[Bob_Huntley]

Is it time for The Masters to come out from behind the curtain of the Wizard of Oz Land and become a true major? Having superannuated former champions struggling around and likely having a heart attack is not, in my opinion, what a championship is all about.

I know, I know, I shall be condemned for heresy but if this is to be called a championship, it should divest itself of being a exhibition of men, great as they were in their day, hanging on to revive the adulation of yesteryear. They have their right to play according to the Club, but oh dear, why can't they go quietly into that dark night?

I would much prefer to see a Villegas or some other non-exempt player having  go than a septuagenarian.

Yes, I will watch every hole on Saturday and Sunday.

Bob

[Andy Doyle]

If I'm not mistaken, they've never called it a championship -it's always been an invitational.

One of the things I like about this tournament is that it became recognized as a major while being conducted on its own terms.  They have their own tournament traditions - smaller field than most tournaments, inviting former winners, etc.  I like that it is unique in this way.

I am not in favor of the completely inept being included for the "participation" factor (think Eddie the Eagle ski jumper), but I personally love the tradition of former winners having a "lifetime" exemption.  I hated it when Hootie started sending the infamous "don't play anymore" letters.  I do think, however, that any former winner that intends to play should ready themselves and their games to play respectably.  What I would hate to see is those who would continue to abuse the tradition by teeing it up and withdrawing after a few holes (e.g. Doug Ford).

Andy

[Garland Bayley]

When Arnold was asked to name the components of the modern day grand slam that would be analogous to Bobby Jones' grand slam. He was able to name three analogous tournaments, the Open, the USGA, and the PGA. At that point he ran out of analogies and had to pick. He picked the Masters. He could have picked worse, but still it is the weak link in the analogy.

[Dan Kelly]

I would much prefer to see a Villegas or some other non-exempt player having  go than a septuagenarian.

I'm a fan of letting the old coots (or: Coods?) tee it up just as long as they want to.

Charlie is not keeping Camilo out of the tunamint, is he? I thought that was Hootie's call.

I'd rather see them both play.

[Eric Franzen]

If I'm not mistaken, they've never called it a championship -it's always been an invitational.

BILLY PAYNE: Welcome once again, ladies and gentlemen, to the 2005 Masters, the 69th playing of our championship.

I'm pleased to be joined this morning by Mr. Will Nicholson, the Chairman of our Competition Committees, and by our Club and Tournament chairman, Mr. Hootie Johnson.

Source: http://www.augusta.com/masters/stories/040605/johnson_interview.shtml

[Bob_Huntley]

Eric,

you are a gem. Thanks for rescuing me from the know-nothings.

Bob

[Andy Doyle]

Official name: The Masters Tournament

From the website and club history:

http://www.masters.org/en_US/history/index.html

"Looking to provide a service to golf by hosting a tournament, Bobby Jones and Clifford Roberts decided to hold an annual event beginning in 1934. The final decision was made at a meeting in New York at the office of member W. Alton Jones. Roberts proposed the event be called the Masters Tournament, but Bobby Jones objected thinking it too presumptuous. The name Augusta National Invitation Tournament was adopted and the title was used for five years until 1939 when Jones relented and the name was officially changed. "

Billy Payne may have said championship and they may identify the winner as the champion, but they have never titled it a championship.

AD

[Bob_Huntley]

Andy,

You are splitting hairs. If the Lord Poo-Bahs at the 'Toonamint' announce to the world through the aegis of TV and Radio that it is their Championship, who are we to dispute it?

Bob

[Andy Doyle]

Well, I don't think I'm splitting hairs.  Championship of what?  Is this their club championship?  The championship of east Georgia?

We have an open championship of the US and an Open Championship (of the world?).  If some of the current Poo-bahs at ANGC are calling it a championship, I think it's yet a further slide from what Bobby Jones wanted it to be - heck, he felt uncomfortable with the presumtuousness of it being called the Masters in the first place.

The Masters IS different from other "championships" and I enjoy the differences and traditions.    I don't think the reduced-sized field or the inclusion of the old guys diminishes the competitiveness of this tournament.  Just take a look at the list of winners (or is it champions?).

But then again, I'm one of those who thinks this tournament has more going for it than really green grass, pretty flowers, and spring fever.

Andy

[Bob_Huntley]

Andy,

It is an Invitational, as Jones would have it. You are right, it is not emerald green grass and dogwood, it is a happening. I still feel it has the weakest field in golf.

Lke you, I would not watching it for the world.

[PThomas]

I'm gonna go against you on this one Sir Bob....why not let them play?  it's like a living museum

although, as someone said, if they play a few holes and then drop out I would draw the line there

and Casper not signing his card for 106 last year: not cool...if you're gonna shoot it you should sign for it

[David_Tepper]

Bob -

I agree with you totally. The Masters has far and away the weakest field of the 4 so-called majors. It is a small field to begin with (well under 100 golfers). Once you take out the aging past champs who have no chance competitively (6-12 or so players)  and various amataur invitees (ditto for another 4-6 players), you have a field of maybe 70-75 bona-fide tour caliber golfers competing.

The Players Championship has a WAY stronger field. When they move that event to May (beginning next year, I think), it will be interesting to see if and/or how the public's perception of it changes.  

DT

[ChasLawler]

Am I the only one who thinks inviting the top 50 players in the world constitutes a pretty strong field? Talk about splitting hairs...

[tonyt]

Firstly, it is not a weak field.

It lacks the immense depth of say the Players and the PGA, but everyone kids themselves into forgetting that before you get into the past winners and worry about the fact that there are fewer competitors, please remember that the best 50-60 odd players here are usually the best 50-60 in the world. You can celebrate depth all you like, but when a number of PGA Tour events have guys ranked outside the world top 30-40 among the five best players in the field, then depth ain't going to make their field stronger than here.

