102 thoughts from Masters week

TOP DAWG TAVERN, A COUPLE OF 5-WOODS AWAY FROM AUGUSTA NATIONAL GOLF CLUB — I’ve an approachable face. 

[Insert your comment here.]

However I do. Or extra particularly, others suppose I do. I’ve typically been requested for instructions. Assist. 

Whether or not we’ve seen the final of Tiger Woods. 

Yeah. Monday morning, whereas trying to find orange juice in an effort to combine a vitamin among the many pimento cheese and peach ice cream sandwiches pushing my stomach outward, a person in possibly his late 50s approaches at a CVS close by Augusta National. He covers his mouth and whispers, although there’s nobody else round. 

“Is … is … Tiger performed?”

Hmm. I’m considering of a measured response, as a result of I can’t waste the new taeks. They should go right here. However I’m saved. 

Earlier than I reply, he walks to the check-out. And I’ve reflection No. 1 from the week that was. It’s possibly not all that stunning. However it’s a part of the appeal of all that’s the Masters and Augusta Nationwide and Augusta, G.A. 

The golf is that this metropolis’s crew. Its Packers. Its Yankees. Its Lakers. It’s the dialog on the greasy spoon. On the water cooler and watering gap

On the CVS with somebody who seems to be good sufficient to speak to about such issues. 

With that, listed below are just a few extra ideas. There’ll be bits on the golf. And gadgets that orbit the golf. We’ve performed this earlier than on this area, and at this place, the Top Dawg Tavern on Washington Highway, a pleasant joint with an enormous menu and ’70s, ’80s and ’90s rock pumping. 

Let’s shoot for 102. We did 101 final 12 months. However we’re higher than then. 

Perhaps. 

2. Tiger is completed! In the event you ask him. 

He completed final amongst those that made the minimize. Shot weekend rounds of 82 (his worst-ever on the Masters) and 77. That’s ‘ceremonial golfer’ territory. Of which he mentioned he’d by no means reside. 

3. Tiger isn’t performed. In the event you watched him Friday. 

Underneath one of the vital brutal of Augusta days, Woods shot even-par 72. Solely eight golfers had been higher. He made the minimize, for the document twenty fourth time. 

4. We’ll see him on the PGA at Valhalla, the place he gained in 2000. Can he contend this go-around? Let’s reply that with one other query:

Are you able to see him taking part in properly throughout 4 days? Or will he play properly over only one or two, like this previous week?

5. Let’s discuss the subsequent Tiger. 

Ludvig Aberg! Joking, mildly. He represented himself outstandingly properly in main look No. 1, ending second, and majors, plural, are in his future. I wrote about my stroll with him on Sunday here. 

6. Son Charlie out with the alignment sticks with Dad Tiger on Sunday on the vary was enjoyable. That’s one helluva dialog. “Hey, are you able to come to Augusta on Sunday in the course of the Masters to assist your 15-time major-winning dad together with his hip flip.”

My dad requested me to chop the grass. 

7. Then there’s Tiger Items. Sorry, I attempted. However it kinda works for Scottie Scheffler, the murderer disguised as a pleasant man. 

However that’s been a factor with the SS Shotmaker — of us need some scorching sauce to go together with their meal. Of us name him boring. Of us name him vanilla. Perhaps so. However have a look at Sunday. The leaderboard collapsed below his weight. He performed his best-in-the-world sport. He made others come get him. They usually hit balls within the water and within the bushes. 

A soul crusher. However only one who smiles. 

8. Let’s do extra names! Scottie Slam. Scheffler Slam. Scheff’s Kiss. 

Yeah, the season slam is in play. Scottie Very Hottie would be the fav on the PGA, the U.S. Open and the Open Championship. 

9. Do you guess the sector or Scheffler at any of these? Don’t chortle. 

10. Love the second on Sunday on the 18th, the place Scheffler waited for caddie Ted Scott, a key a part of the Scheffler narrative. Others appear to love it, too. It’ll be our most-read story this week. 

