Masters update
Three friends and I attended yesterday. Here are some random things that struck me:
Condition, course: The course is very damp. The greens appear soft. You can tell by the sound and the way they are receiving shots. Even areas that are very hilly have not drained well. This must make the course play longer, but make the greens a bit easier to hit. We saw an offical using some contraption on #6 at the end of the day. It looked like he was drawing moistutre out of the green…maybe measuring it??? I don’t think the course will dry enough by Sunday, unless the wind picks up. We could see some really low scores.
The new practice range is built to last. It probably is at least 500 yards long. So when Gary Player is right about the guys hitting 400 yard drives, the practice range wil not be obsolete( like the old one became).
Conditioning, players: Most of the pros look different than the rest of us humans. Fit and lean. I think you could have taken the ten fittest people in the gallery and they would not have looked as fit as most of the pros. This course is so hilly, you can’t help but thnk that conditioning may play a role by late Sunday.
Bernhard Langer must not have but a few ounces of body fat. I stood behind him on 10 as he hit his tee shot. It seemed like he took a controlled smooth backswing and then you saw/felt a tremendous effort resulting in a powerful strike.
I almost didn’t recognize Rory he looked so fit.
Saw Greg Norman up pretty close. He looks about the same as 20 years ago. Very charismatic, and like he belongs there. And he does.
Weeds: My group of four saw zero weeds all day long.
Bathrooms: Kinda hate to include this, but having been to all kinds of sporting events at many venues, I have never seen bathrooms function so efficiently for large crowds. It is just one more thing showing how the Masters pays attention to detail.
Play: Tiger had two unplayable lies. We saw plenty of errant tee shots…one guy flew his tee shot on nine over into #1 fairway…leaving a wide open shot to the green. Rory jerked it way left on #8, but caught a break hitting a tree. Stenson was in the zone…until #18, then made an 8 with no penalty shots and a 2-putt. That shows how close the demons are lurking.At the range, Molinari seemd to have the best control of his mid-irons of anyone…repeatedly hitting tiny draws. Westwood had a great day…it might finally be his year.