What an Ending!

By Billy Condon

Wow! I don’t think anyone could have predicted such an exciting finale to the Masters. With Tiger and Phil’s comeback efforts falling just short, Kenny Perry nearly acing 16 and a three-man playoff, this year’s Masters was anything but drama-free. Although our predictions were a little off with no European, man from the Emerald Isle, or Mahan/Cink coming through in the end to don the green jacket, it sure was fun to watch and congratulations are due to Angel Cabrera. From the avid follower to someone watching for the first time, it’s hard to say golf isn’t a great spectator sport.

Yesterday was a perfect example of why not only golf, but all sports are so exciting. Just when you think you're out for the count, you get a lucky bounce off a tree back into the fairway, make a putt and before you know it, you are in Butler Cabin being awarded the green jacket. Cabrera paralleled what the Boston University hockey team achieved this weekend, as the Terriers scored two goals in the final minute of regulation to force overtime and eventually win the National Championship.

2009 will be a great year for major championship golf and with the next stop being right here in the Met Area, the world’s best will be itching for their next shot to win a major at the Black.

Saxton Enjoying the Azaleas

By Greg Midland

While it's true that none of the PGA Tour pros who we follow on Tour Watch (J.J. Henry, Marc Turnesa and Johnson Wagner) made the Masters field, we do want to point out one person with ties to the Met Area: amateur Reinier Saxton (left). The 21-year-old Saxton, who won the 2008 British Amateur to get into his first Masters, is the son of Jonas Saxton, a three-time Ike champion (1981, '83 & '84) and two-time MGA Player of the Year. Jonas Saxton lived for many years in Greenwich, Connecticut, before moving to his native Holland, where Reinier grew up.

The younger Saxton obviously picked up his father's good golf genes, and bears a striking resemblance to Jonas in his younger days, right down to the trim frame and thick, dirty blonde hair. After winning the British Am, Reinier showed his sense of humor: "Of course it’s a dream come true to play in the (British) Open and the Masters. I was going to try for my European card later this year, but there’s no point. I’ll just have to win the Masters and then turn pro,” he joked.

He'll have to make quite a rally during Friday's second round to have a chance to accomplish that feat. He is well down the leader board after a first-round 75, although he did manage three birdies, including two in a row on the 13th and 14th holes. If Reinier does manage to make a run on Friday and get into position to make the cut, it will be further proof that the Saxton apple doesn't fall far from the tree.

Big Monday

It’s a great sports day, with home openers at baseball stadiums across the country and the NCAA Men’s basketball championship game tonight in Detroit. It’s also the first full day of practice rounds at Augusta National Golf Club, as the Masters begins in less than 72 hours. Unfortunately, none of the players of local interest that we track as part of Tour Watch on mgagolf.org – J.J. Henry, Johnson Wagner and Marc Turnesa – made it into the Masters field. But that doesn’t mean we still don’t have some ideas about who’s going to wear the green jacket come Sunday evening. With that in mind the MGA Communications staff of Greg Midland, Bob Nielsen and Billy Condon decided to launch MGA Swing Thoughts with our 2009 Masters predictions below. Check back all season for golf news and stories from the Met Area and beyond.

Lucky 13 for Tiger

It’s hard to believe, but this is Tiger’s 15th Masters appearance (his 13th as a professional). He has grown up before our eyes, from a skinny Southern California kid who won six consecutive USGA titles from 1991-‘96 (three Juniors, three Amateurs) to an incredibly well-built, mentally strong, virtually unstoppable force in golf. During that time, he has amassed more course knowledge about Augusta National than any other player, especially when it comes to reading the greens. He will continue to be the favorite in every major championship until well into the next decade, and despite coming off reconstructive knee surgery last year, he appears to be in top form heading into the first major of the year. No matter what he says, Tiger would love nothing more than to win the Grand Slam (and tie Jack Nicklaus with 18 majors in the process). You can’t win all four without winning the first.

The Euro is Rising: A European has not won the Masters in 10 years, since Jose Maria Olazabal came out on top. If it’s not Tiger, I’d look for either Paul Casey, Sergio Garcia, or Padraig Harrington to end the Euro drought. Casey, in particular, seems to be peaking at the right time, having just won last week in Houston. And with three top-10s in four Masters appearances, Casey obviously feels comfortable on the course. I wouldn’t be surprised at all to see Casey become the sixth player in history to win the week before the Masters and then go on to claim the green jacket (the last was Phil Mickelson in 2006).

Greg Midland

Three in a Row

It’s tough to pick against Tiger, but 37-year-old Padraig Harrington has flourished in the major championships the last two years, grabbing the last two and three of the last six. After an impressive playoff win over Sergio Garcia at Carnoustie in 2007, Harrington overcame an injured wrist and crowd-favorite Greg Norman to win back-to-back British Open titles and become the first European golfer to successfully defend his crown since 1906. Three weeks later, a pair of 66s over the weekend propelled him to victory at the PGA Championship at Oakland Hills Country Club in Michigan. That’s all well and good, but can he do it at Augusta with a healthy Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson back to form with two wins this year? The answer is in the numbers: Paddy has three top-ten finishes at Augusta since 2002, including a tied for fifth finish in 2008 and a tied for seventh in 2007. I expect Harrington will have to be a little more aggressive than he usually is, but his steady play and ability to withstand major championship pressure bodes well for his chances at Augusta. Here’s to rooting for the "Paddy Slam" at Bethpage Black!

The “Tin Cup” guy?: No, not Roy McAvoy. I’m talking about Rory McIlroy, the 19-year-old Northern Ireland native who burst onto the professional golf scene in 2007 when he finished low amateur at the British Open. A Masters rookie is definitely not the popular pick to win as there have only been three in the event’s history, most recently Fuzzy Zoeller in 1979, but McIlroy has the game to fill out that foursome. He snagged his first professional win this year at the Dubai Desert Classic in February and later reached the quarterfinals at the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship (where he lost to eventual champion Geoff Ogilvy). Augusta National may not favor the free-swinging and charismatic teenager, but what could be more exciting than Tiger, Phil or Padraig paired with a young phenom like McIlroy in the final round of the Masters.

Bob Nielsen

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