Westwood and Poulter: In with a chance
Another player to watch out for from Europe could be Ian Poulter - he does play well at the majors. He is one of the few guys who makes the cut in all four majors regularly. He has done it twice already in the same season and there are only eight to ten players each year who do that. That says something about him.
Mark Roe
THE MASTERS 2008
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It's impossible not to get a little excited when the Masters are just around the corner because the competition has given us so many great golfing memories and it is always possible that another one is on the way.
Fortunately I remember Jack Nicklaus winning at Augusta at the age of 46 in 1986. He holed a huge putt up the 16th green and, in typical Nicklaus fashion, he stormed after it with his putter aloft, his son caddying for him, and that was one of the great comebacks and wonderful to watch.
And then 10 years later we watched Nick Faldo chasing down Greg Norman's six-stroke lead on the final day when, sadly for Norman, under the pressure exerted by Faldo, he crumbled like a badly-made cake.
Or back in 1978 when Gary Player shot the most sublime Sunday 64 to come from seven shots behind Tom Watson to win his third green jacket...
He shot 30 on the back nine that Sunday and I remember how awesome were the will, determination and fighting spirit he showed. All three of those great champions had it: Player, Nicklaus and Faldo, and those characteristics will certainly help again this week.
Europe enjoyed a boom time in the 1980s and 1990s with Seve Ballesteros, Bernhard Langer, Sandy Lyle, Faldo, Ian Woosnam and Jose Maria Olazabal all winning; Faldo three times and Ballesteros, Langer and Olazabal twice apiece.
Back in those days, the pre-lengthened Augusta National was a shot-makers golf course - it was the course I played in 1996 - and you didn't need to be hugely long to win. What you had to do was be tactically great and be able to shape the ball, right to left in particular on the par fives.
Great shot-makers
Also you had to be so aware of hitting the ball in the right place and so those great shot-makers of the European game were able to go out there and feel that it was the one major that they knew they could win.
We haven't had so much success in the USPGA or the US Open as we have had at the Masters and the shot-making potential was a major reason. But not only did those mentioned have the shots, all of them had great short games.
You have to be a brave and very good putter, because the greens are lightning fast and you must also have an amazing short game because if you do miss the hole on the wrong side, it can be virtually impossible to get up and down.
After Seve won in 1980, it also opened the floodgates a little because psychologically, after one guy had won, they all realised there was a chance... and they took it.
It is nigh on impossible to see past Tiger Woods and predict another European success this year, the first since 1999, because Tiger is so good, so dominant. But we saw at the CA Championship that he is not invincible. He is not, as Colin Montgomerie suggested earlier in the year, going to win every tournament he plays in. Nobody is ever going to do that.
Good putter
If Tiger is not on form then you have to look to someone who has a great short game and who is a good putter to win at Augusta. It would be nice to see Lee Westwood win a major at some point and I know that he is so excited about competing at this Masters.
His short game is improving and he had led this event after three rounds once before, back in 1999, but he might have finished higher than sixth had his short game been as good as it is now. He has won 28 tournaments worldwide and as one of our most prolific winners, he so richly deserves a major championship and it would be great to see it happen.
Another player to watch out for from Europe could be Ian Poulter - he does play well at the majors. He is one of the few guys who makes the cut in all four majors regularly. He has done it twice already in the same season and there are only eight to ten players each year who do that. That says something about him.
He likes the big stage, he is a good putter under pressure, he has a great short game and he is not afraid of anybody. Maybe he will pull a surprise this week.
One guy who won't be making a splash at Augusta from Thursday, but has had an impact on the event from afar, is Colin Montgomerie. Monty won't be in the field because he falls outside of the World Top 50 - he is currently ranked 75 - and all other selection criteria.
But Monty has expressed his disappointment not to have received an invitation while other players, lower in the world rankings than he, will be there.
He feels that China's Liang Wen-chong, Thailand's Prayad Marksaeng and Indian Jeev Milkha Singh - 111th, 93rd and 80th in the world rankings respectively - are recipients of invitations because of the lucrative TV audience they open up. If they are going past players in the world rankings and are picking from selected regions around the world then I am 100 per cent with Montgomerie.
What has probably rattled Monty's cage, and quite rightly so, is looking at someone worse than him playing in the Masters. In a major golf championship that is using your invitations incorrectly. The US Masters field should be a reflection of the stature of the event.
Commercial reason
By all means use your invitations to extend one more to a player who has given so much to the tournament in the past but whose exemption has run out. But don't use it for a commercial reason to open the door to a TV audience in a different part of the world. Don't go to Jeev Milkha Singh, at 80, and bypass someone at 51 in the rankings.
The Masters was always more difficult to get into than Fort Knox. For many, many years they didn't even invite the top three players from the European Order of Merit, only the top two.
You need a fixed category of exemption, which they do have - top 50 in the world, previous winners and top 15 from US Open etc. - but keep back the odd invitation for a legend of the game that has supported the event for many years.
The R&A has extended invitations to Jack Nicklaus to come to the Open outside of his exemption and there is nothing wrong with that.
None of this should get in the way of another excellent event though and what should probably be another chance to watch Tiger Woods at his prowling best. If he plays his best golf, then he will win the Masters, but if not then there could be a surprise.
So many things can happen over the last nine holes, we have seen that happen over the last few years, and so we might have another Zach Johnson - the defending champion.
But wouldn't it be nice if it was Westwood or Poulter and if we have another great Masters memory?
Comments
Mark Abrahams says...
The problem with all the so called contenders in the majors is that they do not put in the work they need to because they really don' t have the self belief they need to beat Tiger. Ernie said he had a three year plan to unseat Tiger which revolved around a new fitness regime but unfortunately as a rugby nut Ernie finds it impossible to keep off the beer and boerewors and he also has a young family to consider. I heard the Goose say he likes to play regularly because he hates the practice arena and he also thinks that a big Mac is proper food. These two guys were also at some point using the same shrink to clear their minds of ' tokoloshes'. The way i see it, if you want to outperform a Ferrari then you need to first study the design, copy it and add on your own extras. Few people realise the sacrifices Tiger has made throughout his career and continues to make. Someone needs to tell all the pros out there that in order to achieve extraordinary results you need extraordinary endeavour and commitment.
Posted 08:35 9th April 2008
Kevin Mc bride says...
Well, I would definitely have to agree with you on your view on Westwood but not so convinced about Poulter. Westwood in my view is playing and swinging al ot better than ever. He has solved some weak links in his swing and his game is looking very solid. He has to be seen as a huge contender this weekend. Poulter on the other hand is a player that's never really convinced me. Does well to make the cuts but lacks in that little bit extra to make him a challenger. This year, I feel the Master of Augusta is going to be European. We have an abundance of great players this year playing well and are proving themselves in America as well. I have good feelings about Harrington and with his good finishes this year in the US, he ranks as my favourite. He is leading the putting stats in the US which is vital for Augusta and add some self belief from winning the British Open, then I feel he has the perfect incredients to claim the Green Jacket. Can shape the ball well, has the distance and a great short game. Look at some other great British players like Rose and Donald who have already proved themselves at Augusta. Maybe this could be their year. The Americans still don't feel that Donald has it all because of his lack of distance!!!!! Well, you will find he is above last year's winner of the Green Jacket in the Driving distance stats. Plus, he has a great all round game. Don't count him out either. The other player who has already proved himself on a Major stage and has had some great finishes and a win lately is Ernie Els. However, he is going to have to rely on good health this weekend so could be a dodgey bet at the bookies. But, I certainly think we are not going to see an American claiming the Masters this year.
Posted 14:32 8th April 2008
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