A MASTERFUL MASTERS...EVEN WITH TIGER!

by Doug McAllister

Did you get a chance to see the Masters? Sure you did! You, like me, were drawn by the pristine history of one of golf's greatest venues. You tuned in to view the historical clips and to just take in the astonishing beauty that is Augusta National! That's it right?

Okay, you may have been one of the umpteen viewers who just couldn't stay away from the Tiger sideshow. Granted, I can forgive that. Would he win? Would he play well? Would we see a new Tiger, devoid of the tantrums and profanity as he promised? Well, let's take a look at each of the questions one at a time

WOULD HE WIN? WOULD HE PLAY WELL?
Let's kill the first to birdies with one stone!

I have to admit, along with Nick Faldo in his commentary, that it was astonishing to see Tiger doing as well as he did. The fact that he had become the target of so much tabloid interest, the fact that virtually everyone in the live gallery — not to mention the millions in the virtual gallery — had an polarized opinion, would have driven the sanest of us mad! I have to admit that I was astonished at how well he did. I was predicting that Tiger would implode before finishing the front nine on Thursday! He came far closer to winning that I ever thought possible.

But, no, he fell just short. Sorry if that is a plot spoiler for those of you who haven't yet watched your recorded version of the event. No, Phil Mickelson was just too strong for Tiger — and for everyone else for that matter. And thank goodness he was. His flawless play. His focus on his wife and mother and children throughout the event. His floppy mop of a haircut (wait, that one wasn't supposed to be in there—apologies!). All was woven together to create the fabric of what will be one of the most memorable Masters tournaments ever! And given Tiger's troubles, golf needed the squeaky-clean persona — on and off the course — that only Phil Mickelson could provide!

WOULD WE SEE A NEW TIGER...?
It didn't take long on the Saturday telecast to get an answer to this one. Tiger, as he has been known to do, hits an errant drive and, without the slightest bit of hesitation, lets loose with his trademark barrage of profanity. There it was for the world to hear. No "greater respect for the game..." No "kinder, gentler Tiger..." No "thousand points of light..." But, I've strayed into political cliches. In short, no new Tiger. It didn't take long, either, for Jim Nantz to appropriately pounce on the infraction. Nantz echoed my feelings when he noted how very disappointing it was for Tiger, just six days shy of his most recent penance party, to not even seem to try to restrain himself. Indeed, I was disappointed. But not surprised.

Other news clips featured patrons of the event being interviewed about the various incidents of Tiger's most recent hypocrisy. Two women, when interviewed, did not hesitate for a second when asked whether they felt they had seen the "new" Tiger. "No! Same old Tiger," they both responded, "bad shot and then expletive, expletive!"

Perhaps I can find it in myself to cut Tiger some slack. Under tremendous pressure. Disappointed in his sporadic game. Old habits die hard. Again, Nick Faldo was willing to cut him some slack when asked about it on air. But what most disappointed me regarding the whole issue were Tiger's snotty, disrespectful, in-your-face responses to Peter Kostis when interviewed following the loss. Kostis calmly and politely asked Tiger about his resolutions to keep his word regarding having greater respect for the game. Tiger sprang on his unsuspecting prey. He immediately worked to sidestep the whole question. People were making too much of it. He had every right to be disappointed in a bad shot. Blah. Blah. Blah. As has been the case ever since his return to golf, he wouldn't address the question. Kostis hadn't said anything about Tiger's right to be disappointed. He had asked about Tiger's promised resolution to react differently to disappointment.

For example, I have been watching golf for decades. I have seen the very best in the game make some of the worst shots imaginable. You name 'em: Jack, Arnold, Tom, Gary. In each case, it was easy to read the disappointment following botched shots but there were no episodes of club throwing or of volcanic eruptions of profanity. None. Did people expect them to walk away with, as Tiger ludicrously noted, a "pep in [their] step?" Certainly not. Nor did people at this year's Masters expect Tiger to be dancing jigs following some of the worst shots that he has ever played. What was expected was that he would make a concerted effort to keep his word and begin the process of showing greater respect for the game, its history and its fans. It didn't happen. And the game is the worse for it!

I had to smile when, just prior to the traditional Butler Cabin Green Jacket presentation, Augusta Chairman, Billy Payne, noted how "extremely pleased" he was with the tournament and its outcome. Extremely pleased, huh? Ecstatic! would have been an even better word. With all of the nonsense that Tiger has brought to the game recently, how would you not be extremely pleased to have the sport's current greatest gentleman — arguably a modern day personification of Bobby Jones, himself — stepping forward to don golf's greatest prize?

So in the end, Tiger proved to be the footnote in this year's Masters that many predicted him to be. He was close but was never really a factor in the championship. It was one of the best Masters championships in recent years. One of which Bobby would have been extremely proud. Besides, the refreshing thing was that the other players seemed to be fully focused on what they needed to do to win and not on Tiger. That was especially true for Phil.

Until my next blurb: Hit 'em long and straight!