par-5 13th. Goosen's ranked 149th in driving accuracy.

Until the PGA does something to regulate the hot drivers, I applaud golf courses like Augusta National that punish the bombers for missing the fairway so often. Nike and Taylor Made should be working on a driver that goes less far, but in the fairway more often. Distance is overrated. After all, what good is Sasquatch when he's in the woods?

Masters: What will we see tomorrow??

Having travelled most of the weekend, I have been listening to the Masters on XM Radio. However, today was the first day that I actually got to watch the Masters. And, to be completely honest, I was disgusted.

When I think about the Masters, the Back 9 on Sunday is what comes to mind. Specifically, Jack in '86 and the roar of the crowd when went around Augusta National as Jack played his final 9 holes and won.

This year, I was so disgusted not watching players go for 13 and 15 in 2. (however, watching Geoff Oglivy play "Tin Cup" was certainly interesting today on 15). Tiger finishing bogey-bogey in 2 rounds. Vaughn Taylor picking up the lead on 15 and finishing bogey-bogey-bogey.

So as of today, I'm going to be part of the "Bring back the Roar" movement to get the Committee at Augusta National to make sure that the Back 9 at Augusta National goes back to how it used to be!

And, my prediction for tomorrow... Woods shoots 73, makes bogey on 17 and 18, and wins by 2 at +4.

Augusta National is now "Tiger-proofed"

This year, the powers that be at Augusta National made few changes to the course. The major changes, in lengthening the course and inserting and removing trees, had already taken place over the past five years.

This week, Augusta is finally playing like a full-fledged monster. Tiger's 1997 score of -18 is now folklore. Last year's score of -7 by Phil Mickelson looks just as unattainable. The winning score probably will be near Even par or worse, just like a U.S. Open. Only four players are below par. The cut line will be +8.

The Board at Augusta must be laughing behind closed doors. Their tournament is just as "diabolical" as the U.S. Open. The greens are so hard and fast that you can barely breathe while putting. And Tiger Woods can no longer make the course a cakewalk, it appears.

Tiger Woods on bogey train in 2d round of Masters -- just hits it into water on 12 and again into the water on 13

Tiger's now at +4, after 3 bogeys in the front nine. Tiger's streak of no 2nd round above par at the Masters is in serious jeopardy. The cut line is projected at +8, so that (hopefully) won't be a problem.

Uh-oh. After dunking it into the water, Tiger just sunk a clutch bogey putt from 20 feet. He's at +5 now. Uh-oh. Tiger just dunked it into the water on 13 trying to reach the par-5 in 2. He saved par.

Follow Tiger's scoring here.

The Masters live video from driving range and Amen Corner

OK, the driving range is now live if you go here and click on the right-hand side "Driving Range." If you're having trouble there, the video is also available on ATT's site here.

Then, at 10:45 a.m. to 5 p.m., you should be able to watch play at Amen Corner by going to the same page and clicking the other menu choice "Amen Corner."

The Leaderboard is here.

The Champions Tour at the Masters amid the young guns

Justin Rose and first-timer Brett Wetterich are leading the Masters at -3 after Day 1. Justin Rose has been in this position before in 2004, until he shot an 81 in the third round.

The biggest props have to go out to Craig Stadler and Fuzzy Zoeller, both of whom shot +2 in very difficult conditions. (So did another past Masters winner Jose Maria Olazabal, but that's no surprise for Ollie who did well last year and he doesn't play the Champions Tour.) Other Champions tour notables: Tom Watson is at +3, and Ben Crenshaw, at +4.

It's pretty amazing that the "over 55" crowd of Stadler, Zoeller, and Watson all beat Phil Mickelson, Retief Goosen, Sergio Garcia, Ernie Els, and many other young PGA players.

Greatest short-game round ever?

I am watching late-day Masters coverage, and the announcers reported that Justin Rose managed to shoot his first-round 69 despite hitting only 5 greens. That is, as detailed here, Rose had only 20 putts for his entire round and thus got up-and-down 13 times on Augusta's famous "devilishly fast, diabolically sloping greens."

Should we start calling Rose's remarkable performance today the "greatest short-game round ever"?

Masters Update 1: Mickelson + Els start out with disaster

Phil Mickelson +4 after 6 holes, Ernie Els +5 after 8 holes. It might be over before it even started for these guys unless they can stop the bleeding. Tiger's still practicing.

Leaderboard

The Golf Blog Masters preview: Tiger Woods

Need we say more?

The Golf Blog Masters preview: Mickelson, Vijay, Goosen, Els

OK, we'd be remiss if we didn't say something about the Fab Four: Phil Mickelson, Vijay Singh, Retief Goosen, and Ernie Els. All are major winners, with Phil and Vijay both winning at Augusta. There'd be no surprise if any of them won the Masters this week.

That said, on paper, we'd give a modest edge, in odds, to Phil Mickelson and Vijay Singh, both of whom have won this year on the PGA tour (Vijay even twice). Mickelson has gone back to his "2 driver" strategy that worked so well at Augusta before. And Vijay has gone back to his belly putter with a slight modification in grip that seems to be working.

