The 19^th Hole

April 9, 2006

Reserving Judgment

My parents always taught me that I should not prejudice myself against people before I meet them.  They taught me that being judgmental might cause me to lose out on something great.  I took those lessons into this week’s Masters. 

I did not want to pass judgment on the course setup despite my objections to course lengthening in general.  Augusta National had been lengthened even more by the tournament committee to a behemoth 7400 yards.  Golfing purists and those pros that are distance challenged were pretty vocal in their critique of the changes.  Combined, they claimed that lengthening the course in response to technological advances in golf equipment would limit the pool of potential champions to just the longest hitters.  Tiger Woods even agreed, saying that the course setup essentially narrowed the field to about fifteen guys who could win a green jacket.

Tournament Chairman Hootie Johnson was defensive of the changes he authorized.  He said all week that he felt the changes would preserve the integrity and goals of the course set in the original design by Bobby Jones and Alister Mackenzie.  He remained vigilant that the best players in the world, regardless of length, would be able to emerge victorious.

As it always seems to be, the results turned out somewhere in between.  Sure, Augusta National was long – to a man, no one said it was not more challenging than last year.  With added length, more challenging and visually intimidating tee shots, and ultra fast greens, Augusta National was a huge challenge. 

As it turns out, though, the players stepped up their games to match.  The statistics also show the golf course was slightly more difficult.  The scoring average for the tournament this year was 73.95.  Last year, it was 73.86.  Basically, nothing changed despite the fact that the opening round scoring average was the 7^th highest in the history of the tournament.  In the end, there were a host of good rounds out there despite the length.  Hell, Charles Coody managed a 74!

There were still some Sunday roars, too. Two of the best rounds of the tournament were on Sunday – Jose Maria Olazabal’s fabulous 66 and Angel Cabrera’s electrifying 68.  Even better still, the top five ranked players in the world were all on the first page of the leaderboard in the final round.

Up and down the final leaderboard, the top finishers were not necessarily the longest in the field.  The eventual champion, Phil Mickelson, was number one in driving distance for the week among those players that made the cut.  Fred Couples was number two.  At the same time, Tim Clark finished in second place and was among the bottom half of the field in driving distance.  Jose Maria Olazabal, who is not known for being a bomber, finished in a tie for third.  Distance did not hurt players this week, but it certainly was not the determining factor of the week.  Like every major tournament, it was won with a combination of distance, accuracy, and a clutch short game.

No single player combined those three elements better than Phil Mickelson, whose round of 69 may have been just as good as the four rounds he put together in Duluth the week before in the BellSouth Classic.  It was that blistering performance and overwhelming victory that led most observers to believe Mickelson had exhausted himself for the Masters.  Many seemed to believe that Mickelson had peaked too early and just would not have enough concentration left in the tank to handle the pressure that Augusta National constantly puts on players.  Others were critical of Mickelson’s decision to carry two drivers in his bag in an attempt to give him more shot shape options off of the tee.

Phil proved all of the critics wrong, again.  His final round was almost flawless.  Were it not for a greedy approach to the closing hole, Mickelson would have posted the only final round without a bogey in the field.  The two driver approach worked so well that I am certain other players are considering such a move for the US Open.  Apparently the BellSouth Classic served as the perfect tune up for the Masters as Mickelson peaked at the perfect time – on Sunday at Augusta.

With his win, Mickelson has now won his third major in the last nine played.  All of a sudden, people have realized that Lefty has emerged as a legitimate challenger to Tiger Woods in the majors.  Just two short years ago, people were wondering if Phil would ever manage to win one major, much less three.  Phil continued to assure his fans and critics that his time would come and that, when it did, he would win many more than just one major.  Again, Phil Mickelson was right and prejudgment was wrong.

Though the ending was not nearly as great as the last two, this Masters was excellent.  On Sunday, all of the top five players in the world were in contention for the title.  Mixed in between were a host of intriguing golfers with varying styles that proved that contending at Augusta is not limited to exclusive company.  Most important, though, was that the champion was the best golfer of the week on a layout that turned out to be a fair examination of golfing skill – like Jones and Mackenzie envisioned.

This week shows us several things.  Augusta National has not been completely destroyed and the Masters has not lost its greatness.  Hootie Johnson is not out of his mind (though I still do not like the changes to the course).  Phil Mickelson is not out of his mind, either, and has solidified his legacy.  And, I should listen to my parents more often.

Ryan Ballengee is host of The 19^th Hole Golf Show, found at The Golf Newsnet.com.  You can also get The 19^th Hole on the go through podcasting by clicking here Feedburner.com - The 19th Hole Golf Show.  Contact Ryan via e-mail at the19thholeshow@hotmail.com.

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