[Ran Morrissett]

... producing a leaderboard where the top 9 players as I type this deep into Masters Sunday have won just one major?

The CBS announcers belabor that experience means all and yet ... the results suggest otherwise.

In my mind, these are ideal playing conditions for the leaderboard to be jammed pack with seasoned major winners.

I have no answers   - any thoughts?

[Tom_Doak]

The two guys who have dominated the majors for the last 15 years are getting old; one of them isn't there at all. 

In fact, there are only three guys who have won multiple majors who made the cut this year ... Rory, Vijay, and Sandy Lyle.  So I don't know how many proven winners you are looking for right now.

For that matter, there are several other guys who have won majors in the last 10-15 years that aren't even eligible for The Masters.

[Phil McDade]

Ran:

It doesn't help that two of the best Masters players of recent vintage -- Tiger and Lefty -- are sidelined/not-in-top-form due to injuries.

One of the most baked-out courses I'd ever seen -- Royal St. George's in 2003 --also produced one of our most unlikely major winners in Ben Curtis.

More capricious conditions leads to an unpredictable leaderboard?

[Ryan Coles]

The two guys who have dominated the majors for the last 15 years are getting old; one of them isn't there at all. 

In fact, there are only three guys who have won multiple majors who made the cut this year ... Rory, Vijay, and Sandy Lyle.  So I don't know how many proven winners you are looking for right now.

For that matter, there are several other guys who have won majors in the last 10-15 years that aren't even eligible for The Masters.

Although not exactly current, you have excluded Langer and JM Olazabal.

[Cliff Hamm]

I have followed professional golf for 50 years or so and never remember it being so weak at the top.  Depth may be greater than ever but who are the stars?  Phil - missed the cut.  Adam Scott?  Rory - almost missed the cut and played himself out of it.  Who else?  This is certainly not Nicklaus, Palmer, Player.  Not to mention Casper, Watson, etc.

Experience counts but talent more so.  It is not unlike this years NCAA basketball tournament.  Play it ten more times and you'd likely have 10 different winners.  Ditto the Masters.

Would have been great to see Jordan Spieth win as he is clearly the real thing.  But he is young, inexperienced, and needs to rein in his emotions.

Anyway, the course, conditions, are outweighed by the lack of talent at the top.  BTW who are the "seasoned major winners"?  Just aren't many at this time.

[Ryan Coles]

It's not really that firm either. Count on one hand the number if shots required to land short of the green to hold it.

The obvious answer is that equipment is a great leveller.

[Bill Gayne]

There's been fourteen different major winners over the last four years (McIlroy and Mickleson twice). Seven missed the cut: Duffner, Simpson, Els, Schwartzel, Bradley, Mickelson, and McDowell. Watson will probably win, Mcilroy is tied for eighth, and Scott tied for fourteenth. The other four (Clarke, Oosthezien, Bradley, and Kaymer) weren't in great form coming in but made the cut.

There just aren't many seasoned winners playing well this year and there have been a couple of quirky late career major winners over the last four years.

It's more of a reflection of the current major champions than the golf course.

[Tom_Doak]

The two guys who have dominated the majors for the last 15 years are getting old; one of them isn't there at all. 

In fact, there are only three guys who have won multiple majors who made the cut this year ... Rory, Vijay, and Sandy Lyle.  So I don't know how many proven winners you are looking for right now.

For that matter, there are several other guys who have won majors in the last 10-15 years that aren't even eligible for The Masters.

Although not exactly current, you have excluded Langer and JM Olazabal.

Honestly I had forgotten either of them won twice.  I went through my mental checklist of the other majors and knew they hadn't won any of the others [actually, I can't remember either of them ever being that close in any of the others].

[Terry Lavin]

Despite observations to the contrary, the Masters was pretty much played on a USGA setup. Length and putting nerves ruled the day. As Tom Meeks was wont to say: the setup identified the best player this week. Spieth ultimately showed his youth and immaturity which helped him lose his moorings. A tough setup will do that, too. In the end, a bit of a deflating Masters. Unless one is a Bubba fan.