11. Love this from Scott afterward: “Once I was 19 years outdated, a man by the identify of Ryan Smith informed me, if you wish to get higher at one thing, discover people who find themselves higher than you and spend time with them. That’s sort of been my motto in life.”

12. Love that Scheffler would have gone dwelling at any level this week had his first child been born.

13. Love that Scheffler celebrated his win Sunday evening on the Inwood Tavern in Dallas. 

14. A High Dawg waitress tells me Scheffler was on the bar per week in the past. Sat unbothered. Love that, too. 

15. Scheffler wants a rival. Shoot, we nonetheless whisper when Tiger and Phil get near getting paired collectively. It’s not a lot that we like a struggle, it’s that we like a facet. Let’s run by way of this 12 months’s contenders. 

16. Max Homa, main participant is welcomed. He tied for third. 

17. Homa, on what he deliberate for Sunday evening: 

“I haven’t drank in a very, actually, actually very long time, however I’ve been planning it for Sunday after the Masters, so in all probability not nice. It’ll be all proper.”

Similar, brother. Similar. 

18. Collin Morikawa has a sneaky good resume constructing at Augusta — a tie for forty fourth (2021), adopted by a fifth (2022), a tie for tenth (2023) and a tie for third. 

19. However a Sunday 74 was grisly. 

20. Tommy Fleetwood has to win a serious in some unspecified time in the future, proper? He tied for third.

21. Xander Schauffele has to win a serious in some unspecified time in the future, proper? He completed eighth. 

22. Patrick Cantlay has to win a serious in some unspecified time in the future, proper? He tied for twenty second. 

23. Will Zalatoris has to win a serious in some unspecified time in the future, proper? He tied for ninth. 

24. I really suppose that occurs this 12 months, on the U.S. Open. 

25. Scheffler wins the PGA.  

26. The High Dawg is taking part in “The Night Owls” by Little River Band as I sort.

27. What occurred, Rory McIlroy? He’d taken a number of steps forward of the Masters. He tied for twenty second. 

28. Does McIlroy ever win a inexperienced jacket? Woods thinks he’ll. Jack Nicklaus, too. However I heard an attention-grabbing thought on this (and I apologize that I can’t bear in mind from whom): However McIlroy could also be finest served if he heard that he can’t win the Masters. I like that concept. 

29. What occurred, Justin Thomas? He missed the minimize in most disastrous style. He appears not as misplaced as final 12 months, although. 

30. What occurred, Viktor Hovland? He missed the minimize and missed a putt from maybe 6 inches. He appears misplaced, only a brief six months or so when it appeared he’d discovered one thing particular. 

31. What occurred, Jordan Spieth? He appears somewhat misplaced, although you’re proper to fret that he might keep on three majors. 

32. Please come again, Fred Couples. A golf nation wants your tweets. 

33. What occurred, Brooks Koepka? He tied for forty fifth. 

34. He wins the Open Championship. 

35. What occurred, Jon Rahm? He additionally tied for forty fifth.  

36. The Champions Dinner sounded nice, although. 

37. Time for a beer. First up is Good Googly Moogly by Tapped 33, a brand new brewery in Augusta. We like our good beers on this area, and this can be a nice one.   

38. Does Scheffler return to sliders for his dinner?

39. What occurred, Phil Mickelson? He tied for forty third. 

40. For so long as I write this reflection column, I’ll proceed to imagine his 2021 PGA win could be the most weird factor we see … this decade? These 25 years? Ever? Nobody — nobody — noticed that coming.

