The Masters 2015 **MOD warning in OP**

razorblunt

Watched Nicklaus tee off on 1st yesterday with the crowd squeezing in, he's some man, straight as an arrow.

First Up

sky88 wrote: »

Ahh masters thursday well except for sunday cant beat it, i know people love the ryder cup but give me the masters any day over it

Personally I would take an hour of the Open Championship over all four days from Augusta but that's just me.

Enjoy it.

rocky911

First Up wrote: »

Personally I would take an hour of the Open Championship over all four days from Augusta but that's just me.

Enjoy it.

I can see your point on that! There is just something magical about the Masters though,

sky88

First Up wrote: »

Personally I would take an hour of the Open Championship over all four days from Augusta but that's just me.

Enjoy it.

tbh i just love the majors in general

Panrich

rocky911 wrote: »

I can see your point on that! There is just something magical about the Masters though,

I think it's like this picture perfect place that us mere mortals will probably never get to visit that creates the mystique around this event.
I can easily see myself getting to any of the other majors given the will to do so, but the Masters needs more than just a decision to go and the money to back it up.
You need to get hold of the magical tickets and that is out of reach bar winning in the annual lottery.

rocky911

Panrich wrote: »

I think it's like this picture perfect place that us mere mortals will probably never get to visit that creates the mystique around this event.
I can easily see myself getting to any of the other majors given the will to do so, but the Masters needs more than just a decision to go and the money to back it up.
You need to get hold of the magical tickets and that is out of reach bar winning in the annual lottery.

Ye I tried it the lottery as well but was unsuccessful ( shock horror) I was listening to the Golf Weekly podcast last week and they had Shane O'Donoghue on, he mentioned about a couple who wrote letters to the PGA or Augusta board, cant remember which exactly and they have tickets for life might try that next.

You are right about the mystic its like a golfers equivalent of Narnia or Wonderland :P. It is a lot easier to get tickets to other Majors, only been to one so far ( US Open in Merrion ) but a few more on the list.

First Up

Panrich wrote: »

I think it's like this picture perfect place that us mere mortals will probably never get to visit that creates the mystique around this event.
I can easily see myself getting to any of the other majors given the will to do so, but the Masters needs more than just a decision to go and the money to back it up.
You need to get hold of the magical tickets and that is out of reach bar winning in the annual lottery.

Yeah, I know that is part of the mystique and it is a special atmosphere. I did get to attend it and I've also played Augusta twice.

The best part of the tournament for me was the practice days and watching how they set about plotting their way around. When you play the course you get to see why because while it is wide open, you get some terrible lies and if you are trying to go for flags, you need to know exactly what you are doing on every hole. That's where the experience really shows up.

The atmosphere is a bit strange - very muted by the standards of US tournaments but very friendly and very fair prices for food and other stuff.

I got to play it through business connections - once in mid summer and once in November. It was still a great place to visit but I was disappointed with the course - not dollied up like it is for this week and it really is hilly and was a bit of a slog to be honest, especially on a steamy day in July.

The other thing is that Augusta is a bit of a kip - even the roads right by the course.

slave1

razorblunt wrote: »

Watched Nicklaus tee off on 1st yesterday with the crowd squeezing in, he's some man, straight as an arrow.

It was seriously tight, wasn't it, I would not like to be in that crowd with mere mortals on the tee

Panrich

slave1 wrote: »

It was seriously tight, wasn't it, I would not like to be in that crowd with mere mortals on the tee

I'm not sure that Niall Horan would have thanked Rory for handing him the club on 9 either. That was pressure. Even Jack put 2 in the water there.

rocky911

slave1 wrote: »

It was seriously tight, wasn't it, I would not like to be in that crowd with mere mortals on the tee

Gladly take a slap of a golf ball of Jack haha

newballsplease

Why does the coverage start so late? Sky have 5 stations and only start coverage at 7pm this evening? Surely they could afford to screen from the first tee off?

First Up

newballsplease wrote: »

Why does the coverage start so late? Sky have 5 stations and only start coverage at 7pm this evening? Surely they could afford to screen from the first tee off?

It isn't their decision.

moycullen14

rocky911 wrote: »

Am I mad in thinking that McIlroy may not even make the cut....or at least be off the boil? I dont know, I just dont have a good feeling about this, I really think Jimmy Walker or Speith are the ones to watch.. Also Lowry is a banker for top 20 finish..

No, I think you might be onto something. I get the feeling that he has himself wound up quite tight over this one. The career grand slam is the next (only?) big thing for him now. That gets him to Olympus. Watching documentary on Arnold Palmer a few nights ago, it was interesting that the lack of a PGA was kinda seen as a blemish on his career - no grand slam, no 'greatness'.

