Opinion & Analysis

Why I can’t stop thinking about Augusta and the Masters

Published

8 years ago

Mar 22, 2016

As the PGA Tour continues on from the Florida Swing to the match play in Texas, it’s just a few short weeks until it rumbles into Georgia for the 80th Masters at Augusta National. And I already have goose bumps just thinking about it.

It got me thinking. Why is this tournament so special? Why is it so emotionally impactful on golfers, like myself? I can hardly concentrate on the current golf events with Augusta looming less than a month away. Why is this?

It’s probably because I have so many moments, highlights and memories from the Masters over the years; ones I share with many golf fans, and ones I’d like to share with you, the readers. I have to confess I’ve seen my fair share of this golf tournament, over 35 I can remember. But then again it’s my favorite major championship by far — I’m a Masters-holic!

The Annual Augusta National Invitational Tournament is all about tradition: the simple invite posted out to the players, the Par-3 Contest, Magnolia Lane and the Champion’s Dinner (what’s on the menu this year Jordan?). From the opening tee shot hit by a former Master to the Amateurs staying in the Crow’s Nest and the “Augusta” theme music welcoming the millions of golf fans tuning in from all over the world. Yes, I’m already humming it!

The drama when the leaders go through Amen Corner on the back nine on Sunday with Rae’s Creek meandering quietly, while simultaneously causing havoc. I’ll be sitting on the edge of my seat at around 9 p.m. in Ireland (+5 hours) screaming at my TV!

And that famous walk up the last hole, named Holly, on Sunday to the 18th green. We sit and watch the presentation of the Green Jacket to the winner by the previous year’s winner in the Butler Cabin. It’s all wonderful history stemming from Jones’ vision in creating the tournament, the one that all the Pros want to play in. I can’t imagine anyone turning down an invite unless injured. It’s always got the best field of the year.

I can’t truly recall my earliest Master’s memory, but I do remember Seve winning his first Green Jacket in 1980. I was only 13 then, but that was an amazing moment for me. He really shook up the golfing world the same way Palmer did in the 60s and Tiger did in the 90s. I remember Faldo winning back-to-back, and Crenshaw’s amazingly emotional week, the week after he carried Penick’s coffin in 1995. I remember Jack’s amazing back-nine surge with that massive, bloody MacGregor putter; I think everyone went out and bought one the following day. How about Freddie winning in 1992, where his tee shot at No. 12 came up short and started rolling down into Rae’s Creek, only for the golfing Gods to stop it miraculously on a few extra blades of grass. Freddie has been a favorite at Augusta ever since then.

Sandy Lyle’s outrageous 7-iron picked off clean as a whistle from the bunker on No. 18 to set up a winning birdie in 1988. And it was the Welshman Ian Woosnam’s in 1991 blasting it over the very same bunker with his driver, taking it out of play and going on to hole that putt iconically captured on film wearing those red plaid trousers!

My favorite year was 1985 when my golfing idol Bernhard Langer won. It was a great night, with my two brothers and I huddled round the TV late in Ireland. Seve, Ray Floyd and Langer were all in the hunt, and while my brothers were rooting for their men I was cheering on the German. So there was extra satisfaction when Bernhard pulled it off. His 8-iron on No. 17 to 10 feet and the subsequent birdie effectively sealed the deal.

And what about Woods’ total domination at his inaugural Masters after a shaky front nine? He changed the way course designers had to think from that week on to cater for the modern day “bomb and gouge” game. He owned this tournament for over a decade.

How about one of the most famous shots in golf, Nike’s marketing dream of him holing that crucial chip on the 16th with the Nike Swoosh logo hovering on the edge of the hole before it toppled in? Amazing stuff. It’s a pity he probably won’t be around this year.

But there have been plenty of other standout moments. O’Meara sliding in a putt on No. 18 to win. Lefty getting his reward for knocking on the door so many times. He should have won more — no one has hit as many spectacular shots as him. Remember that 6-iron he thundered out of the pine straw from the trees on No. 13? He stuck it to 3 feet and then missed the damn putt!

