Today marks the official
beginning of the 78th Masters Tournament. Obviously, the biggest story line revolving
this year’s championship is that Tiger Woods isn’t playing. This has caused ticket prices to drastically
decrease, and will probably result in a lack of television viewers
(CBS.com). However, even with Tiger
gone, there is plenty of excitement to be had over the next 4 days.
As an American, I’m used to
not being able to legally bet on sporting events. Now that I’m in Ireland, I can bet all I want,
which is fantastic for the tournament! A
few of my buddies put down €5 on Jim Furyk to win at 80/1 odds. I personally chose a more likely scenario by
putting €8 on Henrik Stenson at 33/1 odds.
I’ll keep you updated on how that goes.
With play set to begin in
just a few short hours, I want to get everybody excited for the best golf
tournament of the year. Here are some of
the top moments in Master’s history…could there be an addition to the list this
year? I certainly hope so.
#3: Tiger destroying everyone
in 1997
Sure you have all these
seasoned golfers playing every year, but who says it can’t be a kids game? Just a year after turning pro, Tiger proved
why anyone can contest for the green
jacket. He shot 270 on the weekend, 18
strokes under par. For anyone who
follows the Masters, you know that it’s an incredible score in and of
itself. However, the more amazing stat
is that the second place finisher, Tom Kite, shot 282, giving Tiger an
unprecedented 12 stroke victory.
#2: Craig Wood never loses
the lead in 1941
The Masters is typically a
tournament where a handful of golfers battle back and forth until one pulls
away for the win. It’s very rare that
one player leads after day one and goes on to win the whole thing. Craig Wood was one of these rare gems with
his performance in 1941. He ended up
shooting 280 (-8) and winning the tournament by 3 strokes.
#1: Gary Player’s Wild
Comeback victory of 1978
If you’ve ever watched the
Master’s, you’ve at least heard about this.
Gary Player entered the final day of the 1978 tournament down by 7
strokes. With a bit of luck, and some
unbelievable putting, he overcame that deficit and went on to win the whole
thing. You can see more analysis here: http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=10573364
So, there you have it. For me, those are the top 3 moments in Master’s
history. The best thing about this
tournament, though, is that it unites the world just like the Olympics. I can be in Ireland and discuss the
tournament with all sports fans just like I could at home. It makes you feel a sense of brotherhood that
can’t be separated by a national border.
Works Cited
Porter, Kyle. 10 predictions for the 2014 Masters. 9 April 2014. 10 April 2014
<http://www.cbssports.com/golf/eye-on-golf/24520011/predictions-for-the-2014-masters>.
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