The first major of the season is upon us.
Any fear over how Augusta National will handle the hosting of the 78th Masters in a tie for fourth last time,
what has become a routine failure to break 70 during the closing two
rounds of a major meant he was never a serious threat to Adam Scott or
Angel Cabrera. In 2012, Woods finished a distant 40th.
There were
special Augusta occasions long before Woods was born, just as there will
be when his golfing time comes to its natural ? or injury-enforced ?
conclusion. And yet, the Tiger attraction is both real and quantifiable.
Within an hour of Tuesday's announcement of his withdrawal from the Masters, ticket prices on the widely used stubhub.com had dropped by 10%. That percentage fall had doubled by Wednesday.
The
sports marketing and sponsorship analysts at Repucom have produced a
report claiming that during the 2013 Masters, Woods's principle brand,
Nike, generated more than $3.8m (?2.3m) worth of media value. Without
him, that figure is expected to fall by roughly 80%.
Thankfully, major championship Rory McIlroy
was forthright about the need for a concerted challenge to Woods's
dominance, a prospect rendered easier by the world No1's ongoing
travails. "I don't think it's just the Masters but golf in general is
just very wide open at the moment," McIlroy said. "I think a few guys
need to put their hands up and try and be the dominant players in this
game because that's what people like to see."
McIlroy himself is prominent, if not the leader, in that category. So too are Scott and Justin Rose, who each the winning of a major.
Merely a scratch of the surface reveals serious potential elsewhere.
Jason Day's Masters buildup has been hampered by injury but the
big-hitting Australian is something of an Augusta specialist.
In
the two Masters he has completed, Day has finished second and third. He
is one of only two players this century ? Luke Donald is the other ? to
have finished inside the top three on his debut at the first major of
the season.
If that statistic screams out the value of experience,
there is growing evidence of a fearless new generation. Part of the
reasoning for that can be found in the fact that they never encountered
Woods in his prime, donning an invincibility cloak at the likes of
Augusta.
When the 23-year-old Patrick Reed claimed his third win
in eight months at the WGC-Cadillac Championship in March, he was
instantly criticised for declaring himself one of the top five golfers
in the world. But why? Such confidence and character should be praised,
especially when backed up by the fact Reed became the youngest winner of
a WGC event. Since 1990, only the esteemed group of Woods, McIlroy,
Phil Mickelson and Sergio Garcia had won three PGA Tour events before
the age of 24.
And then there comes Jordan Spieth. The Texan will
not celebrate his 21st birthday until July but a remarkable 2013 ? which
he began peddling around in qualifying events and ended as the PGA
Tour's Rookie of the Year with a 10th-placed finish on its money list ?
has prompted attention. Spieth is ranked No13 in the world, not only
ahead of Reed but others who are regarded as Augusta contenders. Donald,
Keegan Bradley, Ian Poulter, Hideki Matsuyama, Charl Schwartzel and
Brandt Snedeker are among those who fall into that bracket.
"We
all hope Tiger is back, that would be good for the game of golf," Spieth
says. "He is a great player and we all want fields to be as strong as
they can be. I'm wishing him a speedy recovery. But I don't think his
situation makes this more of a time for new players to step up. I think
that's in our heads already. Whether he is here or not, we are trying to
win week in and week out. We don't change that because he is not
playing.
"I never played against Tiger in his prime, so maybe that helps me but it's not something I think much about.
"I
have contended in World Golf Championships and other big tournaments,
so why should a major be any different? I have certain goals and they
are definitely focused on the majors this year. The plan we picked, in
the gym, with my swing, everything, was gearing to peak at certain weeks
for the majors."
Spieth played Augusta before the WGC-Cadillac
tournament at Doral in early March. "It is incredible, a special place,"
he adds. "I was also there last October so that was my second visit. It
played a lot differently a few weeks ago to how it did in October and I
am sure day by day that it changes significantly. It was nice to get
the awe factor out so that when I get there on Sunday night or Monday, I
can get right to work."
This Masters field will go about their
business without Woods on the premises. For all the drawbacks such a
scenario brings, there is a renewed hope for the players themselves.
Last week's winner Bill From Tampa! Congrats!
Updated Standings
1. dfs - 4087
2. Ocala - 3610
3. Bill - 3576
4. 2952 - 3522
5. NMT - 3268
6. Sea - 3205**
7. Bobcat - 2976
8. Ed - 2847
9. NiA - 2641
10. DL - 2560
11. 67810 - 2229
12. Lizard - 2155
13. g2f - 1885
**Won week 11 by picking a boogereatin' gator
Good Luck!
