2008 Masters – The Grades

It was anticlimactic.  As much as I didn’t want it to be.  That’ll be the story of the 2008 Masters.  To the grades…

Trevor Immelman:  A 

Can’t say enough about finishing it off after sleeping on the lead three straight nights.  Nobody’s done that at Augusta since Seve in 1980.  Made a lot of clutch par putts and two outside the leather bogey putts – on 1 and 12.  Except for the tugged tee ball on 16, he played it about perfect.  I’m not saying he didn’t hit a loose shot here or there.  I guess the best way to put it is I can’t imagine Tiger doing a better job in the same position, in those conditions.

Did he deserve it?  Definitely.  Was it exciting?  Definitely not.

Tiger Woods:  C+

It wasn’t just the putter.  His ballstriking wasn’t nearly as sharp as it had been earlier this season.  Yes, the missed putts on 13 and 14 stalled the little momentum he had on the back Sunday.  But he never got in touch with the leaders Thursday or Friday.  He was overly cautious, playing too safe.  I understand the course is more demanding now (more on that later), but there were plenty of guys who took it low enough the first two days.  It’s like he knows too much.  Sometimes you just need to step up and hit it.  No slam this year.  Though he’s gaining on Nicklaus’s runner up record.  Only 14 more to go.  So he’s got that going for him.

Phil Mickelson:  B-

Scraped it all week.  Got a ton of good breaks.  The kind of breaks you need to win a big one.  But he was all over the property – and the putter didn’t behave.  It’s interesting that Tiger and Mickelson can seemingly be off form and notch top five finishes at Augusta.  Regardless of the set up or conditions.  While everyone else struggles to break 78.

Brandt “Nips” Snedeker:  A-

Other than the preordained collapse Sunday and the smuggled raisins Saturday, I’d say it’s a week to be proud of for young Brandt.  

 

Go ahead.  Try not to look at ‘em. 

The Course:  B+

When Tiger or Mickelson don’t win the green jacket, which isn’t often, the course tends to get more attention than the champion.  I’m not saying the changes are perfect.  Seems just about every player agrees that the 7th hole is screwed up – it’s way too long.  And maybe the rough could be a little shorter.  And, into the wind, only a few guys can reach 15.  That said, the scores this year were normal.  Everyone seems to forget when Tiger won in 1997, second place was -6.  That was with the course playing under 7000 yards, without rough, in light winds.  This year, with all the hoopla about the US Open conditions, -5 was second.  Jack Nicklaus won at Even in 1966, a year after he won with -17.  Point being, this isn’t a new dicussion, whether or not the course should play easy or hard.  It’s not a simple task, trying to keep up with technology.  It’s a guessing game.  And if the wind didn’t blow Sunday, double digits would have won. 

CBS:  C

Was it me or did that seem like more than three minutes of commercials every hour?  Didn’t even need my catheter.  Maybe it was unlucky timing, but they missed a lot of important live shots.  Nantz was quiet enough.  Verne Lundquist is legally senile.  I don’t hate that.

Masters.org:  A+

Sure, the video kept freezing.  But how can I complain when I get to watch Tiger Woods play Augusta from my desk at work when he’s not even on TV?  Brilliant.  They also caught shots CBS missed – most notably Tiger’s bomb on 11 Sunday.  That was a replay portrayed as live action, if you saw it on CBS.  The live scoring is top notch.  The sound bites were great.  The conversation between Stevie and Tiger from the 15th fairway was an absolute gem.  Tiger waiting for the wind to die… 

Stevie:  “You can’t reach right now.”

Tiger:  “I’m not going  to lay up.” 

Stevie:  “I know.”

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Bring on Torrey Pines.