[Bill Gayne]

Despite observations to the contrary, the Masters was pretty much played on a USGA setup. Length and putting nerves ruled the day. As Tom Meeks was wont to say: the setup identified the best player this week. Spieth ultimately showed his youth and immaturity which helped him lose his moorings. A tough setup will do that, too. In the end, a bit of a deflating Masters. Unless one is a Bubba fan.

Not quite the melt down McIlroy but the lack of emotional control by Speith was reminiscent.

[Michael Felton]

The two guys who have dominated the majors for the last 15 years are getting old; one of them isn't there at all. 

In fact, there are only three guys who have won multiple majors who made the cut this year ... Rory, Vijay, and Sandy Lyle.  So I don't know how many proven winners you are looking for right now.

For that matter, there are several other guys who have won majors in the last 10-15 years that aren't even eligible for The Masters.

Although not exactly current, you have excluded Langer and JM Olazabal.

Honestly I had forgotten either of them won twice.  I went through my mental checklist of the other majors and knew they hadn't won any of the others [actually, I can't remember either of them ever being that close in any of the others].

Langer was close to the 1993 Open Championship at Royal St Georges until he hit it OB on 14.

[Ryan Coles]

He was also second at least two other times.

Can't see Langer & Couples finishing top 10 in a US Open so the Masters test does differ somewhat.

[Ran Morrissett]

Though counterintuitive, I that the Masters might be more interesting with some rain because - in part - it makes the 15th more 'eagle-able.' Brick hard and that shelf is just brutal to get a long shot close. Without the eagle roars of which there were none today (at least that I heard), it became more of a grind it out US Open style event. Great for Bubba but it was the most boring Masters I remember in recent times.

[David_Tepper]

Big props to Bernie Langer for 69 today and a T-8 finish. That guy is tuff!  

[John Kirk]

My opinion is...

The course favors a left-handed power player who plays a reliable fade off the tee.

I can go out to the driving range, open up my body 30 degrees to the target, hold the club pretty tight, sort of pick it straight up on the way back, and slash hard through the hitting zone, and hit a pretty reliable fade that goes 230-250 yards.  I tried it a few times yesterday.  It's a simple way to hit a reliably decent shot.

The fact that Bubba Watson can hit a high reliable fade 310 yards in the air, and a low stinger fade about 250-275 for holes like #5, gives him a significant advantage over everybody else.  The course is made for his game, and I think he'll win the Masters again before he's done. 

[Peter Pallotta]

Ran - no one has much practice at it anymore, do they? Not on American soil at least, and not on an American golf course with anything near the architectural/design qualities of Augusta. Take it even further afield: we all remember how well Tom Watson did in 2009 with the dry, firm conditions -at the Open - but evidently Turnberry ain't no Augusta when it comes to the kind/degree of challenge that those conditions bring to the fore.

Peter

[David Lott]

... producing a leaderboard where the top 9 players as I type this deep into Masters Sunday have won just one major?

The CBS announcers belabor that experience means all and yet ... the results suggest otherwise.

In my mind, these are ideal playing conditions for the leaderboard to be jammed pack with seasoned major winners.

I have no answers   - any thoughts?

By my count, only 18 rounds below 70 in the entire tournament. Bubba had three of them. No one else had more than one. This was without difficult wind conditions for most of the tournament. I sniff intimidation at work. The players are afraid to be aggressive. In short I believe that Augusta has become a tricked up course when it comes to green speeds, slopes, pin placements and penal results where shots have a narrow margin or error. Perhaps this is what makes a "great" course. Certainly Augusta a beautiful place, the hole designs are interesting, it has great history. However, they are protecting their legacy by green conditions and pin placements that make a number of otherwise standard shots penal, if you miss by just a small amount. This results in highly defensive play, and in a bit of a lottery for the more aggressive.

[Matthew Petersen]

I thought it was interesting, though, that while the course is firm ... it doesn't wholly play that way. Faldo made this point. The grass, even where cut very low, is so lush that it takes a lot of the bite out. The course is firm to the bounce and fast on the greens, but because the grass is so lush it's not dry lightning.

