PGA Tour: The Masters Winner, via Process of Elimination: Notes from the Ballwasher

First topic message reminder :

1).Last year I slurped a couple of bottles of Malbec and attempted to make a case for a European Champion. Henrik Stenson was the chosen candidate and he played well but not nearly well enough, Jonas Blixt finishing ahead of him as the leading Swede. So we changed the formula this year, not the Malbec of course, but let's revert to Andy North's time-honoured process of elimination.
NB: Any bias or prejudice is entirely intentional.

2).Starting with Amateurs. One or two have come close, Patton, Venturi, but none won a Green Jacket and that won't change this year. Seven eliminated.

3).No rookie has one since Fuzzy Zoeller over 35 years ago. I fancy Tringale to play well, but I'll go with history and take out the 13 first-timers.

4).Jack Nicklaus won the 1986 Masters at the age of 46, the oldest Champion. I don't see any of the forty-somethings in the field improving their game, so let's dispense with the likes of Westwood, Furyk and Els and 20 others. 23 can exit, best chances Phil, who's only had one top ten finish since Muirfield, and Cabrera, always a decent each way punt.

5).Augusta National could be the toughest walking course these guys play, not good if you're carrying a knock, physically or mentally, or in some cases Tiger, both. Bye bye to seven crocks, including McDowell, Stenson and Reed.

6).Poor putters and scramblers need not apply. 24 still standing are #110 or below in the PGA Tour's primary putting or scrambling stat. On your way then Dustin, Rickie, Keegan, Webb, Kaymer, Rose, Charl and Adam. Big risk sending Matsuyama and Oosthuizen down the road, but their putting has not been good enough. Russell Henley may be a putting genius but he needs to scramble too.

7).As baseball fans know, "Chicks dig the long ball", and so do Augusta's Green Jackets; bad news for slowpokes Crane and Na and eight others, none of them in the top 100. Sorry Sneds, still good for a place.

8).Only fourteen left so time to discard those currently out of form. Regardless of what they might have done elsewhere in the world, none of this lot have a PGA Tour top ten finish this year: Dubuisson, Grace, Ilonen, Mahan, Streelman, Villegas. Adios to the 6 of you.

9).And of the rest, only Jason Day, Spieth and Jimmy Walker have wins, so San-Moon Bae, Sergio, Rory, Ryan Palmer and Bubba can leave quietly down Magnolia Lane.

10).Day, Spieth and Walker have all played well at Augusta. Day and Spieth have play-off wins this year, Walker has two wins by a total of 13 strokes. Give me the proven winner and measure up Jimmy Walker for a Green Jacket. Cheers.

Lots of false short prices on Paddy Power.
With each way paying six places there is also a ton of good value at prices 66/1 and above, even up to 300/1. Remember, some of these guys like Harman, Tringale and Hoffmann may be Masters "rookies" but they've played Augusta National, in some cases plenty of times with College teams.

WTF is Lindsey wearing to walk around a golf course?

Smithers

As golfers we have to accept we don't understand style. For all we know that is the height of taste.

It's very stylish, just completely impractical.

Link
Since the telly stuff has started I thought I'd share this from the Scottish Herald. Made me smile.

SmithersJones wrote:It's very stylish, just completely impractical.

At least she hasn't got pink hair.

My Ranking of the Majors FWIW:

Masters
Open
US Open
PGA

Very good Lairdy,
He got a bit carried away there at times, as if he'd spent too much time with the ballwasher . . . . . nice to think of Stevie Williams as a Sherpa Tensing!

SmithersJones wrote:WTF is Lindsey wearing to walk around a golf course?

My thought exactly! Why did she think it appropriate to wear a dress ? What's wrong with a white boiler suit?

Anyone else get the feeling the Woods kids would have preferred to be somewhere else - like in Sweden with their mother?

Ladyputt

Their mother lives about 20 minutes from Woods in florida.

McLaren wrote:Ladyputt

Their mother lives about 20 minutes from Woods in florida.  

Aaaah - I wasn't aware of that, as I'm not personally acquainted with the family . It did seem rather odd that Woods was talking about being kept awake by the children. I had no idea he had custody! Perhaps you know the truth?

Shared custody I think.

After all the portents of gloom and rain, it should be a warm/hot sunny Augusta day, steamy I should think, but good for golf.

Imagine Nicklaus and Palmer are eating their bacon butties, Player snorting his volcanic dust, in preparation for the ceremonial opening drive. Hopefully Palmer doesn't put his shoulder out again. And later Ben Golly Gee Crenshaw will be trying to break 100.

Get on with the golf!

Why shouldn't he have joint custody? Tsk, women will be asking for full playing privileges next...

R1 pin positions released.

Pin positions:

http://www.masters.com/en_US/scores/track.html

There seems to be a tracker but I don't if it will be as good as the play by play on the PGA Tour site. It isn't working yet!

Some tricky pins! No.s 2, 13 and 16 jump out to me as difficult and close to their usual sunday positions-ish.

The tracker looks to be actually doing a play by play....finally a major does it

Somewhere up above, or down below, Seve hits his ceremonial opening tee shot. To celebrate his 58th birthday.
Happy Birthday Seve

sirbenson wrote:http://www.masters.com/en_US/scores/track.html

There seems to be a tracker but I don't if it will be as good as the play by play on the PGA Tour site. It isn't working yet!

Nice one sirB!

Probably the easiest Cut in theory to make all year with the Top 50 & ties plus 10 shot rule................and given that there are probably only 85 players who have a realistic chance of competing.