Who can forget the Jason Day/Charl Schwartzel duel, with the South African making birdies the last four holes to win. And what about Bubba’s ridiculous slingshot wedge from the trees? No one will ever know how good that shot was, probably not even Bubba himself.

Let’s not forget the disasters? Norman’s back-nine collapse to hand it to Faldo. Or how about local boy Larry Mize’s impossible chip in on No. 11 to snatch it from Norman yet again. The White Shark probably holds the title of Closest, but no cigar to getting a Green Jacket. And what about McIlroy’s implosion in 2011, starting with that snap hook off No. 10? At least he appears to have learned from that “harshest of lessons” when it would have destroyed many others careers.

I’ll always remember Curtis Strange standing over his second shot on No. 13 on Sunday in 1985. He spent ages deciding what to do and eventually decided to take the second shot on with a fairway wood. The commentators were screaming at him to put it away and lay up. And of course the ball got wet, along with his chances of victory. I clearly remember his shocked look as the ball came back into the water, hands on hips hips shaking his head. It must have looked good to him, but as we know even the slightest degree offline on the National is punished mercilessly. I guess that was a lesson in risk taking at Augusta that many more have graduated in.

Other disasters? Remember Seve’s duck hook into the pond on No. 15 in 1986 on what sadly turned out to be his last realistic attempt at winning. And how about all those who had one arm already into a Green Jacket only for it to be removed. Arnie taking a six at the last to lose it. “Ahhgghhh!” Kenny Perry bogeying the last two holes and then losing a playoff to Angel in 2009. Scott Hoch missing a tiddler? Car Crash TV!

But let’s not forget the perennial winner each year, the course itself. It always looks spectacular in bloom and blemish-free, made to look even better on our HD televisions. Regular watchers know the course pretty well, so everyone wants to know what changes have been made for this year. A new tee, a relaid green, how’s the rough, what the greens will be running on the stimp… And I wonder how hard they are going to set it up this year? It always draws criticism with impossible pin placements, shaved greens and slopes down to the creeks to catch an over-hit or under-hit shot, punishing the 95-percent-or-less shot. Yes, we’ll hear from a bunch of pros who will complain that the course is tricked up. But the members don’t want to see the course being ripped apart. They want to see some pain and tears. It’s kinda like the masses baying for blood at the Colosseum to see a top pro running up a snowman.

So for me it doesn’t really matter who wins this year. As long as it’s an exciting tournament. And this year it is promising to be a great one. So many top players are hitting form at the right time, and everyone is out to stop Rory from winning his own personal Grand Slam of Majors. Yes, I am unashamedly biased to see the wee Irishman win; he’s one of our finest and will have all of Ireland cheering him on. But it’s going to be tough with Spieth, Day, Dustin, Scott, Bubba and a host of others featuring. Will Stenson become the first Swede to don a Green Jacket. Or how about the inform and former jacket-winner, Schwartzel?

One things for sure, there will be celebrations and tears. Fist pumps and curses under one’s breath. Skill and nerve under an intense cauldron of pressure. So who will prevail?

So let’s be having you, 2016 Masters. Let’s see what spectacle you will unfold for us. Let the sun shine, the flowers bloom and the birdies commence. My beers are already chilling in the fridge!

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19th Hole

Vincenzi’s LIV Golf Singapore betting preview: Course specialist ready to thrive once again

Published

6 days ago

Apr 30, 2024

Matt Vincenzi

After another strong showing in Australia, LIV Golf will head to Sentosa Golf Club in Singapore looking to build off of what was undoubtedly their best event to date.

Sentosa Golf Club sits on the southern tip of Singapore and is one of the most beautiful courses in the world. The course is more than just incredible scenically; it was also rated 55th in Golf Digest’s top-100 courses in 2022-2023 and has been consistently regarded as one of the best courses in Asia. Prior to being part of the LIV rotation, the course hosted the Singapore Open every year since 2005.

Sentosa Golf Club is a par 71 measuring 7,406 yards. The course will require precise ball striking and some length off the tee. It’s possible to go low due to the pristine conditions, but there are also plenty of hazards and difficult spots on the course that can bring double bogey into play in a hurry. The Bermudagrass greens are perfectly manicured, and the course has spent millions on the sub-air system to keep the greens rolling fast. I spoke to Asian Tour player, Travis Smyth, who described the greens as “the best [he’s] ever played.”

