A Master-ful Final Four

As my picks for the NCAA basketball tournament have dwindled, leaving me battling at 1,115,000th place on ESPN going into tonight’s final, I can only hope my Masters picks treat me better. Before I reveal my choice(s) for the green jacket, I am going to first make a prediction on the par-three contest. With no player having ever won the par-three and the championship prior in the same year, I have strategically chosen Sergio Garcia. No offense to Sergio, I’m saving him as my Barclay’s ringer.

I have found that Masters picks can be compared to March Madness with regards to selections: there is a limited number, those that get in may only get the chance once in their lifetime, and you can’t get enough Jim Nantz. First and foremost, you have the heavy favorites: UNC, UConn, Tiger, and Phil; next are the picks you make only because their names sound cool: the Zips of the University of Akron, the Matadors of Cal State Northridge, Reinier Saxton of Holland, and Ryo Ishikawa of Japan; and lastly you have the hopeful Cinderella’s that you know are only worth picking for a big pay-out: Morehead State, UT Chattanooga, Sergio Garcia, and Greg Norman.

So after a thorough analysis of the field, I have narrowed it down to four players who I think have what it will take to win. Coincidentally, these four picks show similarities that have been cross-referenced to the teams that played in this year’s Final Four.

-My UNC has to be Tiger Woods. After a couple of scares, UNC is the team to beat just as Tiger is coming on strong after a win at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. The players know that on his A-game, Tiger is unstoppable.
-My other heavy hitter is Phil. As a fellow lefty, I have a great allegiance to Phil and I would have to compare him to UConn. He has been playing well, but you never exactly know what you are going to get out of him, and as seen by both, it is always harder to make a move after being rattled early on.
-I see Hunter Mahan as Villanova: no one would have guessed they would be in contention except those close to the team, and with the way he has been performing in recent weeks, he can make some noise. -As for Michigan State, I am going with Stewart Cink. After winning at the Travelers Championship last year and helping the U.S. team win back the Ryder Cup, as well as two top-ten finishes at Augusta the last three years including a tie for third in 2008, I would really like to see “Big Stew” in Butler Cabin. As much as the title may seem a lock for the Tar Heels or a healthy Tiger, Cink and the Spartans are riding some pretty heavy momentum. It also doesn’t hurt that he is a Georgia guy, and as the Spartans can attest, it never hurts to have the hometown crowd on your side. (I just hope he doesn’t use all his good swings in Wednesday’s par-three).

Billy Condon