41. In fact, a Woods win trumps it. 

42. What occurred Dustin Johnson? He tied for third — from the underside. 

43. I’ll by no means tire of Bryson DeChambeau’s sport tinkering. He tied for sixth. I feel he makes a run on the PGA. 

44. I’ll by no means tire of the DeCham-show. The lifting of the sign post was meme’d to the moon. 

45. To be trustworthy, I walked previous one and had a considered choosing it up myself. Or considered attempting to.  

46. Whereas NSFW, I watched this Patrick Reed clip a half-dozen occasions and laughed every time. 

47. So possibly Golf Channel’s Brandel Chamblee has a point. Scheffler is taking part in within the midst of an ideal storm — he’s at peak type, and the others aren’t. There’s potential for not simply extra Scheffler wins, however Scheffler blow-outs.   

48. However really, Nelly Korda is the very best participant on the planet. The Chevron is that this week. 

49. The RBC Heritage can also be this week. There needs to be a break. 

50. And right here’s a scorching, scorching, scorching take:

Is it really somewhat bit OK that … 

Golf is separated?

[Ducks.]

Right here me out. We missed the very best on the planet coming collectively. In the event you’re a PGA Tour particular person, you welcomed again Rahmbo, DeChambeau and Koepka again into your universe. In the event you’re a LIVer, similar thought, only for Rors, Spieth, Scheffler and the gang. However the level is, largely everybody couldn’t await it to occur. There was anticipation. The NFL has it. Baseball has it. They even rejoice it. 

So right here’s hoping that if there’s a coming collectively, there’s a clear-cut season. Not golf day-after-day of the week. 

51. I perceive this may make my job tougher. I’m certain you’re involved about that. 

52. The High Dawg is taking part in “Tonight’s the Night (Gonna Be Alright)” by Rod Stewart as I sort.

53. I like Jason Day’s match. I wouldn’t put on the controversial vest; I’m not an enormous words-on-shirts man. However I would put on one thing else from Malbon. I like that there are alternatives past one-color polos. I’m not alone, both. 

54. You made a mistake, Zach Johnson. I’m an skilled at swearing myself, and that, sir, wasn’t swearing at your self, which was the excuse he gave after video caught him really swearing at some jeers. Don’t lie. Don’t suppose persons are fools. 

55. I gained’t quickly overlook the deluge of reports on Friday. Spieth’s quad. Brian Harman’s 47 on the second 9. Woods making the minimize for a document time. DeChambeau and the signal. Tyrrell Hatton blasting sluggish play. Zach Johnson and the followers. Thomas’ meltdown. Hovland’s missed gimme. The wind. Wow. 

56. A couple of of my favourite tales from the week! Michael Bamberger revisited final 12 months’s guidelines controversy that includes Koepka, and you may read the story here.  

57. Alan Bastable talked to one of many patrons who noticed final 12 months’s tree fall, and you may read the story here. 

58. Josh Berhow tried to seek out the maker of the Masters’ Crow Nest beer, and you may read the story here. 

59. Talking of meals, James Colgan hung out with chef Jose Andres, the creator of Rahm’s Champions Dinner, and world savior. You’ll be able to read the story here. 

60. Dylan Dethier summed all that performed out throughout Sunday’s last spherical, and you may read the story here. 

61. Zephyr Melton’s stay function Bailey Shoemaker from the Augusta Nationwide Girls’s Newbie is great, and you may read the story here. 

62. Claire Rogers chronicled a day together with her dad and his sister, and you may read the story here. 

63. Sean Zak described a Bryson DeChambeau week that began with the first-round lead, and what it might imply for the professional going ahead. You’ll be able to read the story here.   

64. Ryan Barath went into the historical past books for a have a look at the golf equipment used on 10 of the Masters most well-known pictures, and you may read the story here.

65. Nick Dimengo described how the Par-3 Contest — sure, actually — might help your sport, and you may read the story here.

66. Jack Hirsh wrote about former winners’ ideas on how a 15-handicap would fare at ANGC, and you may read the story here. 