Davis Love III, who competed in a Singapore Open in 2019, also gushed over the condition of the golf course.

“I love the greens. They are fabulous,” the 21-time PGA Tour winner said.

Love III also spoke about other aspects of the golf course.

“The greens are great; the fairways are perfect. It is a wonderful course, and it’s tricky off the tee.”

“It’s a long golf course, and you get some long iron shots. It takes somebody hitting it great to hit every green even though they are big.”

As Love III said, the course can be difficult off the tee due to the length of the course and the trouble looming around every corner. It will take a terrific ball striking week to win at Sentosa Golf Club.

In his pre-tournament press conference last season, Phil Mickelson echoed many of the same sentiments.

“To play Sentosa effectively, you’re going to have a lot of shots from 160 to 210, a lot of full 6-, 7-, 8-iron shots, and you need to hit those really well and you need to drive the ball well.”

Golfers who excel from tee to green and can dial in their longer irons will have a massive advantage this week.

Stat Leaders at LIV Golf Adelaide:

Fairways Hit

1.) Louis Oosthuizen

2.) Anirban Lahiri

3.) Jon Rahm

4.) Brendan Steele

5.) Cameron Tringale

Greens in Regulation

1.) Brooks Koepka

2.) Brendan Steele

3.) Dean Burmester

4.) Cameron Tringale

5.) Anirban Lahiri

Birdies Made

1.) Brendan Steele

2.) Dean Burmester

3.) Thomas Pieters

4.) Patrick Reed

5.) Carlos Ortiz

LIV Golf Individual Standings:

1.) Joaquin Niemann

2.) Jon Rahm

3.) Dean Burmester

4.) Louis Oosthuizen

5.) Abraham Ancer

LIV Golf Team Standings:

1.) Crushers

2.) Legion XIII

3.) Torque

4.) Stinger GC

5.) Ripper GC

LIV Golf Singapore Picks

Sergio Garcia +3000 (DraftKings)

Sergio Garcia is no stranger to Sentosa Golf Club. The Spaniard won the Singapore Open in 2018 by five strokes and lost in a playoff at LIV Singapore last year to scorching hot Talor Gooch. Looking at the course setup, it’s no surprise that a player like Sergio has played incredible golf here. He’s long off the tee and is one of the better long iron players in the world when he’s in form. Garcia is also statistically a much better putter on Bermudagrass than he is on other putting surfaces. He’s putt extremely well on Sentosa’s incredibly pure green complexes.

This season, Garcia has two runner-up finishes, both of them being playoff losses. Both El Camaleon and Doral are courses he’s had success at in his career. The Spaniard is a player who plays well at his tracks, and Sentosa is one of them. I believe Sergio will get himself in the mix this week. Hopefully the third time is a charm in Singapore.

Paul Casey +3300 (FanDuel)

Paul Casey is in the midst of one of his best seasons in the five years or so. The results recently have been up and down, but he’s shown that when he’s on a golf course that suits his game, he’s amongst the contenders.

This season, Casey has finishes of T5 (LIV Las Vegas), T2 (LIV Hong Kong), and a 6th at the Singapore Classic on the DP World Tour. At his best, the Englishman is one of the best long iron players in the world, which makes him a strong fit for Sentosa. Despite being in poor form last season, he was able to fire a Sunday 63, which shows he can low here at the course.

It’s been three years since Casey has won a tournament (Omega Dubai Desert Classic in 2021), but he’s been one of the top players on LIV this season and I think he can get it done at some point this season.

Mito Pereira +5000 (Bet365)

Since Mito Pereira’s unfortunate demise at the 2022 PGA Championship, he’s been extremely inconsistent. However, over the past few months, the Chilean has played well on the International Series as well as his most recent LIV start. Mito finished 8th at LIV Adelaide, which was his best LIV finish this season.

