Certainly the Masters isn't what it used to be. The course has changed in order to reign in the game of one particular player and there is absolutely no way the proletariat will ever be admitted past the giant hedges and steely gates that separates Augusta National from all the chain stores, strip malls and sprawl that surrounds it.
The fact is Augusta National and the Masters is mainstream elitism on full display. I suppose folks can take that for what it's worth, but they sure do know how to put on a good golf tournament down there. Better yet, Masters weekend could be the most properly hyped sporting event out there. Based on the TV ratings the NCAA Tournament doesn't quite pack them in any more. Perhaps that's because of the ridiculously tired and hokey "One Shining Moment" malarkey. Come on already, they're pro athletes... enough with the fairy tales. The TV networks can save those tired old bits for the Olympics lest the protests and attention to China's human-rights violations make advertisers squirm.
News, apparently, is a product too.
Anyway, Along with the Kentucky Derby, which one can attend and not even see a damned horse, the Masters is a must-watch event.
At least it is here. Hey, clearly I'm prone to hyperbole.
Nevertheless, a big sporting event demands bold predictions. Actually, how bold will it be to pick the best golfer in the world, or a guy who grew up in your wife's neighborhood to win the biggest golf tournament in the world?
Nope, not bold at all.
Enough blathering. Here's my prediction for the top foursome at this year's Masters:
- Tiger Woods - yeah, going out on a limb there.
- Jim Furyk - what's bigger... hitting a 20-footer at the buzzer to beat Lebanon to win the Section 1 title game for Manheim Township, or another Top 5 finish at the Masters?
Hey, at the time it was a pretty clutch shot...
- Ernie Els - He's won three majors (U.S. Open twice; British Open), but has finished second at the Masters twice in 2000 and 2004. Maybe he's ready to breakthrough.
- Padraig Harrington - the Irishman is the defending Open champ and has three Top 10 finishes in the last eight major tournaments. Then again, he's also missed the cut in three of the last eight majors, too.
*** The London Marathon also takes place this weekend. Here's a prediction: Ryan Hall will become the first American-born runner to break 2:08.
Hall, of course, won last November's marathon Olympic Trials in New York City and is coached by former Villanova standout, Terrence Mahon.