I had deliberate to do a piece on Phil's education to growth his membership head velocity -- and I nevertheless plan to do so within the following few days -- however we had such a lot of surprises at the Masters on Thursday that I want to choose out a few storylines that have been both NOT emphasized on GC or ESPN or that perhaps you neglected.
Of route, I guessed Tiger might most in all likelihood shoot 70... And as a substitute he shot 73. I became accurate approximately his brief recreation troubles being fixed. (It changed into exceptional to listen some of the speakme heads on TV truely express admiration for what he had completed in one of these quick time.) But I did not recollect that he likely hadn't carried out any paintings on his lengthy game at the same time as he constant them! That clearly modified the photo appreciably.
However, while some of the TV commentators mentioned that Bubba was -3 on the par-5s despite being only -1 for the round, nobody noted that Tiger was ALSO -3 on the par-5s. Tiger's struggles with the par-5s have been cited as one of the reasons for his scoring problems. If he can start getting birdies on the par-5s consistently, the old Tiger may not be as far off as most folks think. I think this stat bears watching over the next few days.
Among my "five to Watch," the scores have been pretty properly:
- Jordan Spieth, -8
- Jason Day, -5
- Dustin Johnson, -2
- Bubba Watson, -1
The two shocker rounds were Ernie Els at -5 and Tom Watson at -1. Ernie stated within the press middle that, although he did not want to admit it for a long time, he thinks the repeated defeats he suffered at the Masters in advance this century DID have a bad impact on him for a long term. But he says he is been making a whole lot of birdies over the past couple of weeks and is seeing some putts cross in. If he definitely feels good about his game, he just would possibly pull an upset this week.
And while I don't assume Tom will win, he just would possibly make the cut. If so, there is a few talk that he may additionally determine to make this his final year gambling at Augusta and exit on top. I'm no longer so positive approximately that -- Tom likes to play Augusta -- however it is another tale to keep your eye on.
Did anyone note the irony that Bubba Watson beat Jordan Spieth last year with a final score of -8 after 4 rounds... and Jordan ran up -8 in just one round this year??? Do you think maybe Jordan wanted to make a point?
It's still too early to think we realize how this Masters will play out. When the draw receives flipped today -- and if the weather comes in in the end -- the order of the gamers on the scoreboard can also trade significantly. But I'm nonetheless seeking out a duel between Jordan and Jason...
And in all likelihood Ernie. Call me sentimental!
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