67. Jessica Marksbury detailed a recipe for a pimento cheese patty soften, and you may read it here. 

68. Josh Sens sat down with former champ Nick Faldo, and you may read the story here. 

69. Jonathan Wall had the phrase on the late-approved irons DeChambeau was taking part in, and you may read the story here. 

70. Listed below are just a few of my tales! And a few ideas. Matthieu Pavon tied for twelfth. His story is why we love sports activities, I kinda suppose. Tragedy, triumphs. Mothers, sons. Buried cash at ultra-private nation golf equipment. You’ll be able to learn it right here. 

71. Gary Participant, Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson hit their ceremonial tee shots — however I adopted their golf balls. I’d been curious what occurred to them. Seems, they had been guarded virtually as carefully because the nuclear codes. 

72. My Greg Norman walk-along. You’ll be able to give it a read here. Some fast ideas. He was dressed to play, together with his straw hat, white polo and black pants. He obtained each greetings — and double-takes. He was genuinely concerned about watching golf. He appeared shy when of us shouted to him. He opened up when he informed me he’d eaten a sandwich out of a inexperienced bag (how the sandwiches are wrapped on the Masters). He jabbed me within the arm. Sadly, as experiences swirl, I walked with him Friday, not Thursday, when he adopted McIlroy.  

73. Time for an additional beer. Subsequent up is Tropicalia IPA from Creature Comforts Brewing Co., in Athens, Ga. 

74. Sandwich scores! I had ‘em all. For science. First, a phrase on my tastes, to present you a way of the place I’m coming from. I’m easy. My dad was a meat cutter, so I’m very meat and potatoes. — and most of my meals seem like they arrive off the Masters menu already. With that, we do have a brand new No. 1, gang, although solely as a result of I hadn’t had the Georgia peach ice cream sandwich in earlier visits. That was a mistake. Debbie Blount, who I’d as soon as written about here, handled me to 1 on Thursday afternoon. The chunk of ice cream was good. The 2 sugar cookies it sat between had been good. Put collectively, it’s the brand new king. 

75. The breakfast sandwich. The sausage appeared not as greasy as earlier years, the biscuit not as crumbly.

76. The barbecue sandwich. The sauce tasted higher this 12 months. Extra chunk. It’s nonetheless too small, although. 

77. Pimento cheese. Extra chunk right here, too. 

78. Hen biscuit. -sized piece of rooster. Similar biscuit because the breakfast sandwich. 

79. Membership sandwich. Fairly common. 

80. Ham and cheese on rye. I don’t like rye bread. However not dangerous, not dangerous. 

81. Hen sandwich. Just a little chewy, however I did just like the spice. 

82. Hen salad. Missing somewhat taste.  

83. Egg salad. Similar because the rooster salad sandy. Not a lot zip. 

84. Let’s see how the rankings look examine to final 12 months (I swear that is the primary time I’ve appeared since then, do you have to be curious):

No. 1: breakfast sandwich; No. 2: membership sandwich; No. 3: barbecue sandwich. No. 4: rooster sandwich; No. 5: pimento cheese; No. 6: sausage biscuit; No. 7: ham and cheese on rye; No. 8: rooster biscuit. No. 9: rooster salad; No. 10: egg salad. 

The takeaways? An increase of the rooster biscuit. Consistency with the hate of the salads. 

And my abdomen feels humorous.

85. The High Dawg is taking part in “Cold as Ice” by Foreigner as I sort.  

86. The Monday eclipse looks as if 75 years in the past. Right here, it felt hazy, I assume. Towards the height of it, I stood to the left of the first fairway and had hassle making out gamers on the adjoining ninth.  

87. I requested a waitress on the High Dawg what’s the craziest factor she’d seen in the course of the week — and he or she shared a narrative from a earlier 12 months. 

A bunch was paying the employees to slap them within the face. 

“You could possibly slap them as arduous as you wished?” I requested. 

“We might slap them as arduous as we wished.” she mentioned. 

