posted Apr 7, 2007

Augusta National - what a wonderful and real test for top Golfers - the scores so far reflect the difficulty of the Course.
In fact the golf architect employed to design the Augusta course layout was a certain Dr. Alister Mackenzie who also designed my local Club Course, namely Hadley Wood Golf Club in Hertfordshire....where we have the same style of undulating Greens set to test putting skills to the maximum....I can therefore easily identify in my own small way with the frustration of the world's top Golfers. It's still anybody's match but I believe Tiger Woods has the mental stamina and skills to come out on top.

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posted Apr 7, 2007

I can't believe there are complaints about the difficulty of the course. Remember Carnoustie in 1999? It was one of the most exciting Opens in recent history. That course was playing difficult, just like Augusta this week.

Is no one else bored of seeing the big guns (mainly Tiger) running away with the majors? I am. Its great to see players like Phil and Tiger having to use their imagination to get out of trouble and having to take risks. How often have we seen Tiger and Phil scoring level par on the final day to win a major..too many for me.

P.S. BBC are doing the best they can to give us as much golf as possible. Augusta and CBS just have too much control over the TV rights!

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posted Apr 7, 2007

I feel the same, it has been great to see the pros really battling hard to stay in with a shout, too often it feels like they can just stroll around the course and get a good score. (although it is probably because they are that good that they make it look easy!!!)

Anyway, i'm well keen for another really close day of scoring and for it to be thrilling final round tomorrow!

I think casey has a really good chance if he can keep his head level for the next two days.

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posted Apr 7, 2007

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posted Apr 7, 2007

I don't know why they just don't go the whole hog and put windmills in front of the holes, have monkey-mouth helter-skelter runs for the balls etc, because it seems that it's not so much a game of golf but more an exercise in course engineering.

I don't like the same people running away with it either, but surely that's down to other players catching up with skill, rather than making the courses more like a fairground attraction to stop them.And anyway, easy or difficult, they all play the same course, so really the course is immaterial, it's the play that's the thing, and what I'm seeing in this masters is just dull. "Ooh look! It's another random effect of the course on the ball". zzzz.

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posted Apr 7, 2007

I am not enjoying this Masters as much as I have previosuly, and I think it is down to the course.

Either that or the players aren't as good as they used to be!!

At least in some areas, such as the 11th which is now in effect a Par 5, the test has become ridiculous. Players having to hit woods on Par 4's that are frictionless.

I think it's going the way of "unfair".

I found last years US Open fair even if it gives a score higher than this Masters. You get the ball on the fairway at last years US Open, you got it on the fairway as Monty did, you were fine.

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posted Apr 7, 2007

The Augusta course has been set up for Tiger Woods to win since 1997. Massive fairways, ridiculously long holes, no rough. Tiger might as well have designed the course himself. I have no doubt that the motivation of the Club is to make it as easy as possible for him to win. I long for the day that they introduce rough at Augusta and stop the incessant lengthening of perfectly adequate holes.
Don't get me wrong, the course is beautiful, but the people that own it are surely a reflection of all that is wrong with golf. Full of power-mad conservatives who are stuck in the past and want everything their own way.
As Lee Westwood said yesterday, the greens are designed to take 8 irons, not 3 irons and good shots are being punished left, right and centre. The course is totally unfair. People usually label the US Open as unfair, but at least good shots and accurate play are rewarded at those venues, unlike Augusta, which has its beauty as its only saving grace.

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posted Apr 7, 2007

sean_efc31 you contradict yourself. Would "power-mad conservatives" really try to set up the course for an African-American to win? This is Augusta....

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posted Apr 7, 2007

I don't think you can call what they have done at augusta as tiger-proofing, though it has gone some way. bear in mind he's only won is it 5 in the last 10 years, so he has given other people a chance. And we must also bear in mind he and everyone else in the golfing world believe this tournament and the course is best suited to his game. how do you actually go about stopping someone who has obviously honed his game for the masters tournament?
Another point, is it not complcenecy that has lead to worse scoring this week too? bearing in mind most of the players look to the par 5s as 'gimme' birdies, especially 13 and 15 in recent years. So instead of concentrating on the harder holes and aiming to make a par, bu settle for bogey, thinking they can make it up on the other holes, which hasn't happened.

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posted Apr 7, 2007

Just a thought... If Bradley Dredge +3 (4 from the leader), was English do you think Linekar would be making comments about his great performances. It took Sam Torrance to make Linekar acknowledge his existence. Its pure wrong BBC/Linekar, you comment/review for the whole of Britain not just England.

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