Guide for Beginning Golfers

The U.S. Open returned to the Bethpage Black Course this past weekend on Long Island, New York where it last decimated the field leaving Tiger Woods as the only player standing and below par in 2002. It’s fearful reputation was softened a bit by the steady rainfall during this years tournament, but make no mistake about it many players were still well over par and missed the cut by making the error of missing the fairway on critical holes.

As with the Masters I have to admit I am disappointed in the outcome of this years Open. With wife Amy awaiting surgery, and her request for a win, I thought sure Phil would pull this one out of the hat. He is as capable as any and more so than most when it comes to golf skills, but the majors still seem to elude him when he is in contention on Sunday. When he made his move and went to - 4, he appeared psyched and I thought this would surely be the one, a real Cinderella Story in the making but it was not destined to be. He missed a three footer on 15th hole and a makeable par putt on the 17th that ended his chances for his and Amy’s dream finish. Bethpage Black reared it’s ugly head and clutched victory away from not only Phil Mickelson, but Ricky Barnes and another Cinderella Story contender in David Duval. They all finished tied at -2 and a share of the second place prize. Duval, looking a bit heartier since his stellar play around the turn of the century, when he was ranked 2nd in the world behind none other than Tiger Woods had played well during this Open. Second behind Tiger was not a bad place to be at that time but he has struggled over the past four or five years and has missed quite a few cuts. He finally recaptured some of the form at Bethpage Black that made him one of the top players in the world at that time in his career. The U.S. Amateur Champion in 2002, Ricky Barnes, dropped 6 shots in his last round and just missed birdie at 18. A birdie would have put a little pressure on Lucas Glover but the putt slid by on the left side which ended any chance for a tie and a playoff. Lucas two putted easily for par and victory. Lucas Glover, a real good player with all the skills needed to win, remained the most cool, calm and collected out of the final pairings on Monday and Bethpage Black could not take the prize away from him. He did drop three shots in the final round but the Rain Man, Glover, played intelligently enough to outlast the competition. 

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The winner of the Masters this past Sunday, Angel Cabrera, ultimately deserved the title of Masters Champion. Having been in contention with his stellar play the first three rounds and playing steadily on the earlier holes on Sunday, he was all but out of the running a few holes later when he dropped from -12 to -9 with bogies but he never conceded to the competition. He rallied back to -12 under and seized every opportunity to stay in the game by making birdies when he needed to. It only goes to enforce the old adage that “Slow and Steady Wins the Race”. Even after he tied with Chad Campbell and Kenny Perry for a playoff he all but stymied himself when he hit behind a tree on the first playoff hole, #18. Chad and Kenny Perry were in the fairway in great shape but Masters Sunday nerves got the better of them. They both pushed what would normally be routine iron shots into the green to the left and right respectively leaving the door open for Angel. He seized the moment by first making a lucky punch draw shot that hit a tree and caromed into the fairway leaving him a clear shot to the green. He again seized another opportunity by executing an excellent lob wedge shot in an extreme pressure situation which put him on the green in three with an approximate 12′ putt, which he converted, to tie Kenny Perry’s par save and go on to the next playoff hole. Chad was not as lucky and unable to salvage par so it left Kenny Perry and his playing partner all day, Angel Cabrera, to duke it out once again only this time on the 10th hole which turned out to be the deciding hole of the Masters. Kenny hit his tee shot into the left trap while Angel hit safely down the middle of the fairway, he wasn’t going to make the same mistake as he made previously on #18 again. His second shot was safely on the green while Kenny had yanked his left out of the fairway trap, leaving himself with a very tough approach shot to get close enough to save par, which he needed to keep his Masters hopes alive. He left himself about a 25 footer and missed just short on the right while Angel easily converted his two putt for par and victory. Congratulations to Angel on his amazing victory but I must admit I was disappointed by the way things played out.

Had I scripted this Masters it would have gone something like this.

Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson had teed off earlier and both started at -4. Phil’s rally on the front nine was reminiscent of the Nicklaus charge in the 86′ Masters and my favorite Masters to date of all time. This years Masters was a close second but anti-climactic because Phil, Tiger or Kenny were not victorious in the end. When Phil turned the front in 30 or minus 10 I thought to myself that this was far from over and could be one of the greatest Masters ever. Since I had tuned in, when Phil and Tiger first teed off, to the finale, I could not take my eyes off the TV screen. The steady and stellar play by Angel, Kenny, Tiger and Phil was riveting. The two best players in the world were going head to head and catching the the leaders after having been 7 shots back when they first teed off on Sunday morning. After Phil’s 30 on the front I knew Tiger had to make his move if he wanted to catch Phil who was now at -10. He accomplished this by eagling the 13th hole subsequent to Phil’s double bogie of 12 when he had made a mental error by not using enough club to  carry Rae’s creek and land on a safe part of the green. Tiger and Phil still both had an opportunity but they also both missed possible eagles on 15 which left them with more work ahead if they were to taste victory. Phil and Tiger had at one point reached -11 and -10 respectively and were both standing at victories door when they faltered at the end. Tiger bogied the last two holes in unTiger like fashion and Phil did not do much better. When they both came up short at 18, I was hoping that Kenny Perry, who has been playing some of the best golf of his life for the past two years or more, could become the oldest player at 48 years plus to win a major let alone the Masters. His -14 standing at the end of the 16th hole had all but sewed it up. A par on one of the last two holes would have clinched victory for him. He had not gotten a bogie for the previous 22 holes so why start now. But start now he did with two consecutive bogies to finish at -12 tied with Cabrera and Campbell and the playoff loomed. Kenny’s steady play had come to an end and the pressure of Masters Sunday finally took its toll on him. He all but handed the victory to Angel, who seemed more calm than the rest and just happy to be there in contention without succumbing as much to the pressures of the day.

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