Last year, Pereira finished 5th at LIV Singapore, shooting fantastic rounds of 67-66-66. It makes sense why Mito would like Sentosa, as preeminent ball strikers tend to rise to the challenge of the golf course. He’s a great long iron player who is long and straight off the tee.

Mito has some experience playing in Asia and is one of the most talented players on LIV who’s yet to get in the winner’s circle. I have questions about whether or not he can come through once in contention, but if he gets there, I’m happy to roll the dice.

Andy Ogletree +15000 (DraftKings)

Andy Ogletree is a player I expected to have a strong 2024 but struggled early in his first full season on LIV. After failing to crack the top-25 in any LIV event this year, the former U.S. Amateur champion finally figured things out, finished in a tie for 3rd at LIV Adelaide.

Ogletree should be incredible comfortable playing in Singapore. He won the International Series Qatar last year and finished T3 at the International Series Singapore. The 26-year-old was arguably the best player on the Asian Tour in 2023 and has been fantastic in the continent over the past 18 months.

If Ogletree has indeed found form, he looks to be an amazing value at triple-digit odds.

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Opinion & Analysis

Ryan: Lessons from the worst golf instructor in America

Published

6 days ago

Apr 30, 2024

Brendan Ryan

In Tampa, there is a golf course that boasts carts that do not work, a water range, and a group of players none of which have any chance to break 80. The course is overseen by a staff of crusty men who have succeeded at nothing in life but ending up at the worst-run course in America. However, this place is no failure. With several other local courses going out of business — and boasting outstanding greens — the place is booked full.

While I came for the great greens, I stayed to watch our resident instructor; a poor-tempered, method teacher who caters to the hopeless. At first, it was simply hilarious. However, after months of listening and watching, something clicked. I realized I had a front-row seat to the worst golf instructor in America.

Here are some of my key takeaways.

Method Teacher

It is widely accepted that there are three types of golf instructors: system teachers, non-system teachers, and method teachers. Method teachers prescribe the same antidote for each student based on a preamble which teachers can learn in a couple day certification.

Method teaching allows anyone to be certified. This process caters to the lowest caliber instructor, creating the illusion of competency. This empowers these underqualified instructors with the moniker of “certified” to prey on the innocent and uninformed.

The Cult of Stack and Jilt

The Stack and Tilt website proudly boasts, “A golfer swings his hands inward in the backswing as opposed to straight back to 1) create power, similar to a field goal kicker moving his leg in an arc and 2) to promote a swing that is in-to-out, which produces a draw (and eliminates a slice).”

Now, let me tell you something, there is this law of the universe which says “energy can either be created or destroyed,” so either these guys are defying physics or they have no idea what they are taking about. Further, the idea that the first move of the backswing determines impact is conjecture with a splash of utter fantasy.

These are the pontifications of a method — a set of prescriptions applied to everyone with the hope of some success through the placebo effect. It is one thing for a naive student to believe, for a golf instructor to drink and then dispel this Kool-Aid is malpractice.

Fooled by Randomness

In flipping a coin, or even a March Madness bet, there is a 50-50 chance of success. In golf, especially for new players, results are asymmetric. Simply put: Anything can happen. The problem is that when bad instructors work with high handicappers, each and every shot gets its own diagnosis and prescription. Soon the student is overwhelmed.

Now here’s the sinister thing: The overwhelming information is by design. In this case, the coach is not trying to make you better, they are trying to make you reliant on them for information. A quasi Stockholm syndrome of codependency.

Practice

One of the most important scientists of the 20th century was Ivan Pavlov. As you might recall, he found that animals, including humans, could be conditioned into biological responses. In golf, the idea of practice has made millions of hackers salivate that they are one lesson or practice session from “the secret.”

Sunk Cost

The idea for the worst golf instructor is to create control and dependency so that clients ignore the sunk cost of not getting better. Instead, they are held hostage by the idea that they are one lesson or tip away from unlocking their potential.

Cliches

Cliches have the effect of terminating thoughts. However, they are the weapon of choice for this instructor. Add some hyperbole and students actually get no information. As a result, these players couldn’t play golf. When they did, they had no real scheme. With no idea what they are doing, they would descend into a spiral of no idea what to do, bad results, lower confidence, and running back to the lesson tee from more cliches.

