2011 Masters: What to Take from Round 1
The 2011 Masters is finally underway. Living in California, it's a little hard for me to identify this as the beginning of Spring, but people across the country do.
Every Masters brings a great deal of anticipation. This one is a little unique, even by Masters standards. There isn't one or two dominant story lines. Before last week, there really wasn't even a clear favorite. Instead, there are a lot of story lines. Will Tiger finally find his form? Will Phil go back-to-back? Will one of the Europeans break their long drought?
After a day of golf, a lot is still left to be determined, as is always the case. While the tournament is far from over, we have learned a lot from one round of golf.
The Scorecard Rule
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While it isn't specific to the Masters, the Royal & Ancient and USGA combined to change a rule that has been in need of a change for 30-years, at least.
Every sport has rules that don't make a lot of sense. I don't understand why the winning league in the All-Star Game gets home field advantage in the World Series. I don't understand why nobody other than the referee knows how much time is left in a soccer match. I'm not enough of a NASCAR fan to speak too much about it, but the Beneficiary rule that allows the best of the lapped racers to catch up on a caution flag makes little sense.
Despite those and countless others, by far the worst rule in sports was squashed just before the Masters. The rule was that a golfer could be disqualified for breaking a rule that nobody knew he broke.
Earlier in the year, Padraig Harrington was on the green, removing his ball mark. His finger nudged the ball, which is a penalty. As tedious as that is, I don't mind the fact that a penalty needed to be assessed. What I do mind is that someone called the violation in, and it wasn't brought to Harrington's attention until after his round was over and his scorecard was signed. The penalty was then assessed, which meant that Harrington signed an incorrect scorecard and was disqualified.
After today's ruling, that will no longer be a disqualification. They will just go back and apply the penalty.
Through all the tours of the world, what happened to Harrington happens a few times a season, and it rarely makes any sense for a player to be disqualified, yet they always are. More often than not, the offenses have been minor ones that gave the golfer no significant advantage. Imagine if the justice system where you live called for a 25 to life sentence for rolling through a stop sign. That is about the equivalent of what a disqualification is for these players when they commit these violations.
In the television age, scorecards are hardly needed to keep score on tour anyway. The quick comeback to that is that these rules apply to all golfers and all tournaments, not just the ones on television. That's a fine argument, except that in those tournaments, you don't have any fans sitting at home, calling in rules violations. You do on tour.
I applaud the USGA and R & A for making this ruling. I applaud them even more for making the rule effective immediately. It's just a rule that needed to be made a long time ago.
Martin Kaymer
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There are some people who just don't have the right game for certain courses. This is not the case with Kaymer at Augusta.
Can anyone please explain to me why Kaymer struggles so much on this course? His opening round 78 is inexplicable, almost as inexplicable as the fact that in three prior tries, he has never made a cut at the Masters.
Kaymer will need a really good round tomorrow to even play the weekend.
Sergio Garcia
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Nobody will ever confuse me with a Sergio Garcia fan. His talent is undeniable, but I don't believe that he has ever been as good as he believes he is.
Not unlike Tiger, the last few years of his career have not been kind to him. Not unlike Tiger, his game is slowly but surely coming back to form.
Even with Rory McIlroy shooting a 65, anyone who shoots par or better in the first round has a chance. Garcia shot a 69, which certainly qualifies. Another round like that tomorrow and Garcia will be a factor over the weekend.
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Matt Kuchar
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Before the Masters, I didn't identify Kuchar as a serious threat to win. I am still not completely sure that think he can win, but an opening round 68 goes a long way in challenging that theory.
What I think will keep him from winning is that he just doesn't hit the ball that far. Sure, there have been some champions who didn't hit the ball long, but they are rare.
What can keep Kuchar in contention is the same thing that keeps him in contention in every other tournament. It's the same thing that made him the leading money winner on the PGA tour last season. He is just consistent. He may not wow anyone, but he will rarely make the mistakes that knock him out of contention.
Right now, I would say that he is a pretty good bet for a top-10 finish. If he cards another round in the 60's tomorrow, he will be a viable threat to win.
Tiger Woods
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You can't win the Masters on the first day, but you can lose it. It's a cliché often heard in golf, or any other sport.
The -1 round will not strike fear in the hearts of the opponents, nor will it make anyone think that the tournament is just a race for second place.
Despite all of that, Tiger didn't lose the tournament in the first round. He hit some solid putts that he was not rewarded with and made some nice scrambles. A -1 opening round is better suited for the US Open than the Masters, but he is just one good round away from being a significant factor.
Phil Mickelson
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When Mickelson won the Masters in 2010, he shot an opening round 67. His other two victories did not start as well, as he had an even par 72 in 2004, and a -2 70 in 2006. He matched that total today.
Mickelson's short game is unmatched. It is unmatched by today's golfers, and frankly, unmatched in the history of golf.
He showed today that he can miss fairways and still score well. More often than not, he still finds a way to reach the green and when he doesn't, his wedge and putter bail him out.
His round would feel a lot better if he hadn't bogeyed the final hole. Fortunately, it was his only one of the day. As color commentator Nick Faldo pointed out through the round, Mickelson rarely makes bogeys at Augusta, despite being one of the least accurate drivers in the world.
With a 65 on the board, a 70 doesn't look all that great. But only a few golfers in history have Mickelson's history at the Masters. If he is in red numbers after one day, he is a threat.
Rory McIlroy
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Honestly, not much can be said about his opening round 65. His round was nearly complete when television coverage started. We are just reliant on highlights, and what his scorecard tells us.
He didn't record a bogey all round. In that regard, you could say that he got a bit lucky. If not lucky, at least that he is likely to come back down to earth tomorrow.
But he also only parred eight and 13, both par fives; so the round could have been better. McIlroy shot a -9 63 at St. Andrews. He shot an 80 the following round to drop out of contention, but came back with two rounds in the 60's to finish T3. Success at St. Andrews frequently translates to success at Augusta as Sam Snead, Jack Nicklaus, Seve Ballesteros, Jack Nicklaus, and Tiger Woods each have won a British Open at St. Andrews. Each have multiple Masters victories.
While McIlroy didn't win at St. Andrews, three rounds in the 60's shows that he can play well there. Augusta was designed with St. Andrews in mind. A 65 is a great round, but it is far from a fluke.
Obviously, he still has 54 holes to play, so he shouldn't be sending in his jacket measurements just yet. But if he has another round in the 60's tomorrow, he will be very tough to beat over the weekend.
Alvaro Quiros
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This is a guy that can shrink a golf course in a way that few others can.
He has history on his side, with countrymen Seve Ballesteros and Jose Maria Olazábal each winning the Green Jacket twice.
With his opening round 65, Quiros is in great shape. Tied for the lead after one round is never exactly a bad place to be. He is actually in better shape than McIlroy, because he has the more favorable Friday tee time.
As is the case with anyone, he will need to putt well to win. But his driving ability gives him a significant advantage over nearly all of his competitors. If Quiros does putt well for the rest of the week, he is more dangerous than anyone.
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