All that said, if he does do it - what an achievement.

Speith, Hensen, Walker, Dustin Johnson, Bubba, Reed in the money and McIlroy to miss the cut.

Rikand

Panrich wrote: »

I'm not sure that Niall Horan would have thanked Rory for handing him the club on 9 either. That was pressure. Even Jack put 2 in the water there.

I'd love to play that shot. Even if there was 10 times the people there lol.

Besides it was rorys fault that he drinked it. Rory passed him out the wrong club anyways. Niall had to try and force some class of a wedge up there

rocky911

moycullen14 wrote: »

No, I think you might be onto something. I get the feeling that he has himself wound up quite tight over this one. The career grand slam is the next (only?) big thing for him now. That gets him to Olympus. Watching documentary on Arnold Palmer a few nights ago, it was interesting that the lack of a PGA was kinda seen as a blemish on his career - no grand slam, no 'greatness'.

All that said, if he does do it - what an achievement.

Speith, Hensen, Walker, Dustin Johnson, Bubba, Reed in the money and McIlroy to miss the cut.

We shall wait and see.. I do feel that Speith is going to deliver something great over the weekend

slave1

First Up

Its a lottery between the 15-20 guys who could actually win it. Given that about 20% of the field is guaranteed to miss the cut, it would take a real disaster for any of the top guys to lose out.

McIlroy has to be our only real hope. Clarke is gone, GMac too short, Harrington too prone to mistakes and Lowry will be just learning.

slave1

http://www.irishtimes.com/sport/golf/augusta-national-hole-by-hole-guide-1.2169029

1st - Tea Olive - Par 4, 445 Yards
Historical Difficulty: 6th most difficult, averaging 4.23.
Notable fact: Retief Goosen found the perfect way to play the approach into a notoriously difficult green when he holed out for an eagle two in 2011.

2nd - Pink Dogwood - Par 5, 575 Yards
Historical Difficulty: 16th most difficult, averaging 4.79
Notable fact: It may be one of the more birdieable holes but in 2006 David Duval ran up a 10 here.

3rd - Flowering Peach - Par 4, 350 Yards
Historical Difficulty: 14th most difficult, averaging 4.08
Notable fact: Sometimes tempting for players to attempt to drive the green, such as Justin Rose who managed an eagle two last year.

4th - Flowering Crab Apple - Par 3, 240 Yards
Historical Difficulty: 4th most difficult, averaging 3.28
Notable fact: Don’t remind Brant Snedeker of the tricky front pin placement. He five-putted in last year’s third round.

5th - Magnolia - Par 4, 455 Yards
Historical Difficulty: 5th most difficult, averaging 4.26.
Notable fact: Only one player has managed to eagle this hole twice . . . Jack Nicklaus, both times in 1995.

6th - Juniper - Par 3, 180 Yards
Historical Difficulty: 13th most difficult, averaging 3.13.
Notable fact: There have been five holes-in-one in tournament history, the last by Jamie Donaldson in 2013.

7th - Pampas - Par 4, 450 Yards
Historical Difficulty: 11th most difficult, averaging 4.15
Notable fact: Watch the second shots . . . there have been 13 hole-outs for eagle twos, most recently by amateur Patrick Cantlay in 2012.

8th - Yellow Jasmine - Par 5, 570 Yards
Historical Difficulty: 15th most difficult, averaging 4.83.
Notable fact: The unfortunate Jack Walsh ran up a horrible 12 on this back in 1934 . . . 10 shots worse than Bruce Devlin’s albatross two in 1967.

9th - Carolina Cherry - Par 4, 460 Yards
Historical Difficulty: 12th most difficult, averaging 4.14
Notable fact: Not Luke Donald’s favourite hole . . . the Englishman ran up a quadruple-bogey eight last year.

10th - Camellia - Par 4, 495 Yards
Historical Difficulty: 1st most difficult, averaging 4.31
Notable fact: The scene of the crime as far as Rory McIlroy’s quest for the green jacket in 2011 is concerned: he hooked his tee-shot which finished beside cabins down the left. He ran up a triple-bogey seven.

11th - White Dogwood - Par 4, 505 Yards
Historical Difficulty: 2nd most difficult, averaging 4.29
Notable fact: This hole introduces players to Amen Corner, but it is not all singing and dancing: Augusta native Charles Howell III ran up a quintuple-bogey nine here in 2006.

12th - Golden Bell - Par 3, 155 Yards
Historical Difficulty: 3rd most difficult, averaging 3.28
Notable fact: Fred Couples proved he could defy gravity when his tee shot here in the final round in 1992 somehow clung on to avoid a watery grave. He saved par and won.