The fact is that poor instruction is about conditioning players to become reliant members of your cult. To take away autonomy. To use practice as a form of control. To sell more golf lessons not by making people better but through the guise that without the teacher, the student can never reach their full potential. All under the umbrella of being “certified” (in a 2-day course!) and a melee of cliches.

This of course is not just happening at my muni but is a systemic problem around the country and around the world, the consequences of which are giving people a great reason to stop playing golf. But hey, at least it’s selling a lot of golf balls…

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19th Hole

Vincenzi’s 2024 Zurich Classic of New Orleans betting preview

Published

2 weeks ago

Apr 22, 2024

Matt Vincenzi

The PGA TOUR heads to New Orleans to play the 2023 Zurich Classic of New Orleans. In a welcome change from the usual stroke play, the Zurich Classic is a team event. On Thursday and Saturday, the teams play best ball, and on Friday and Sunday the teams play alternate shot.

TPC Louisiana is a par 72 that measures 7,425 yards. The course features some short par 4s and plenty of water and bunkers, which makes for a lot of exciting risk/reward scenarios for competitors. Pete Dye designed the course in 2004 specifically for the Zurich Classic, although the event didn’t make its debut until 2007 because of Hurricane Katrina.

Coming off of the Masters and a signature event in consecutive weeks, the field this week is a step down, and understandably so. Many of the world’s top players will be using this time to rest after a busy stretch.

However, there are some interesting teams this season with some stars making surprise appearances in the team event. Some notable teams include Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele, Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry, Collin Morikawa and Kurt Kitayama, Will Zalatoris and Sahith Theegala as well as a few Canadian teams, Nick Taylor and Adam Hadwin and Taylor Pendrith and Corey Conners.

Past Winners at TPC Louisiana

2023: Riley/Hardy (-30)
2022: Cantlay/Schauffele (-29)
2021: Leishman/Smith (-20)
2019: Palmer/Rahm (-26)
2018: Horschel/Piercy (-22)
2017: Blixt/Smith (-27)

2024 Zurich Classic of New Orleans Picks

Tom Hoge/Maverick McNealy +2500 (DraftKings)

Tom Hoge is coming off of a solid T18 finish at the RBC Heritage and finished T13 at last year’s Zurich Classic alongside Harris English.

This season, Hoge is having one of his best years on Tour in terms of Strokes Gained: Approach. In his last 24 rounds, the only player to top him on the category is Scottie Scheffler. Hoge has been solid on Pete Dye designs, ranking 28th in the field over his past 36 rounds.

McNealy is also having a solid season. He’s finished T6 at the Waste Management Phoenix Open and T9 at the PLAYERS Championship. He recently started working with world renowned swing coach, Butch Harmon, and its seemingly paid dividends in 2024.

Keith Mitchell/Joel Dahmen +4000 (DraftKings)

Keith Mitchell is having a fantastic season, finishing in the top-20 of five of his past seven starts on Tour. Most recently, Mitchell finished T14 at the Valero Texas Open and gained a whopping 6.0 strokes off the tee. He finished 6th at last year’s Zurich Classic.

Joel Dahmen is having a resurgent year and has been dialed in with his irons. He also has a T11 finish at the PLAYERS Championship at TPC Sawgrass which is another Pete Dye track. With Mitchell’s length and Dahmen’s ability to put it close with his short irons, the Mitchell/Dahmen combination will be dangerous this week.

Taylor Moore/Matt NeSmith +6500 (DraftKings)

Taylor Moore has quickly developed into one of the more consistent players on Tour. He’s finished in the top-20 in three of his past four starts, including a very impressive showing at The Masters, finishing T20. He’s also finished T4 at this event in consecutive seasons alongside Matt NeSmith.

NeSmith isn’t having a great 2024, but has seemed to elevate his game in this format. He finished T26 at Pete Dye’s TPC Sawgrass, which gives the 30-year-old something to build off of. NeSmith is also a great putter on Bermudagrass, which could help elevate Moore’s ball striking prowess.

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