2008 Woodie Awards
Masters Will Always Be Second Best
Dan Olender
Issue date: 4/8/08 Section: Sports
The sun is out, the temperature is rising and the azaleas are blooming, which can only mean one thing - it's Masters Week.
Let that soak in for a second.
It sounds great doesn't it? Golf's first major of the season begins Thursday and it should once again be a treat for golf fans everywhere. It has the potential to be even better for viewers because there's expanded coverage at Augusta National this year as ESPN will televise the Par-3 Contest on Wednesday and additional early-round action Thursday and Friday.
This event, which has been played since 1934, is the favorite golf tournament of many golf fans worldwide (not to mention the fact that Tiger Woods lives for this tournament).
The Green Jacket. That's all someone has to say as those three simple words resonate and bring up countless memories from years past. But as great as the Masters is, with all of its tradition and pageantry, it's not the best major in golf.
That's right, I said it. As blasphemous as that may sound, I believe the U.S. Open is the better tournament. Just because I feel that way, it doesn't mean I don't enjoy the Masters just as much as the next person who wishes they could just step foot on that course, even if only for a minute.
The U.S. Open is great because it is different. For four days out of the golf season we see golfer's struggle for an entire round, even if they're playing well. As great as the Masters is, we pretty much know what we're in for each year, with last year's tournament being the only aberration in recent memory.
At the 2007 Masters, Zach Johnson shot a four-round total of 289 and won the Green Jacket. That hasn't happened since 1956 when Jack Burke Jr. also shot a 289 to win. In the past three U.S. Open's, the champion has shot at least a 280 for four rounds.
Many people say the U.S. Open is unwatchable. "I don't want to see a pro struggle to make par," is what they say. My response is, why not?
Week-in, week-out we see the pros go out and shoot 5- to 8-under in a given round and we marvel at their skills and wish we could do the same things. While it's not as easy, that's typically what happens at Augusta, guys go out and shoot under par all the time.
Let that soak in for a second.
It sounds great doesn't it? Golf's first major of the season begins Thursday and it should once again be a treat for golf fans everywhere. It has the potential to be even better for viewers because there's expanded coverage at Augusta National this year as ESPN will televise the Par-3 Contest on Wednesday and additional early-round action Thursday and Friday.
This event, which has been played since 1934, is the favorite golf tournament of many golf fans worldwide (not to mention the fact that Tiger Woods lives for this tournament).
The Green Jacket. That's all someone has to say as those three simple words resonate and bring up countless memories from years past. But as great as the Masters is, with all of its tradition and pageantry, it's not the best major in golf.
That's right, I said it. As blasphemous as that may sound, I believe the U.S. Open is the better tournament. Just because I feel that way, it doesn't mean I don't enjoy the Masters just as much as the next person who wishes they could just step foot on that course, even if only for a minute.
The U.S. Open is great because it is different. For four days out of the golf season we see golfer's struggle for an entire round, even if they're playing well. As great as the Masters is, we pretty much know what we're in for each year, with last year's tournament being the only aberration in recent memory.
At the 2007 Masters, Zach Johnson shot a four-round total of 289 and won the Green Jacket. That hasn't happened since 1956 when Jack Burke Jr. also shot a 289 to win. In the past three U.S. Open's, the champion has shot at least a 280 for four rounds.
Many people say the U.S. Open is unwatchable. "I don't want to see a pro struggle to make par," is what they say. My response is, why not?
Week-in, week-out we see the pros go out and shoot 5- to 8-under in a given round and we marvel at their skills and wish we could do the same things. While it's not as easy, that's typically what happens at Augusta, guys go out and shoot under par all the time.
Be the first to comment on this story