85 unusually generous John!

Plus another five or more who would be sitting this one out if it wasn't The Masters, probably more. Toss up between Weir and Stadler as to who's the first to call it a day?

sirbenson wrote:The tracker looks to be actually doing a play by play....finally a major does it

The PGA Championship rented the Shottracker technology from PGATour last summer.

John Cregan wrote:Probably the easiest Cut in theory to make all year with the Top 50 & ties plus 10 shot rule................and given that there are probably only 85 players who have a realistic chance of competing.

nitpick:  The Cut is Top 48 and Ties (and 10 shot rule)

But the easiest cut is the Deutschebank.  100 players and Top 70 make the cut.

GPB wrote:

sirbenson wrote:The tracker looks to be actually doing a play by play....finally a major does it

The PGA Championship rented the Shottracker technology from PGATour last summer.

Yes, but it wasn't as indepth as the Masters is, like it's actually giving a yardage on the shot and an idea of where the ball actually has gone!

GPB wrote:

John Cregan wrote:Probably the easiest Cut in theory to make all year with the Top 50 & ties plus 10 shot rule................and given that there are probably only 85 players who have a realistic chance of competing.

nitpick:  The Cut is Top 48 and Ties (and 10 shot rule)

But the easiest cut is the Deutschebank.  100 players and Top 70 make the cut.

Did hey change it again?

Went from T 44 to T 50 in 2013...........

Westwood starts off by missing a short par putt!

You're right John Cregan, I thought it had changed to Top 48.  My mistake.

It's well made! Wonder if it'll work on my ipad when I get home?

sirbenson wrote:Yes, but it wasn't as indepth as the Masters is, like it's actually giving a yardage on the shot and an idea of where the ball actually has gone!

The graphics are very good for the Masters, and it is not the memory hog of Shottracker.


IMO, the functionality of Shottracker is much better as I find it cumbersome to switch players and switch holes on the Masters Tracker.

True dat GPB

GPB wrote:

sirbenson wrote:Yes, but it wasn't as indepth as the Masters is, like it's actually giving a yardage on the shot and an idea of where the ball actually has gone!

The graphics are very good for the Masters, and it is not the memory hog of Shottracker.


IMO, the functionality of Shottracker is much better as I find it cumbersome to switch players and switch holes on the Masters Tracker.

I agree regarding the PGA Tour site it's far superior than the Masters and PGA Championship trackers have been.....but hey it's better than it has been.

Only 2 birdies on the first hole, Vijay and Olly. Ben Crenshaw should have skipped it, his shot tracker on the first is a mess. He is driving 215 and 224 yards on his first two holes. Is the guy a masochist.

DJ probably the only fancied player in a bit of trouble so far......early days but already 4 behind Bubba................

With the last of the "morning wave" playing the first all the non-Canadians are blanketted by just 6 strokes. Pity about the five overs from Mike Weir and amateur Connors.

Cool stat from Justin Ray:
Since the beginning of 2010, Rory has "led after a round in a Major 17 times"; no-one else has led more than five.

No problem Rory if you add to that figure on Sunday evening.

Wow, what a fantastic putt from Willett! Although it was going a bit quick haha!

I have Crane to beat Weir and Conners....This is torture

I am watching Amen Corner. I suspect that No 11 is the most missed green. Why do players bail out right?
I could understand middle of the green, but I've seen nothing anywhere close.
Why not aim for the right hand side of the green with a bit of draw?

That's a lot of St Georges crosses on the leaderboard early doors, which is great to see. Plus - I don't really like the guy, or all the fawning over him, but I don't know how Tom Watson does it? 3 birdies so far and -1 for 13 holes. It won't last but he's 65 for crying out loud!

Trying to figure out why I left Harley Choffman out of my elimination. Ah yes, not a great putter, just five birds and an eagle.

I'm never wrong - Yeah, I agree with you there. Far too many bail out waaay right. Even centre of the green with a small cut should get them on right side.

Charley Hoffman - I'm sure somebody somewhere mentioned he played a lot of college golf here? Maybe not. I read now he was at college through in the West.

kwinigolfer wrote:Trying to figure out why I left Harley Choffman out of my elimination.

Just wondering if Incontinentia made a typo when picking Morgan Hoffmann in Sportforms' competition.

Lairdy,
Apparently Morgan Hoffmann played ANGC as a College player.
Kinda miss Hoffman's hair - looked ridiculous but it least it was distinctive.

No horror stories out there yet from any of the better players . . . . I like the occasional wreck, adds some spice to the stroll through the azaleas.

Poulter dressed as a lighthouse has hit the rocks Kwini.........

Ah, yes, Poults getting a lot of grief in twitterdom. Too bad, like him or loathe him he adds a lot to the game.

Watson leading the over 60's; impressive. What I would give to see him paired at the weekend with Phil.

Westwood hit a woeful putt on 12

I'll enjoy my early Rose call at the moment!

Sr,
Good shout on Justin Rose, BUT:
Why didn't you choose him in your sportform six??!!

Early affirmation that enough is enough for Crenshaw, and nothing to be proud of from Mike Weir either.

Par today is really going to be about 72 strokes; anything above that will leave a lot of catching up to do, unless the weather turns really funky. lw1 please take note.

Yowsers!  Crenshaw starts his back nine 6, 8, 2!, 4!  The comeback is on. Inco might have been onto something with his Cat C picks....