88. Overheard-among-the-patrons time! Up first, this one, on Monday afternoon:

Patron to volunteer sporting a inexperienced polo: “I see you sporting the inexperienced polos, however the inexperienced coats, who’re they?”

Volunteer to patron: “They hit the lottery.”

89. There was this one, on Wednesday afternoon:

Patron one to patron two: “I wanna steal a bit of turf.”

Patron two to patron one: “Brah, I’ll provide help to.”

90. There was this one, additionally on Wednesday afternoon:

Male patron to feminine patron: “You seem like you’re from New York.”

Feminine patron to male patron: “Miami.”

Male patron to feminine patron: “Oh.”

91. There was this one, on Thursday afternoon:

“Every other course we play now sooner or later will probably be trash.”

92. There was this one, on Sunday afternoon: 

Male patron to feminine patron: “So what does she do once more?”

Feminine patron to male patron: “She’s a boudoir photographer.”

Male patron to feminine patron: “What’s that?”

Feminine patron to male patron: “Uh, a horny photographer. Like in case your spouse wished to present you a calendar with photos of her in it.”  

93. Then there was Sarge. I wrote about him in our Seen and Heard publication, and I’ll share it right here, too. He’s value it.

Sarge? That’s what everybody calls Melvin Brown at Augusta, and we’ll discuss with him as Melvin Brown simply this as soon as to respect that. Sarge is a cart driver for the Masters. Been doing it for 20-plus years at Augusta Nationwide. I’m joyful he’s. 

I’ve discovered that over his 85 years, Sarge has lived some life. 

From the Augusta space, he served within the Military, he tells me. Lived in bases within the Midwest. The South. However he’d proven he was additionally an athlete, and he was quickly on every kind of groups. 

Right here, he has a pair tales. 

For a stretch, he performed basketball in opposition to Wilt Chamberlain. On the time, the Corridor of Famer was a member of the Harlem Globetrotters. Sarge, although, emphasizes he performed in opposition to him. 

Not with. 

“He was good,” Sarge says. 

Did you rating?

“Oh sure.”

These days, Sarge performs softball. He used to journey the nation for it. Now, his schedule is generally native, although subsequent weekend, he’s going to play in a event in South Carolina. “We’re going to play these outdated parents.” Sarge mans first. However he’s a hitter. 

How a lot so?

He admits he can’t actually run anymore. However so good is his stick, that they’ve modified the principles only for him. 

He will get a runner only for him. He hits the doubles, triples and residential runs. Any individual else does the leg work. 

“They don’t wish to lose me.”

(Sarge additionally mentioned an area tv station lately profiled certainly one of his groups. He informed me to look it up. I did. Take a look here!)

94. Right here’s Participant’s response on tips on how to overcome a nasty shot: 

“Nicely, I imagine to win majors or to win the massive tournaments that you just needed to love adversity since you’re going to resist it. Doesn’t matter who you might be.

“And I simply felt that it’s unimaginable to play a spherical of golf with out hitting dangerous pictures, so it was really a part of the sport. I taught myself to virtually get pleasure from it, however loved it, possibly in I don’t know what style, however it’s a part of the sport.

“Now, why can we apply all this brief sport to get better? And this leads me to say, you take heed to individuals right now discuss — the daddy talks about his son, or a coach: Nicely, it’s best to see this younger boy. He hits the ball 380 yards.

“You by no means hear him say how nice his brief sport is, how nice his thoughts is. Hitting the ball is an asset, however it’s not a necessity. However placing, if you must hit it that lengthy, it counts as a lot as a 400-yard drive.

“However the place are we going, you have a look at the Tour, in 30 years, plus, minus, they are going to all hit the ball 400 yards as a result of there’s such nice incentivization. They’re going across the faculty gyms now doing weight coaching. Rory McIlroy confirmed me yesterday, he does a lifeless elevate, 400 kilos.

