Masters Observations

I just finished watching the first round of the Masters—I had recorded it on my TiVo (which, by the way, is one of the best inventions ever)—and had a few observations.

First, the obvious: Tiger Woods had a meltdown. Beginning with the putt that rolled off the green and into the creek, his round started to look like one of mine. He left aproach shots short; he hit a flagstick and bounced into a bunker. I had to watch the spectacle of the 90 yard drive a couple of times to figure out what was going on.

Still, it was only his godlike golf skills that kept his score from careening out of control.

Mercifully, the round ended due to darkness.

Chris Dimarco picked up where he left off last year. Last year he finished second; this year he leads after the first round.

I think Vijay regretted the decision to finish his hole after the darkness horn blew. He left his approach shot short and then missed a couple of putts, leaving him with a bogey on the last hole. I know what playing in twilight can do to your distance perception. I love to play in the late evening here in Michigan. But in the low light, you just never get a good look at the targets.

Mickelson, my number one pick is in a tie for fourth, two behind the leaders. Ryan Moore is tied for eleventh, four behind.

But my other picks, Toms, Garcia and Watson are out of it. Watson was a throway pick. I had $75,000 fantasy bucks left and he was there. But I really expected Toms and Garcia to do better. Now I wonder if they’ll make the cut.