The Masters
Well folks we have finally made it to Master’s Week. Although we did just have a Masters a mere 4 months ago this is the first time since 2019 that The Masters will be held in April, its original yearly time. On top of that,The Masters will also be hosting fans, this is another first for The Masters since 2019. On top of that this is the first major since the 2019 Open Championship that will host fans as well. I think this week is beyond monumental for not only the game of golf but for the confidence in our world that things are finally healing. Nonetheless, golf fans should gear up for a week filled with excitement, drama, intensity and jaw dropping golf.
Master’s Week is probably my favorite week of the year, there is so much history about this week that just fills all golf fans with excitement. The Masters is a staple on the PGA Tour’s schedule, players fight tooth and nail to make their way into the top 50 in world rankings or receive an invite through winning an event on the PGA Tour. Now I can personally attest to how incredible Augusta National actually is, in 2014 I had the privilege to go to The Masters and watch and let me know its perfection. There was not a blade of grass out of place, it almost didn't look real. The course itself is incredible, watching on TV does not do this place justice. The elevation changes are more drastic than ever. The narrow fairways, pine straw, and gigantic Georgia Pines create an experience unlike no other. I call it the “Augusta National Bubble'' because it seems like the outside world has no effect on this place, heaven on Earth many call it. Although the opportunity to play at Augusta National proves to be very challenging and something that only happens in our dreams, for a few faces this year those dreams are becoming a reality.
There are some pretty big things happening this week at Augusta, for starters there are a lot of first time players that are ready to bring the heat. This year there are three new professionals making their Masters debut. Young hot shot Will Zalatoris is ready to quickly make a name for himself, he's followed by Robert MacIntrye. Both those players received invites because they are ranked in the top 50 in the world. The last new face is Carlos Ortiz, receiving an invite due to his Houston Open victory 4 months. I really like seeing new faces at Augusta because these guys are just so happy to be there and be a part of the pinnacle of golf, the chance to compete at Augusta National. While the new faces are great, the rest of the field is filled with rockstars. Most notably to take the trip down Magnolia Lane this year is Rory McIlroy, Bryson Dechambeau, Jordan Spieth, Brooks Koepka, Patrick Cantlay, Tony Finau, Dustin Johnson, Xander Schauffele, Justin Thomas, and Collin Morikawa. While the field is filled with stars we are missing someone quite special to the game of golf. Tiger Woods will not be playing this week due to his car crash a month ago. While Tiger is on the ups and doing much better, golf fans will be waiting awhile before seeing Tiger tee it up again.
In my opinion this will be the best Masters we've seen in a very long time. Players like Jordan Spieth, Dustin Johnson, Justin Thomas and Bryson Dechambeau are at the top of their games. Each player has won on tour this year and as we all know Dustin Johnson is our reigning 2020 Masters Champion. Jordan broke through his winning drought and won The Texas Valero Open last week, Bryson had a solid win at the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill, and JT with his come from behind victory at The Players Championship. While these four are the front runners there are a couple guys that might surprise you. Jon Rahm is one of those guys. He recorded three straight Top 10’s in his last three Masters. He had some really close calls and he's ready to win. Another guy who is beyond hungry for that coveted Green Jacket is Brooks Koepka. Brooks won The Waste Management Open this past year, but recently underwent knee surgery. Now while many believed he wouldn’t be ready Brooks proved all the haters wrong and rehabbed himself back to full strength and is more than capable to win this year. However to win the Masters it takes a special kind of tenacity. The winner not only strikes the ball flawlessly and putts well, but maintains their composure and remains mentally strong throughout the whole week. (Mike)
It would be a shame to not talk about Tiger during Master’s week. Listening to various players' press conferences this week it is clear that Tiger has become a friend, mentor, idol, etc. to so many of these guys out there. Many talked about how they have gone and seen Tiger and picked his brain on Augusta and just tried to be a good friend to Tiger and help him through what must be a very tough time. There will be plenty of Tiger talk I am sure this weekend and that is deservedly so.
Two more points I wanted to touch on this week is how remarkable it is that Brooks is back so soon. Many people thought it would be months before we saw Brooks again in competition. I hope it is not him coming back too early and we see some good golf out of him this weekend. The other point is Jordan Spieth. It seems a little disrespectful to just throw him in a paragraph here, but it is freaking Master’s week! I think a lot can be learned from Jordan sticking with the people that believed in him and got him to where he was in 2017 and not letting some poor play change that. I think that speaks volumes to who he is as a person. I know I will be rooting for him to play well this week. (Tyler)
Pick’s of the Week:
Mike: We are back to my favorite section of the blog, especially this week, pick of the week. This week my winning pick goes to Jordan Spieth. Now many might think this pick is a little premature, but Jordan is completely back. His win last week was extremely impressive between his ball striking, and especially his short game. Spieth one putted 44 out of 72 holes last week. That is an absolutely jaw dropping stat. That stat especially bodes well for Augusta because having a hot putter is a winning recipe. Speith comes in at 38th ranked in the world 10-1 odds just behind Dustin Johnson who was 9-1 odds and tied with JT who has 10-1 odds as well.
My notable to miss the cut this week goes to Matthew Wolfe. I personally haven't seen much out of Wolfe this year and I don’t know if he can string together 36 solid holes. You can’t miss fairways at Augusta and I believe his downfall will be with his tee shots.
My sleeper pick of the week goes to none other than Tommy Fleetwood. What better way to breakout on tour for your maiden tour victory than The Masters. Tommy is as solid as they come, he can hang and win with the best of them. I know he's fallen short countless times but this could be his week. Tommy comes in with 45-1 odds which are pretty respectable for not having a PGA Tour win. Get ready for Tommy Fleetwood he’s going to put on a show. (Mike)
Tyler: I agree with Mike, I think this Master’s will be one of the best in history. I sit there and look at the field and I could make a case for twenty some guys to win this week. Obviously, we will all miss Big Cat, but golf is in a great place right now and the field proves that. As for my picks, I think Patrick Cantlay will take it home this week at 22-1. Cantlay is still holding on to his top ten world ranking and I think people forget that he held the lead late on Sunday in 2019 at Augusta. I pick Cantlay a lot, but I really feel like he should have more wins than he does.
My sleeper pick for this week is Cam Smith at 35-1. His game has been trending in the right direction lately and he has found himself in contention often it seems as of late. He played well here in the fall and I expect something similar this weekend as well. This is a great chance for him to get a breakthrough victory.
My notable to miss the cut is Justin Thomas. I think he has a few blow up holes this week and misses the cut. Augusta is a place that should fit his game, but I just do not think this is going to be his week. (Tyler)