The Golden Bears’ Majors Record Preservation Society 2015

All right, gentlemen, let’s get started.  Hear ye, hear ye, with the 2015 Masters Tournament just concluded, the first meeting of The Golden Bear’s Majors Record Preservation Society in the year 2015 will now come to order.  (Gavel slams on banquet table, drinks spill, another round quickly ordered.)  Mr. Hogan, are all the former champions here?  

Yes, Mr. Jones.  We also invited the new champion, Jordan Spieth, who is barely old enough to join us in the consumption of libations this evening. All the more for us. But he is certainly old enough to kick a few more mature behinds on the golf course.

Mr. McIlroy is here.  Rory, lad, don’t feel the heat too much, Mr. Spieth has potential but is not the next Boy Wonder just yet.  Practice hard, stop throwing clubs in the drink and you should be fine. Oh, and Mr. Jones, please remind Mr. Spieth that the Green Jacket is not Lord Stanley’s Cup.  The Green Jacket Over America tour is unbecoming for a Masters champion.  

Mr. Mickelson is here.  Mr. Bridesmaid of the U.S. Open (six second-place finishes) adds his initial second-place finish in the Masters to his list of accomplishments.  Sorry, FIGJAM.  Better luck in the Cadillac Match Play this week.  Oops, sorry about that.  Back to you, Mr. Jones.

Thank you, Mr. Hogan.   So, let’s be brief.  Mr. Woods failed to win this week, despite a decent comeback showing.  So, Slammin’ Sammy, are you good?

Yes, Mr. Jones.  Safe and sound with my 82 wins.

Mr. Nicklaus, you of the game with which I am still not familiar, are you good with your 18 wins?  Nice hole-in-one by the way.  Brought back memories, didn’t it?  The roar of the crowd must have felt good; it did wonders for me.  

Yes, Bobby, it did.  And seeing a young man like Mr. Spieth demonstrate such skill and fortitude on your golf course brought back memories as well.  I can’t wait to watch that young McIlroy fella and Mr. Spieth go at it for the next decade or so.  Rivalries are good for golf.  Just ask Arnie or Tom about that.    

All right then.  We are convened until we meet again in June at Chambers Bay, sloped tee boxes and all.  Bring your mackintosh.  There’s a reason the U.S. Open has never been held in the Great Northwest, East Coast media bias notwithstanding. 

AMDG

(c) R.E.  Kelly 2012-2015

Tiger An MC

And MC does not mean Master of Ceremonies.  In my prior post I described the 2015 Masters as Woods' Waterloo.  As the Battle of Waterloo ended Napoleon's reign as number one on the World Emperor's Hall Of Fame list, Woods' failure to make the cut this weekend will hasten his further descent in the WGHOF rankings.  (Woods has now fallen outside the top 100 players in the world for the first time since his first week as a pro in 1996.)  While the chipping yips will not rear their ugly head, Tiger will not recover from a first-round 76 and will miss the cut by a stroke.  As Tiger leaves the historic grounds of Augusta National on Friday night, ABBA will be playing in the background...

First Hit For ABBA, Last For Tiger?

 AMDG 

R. E. Kelly 2012-2020

The Golden Bear’s Majors Record Preservation Society 2015

The first meeting of The Golden Bear’s Majors Record Preservation Society in the year 2015 will convene at the conclusion of the Masters’ Tune-A-Ment.  In the meantime, savor the unparalleled  greatness of the Golden Bear (sorry, Tiger) by watching him make a hole in one in today’s Par Three completion at Augusta National here.

Unforgettable

Tiger's Waterloo?

Tiger Woods has announced that he will play in next week’s 2015 Masters Tournament at Augusta.  This announcement came as a surprise to some since he has not played a competitive round since his two disastrous appearances in 2015 at the Waste Management Phoenix Open (two-round total score of 155, 13 over par, the worst of his pro career), and withdrawal at the Farmers Insurance Open in the first round nearly two months ago.

One More For Tiger?

However, someone of Woods’ historic stature and competitive nature was not likely to pass up a major tournament, especially the Masters, which he has won 4 times (and has finished second twice), although his last win at Augusta was ten years ago. 
Woods is reported to have shot a 74 in practice round last week, convincing him he has the chops to compete this coming week.  Perhaps, although two rounds of 74 would have barely made the cut last year, not the result Woods is looking for, I‘m sure.  And in fact, this Masters performance could be Woods’ career Waterloo. 

Is Tiger The Next Ian?

If his chipping yips persist, his career could follow that of Ian Baker-Finch and Seve Ballesteros in golf and Steve Blass and his ilk in major league baseball, i.e., players who lost the ability to perform a fundamental task of their sport they had mastered for years for whatever unexplainable reason lurking in the grey matter between their ears.  To say the pressure is on Tiger is the understatement of 2015, at least in the golfing world. 

                           AMDG