Thought for the Day:
99% of lawyers give the rest a bad name
Praise the lord and pass the ammunition
If the glorious spring weather we have been enjoying hasn’t got you excited about the new golf season, then surely the prospect of this year’s Masters will get your heart beating faster than a Duracell bunny in a state of sexual anticipation. Partly this is because it’s the first major of the year after an eight-month drought and partly it’s the magnificence of the Augusta National golf course, with which we have become so familiar over the years. The people who run it may have a not very endearing history as racist good ‘ole boys, albeit very rich ones, but they do know how to run a golf tournament. And it has to be said, despite our natural affection for and loyalty to The Open, visually The Masters is the most sumptuous of the majors, especially if you only get to see it on television.
In the run-up to this year’s event, much attention has rightly been focused on Tiger’s victory in the Bay Hill International, and we have been reminded that each of the four previous times that a green jacket has been draped around his broad shoulders, it followed an earlier win on the US Tour – two of which were also at Bay Hill. But even more impressive than his victory at Arnold Palmer’s invitational was the manner in which it was achieved. He led the field in greens in regulation (57 out of 72), was 12-under for the par fives, drove much straighter and seemed to have confidence in his putter once again. And when he did miss a green, which wasn’t too often (at one stage over the weekend he gave himself 38 consecutive putts for birdie, albeit several of them were from a distance), he was equal first in getting up and down. It was very impressive but, although the bookies have installed him as favourite for this week I’m hedging my bets for three reasons.
First, in the two-and-a-half years since his life went into meltdown we have seen many false dawns. Tiger has played well for one or more rounds and then lost his driving, or putting, and it has been two steps forward and one back. Even a player of Woods’ astonishing talent has difficulty incorporating new swing moves with consistency. Second, if there is one area of his game that doesn’t quite match the rest, it is his iron play – he’s hitting the greens but often a long way from the flagstick, and at Augusta that’s a recipe for a whole bunch of three putts. Third, many of the world’s best players are also in great form, and Tiger no longer intimidates them in the way he once did.
Rory McIlroy is obviously first among their number and has been in contention just about every time he has teed it up so far this year. But Justin Rose, Phil Mickelson and Luke Donald have all won in America since February, while Steve Stricker, Lee Westwood, Martin Kaymer and Graeme McDowell also show some welcome form. Even Ian Poulter, who likes Augusta, has shaken off his early season despond. And then we have the Americans like Bubba Watson, Webb Simpson, Dustin Johnson, Hunter Mahan and Matt Kuchar. Simply, there are too many good golfers playing good golf to assume that it’s coronation time for Tiger. My money will be on Rory.
Warrior or assassin?
A piece about cricket in the Daily Telegraph caught my eye last week. It talked about sports psychologists and in particular quoted Dr Mark Bawden, who works with the England cricket team. He defines the sportsmen with whom he works as falling into one of two categories. First are warriors – outgoing, aggressive, confident people who take on the world – and then there are assassins, the quieter, more introverted technicians who can be overlooked until, that is, they have walked off with the trophy. It made me start thinking of golfers in these terms and of those I have mentioned in connection with the Masters, I have reached the following conclusions. The warriors are Woods, McIlroy, Mickelson, McDowell, Westwood, Poulter, Bubba Watson and Dustin Johnson. Which leaves the assassins; Kaymer, Rose, Donald, Simpson, Mahan and Kuchar.
Looking back over the last 10 years, the Masters has been won by the following:
Charl Schwartzel (assassin)
Phil Mickelson (warrior)
Angel Cabrera (warrior)
Trevor Immelman (assassin)
Zach Johnson (assassin)
Phil Mickelson (warrior)
Tiger Woods (warrior)
Phil Mickelson (warrior)
Mike Weir (assassin)
Tiger Woods (warrior)
That gives the warriors the edge, at six wins to four, so I’m sticking with my prediction of Rory.
Not quite, Hunter
Hunter Mahan is the first man to win twice in America this season, and must be feeling good on his drive up Magnolia Avenue this week, but it takes an awful lot to win consecutive events, especially when the second is a major. But my eye was caught by his quote on winning the Houston Open at the weekend and in the process moving to world number four. He said: ‘That’s a pretty surreal thing to think about. It shows me what I can do, shows me what I’m capable of.’
No Hunter. If the news of your elevation in the world rankings had been given to you by a talking hippopotamus wearing a pink tutu, that would be surreal. Otherwise, it’s just a pleasant surprise.
Quote of the Week:
The object of golf is not just to win. It is to play like a gentleman, and win
Phil Mickelson