Some masterful observations
Thoughts on Phil, Tiger, and more
Some idle thoughts, observations, and comments as my mind stops to wonder whether Phil Mickelson might just be the best player never to have won two majors:
If my math is correct, it was 65 years ago that Ralph Guldahl won the Masters with a 279 score, which is the same number Mickelson posted in his victory. Some technological nightmare to the game, eh?
Speaking of which, when all these folks talk about how the golf ball manufacturers should be reined in, that they are making too good a product, I assume they also get on the phone to tell TV makers to stop making those flat-screens because the picture is terrific.
Butch Harmon may not have been swing coach to the winner of the Masters, but give credit where credit is due: He went on record as saying Mickelson would win.
By the way, 279 is not the most popular winning score in Masters history, but it's close. The score of 280 has won 11 green jackets, followed by 279 (nine). Then there's a big drop-off to four scores that have proven good enough to win five times each: 276, 277, 282, and 283. Between the highest score (289 twice) and lowest score (270, Tiger Woods in 1997), there are two scores that have never been shot by a winner: 1-under 287 and 15-under 273.
The year Mickelson set the record for most birdies in a Masters (25, 2001) he shot 275, but finished third. This time around, he made nine fewer birdies, but still shot 279 and won.
Woods in 12 majors between 2000-02: an eye-popping 92 under for 48 rounds, or an average of 1.91 under per round. In his last five majors: a stunning 20 over par, or an average of 1 over per round. And, yes, he has been over par for 72 holes in each of his last five majors.
The good news for Woods: He played the par-3 fourth at Augusta in 1 under (one birdie, three pars) after coming into the tournament a career 7 over on it. And at the 10th, a hole at which he also was a career 7 over, Woods made four straight pars.
The bad news for Woods: Once again, he was befuddled by the first hole. He's made only one birdie there (1999, Round 1) in his career, and this year he made three bogeys and a par. He has played it 20 consecutive times without making birdie.
One last Woods entry: Never in 10 appearances at the Masters (two as an amateur) has he broken 70 in the first round.
Masters week was framed by a pair of bookend relationships between players and caddies. Tom Watson and Bruce Edwards were together for more than 20 years, and their friendship was very real. "If you ever ran across him, you knew what a genuine person he was and what a wonderful way he had with his words," said Watson, just hours after Edwards, 49, had died from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. That was Thursday. By Sunday, Mickelson was the toast of the golf world, but there were many of us who felt just as happy for Jim MacKay, who has been Mickelson's caddie since the lefthander's pro debut at the US Open in 1992. They don't come much more loyal than the guy they call "Bones." People around Mickelson know how diligent, how faithful, how superb a caddie MacKay is, so it was nice to hear that during the victory party that evening, the longtime looper was singled out for his great work.
Ernie Els will win one of the next three majors.
Padraig Harrington very well might, too.
Most laughable suggestion out there: that Sergio Garcia is now "the best player never to have won a major." Please. Garcia's star has fizzled out greatly, and if you want to chew on something, here goes: At 24, he just played in his 22d major championship, and not only hasn't he won any of them, he has won just nine times worldwide. Now, consider the once-great Seve Ballesteros, who in his 22d major championship start won the 1983 Masters, his 18th career triumph and third major.
By the way, Garcia's caddie needs to toss a pacifier into the bag along with the rain suit and umbrella. Guy shoots 66, low round of the Masters, secures himself a huge check, and all he can do is complain to the media. "When we're playing well, we're the best," he said. "And even if we're playing well and things are not going our way, we can be shocking. So, it's nice to see how fair you guys are."
The next big tournament for the women: May 6-9, the Michelob Ultra Open at Kingsmill, where Grace Park is the defending champ and both Annika Sorenstam and 14-year-old phenom Michelle Wie are expected to tee it up.
Some people are praising Mickelson for tightening up his golf swing and changing things in his game, while criticizing Woods for -- guess what -- trying to change a few things in his swing. They will tell you that Mickelson was shrewd and worked with swing coach Rick Smith over the winter, and that Woods is being stubborn and won't work again with Harmon. But these folks should ask themselves how it is that it took Mickelson until he was 13 years into his PGA Tour career and 33 years old before he finally discovered simple things such as keeping the ball in play and not trying to hit miraculous shots all the time. The answer: He wouldn't listen to the multitude of people around him who contended that he was infatuated with distance and that he would spend too much time on the range hitting driver and not enough time with his short game. Players are stubborn, and sometimes they insist on working things out their way.
It had been rumored that Englishman Ian Poulter was asked not to put a red tint in his spiked locks for the Masters, but he never confirmed that. He did, however, bring even more color to the festivities, one day wearing pink pants and a pink visor, another day donning lavender pants to go with the same-colored visor. Though he made the cut in his rookie trip around Augusta, Poulter failed to record a birdie on the front side.
After missing his first six cuts at the Masters, Scott Verplank has made his last three.
John Daly was 3 over for his first 11 holes and 2 over for his last five. The 20 holes in between? He was even par.
Strange but true: Daly, Vijay Singh, and Harrington were paired in the second-to-last group in Round 2. When they came to the 18th hole, there was no way they could know the drama they could have shaped. Here's how: The cut at the Masters is low 44 and ties, and with each of them at 4 over, it meant 45 players were in. If each made par or better, 45 players would have gotten in; if one made bogey, it would have meant 44 players on the nose got in; but the most intriguing aspect was that if two or more made bogey, there would have been only 43 at 4 over or better, meaning the cut would have included all those at 5 over, a group that featured defending champ Mike Weir. In the end, Singh and Harrington made their pars but Daly checked out early by flying the green with a wedge and making bogey.
The Daly merchandise trailer, however, was still selling his stuff down at Hooters.
Give Kirk Triplett credit, because after starting par-triple bogey-bogey, he was 4 over and hardly looking like a guy ready to contend. But he would make birdie on 18 of his final 67 holes, not to mention an ace, and finish at 2-under 286, tied for sixth. He had the most birdies in the tournament.
When Augusta National was lengthened following the 2001 Masters, the focus was put on the closing hole. It was felt that the 405-yard, uphill dogleg right had become too easy. So officials pushed back the tees to make it a 465-yard monster that is all the hole any of the players would ever want. The end result is a rousing success. The 18th ranked second hardest (4.346), but more telling is this: In 2001, there were 55 birdies made at 18; in three years since, a total of 48 birdies have been made there.
We'll assume that Justin Leonard doesn't care for the new 18th. In 10 trips to it since 2002, he is 7 over par, having made a double bogey, five bogeys, four pars, and no birdies.
Hey, it's not Arnold Palmer at the Masters, but it's pretty good longevity. We're talking about Jay Haas, who this last weekend made his 28th consecutive start in the MCI Heritage, the annual stop right after the Masters that is hugely popular because of the locale (Hilton Head, S.C.) and the course (Harbour Town Golf Links). Haas -- who finished tied for seventh after a 6-under 278 -- has played it through a variety of tournament names, from Sea Pines Heritage Classic, to MCI Heritage Classic, to the MCI Classic, to the
These Guys Are Good And Their Kids Can Play, Too, Dept.: Fuzzy Zoeller's daughter Gretchen, a sophomore at the College of Charleston, was co-medalist in a collegiate tournament in Hattiesburg, Miss. Zoeller shot a career-low 70 and helped her team win the Lady Eagle Invitational. Haas's son Bill, a senior at Wake Forest, shot 64-69-68--201, 15 under par, and won by seven shots in the Courtyard by Marriott Intercollegiate. Bill Haas is expected to turn professional after the college season and will play with his father in the 