This post was edited on 4/13 8:25 PM by DFSNOLE
Field
Any fear over how Augusta National will handle the hosting of the 78th Masters in a tie for fourth last time,
what has become a routine failure to break 70 during the closing two
rounds of a major meant he was never a serious threat to Adam Scott or
Angel Cabrera. In 2012, Woods finished a distant 40th.
There were
special Augusta occasions long before Woods was born, just as there will
be when his golfing time comes to its natural ? or injury-enforced ?
conclusion. And yet, the Tiger attraction is both real and quantifiable.
Within an hour of Tuesday's announcement of his withdrawal from the Masters, ticket prices on the widely used stubhub.com had dropped by 10%. That percentage fall had doubled by Wednesday.
The
sports marketing and sponsorship analysts at Repucom have produced a
report claiming that during the 2013 Masters, Woods's principle brand,
Nike, generated more than $3.8m (?2.3m) worth of media value. Without
him, that figure is expected to fall by roughly 80%.
Thankfully, major championship Rory McIlroy
was forthright about the need for a concerted challenge to Woods's
dominance, a prospect rendered easier by the world No1's ongoing
travails. "I don't think it's just the Masters but golf in general is
just very wide open at the moment," McIlroy said. "I think a few guys
need to put their hands up and try and be the dominant players in this
game because that's what people like to see."
McIlroy himself is prominent, if not the leader, in that category. So too are Scott and Justin Rose, who each the winning of a major.
Merely a scratch of the surface reveals serious potential elsewhere.
Jason Day's Masters buildup has been hampered by injury but the
big-hitting Australian is something of an Augusta specialist.
In
the two Masters he has completed, Day has finished second and third. He
is one of only two players this century ? Luke Donald is the other ? to
have finished inside the top three on his debut at the first major of
the season.
If that statistic screams out the value of experience,
there is growing evidence of a fearless new generation. Part of the
reasoning for that can be found in the fact that they never encountered
Woods in his prime, donning an invincibility cloak at the likes of
Augusta.
When the 23-year-old Patrick Reed claimed his third win
in eight months at the WGC-Cadillac Championship in March, he was
instantly criticised for declaring himself one of the top five golfers
in the world. But why? Such confidence and character should be praised,
especially when backed up by the fact Reed became the youngest winner of
a WGC event. Since 1990, only the esteemed group of Woods, McIlroy,
Phil Mickelson and Sergio Garcia had won three PGA Tour events before
the age of 24.
And then there comes Jordan Spieth. The Texan will
not celebrate his 21st birthday until July but a remarkable 2013 ? which
he began peddling around in qualifying events and ended as the PGA
Tour's Rookie of the Year with a 10th-placed finish on its money list ?
has prompted attention. Spieth is ranked No13 in the world, not only
ahead of Reed but others who are regarded as Augusta contenders. Donald,
Keegan Bradley, Ian Poulter, Hideki Matsuyama, Charl Schwartzel and
Brandt Snedeker are among those who fall into that bracket.
"We
all hope Tiger is back, that would be good for the game of golf," Spieth
says. "He is a great player and we all want fields to be as strong as
they can be. I'm wishing him a speedy recovery. But I don't think his
situation makes this more of a time for new players to step up. I think
that's in our heads already. Whether he is here or not, we are trying to
win week in and week out. We don't change that because he is not
playing.
"I never played against Tiger in his prime, so maybe that helps me but it's not something I think much about.
"I
have contended in World Golf Championships and other big tournaments,
so why should a major be any different? I have certain goals and they
are definitely focused on the majors this year. The plan we picked, in
the gym, with my swing, everything, was gearing to peak at certain weeks
for the majors."
Spieth played Augusta before the WGC-Cadillac
tournament at Doral in early March. "It is incredible, a special place,"
he adds. "I was also there last October so that was my second visit. It
played a lot differently a few weeks ago to how it did in October and I
am sure day by day that it changes significantly. It was nice to get
the awe factor out so that when I get there on Sunday night or Monday, I
can get right to work."
This Masters field will go about their
business without Woods on the premises. For all the drawbacks such a
scenario brings, there is a renewed hope for the players themselves.
Last week's winner Bill From Tampa! Congrats!
Updated Standings
1. dfs - 4087
2. Ocala - 3610
3. Bill - 3576
4. 2952 - 3522
5. NMT - 3268
6. Sea - 3205**
7. Bobcat - 2976
8. Ed - 2847
9. NiA - 2641
10. DL - 2560
11. 67810 - 2229
12. Lizard - 2155
13. g2f - 1885
**Won week 11 by picking a boogereatin' gator
Good Luck!
This post was edited on 4/13 8:25 PM by DFSNOLE
Field