13th - Azalea - Par 5, 510 Yards
Historical Difficulty: 17th most difficult, averaging 4.79.
Notable fact: In one of the boldest plays in Masters history, Phil Mickelson hit a 219 yards approach off pine straw – between a narrow gap in the trees – to find the green to set up a birdie in his 2010 victory.

14th - Chinese Fir - Par 4, 440 Yards
Historical Difficulty: 8th most difficult, averaging 4.17
Notable fact: This hole has recorded no fewer than 13 eagle twos, most recently by Thomas Bjorn in 2013.

15th - Firethorn - Par 5, 530 Yards
Historical Difficulty: 18th most difficult, averaging 4.78
Notable fact: Scene of one of the greatest shots in the game, where Gene Sarazen’s albatross two in 1935 became known as the shot heard around the world.

16th - Redbud - Par 3, 170 Yards
Historical Difficulty: 9th most difficult, averaging 3.15.
Notable fact: There have been 15 holes-in-one here, starting with Ross Somerville in 1934. Bo Van Pelt and Adam Scott aced the hole in 2012.

17th - Nandina - Par 4, 440 Yards
Historical Difficulty: 10th most difficult, averaging 4.15.
Notable fact: It took an ice storm two winters ago to bring down Eisenhower’s Tree, which had stood proudly in the middle of the fairway. Fred Couples and Ted Potter Jnr each took triple bogey sevens here in 2013.

18th - Holly - Par 4, 465 Yards
Historical Difficulty: 7th most difficult, averaging 4.22.
Notable fact: There have been seven quadruple bogeys on the finishing hole which requires a drive through a tunnel of trees before an uphill approach to the green: Henrik Stenson suffered such a fate in 2012.

Mantis Toboggan

Hope Rory can do the business but I've a feeling one bad round will cost him. I'd fancy Spieth to have the jacket on Sunday night.

Panrich

Johnny kills wrote: »

Hope Rory can do the business but I've a feeling one bad round will cost him. I'd fancy Spieth to have the jacket on Sunday night.

He'll have to have a good week with the putter to come out on top. Tee to green, he is peerless but he does tend to miss a lot of chances on the greens (for a player of his ability).

sky88

Panrich wrote: »

He'll have to have a good week with the putter to come out on top. Tee to green, he is peerless but he does tend to miss a lot of chances on the greens (for a player of his ability).

always found rory doesnt gets close enoughto the pin for how amazing his driving is when he puts it in the fairway and with his length

slave1

sky88 wrote: »

always found rory doesnt gets close enoughto the pin for how amazing his driving is when he puts it in the fairway and with his length

Bang on, hard to criticize Rory with all his talent etc. but if I was to compare him to Tiger in one respect Tiger was heads and shoulders above all others with his iron play, yes a great driver with a great short game but I believe it was his dominance with his irons that really put him in another plane...Rory does not have that (albeit better off the tee)

FixdePitchmark

Rory is only one major away from a grand slam.
One more will be on same curve as Tiger and Jack.

Is world number one 1/2 trying.

Would be a big call at this stage to say Rory lacks anything.

His power and accuracy places him in exceptional scoring positions for 1/2 the round.

ronjo

First Up wrote: »

I got to play it through business connections - once in mid summer and once in November. It was still a great place to visit but I was disappointed with the course - not dollied up like it is for this week and it really is hilly and was a bit of a slog to be honest, especially on a steamy day in July.

The other thing is that Augusta is a bit of a kip - even the roads right by the course.

How did you get to play in Mid Summer? I thought the course was closed from May until end of Summer.
Is that something new?

Keano

If anyone wants to ask First Up about his trip please take it to PM

rocky911

Keano wrote: »

If anyone wants to ask First Up about his trip please take it to PM

With respect, its only abit of chit chat about Augusta, and the comp has not started yet. I can understand that if it was brought up on Sunday evening in the middle of a play off but I thought this thread was all about the Masters and Augusta itself. be nice to get some inside knowledge of the place from a mere mortal. Again I say this respectfully

Keano

First up has posted on numerous occasions about his trip on other threads.

Please do not respond to moderator post in thread, if you have a problem/question then drop me a PM

rocky911

Anyway moving back on topic,

How do people think the shorter hitters like Zach Johnson are going to fair out ? I heard Jose Maria Olazabal say yesterday that there is no run on the ball at all atm.

benny79

I think Zach will do well as he's inform and a previous winner. To me its all about the putting at Augusta!

rocky911

benny79 wrote: »

I think Zach will do well as he's inform and a previous winner. To me its all about the putting at Augusta!

Just had a convo with a co worker about that actually and we came to same conclusion, hence why I think Speith is the in form man for it once that right miss that creeps in sometimes doesn't get to him