But you shouldn't count out the Goose or the Big Easy. Goose's record at the Masters is impressive: out of 8 Masters, Goose has had 1 second, 2 tied for thirds, and 2 tied for thirteenths -- last year, he finihsed tied for third. Ernie Els also has 2 second place finishes, plus 4 other Top 10s at the Masters. Both have won once on the European Tour this year.

The Golf Blog Masters preview: Angel Cabrera + Miguel Angel Jimenez

We're running out of days before the Masters, so we have to include several players in the next few posts. Today's post is about the 2 Angels, the Argentine, Angel Cabrera, and the Spaniard, Miguel Angel Jimenez.

Why I like Cabrera and Jimenez? It's very simple. They both have a history of playing well at The Masters, especially the younger, long-hitting Cabrera. Out of 7 Masters appearances, Cabrera made 4 cuts, placing in the Top 10 three times and finishing no worse than 15th. Last year, Cabrera was tied for 8th. His low round at Augusta is 66. Jimenez has made 5 of 8 cuts at Augusta, with 3 Top 11 finishes, his best finish is a tie for 9th and a low round of 68.

Jimenez is more of a long-shot. But if Cabrera did really well, that wouldn't be a huge surprise to most golf commentators, given his talent. Neither has won since 2005, though.

Geoff Ogilvy to wear Puma golden shoes at Masters

Here's a press release we received from Puma: PUMA golfers Geoff Ogilvy (AUS) and Johan Edfors (SWE) will be wearing the Gold Concorde GTX this week at the Masters both in practice rounds and in competition. To compliment the shoes, they will wear matching apparel highlighting this golden moment. Each will wear the outfit during the tournament, providing a unique twist and look in their quest for the Green Jacket. No doubt, the shoes are very funky and will most definitely stand out on the course. These special limited edition shoes celebrate the first year of PUMAs golf collection. You can win a free pair from PUMA here.

Duke Men's Head Golf Coach Myers Passes Away

On Friday night, Duke University Mens Golf Coach, Rod Myers, passed away after a long battle with an acute form of leukemia. GoDuke.com article

I first met Coach Myers at his summer golf school in 1997, my junior year of high school. I remember, as if it was yesterday, him hitting balls on the range from a variety of stances (closed, open, backwards, one-legged, on his knees) and every single ball went dead straight. And, when asked by students of the school, he proclaimed that he never hit balls or practiced.

Luckily, I was able to attend the golf school in 1998, as a senior in high school. While I was at the golf school that year, I had the opportunity to talk to Coach Myers about what it was like to play college golf. And, during that conversation, not only did I learn that he went to Ohio Wesleyan University (where I played collegiate golf), but that Coach Myers cared about his players and youth golfers more than anything. He wanted everyone to play the game of golf better, but more importantly, he wanted us all to become better men. I also had the opportunity to be a camp counselor at Coach Myers' summer golf school, during my sophomore and junior seasons at Ohio Wesleyan.

With the Masters coming up this weekend, I am sure that Coach Myers, who officiated the Masters from 1995-2003, will be certainly missed.

To the family of Coach Myers, my thoughts and prayers are with you.

Jason Job, J.D.
OWU Class 2002

The Golf Blog Masters preview: Henrik Stenson

We've already talked about two young guns who may make noise at the Masters this year -- Aaron Baddeley and Charles Howell III. Today, it's Henrik Stenson's turn.

The 31-year-old Swede is currently 6th in the World Golf Rankings and 9th on the Money List. He won the Match Play Championship and placed 19th at the World Golf - CA Championships. He's 1st in average distance of putts made, third in putting average (1.702), and 8th in scoring average (69.58). His driving is not as good, though: 189th in accuracy, 63rd in distance, and 182 in greens in regulation. He also won in Dubai this year in a field that included Tiger Woods. Stenson has played only in 1 Masters (last year), missing the cut.

Why I like Stenson? The guy has a solid golf game and has competed at the highest level at the World Golf Championship events. He has 9 tournament victories, worldwide. His putting is lights out, but the Masters is notorious for being 13-14 on the stimp meter. Again, inexperience at Augusta may hurt. The last European to win the Masters was in 1999 (Jose Maria Olazabal). No Swede has ever won.

Mickelson selects Masters champion dinner menu -- is it a Tiger trap?

The previous year's winner of the Masters gets the privilege of selecting the menu for the past champions' dinner. In 2005, Mickelson, winner in 2004, selected "lobster ravioli in a tomato cream sauce, Caesar's salad and garlic bread at the champions dinner," according to TGC.

Well, this year, Mickelson has selected a menu that sounds a lot higher in cholesterol and fat content: "southern fried chicken, baby back ribs, beef brisket and smoked sausage. If that's not enough, vanilla ice cream will be served for dessert." (More here)

I hate to be cynical about this selection, but the high red meat content plus the fried chicken can't be all that appealing to the health conscious players like Tiger Woods. I mean, c'mon, who eats "beef brisket" today? Mickelson must know that this meat-heavy menu won't be appealing to Tiger (who has 5% body fat). Tiger's long been on record that he's cut out (or reduced) fried chicken and fatty meats from his diet. Hopefully, they will at least serve salad so Tiger won't go home hungry.