“So that is the place we’re going, and that is the place we want the R&A and the USGA and the PGA to get collectively correctly in making a choice a couple of golf ball as a result of golf is — nothing in regards to the sport right now, not one single factor, is identical as once we performed. Not one single factor.

“And so we’ve bought to chop the ball again 60 yards, 50 yards. In any other case, the entire idea of the sport, the historical past of the sport, the par-5, par-4, par-3, that’s gone. There are not any extra par-5s. These younger guys are hitting 8-irons to par-5s.

“So we’re altering the entire historical past of the sport. Now, they’re two totally different video games, the R&A by no means agreed with me that they’re two totally different video games, skilled and newbie. Go watch Jack Nicklaus in his prime or Tom [Watson] or Tiger. You’ll see how totally different it’s to the way in which you guys play.

“They’ve to chop that ball again, I don’t know what’s going to occur. They discuss making golf programs longer. The world is operating out of water, significantly, and the prices of the machine, the mower, fertilizer, labor, why do this? It’s so easy, simply minimize the ball again. Very, quite simple.

“And so I’m fairly involved about the place the sport of golf goes.”

That was some trip there. 

95. Random-things-seen-at-Augusta time! First up, I walked holes 10-18 late Wednesday afternoon, forward of the storm, and noticed a fleet of staff with buckets, going left and proper filling each divot. 

96. Additionally that evening, about 200 patrons had been stationed on the famed twelfth tee. There have been no golfers. There could be no golfers. Didn’t appear to matter. 

97. Additionally that evening, a employee was chopping the financial institution that surrounds the water on 12 with a lawnmower. I feel I watched that for about quarter-hour. Mesmerizing. Fairly the exercise. 

98. Additionally that evening, I noticed a patron with a WWE title belt. 

99. Birds, or lack thereof, have been an Augusta story for some time — however I noticed an eagle on Wednesday afternoon. Soared proper above the massive leaderboard to the suitable of the first tee  

100. I’m satisfied nothing is extra environment friendly than the reward store. It’s artwork. Once I stood in line on Saturday, I began exterior amongst about 500 individuals, then we needed to wait inside, then we needed to wait on the entrance, then we shopped — and I used to be performed in about 45 minutes or so. That mentioned, for those who suppose a number of the tee pictures trigger claustrophobia, strive muscling your solution to get a T-shirt. 

101. Beneath is proof I used to be there. That’s me, to the suitable of the girl within the pink visor. 

102. As a part of the Pavon story, I talked with teacher and analyst Mark Immelman on all that’s Augusta — and I believed I’d share that right here.

“Once you go to Augusta Nationwide and the Masters, there’s a regal kind of really feel about all the pieces. It’s such as you’re getting to enter Buckingham Palace. And also you thoughts your P’s and your Q’s since you would for those who had been eating with a king or a queen. And whenever you go there, you steal a look on the art work and the sculptures, and you’ve got a reverence for the place. And I really feel like that pleasure that you just sense are individuals which can be simply in awe of what the golf course and the event symbolize. I imply, the care that’s taken and no stone is left unturned by the Masters membership. They usually placed on the perfect occasion that’s humanly potential. And there’s that exclusivity about it, too. So after I go there, I really feel prefer it’s royalty. And I get, only for somewhat, to spend a while in a palace and I look upon these nice kings and statesmen which have inhabited these partitions prior to now.” 

One bonus thought! Again to that approachable-face factor. 

Friday, after working my means again from my stroll with Norman, a pair requested the place the first gap was. I pointed them within the route — however informed them that I used to be strolling that means and so they might simply comply with me in the event that they like. They did. We talked. They had been from West Virginia. I informed them I used to be initially from Milwaukee. I informed them I’d been working for GOLF for about four-and-a-half years.

“Wow, that’s such a cool job.”

Yeah, yeah, it’s.

Thanks for studying.   

Editor’s word: The creator wrote comparable tales from the 2023 and 2022 Masters, and they are often discovered here and here.