Guide for Beginning Golfers

One picture says it all as Phil Mickelson wins this years Masters in dramatic style. During his final golf round on Sunday he shot a bogie free 67, not an easy task for any golfer. Last year I wrote about my disappointment in the major golf tournaments as golf ‘s greatest players were never able to close the deal during the final round. If this tournament is any indication of what is to come this season I think we may be in for the best year in competitive golf  that we’ve seen in a long while. The last time I remember watching a Masters as exciting as this one would be in 1986 when my golf idol, Jack Nicklaus, the greatest golfer who ever lived, rallied on the back nine holes on Sunday to win at age 46. Fred Couples, a fan favorite and Tom Watson another golfing legend made an excellent showing at age 50 and 60 respectively. Although Tom Watson faltered after the first round he played well enough to make the cut which is an accomplishment in itself at his age.  Fred Couples at age 50 and a past Masters Champion from 1992, is now dominating the senior tour. Fred Couples led the field after the first round and played better than the majority of his peers finishing alone in sixth place at -9, just two shots back of Tiger Woods and K. J. Choi. Tiger and K. J. Choi were paired together, shot the same score for each of the four rounds and finished at -11, tied for fourth place. When Tiger Woods was interviewed on camera he expressed his disappointment in his performance as his goal was to win the tournament and his competitive nature will not allow him to settle for anything less.

I had been a Tiger Woods fan since he made his first appearance on the PGA Tour in 1997. Despite the incident involving his car accident last Thanksgiving and the revelation of his dalliances and indiscretions were revealed for public scrutiny, he was received well by his peers, the media and his golfing fans. Although he put on smile for his fans and the camera he seemed distant during this tournament and justifiably so in some respects. There is no doubt that Tiger Woods is an incredible golfer, as I know of no other who could have performed so well after his four month hiatus from golf and with his personal life virtually turned upside down since last November. There was, however, something missing in his game for as incredibly as he played he could have scored better. He made some mental errors down the stretch like taking a two foot par putt for granted, missing and having to settle for bogie when he was in contention for a possible second or third place finish which was unlike his normal performance when the competition heats up.

Phil Mickelson, on the other hand, played like a man on a mission and took home the Green Jacket for himself, wife Amy, his mom and his children. His play showed the golfing skills that make him the greatest player on tour in the present day era of golf, maybe second only to Tiger Woods. I say maybe because I think the incident with Tiger exposed him to the world as the mere mortal that he is and not the superman who some perceived him to be before the incident last year. Phil is a spectacular player who is coming into his own and is finally believing in himself. Unfortunately, it may have taken a family crisis to make that happen. His wife Amy courageously made her way to the tournament with their children to be by her husbands side despite her illness and not feeling well. She wanted to share in this historic moment as she played an important role by inspiring Phil to win his third green jacket. He now shares this honor with some of the most renowned names in golf, Jimmy Demaret, Nick Faldo, Gary Player and Sam Snead. Arnold Palmer, another golf legend has four wins along with Tiger Woods. Jack Nicklaus leads with an incredible six victories at this prestigious golf tournament, The Masters. I thoroughly enjoyed this years Masters and I look forward to seeing Phil Mickelson, Tiger Woods and the other great players on tour, hitting golf balls and competing in the rest of the majors in 2010. Happy Golfing to All!

Tags: Golf Balls, PGA Tour, Phil Mickelson, The Masters

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