Bubba Can Bomb the Ball
Tiger got in a practice round at Augusta this week...can you smell the Masters yet? I can’t wait.
Kevin is back with this weeks edition from PGA 365
First off, congrats to Andres Romero for piecing together a great final round at the Zurich Classic last week in New Orleans. Romero was the clubhouse leader for 3 hours before the end of the round. His final round score ended up being enough to keep Peter Leonard at Bay. It’s not often we see a tournament decided that early in the final round but it made for some interesting golf as the final groups shuffled through. If you can recall, Romero almost had the Open Championship in his grasp when he hacked a long iron out of some tall meadow grass and went OB, paving the way for Padraig Harrington to capture his first major.
This week’s Shell Houston Open at the Redstone Golf Club in Humble, TX is, for some strange reason, one of my favorite tournaments. The field isn’t necessarily the greatest, but with it being a week before the Master’s you can bet there is going to be some stiff competition and the field is loaded with talent. The winner of this tournament automatically gets entered into the Masters, even if they don’t qualify in any other capacity.
The last two winners of this tournament have been Aussies - Adam Scott in 2007 and Stuart Appleby in 2006. Adam Scott has been playing well lately and I think he should do well here considering the fact that in last year’s tournament he came in playing poorly but managed to win. Appleby has dominated this tournament with a runner-up finish last year in addition to his win in 2006, but this week I’m going to opt for having Padraig Harrington to shine. Harrington has said that he is devoting more time in preparing for majors and with the Masters right around the corner you can bet that Harrington is going to do his best to validate that Open Championship win with another major. I’m leaving Phil Mickelson out of this contest and saving a start for next week…Phil has an awesome record at Augusta but I believe he’s unfamiliar with this layout, so save him for next week.
This course is set up for long hitters, so next in line is Bubba Watson. As you know Bubba can bomb the ball, but he’ll need to be able to putt well to post some good scores. If the rough is manageable this year, look for Bubba to be able to hack it out with some success. Keep your eyes open for Justin Leonard, who is a Dallas native and has had a great 2008 thus far.
Last but certainly not least is Andres Romero, who said he will be devoting more time to play on the PGA tour in the following years. At this point in time I consider him just as good as Sergio Garcia…both were contenders at the Open Championship last year but Romero just tacked on a win last week and Sergio hasn’t won a tournament anywhere in the world since 2005, thanks mostly to a streaky putter. And then of course there’s Fred Couples…Fred won this tournament in 2003 and he seems to peak each year around this time…remember that in 2006 he was in the final pairing with Phil when he (Phil) captured his 2nd green jacket. Boom Boom can still play, that’s for sure…hopefully he’ll keep his back in check and get a great round in before going to Augusta.
BTW, if you have DIRECTV, you are in luck, given the extended Master’s coverage. Check it out after the jump....
If you’re a DIRECTV subscriber, you win!
I recently found out that DirecTV will be showing additional and extended coverage of The Masters on channel 701 (standard definition) and 706 (HD). The DIRECTV service will be available during ESPN coverage of the first two rounds and CBS coverage of the final two rounds on Saturday and Sunday. The highlight of the coverage will be Masters Mix Channel, offering viewers a unique window on the famous Augusta course with access to four different views on one screen - a view dedicated to covering the famed “Amen Corner,” another focusing on critical finishing holes 15 and 16, a continuously updated highlight channel showcasing Tournament leaders and their scores and the CBS national broadcast.
The four views include the following:
* View One — CBS and ESPN’s live coverage of the Tournament.
* View Two — “Today’s Highlights” offers a continuously updating loop of the best shots from the day’s play with voice-over providing context and commentary.
* View Three — “Amen Corner” provides complete coverage of the most famous stretch — holes 11, 12 and 13 — of Augusta National Golf Club. The channel will provide a continuous view of play as the field challenges this most treacherous part of the course.
* View Four — Holes 15 (the par 5 Firethorn) and 16 (the par 3 Redbud) spotlights this especially difficult part of the course, which can make or break a golfer’s round.
Each of the additional three Masters channels is a fully-produced channel with its own production crew, additional cameras and announcers — provided by CBS Sports and DIRECTV. Customers with interactive receivers can highlight any of the four views on the Mix screen to hear live audio on each and expand them to full screen by pressing the select button on their remote. If that’s not insanely awesome, I don’t even know what is.
For me, golf starts now. Even though we’ve been treated to 3 solid months of golf coverage between CBS and NBC (including some great WCG events), The Masters tournament is the official start of golf in 2008 for yours truly. The weather is starting to get warmer, the sun is out longer...even the air has that spring smell to it. Something is just different.
Are you crazy like I am about this tournament? Have you considered calling out of work just to watch live coverage? I have. But then this wonderful thing called the “internet” came along and I was able to watch live broadcasts from Amen Corner on Thursdays and Fridays. I remember last year I sat in front of my computer ALL DAY watching streaming video. I must have been the most unproductive employee of the week. When I get home I’ll just watch the reruns in HD. Brilliant.
Golf nuts unite....raise your hands in the air and thank baby Jesus that Masters week is upon us. Unfortunately for me (and probably many of you) Jesus chose to rise from the dead on Masters Sunday last year. However, FORTUNATELY for me, I was sick last year for the entire tournament. That meant laying around bed all day. I must have put in a solid 24-27 hours of quality time with my TV watching live coverage and reruns.
Am I certifiably insane? Hell yes. But many of you are also in my boat, and I’d love nothing more than to sail the high seas with you.
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