Not that the Masters was about to go down the drain, but let's be honest, it was getting about as boring as watching paint dry. Now that he's rolled back Hooties changes of "Tiger proofing" the course, it definitely was the most exciting Masters that I've seen in quite some time. Mr. Payne's changes brought the "charge" back and once again this tournament is the best major we have now, in my opinion. Kudos to you Mr. Payne!

Looked to me like the main difference was that the greens had been watered. They were Augusta fast, not Augusta firm.

Still, it was refreshing.

+1 I loved it, until 17 I thought we were going to see a Tiger, Phil, Kenny playoff. It would be perfect #1, #2 and a vetran battling it out for golfs biggest title. Either way the masters was amazing this year.

I felt the same thing - the chance to make a run was there unlike the last few years. Look at the shots by Phil, Tiger, and Campbell on 15 and Perry, Tiger, and Cabrera on 16. In the last few years it seemed like scoring opportunities were scarce, but they were there today. That was an amazing final round!

+1 Nothing wrong with -12 winning a major. Reward the great shots, penalize the poor shots and let these guys show us how good they are. Hopefully the USGA can get it right again this year, I thought Torrey was set up perfectly last summer.

Yeah, thanks Billy Payne. Telling the bad weather to stay away, especially on Sunday was a brilliant move. Wish Hootie were this smart.

The pin was in the same place on every hole that it has been every other year, especially 16. That hole location gets plenty of hole in one looks, every Sunday, not just today.

I'd happily accept some info that says Billy Payne made the 16th hole easier today.

You're right, the pin was in the same spot, and like you mentioned the weather was fairly benign. But like it's been mentioned, the greens held better than in recent years, which also owed to the weather (rains earlier in the week). I wouldn't give a whole lot of credit to Billy Payne - the weather was great, the course played just as long as before, and a bunch of players really stepped up - but it seemed to me that the roars that had been missing in recent years were back. I don't really care who the Augusta chairman is though - if the stars align like this year, I will happily sit back and enjoy watching the drama

I agree with Brandel Chamblee, that it was an "artificial" fix. They kept the greens soft and that detracted from the great disparity we've seen in previous Masters, when a shot lands one yard perfect or one yard in the wrong spot. The 13th green should be a horseshoe but this week balls were landing and halting. On all the diabolical holes nothing was rolling confidently to the water.

I've bet the Masters matchups for 20+ years. There's inevitably massive scoring disparity on the weekend and particularly on Sunday, guys who can handle the conditions and those who can't. This year was dullard sameness. Everyone on Saturday was convinced 68 to 72 was the place to be. Today wasn't much different. Two guys above +6 (294) for the tournament, that's absurd.

Chamblee is correct: Get rid of the rough and the new trees, make sure the treacherous pin locations are used along with the inviting ones, and restore the harsh table top greens. You can't overreact based on one result, just like some media members overreacted to the previous two yawners. I'm not sure about the deep bunkers. Chamblee wants to raise them but they should be penal. Notice the shorter guys are moaning about the deep bunkers most frequently.

+1

the risk-reward excitement was back!!

no more forced lay-up on holes #13 and #15.

They even put a few tree trunks in play on the 18th hole!!!