[Matthew Sander]

By my count, only 18 rounds below 70 in the entire tournament. Bubba had three of them. No one else had more than one. This was without difficult wind conditions for most of the tournament. I sniff intimidation at work. The players are afraid to be aggressive. In short I believe that Augusta has become a tricked up course when it comes to green speeds, slopes, pin placements and penal results where shots have a narrow margin or error. Perhaps this is what makes a "great" course. Certainly Augusta a beautiful place, the hole designs are interesting, it has great history. However, they are protecting their legacy by green conditions and pin placements that make a number of otherwise standard shots penal, if you miss by just a small amount. This results in highly defensive play, and in a bit of a lottery for the more aggressive.

Look back over the history of the tournament and the winning score has remained remarkably consistent. It seems that -8 or -9 is the sweet spot most years. A bit lower when it is soft and a bit higher when windy/cold/extra firm or combinations thereof. If anything, scoring was somewhat higher in the first 15 years or so.

Maybe winning score is too broad a measure and doesn't dig deep enough. That said, I have no reason to believe that next year's winner won't post -14 or something similar.

[Steve Okula]

I was impressed with Jordan Spieth. Playing in the final pair on Masters Sunday he shot level par, better than 60% of the field. Hardly an emotional collapse.  Watson out-played him, but Spieth didn't hand it over.

[mike_beene]

13,15,12 and even 4 seem like something of a lottery when the course is so fast(not so much around the greens but for the approach shots.)With the wind gusting at 12 isn't there a whole lot of luck involved? How can you like 12 and hate 17 at Sawgrass?

[Sean_A]

Ran

Does the club have any choice but to firm the greens up if they want to challenge these guys?  The course is fairly wide, seemingly of no consequence where length is concerned and often times daring recoveries are available.  What do you suggest the club does?  While the tourny is a bit one dimensional because of ultra severe greens, that is what Augusta is about.  What is it you would rather see? 

Ciao   

[John Chilver-Stainer]

I enjoyed the closing day, but of course the drama was lost once Bubba hit that shot on 15. His talent, confidence and clear lead deflated the field. The result was already written in the stars.

However it was still great watching except for .......
the putting.

The tentative taps, fearful lags and fickle trickle putts didn't invoke the fire of a charge or attack.

The greens were holding if hit into the right areas, thanks to the interesting feeds and hollows. I revelled in the interesting chips from missed greens, but the speeds for these sometime rolling greens were just too fast. I'm not saying they should be slow, but it would be nice to see players trying to ram the hole without fear of it rolling past 4 yards or further.

Speed of greens, isn't a function of firm and dry but of height of cut

What speed were the greens 13, 13.5? A foot less on the stimpmeter could have made the difference between sliding and carving, to use a skiing analogy.

[Niall C]

I have followed professional golf for 50 years or so and never remember it being so weak at the top.  Depth may be greater than ever but who are the stars?  Phil - missed the cut.  Adam Scott?  Rory - almost missed the cut and played himself out of it.  Who else?  This is certainly not Nicklaus, Palmer, Player.  Not to mention Casper, Watson, etc.

Cliff

I have to say your comments leave me baffled. The Masters has just been won for the second time by a guy who if he did any more tricks he could be a circus act. Not to mention he was pushed most of the way by a player who looks as though he could potentially dominate golf for years to come.

Nostalgia is one thing but come on, these guys aren't stars !?!

Niall

[Steve Okula]

I enjoyed the closing day, but of course the drama was lost once Bubba hit that shot on 15. His talent, confidence and clear lead deflated the field. The result was already written in the stars.

However it was still great watching except for .......
the putting.

The tentative taps, fearful lags and fickle trickle putts didn't invoke the fire of a charge or attack.

The greens were holding if hit into the right areas, thanks to the interesting feeds and hollows. I revelled in the interesting chips from missed greens, but the speeds for these sometime rolling greens were just too fast. I'm not saying they should be slow, but it would be nice to see players trying to ram the hole without fear of it rolling past 4 yards or further.

Speed of greens, isn't a function of firm and dry but of height of cut

What speed were the greens 13, 13.5? A foot less on the stimpmeter could have made the difference between sliding and carving, to use a skiing analogy.

Height of cut is indeed a key factor, but moisture, on the surface, in the soil, and even in the air,  most definitely affects green speed.

[Tags:]

Tags:

[Tags:]

Tags:

Call to undefined function theme_linktree()