Each spring, here in the north, the golf season always seems to start with The Masters. Sure, courses have opened, but the general masses of people don’t start playing until they get the bug from watching the best players play on one of the best courses. If The Masters were played at another time of the year, it may not have been so special. Look at the other Majors. As you get later in the year, as was the case with the PGA, the tournament loses a little steam. This is one reason why The Masters and Augusta National are so special. Here are a few others.
The Course
Augusta National is a special course and a testament to great golf course design. Minimal bunkers, wide fairways and only a second cut make you think it should be an easy course. However, this course has some of the best greens in golf which makes approaching them, or missing them in the right location, so important. These slopes may funnel a shot towards the hole or repel it away. That is why it is hard for a first-time player to win there. You must know how to handle the greens. Yes, winning scores are usually the lowest at this Major, but that creates even more excitement.
Win and You’re In
As an invitational tournament, getting to The Masters is a highlight of one’s career. The tournament has a long history of having PGA TOUR champions from the previous year getting an invite. This is such a big deal, not only to first time winners, but also to long time TOUR members such as Ian Poulter, when he won the tournament before last year’s Masters to qualify.
There is also the case of Masters Champions getting a lifelong invitation. Win this tournament at any age and you are always invited back. Win at a young age, like Woods and Spieth did, and you may end up making 50 trips. You also get to attend one of the best dinners in the world, The Masters Champions dinner. This has got to be one of the best times for all the champions. Oh, to be a fly on the wall there.
The Back Nine of Sunday
In most years we seem to say that the tournament doesn’t start until the back nine on Sunday. This is easily one of the best nine holes in golf. Here we see charges, such as Nicklaus in 1986, coronations like Woods in 1997, and collapses as seen recently with Spieth and McIlroy. The pressure always seems to mount for the leader, and the chasers can take chances and make eagles. This is why low scores don’t bother The Master officials. The back nine creates so much excitement that every tournament is memorable.
I always love this time of year. Not only for the end of winter and the beginning of the golf season, but for the playing of the best tournament in golf. This year’s tournament should be no different from past years and I’m hoping for a McIlroy/Woods showdown on Sunday.