It isn't so much how many are missing, but also who.


Secondly, the invitations to past champions is one of the ingredients that MAKES this event what it is. It is not supposed to look and feel like a homogenised major or high status event like almost every other. We have at least two of those already among the majors, and multiple more among the better dozen or so non majors on tour. It is supposed to be different, and unlike other limited field events, has successfully fostered in the players an excitement or anxiety about gaining a place in the tournament.

[Patrick_Mucci]

Am I the only one who thinks inviting the top 50 players in the world constitutes a pretty strong field? Talk about splitting hairs...

NO, I agree with you.

The Masters has a special flavor and traditions that set it apart from being just another Tour stop, and the PGA, U.S. Open and British Open are just unique, Tour stops on steroids.

Bob Huntley,

Shame on you.

Next you'll want to cancel the "Champion's Dinner" and substitute Chinese takeout or Pizza deliveries in its place.[/color]

[Andy Doyle]

...  The Players Championship has a WAY stronger field. When they move that event to May (beginning next year, I think), it will be interesting to see if and/or how the public's perception of it changes.  

DT

This WILL be interesting.  These two are the only tournaments of those we are discussing that are played on the same course every year.

I'll go out on a limb here and suggest that the Masters will continue to be considered a major, while the move to May will will do no such thing for the Players.

Andy

[Rick Shefchik]

Any move to make the Masters more like the Opens or the PGA -- or, God help us, the Players Championship -- would be a dreadful mistake.

I'm certain that those of you who keep bringing up the allegedly weak field (who ARE those 60 world-beaters who didn't get invited again this year, anyway?) don't want the Masters to lose its unique flavor. Well, expanding the field to the 150 "best" players in the world would go a long way towards doing just that.

Everybody you really want to see is at Augusta each spring. If that should include a few tee times for guys who can't win -- guys who might be named Arnie, Jack, Gary or Ben -- who cares?

[Garland Bayley]

If the masters continues in its present form of 90 players including old guys and time passes to the point where the old timers that remember the time when the players was not there to compete with the masters are few, then the players will become the major, and the masters will be relegated to its rightful role of a tradition like no other, nothing more.

[Mike_Sweeney]

Bob,

The leader board says it all. The guys in the Green Jackets know how to run a golf tournament! They even threw in Crenshaw so that Shackelford had to keep his mouth shut!!


1 C. Campbell -5 18   -6 71 67     138
T2 R. Mediate +1 18   -3 68 73     141
T2 V. Singh +2 18   -3 67 74     141
T2 F. Couples -2 18   -3 71 70     141
T5 D. Clarke -2 18   -2 72 70     142
T5 P. Mickelson EVEN 18   -2 70 72     142
T5 E. Els -1 18   -2 71 71     142
T5 T. Clark EVEN 18   -2 70 72     142
T5 D. Howell -1 18   -2 71 71     142
T10 N. O'Hern EVEN 18   -1 71 72     143
T10 B. Mayfair EVEN 18   -1 71 72     143
T10 P. Harrington -2 18   -1 73 70     143
T10 O. Browne -3 18   -1 74 69     143
T10 B. Crenshaw EVEN 18   -1 71 72     143
T10 R. Goosen +1 18   -1 70 73     143
T10 T. Woods -1 18   -1 72 71     143
T17 S. Ames -2 18   EVEN 74 70     144
T17 S. Verplank -2 18   EVEN 74 70     144
T17 J. Bohn -1 18   EVEN 73 71     144
T17 R. Beem +1 18   EVEN 71 73     144
T17 M. Weir +1 18   EVEN 71 73     144
T17 A. Oberholser +3 18   EVEN 69 75     144

[peter_p]

The Masters has a bigger field of quality players than the Tour Championship, the Tournament of Champions and every WGC event. But I might be wrong if I looked it up.

[JESII]

Throw the Players in the midst of the Memorial, Colonial and Westchester and see how many of the top 100 decide to take the Players week off. In March it's the first event that grabs there attention, in May it will be just a sweatfest with a purse one million dollars higher than its surrounding events. Play the Masters in December and we'd all be glued to the tube and the guys would all go play.

[mike_beene]

Eddie the Eagle is a bad example.Can you imagine the 75 year old former ski jump champions competing.Talk about must see tv.

[JESII]

Is it time for The Masters to come out from behind the curtain of the Wizard of Oz Land and become a true major? Having superannuated former champions struggling around and likely having a heart attack is not, in my opinion, what a championship is all about.

Bob

Bob,

There was much discussion a couple weeks ago about The Players lobbying to be considered a major and the most sensible argument (IMO) was that the event organizers do not make it a major. The competitors feelings and spectators attraction make it a major.

Would you agree that taking the past champions out of the field would lessen the value of a victory at Augusta in the eyes of those battling this weekend?

[Brent Hutto]

The Masters has its own feel about it that I wouldn't want to see changed. Part of that is the course and the setting and part of it is the "gathering of the clan" aspect with all the old champions. I live an hour or so up the road and a lot of people attend the Masters every year who I don't think would ever consider going to another PGA Tour event, it's sui generis.

On Thursday when Goosen or somebody hit his tee shot on eighteen and it headed toward the bunker, while the ball was in the air you could hear some old geezer standing near the tee say "Right where Clink [sic] was" referring of course to Stuart Cink who had hit into that bunker a couple groups earlier. The sounds of Augusta...there's nothing like it!

[Andy Doyle]

Eddie the Eagle is a bad example.Can you imagine the 75 year old former ski jump champions competing.Talk about must see tv.

This example was not based upon age.  It was based upon the idea of someone participating in an elite-level event when they were clearly not qualified based upon current skill/performance.

Andy

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